Westlake Development Group, LLC

Working with Westlake Development Group has been a positive experience. Gerald Rowlett and the Westlake team have been amazing throughout the entire process: from selecting a location to designing the home, building it, and resolving issues after we moved in. Gerald kept the project moving forward and finished on time. His attention to detail was impressive and we ended up with top quality results. The only area for improvement was budgeting, our project went over budget and we didn’t have visibility into this until after construction was well underway. Building a completely unique and custom home, we encountered several unforeseen issues. Gerald and the team were quick to help us resolve or correct all of these issues. We are truly enjoying our new home. If we have the opportunity to build another house, we would be delighted to work with Westlake Development Group again.

-First of all, Westlake builds lovely new construction. That being said we initially engaged Westlake Oct 2018 for a possible new build or remodel. Several months later, unable to find a suitable lot, we decided remodel. At the end, they admitted the remodel "threw them for a loop." -Turned out Westlake was not very knowledgeable (from what we can tell from our experience) regarding how to begin a remodel project. (We have been through extensive remodels before and a red flag should have gone up when during the initial walk through to discuss scope of project, he brought with him the hardwood flooring guy) but we gave them the benefit of the doubt anyways. -Gave us incorrect information regarding max. square footage allowable and how house could be expanded. (Confirmed by new contractors we hired subsequent to ending relationship with Westlake.) -Non-responsive or pushed off to a future date concrete answers to emails asking for updates or next steps (which never materialized.) -Felt they should have been upfront about remodel being outside of their scope of knowledge. We would have understood.

I recently contacted Gerald to ask him a few questions about a home plan we are are planning to build. Because I live in Missouri, I didn’t really expect him to help. After all, we can’t hire Westlake! But he called me back with 30 minutes of advice, on a Sunday no less! Thank you Gerald. We hope to find a builder like you in St Louis.

My husband and I met Gerald with Westlake Development a few years ago at the Street of Dreams. We decided to have him build our home in Vancouver, WA. We can't thank Gerald enough for his ideas/suggestions to turn our vision into our Dream House. It was our pleasure to get to know Drew, Kelly, and Audrey as they played a major part in the success of our Dream House as well. Gerald went from being our Contractor to our Friend!

I’ve worked with Gerald and Westlake since 2008 as a photographer, and have consistently been amazed at the quality of their craftsmanship. Although primarily I’ve captured their Street of Dreams homes, I’ve been thoroughly impressed by their non-showcase homes, which are easily of the same caliber. The level of design, finishes, and layout puts their houses over the top. Instead of being confined to one architectural type, they span a wide range of styles, from modern, to traditional and beyond. If the land has a view, you can be sure Westlake will position the home and windows to showcase it to dramatic effect. Gerald is personable easy to talk to; I was surprised to see him man the door at a Street of Dreams and engage every attendee who stopped by in conversation. I look forward to photographing more incredible Westlake built homes in the future.

Westlake Development built our custom contemporary home in 2015. Gerald Rowlett is the owner of the company and we think very highly of him as a builder. Building a custom home requires a lot of time and energy from both the builder as well as the homeowner. Gerald is excellent at working collaboratively with the homeowner and I always felt like he kept us informed and up to date on our timeline and any unexpected issues. We currently have a home that we love and that is because Gerald was able to put together a personalized team of people to help us create an amazing home. There are so many moving parts to custom home building that not everything can go exactly as planned. What distinguishes Gerald from many builders is how he handles unexpected challenges. He always consulted us as the homeowners and gave us different options for things that needed any changes. Gerald was also very cognizant of pricing and respected our budget. We checked budget frequently and he would be open and very good about communicating anything that might alter our budget. If we ever had any concerns during the building process, Gerald was easily reached by phone or email. Gerald is also extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of homebuilding. We were able to make informed choices in all the stages of our build, as Gerald was able to explain to us along the way why certain materials were chosen and why certain steps were taken at any given time. Even after we moved into our home, Gerald continued to give us support if anything needed attention. He takes pride in what he does and has such an amazing work ethic. Gerald takes responsibility for his home builds and stands behind his work.

We were filled with angst when we initially decided to build our own home. Where to start? We were so fortunate to have found Gerald Rowlett and Westlake Development Co. If you want to work with professionals that are trustworthy and reliable you need look no farther than Westlake. No drama, no surprises. We stayed within our budget. We felt calm and joyful. The project also completed before its scheduled time!

As a supplier of building materials, we appreciate the opportunity to work with a highly ethical organization like Westlake Development Group. As a “Street of Dreams” caliber builder, they place the highest value on quality regarding the homes they construct. They are also very involved in giving back to the community, especially when it comes to our military veterans. We are extremely proud to be associated with Westlake Development Group! Luke Morley Marketing Director Lakeside Lumber

I have worked with Gerald Rowlett and his team at Westlake Development for several years providing construction financing for their projects. Specifically we have worked on Street of Dreams homes together and had successful experiences. I am very comfortable referring my clients to Westlake when they have not chosen a builder yet. In cases where clients ask for multiple builders to choose from, they always choose the Westlake Team. Not only does Westlake build a beautiful home, but they truly care about the quality of work that goes into the home, and that they are building the home FOR THEIR CLIENT. The truly impressive thing is the way the Westlake Team is able to resolve. When you build a home, there are going to be hurdles that come up- it's just part of building a home. Their vast experience and ability to calmly look at options and find a resolution is impressive. They don't lose focus, they resolve and stay on track to meet the deadline. Client feedback is that they are happy working with Westlake. I am always confident any referrals I send to Westlake will have a positive experience. I give Westlake my highest recommendations. Mark Pendley - Loan Officer - Umpqua Bank

Westlake Development, specifically Gerald Rowlett did a remodel and addition to our home. Gerald made wonderful suggestions and helped us sort out all of our ideas. He was outstanding in helping us accomplish everything and more then we had hoped for our dream home. Westlake Development turned what was a simple 1980's ranch home into what we think is now a beautiful, comfortable, and very livable home for our family and friends. We cannot imagine having used anyone but Gerald for this project and we are more then pleased with the result.

We have worked with Westlake Development for the past two years. They are very professional and they build a great home. We have done 2 St of Dreams Homes with them and are working on two more this year as well as other projects.

As a supplier to Westlake for products needed to meet the design and function requirements of his homes, it is important to have a detailed organized contractor. Not only does Westlake excel in the operations of their home building process, they demand exceptional performance by the subcontractors working on their homes. I have worked for Westlake for 20 years and have never had a home buyer say anything negative about them. That is an extremely difficult thing to do when all your projects are custom new creations.

It is a pleasure and an honor to work with Gerald and his crew at Westlake Development. He has been a long time loyal customer. I work with a lot of Custom Home builders in our area and it's always great to be involved in Westlake Developments projects. It's not about Gerald just building a house, he has always been a forward thinker and innovative. We provide exterior siding products and Gerald is always coming up with something new and exciting.

Despite the fact that Westlake Development has been building custom homes the past 30 years our introduction to Gerald was only three years ago. The building industry was recovering from a major recession but Westlake Development seemed to be beyond survival mode and much of that was due to Gerald's attention to the client's desires. Our entire team has experienced great success with the vast team of people brought onto the site to create a client's dream home and much of that culture stems from Gerald's team wanting to do-the-right-thing culture. He focuses on the client and never tells us (as designers) that something can't be done, but instead...let's figure this out. A majority of our new build projects in our portfolio have been built by Westlake Development...and we're proud of that.

I was very impressed with this company at the NW Natural Street of dreams 2014. The builders were actually there to show the home and answer questions. I talked extensively with them about a project I was working. They gave great advise and were very open to sharing their knowledge and experience. They are good at what they do, very knowledgeable and professional.

We have had the great pleasure of working on a number of homes with Gerald and the team at Westlake Development. They have set a high standard of excellence with maintaining communication between the designers and subcontractors and clients to make sure the project runs smoothly and on-schedule, but ultimately it's their dedication to satisfying the needs of the homeowner that sets Westlake apart. We were recently a part of the 'American Dream' home for the Northwest Natural Street of Dreams. Their involvement with the BBAC and the 'made in america' method of building has truly set them apart and we are excited for what the future holds as they go about bringing manufacturing back to the US.