I first met Ken Bartow in the fall of 1982. My wife, Connie, and I had bought a parcel of land on Pleasant Lake in Otisfield, Maine earlier that year and we were exploring the options of building a vacation home on that site. At that time, Bartow and his small crew were in the remodeling business, but Bartow felt confident of their ability to move into new home construction. We examined the quality of his work on a previous project and Connie and I agreed that Bartow and crew would be the builders of the first new home for either them or us.
What a great decision that turned out to be. Our original handshake led to a 33-year long-term relationship with Ken, Ken’s crew and family. Our original home was a modest 40x32 floor plan with two bunkrooms and a bath upstairs; a bedroom, bath, galley kitchen and living/dining room on the ground floor and a bedroom, bath and utility area in the unfinished basement.
This home was expanded over time to support our growing family: a screen porch that was eventually closed in, a new master bedroom, an expanded living room with cathedral ceiling, a garage with a finished studio for Connie, cabins in the woods for each of our four children, a large post-and-beam barn in our meadow, a finished basement with a TV room, exercise space and an office for me, a completely new and expanded kitchen, an additional bedroom and a half-bath on the first floor.
Almost each of these additions was a separate project. We undertook a major project every two or three years. Only once did we hire an architect and I’m still not convinced of the value we received. Connie and Ken, later with the help of my engineering son, designed each addition. One of Ken’s long-time employees drew up the plans. We never ever considered getting bids from other contractors. We knew the work would be done right at a reasonable cost. We trusted Ken and his crew. Most of the work was done in the off-season. Connie and Ken would talk over the phone to resolve issues that arose. Connie and I might drive up from the Boston area on occasion to see the progress on a particular project. Ken always provided us with completion dates that were met. Unfortunately, that is not often the case in the construction business.
Ken was not only our builder, but he was our house doctor. If anything went wrong—an alarm from the security company, water damage from an ice-dam, problem with the septic system, he was our GP. He knew the best specialists in the area. Over time, I observed Ken’s business grow. But he never over-extended himself. He even reduced the number of his crews when he felt that he couldn’t properly oversee all the projects and because he felt the pressure to take on projects to keep all his crews busy. Last year Ken announced that he was selling his firm to one of his trusted lieutenants. Now, Ken the House Doctor can get back to working single-handedly on projects that help home owners fix many of those items on their “get it done” list.
With Ken Bartow, you will be assured that, if he says he can get it done, it will be done right and in a timely fashion. You will be dealing with a man of the highest integrity. You will be dealing with the best.
Earl & Connie Sasser