TESTIMONIALS
Isaac Residence
In searching for just the right builder we toured countless new models. Nothing stood out to us. Every single house looked the same…UNTIL we walked into the D.T. Carlson Lakeville model. The quality and craftsmanship were absolutely remarkable and unique
From the very first meeting we had with Dan Carlson, we knew we wanted him to help us build our home. His humility and honesty, experience and knowledge of the process of building a home, impressed us. Over the long journey of looking for property, selling our home, finding the right architect to design our one-of-a-kind home, breaking ground the month COVID hit, all the way through the process of building and the finishing final touches, Dan was our advocate every step of the way.
We built a unique, elegant, custom, working farm house that fits perfectly with the homesteading lifestyle we dreamed of and are now living, all thanks to D. T. Carlson.
Working with Dan was truly a joy. He was devoted to helping us stay within our budget, helped us make every decision and was tirelessly patient from the first moment of planning all the way to our move-in day. He was a wonderful communicator, patiently answering our questions and clarifying for us the process, and making sure we were satisfied with every single detail. Dan is a hands-on builder who we often witnessed working alongside his contractors.
One of our favorite memories is the day we were able to occupy our home and Dan welcomed us into our stunningly beautiful new home.
Our home is truly a dream come true and a blessing and we are forever thankful to Dan and his great team.
Well done D.T. Carlson!!
Dave and Jana Isaac and family
Fair Haven Farm
Stillwater Township, MN
Nygard Residence
Three years ago when we decided to sell our home in St. Paul and move to the Stillwater area we had no interest in building a home. We had several friends who had gone through the building process. We felt like building was just too much work! We had looked at several homes and hadn’t found one that we both loved. One afternoon we stopped by an Open House in Mahtomedi. The moment we walked through the door we both fell in love. Everything about the home was perfect. We loved the style, the built in cabinetry throughout, the design and most of all the attention to every detail. After continuing to look at homes we realized that we were not going to find a home that we both liked as much as the Mahtomedi home. That’s when we decided that we were going to build a house with DT Carlson. That was three years ago and we have not regretted that decision for a moment.
Dan was able to start with a blank piece of paper, take our vague description of what we wanted and turn it into our dream home. He has such an amazing vision when it comes to design and style. His attention to detail is incredible. The quality of his work is first class. Everyone that has come to see our home has been blown away by the detail and craftsmanship. In addition, Dan is a great person. He made us feel so comfortable throughout the whole process. He was involved in absolutely everything from helping us choose the lot to approving the bar stools we chose for the basement. We always knew that Dan was looking out for our best interest. I can’t imagine going through the home building process without having that sense of complete trust. Our home turned out more beautiful than we could have ever imagined. People have asked us if we would ever build again. The truth is that we would, but only with Dan.
- Nygard Residence
Bailey Residence
Building with D.T. Carlson is a decision we would make again without hesitation. My husband and I were in the market for a new home, but had no idea what we wanted or where to begin. We had seen many houses and nothing caught our interest. We hadn’t even thought about building until we saw our first D.T. Carlson home. The quality of work and attention to detail was immediately apparent as we explored the house. After meeting Dan the decision was made. It was easy to see how dedicated he was to his work and his passion for home building was infectious.
Dan Carlson was with us every step of the way, taking a personal interest in helping us create our dream home. He walked lots with us until we found one that met all our needs. Dan went to bat for us and helped negotiate the terms of our lot purchase such that the developer paid for the fill that went under our home. We gave Dan a vague idea of styles we liked and he ran with it. Dan custom designed all of our wood work and cabinetry and it exceeded expectations. He was infinitely patient explaining all the details of home building so we could make informed decisions about everything that went into our home. Most importantly, we had direct access to Dan anytime we had questions or concerns.
The end result is an amazing house we are proud to call home. If you are looking to build or remodel look no further. D.T. Carlson will not disappoint!
- Bailey Residence
Baker Residence
Dan,
It has been great working with you & your staff. We could not be happier with our remodel- it is perfect!
Thank you for everything!
- Sheila & Rick Baker
Peterson Residence
Thank you D.T. Carlson, Chris and I are forever blessed for having you and your crew come into our lives. A more committed and passionate custom design team we could never have found (having built 3 times). Not only do we value the time spent on making this home esthetically beautiful we also know that each and every hidden frame and beam, stone, and measurement was checked and rechecked to reduce errors. I also thank Pernille, your lovely wife, and your children as I know what it takes away from family time in seeing a home like ours come into being. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with you. We are humbled by you and your crew as well as the gift of this house.
The following says it all:
D.-Dan Carlson Co. met and exceeded every expectation we had in our third build of a family home
T.-Trust worthy, Honest, Passionate about the homes he builds and the people that work for him
C- Committed to excellence in custom design (especially “Cooper’s” dog wash and kennel!)
A- Articulate, Dan and his crew communicates information in an easy to understand, timely manner
R- Reassuring, It is reassuring to know Dan stands behind his work because I know he believes in doing not just a good job or a great job but “the best” job
L-Listening Skills, Dan listens to wants and needs from the 1st phone call on
S- Skilled crews that go above and beyond expectations
O- Outstanding Quality and Craftsmanship
N- None compare to D.T. Carlson Co.
Dan and his family, staff, and crew are “Custom Homes” at it’s finest. There isn’t a better contractor or homebuilder that I could possibly recommend.
- Vicki Peterson
Paul and Kathy Kurtis
“Three years ago when we decided to sell our home in St. Paul and move to the Stillwater area we had no interest in building a home. We had several friends who had gone through the building process. We felt like building was just too much work! We had looked at several homes and hadn’t found one that we both loved.
One afternoon we stopped by an Open House in Mahtomedi. The moment we walked through the door we both fell in love. Everything about the home was perfect. We loved the style, the built in cabinetry throughout, the design and most of all the attention to every detail.
After continuing to look at homes we realized that we were not going to find a home that we both liked as much as the Mahtomedi home. That’s when we decided that we were going to build a house with DT Carlson. That was three years ago and we have not regretted that decision for a moment.”
- Paul and Kathy Kurtis
Dr. Kambiz Kosari
“I only have good things to say about Dan Carlson and his company. He finished the project in a timely manner, and more important than that, he stayed within budget. Dan Carlson is one of the hardest working people in the contract business…
His associates were also hard working, and very professional. I lived in my basement throughout the construction phase and these people did everything they could to keep my life as sane as possible. One of the advantages of living through the construction phase on site was that I saw how solid and professional each phase of the remodeling was handled.
I have the most amount of praise for Dan and Pernille Carlson. One of the qualities that became evident for me from the start was the level of attention to detail that Dan paid to every little detail of what I wanted. He was honest about the cost of things, and I quickly became very dependent on his expert opinion regarding many things I wanted done in the house. Pernille was also a great help, working with me on the finances and keeping things on track. I love my house. So does everyone that comes to visit me. You cannot ask for any better contractor and construction company than that of Dan Carlson and D.T. Carlson Company.
I would recommend D.T. Carlson to anyone thinking of remodeling.”
- Dr. Kambiz Kosari
Allen and Rita Amundson
“We would highly recommend becoming a proud owner of a D.T. Carlson Co. home. Dan Carlson took a lot of time to lay out what people would really like in their home and put those features in the designs…
When we did our walk thru with our Home Warranty consultant, he commented, 'in all the homes I have gone through, I’ve never seen so much attention to the little details.”
- Allen and Rita Amundson
David and Ann Bernard
“Ann and I are completely satisfied with our new home built by Dan Carlson. Dan and his workers at D.T. Carlson Co. did a great job with all the work that was done in building our new home. All our friends love the house when they come to visit. Dan was and is always quick to respond when there are questions on any changes that we wanted to do and took the “worry” out of building a new home.
I know that Dan and his staff will do a great job no matter how big or small the task is. I would, and have, recommended D.T. Carlson Co. to anyone who wants quick responses with great service when building.
My home looks great, both inside and out. Thanks, Dan for your hard work and a very enjoyable experience!”
- David and Ann Bernard
Charles and Jill Miller
“We first met Dan Carlson when we were hoping to build on a lot close to White Bear Lake, a location we believed would hold our future dream home. We interviewed several contractors and Dan was the only builder who met us at the lot to walk around and simply discuss our ideas, rather than giving us a lofty sales-pitch in a dark office while having us look through albums of boring photos we had already browsed on their websites. The turning point for us, as simple as it sounds, was that Dan was the only builder who just listened when we spoke about our dreams and answered my wife’s questions by speaking to her, not explaining everything only to me – this was the first testament to Dan’s amazing personality and kindness that we experienced. After “hitting it off” with Dan on our first meeting, we visited two of Dan’s recent projects in the cities, a stunning single-family home he built in Mahtomedi and a beautiful large addition he built onto an existing house in Pine Springs. Once we stepped into Dan’s Mahtomedi home, we knew we found our builder. However, when the seller decided to take the lot off the market, we were crushed. Nearly a year later, we found a small 1920’s lake home in Mahtomedi that we loved and as we first toured the house, we knew that we would have Dan build a great room onto the back of the house overlooking the lake. Before purchasing the home, Dan came out to the property and talked with us about our ideas, a fantastic afternoon that made us realize this was the home for us. We also shared a Photoshop mock-up of our idea that we had worked on – to see Dan’s excitement over our proposed vision was wonderful. Again, we were sold.
After taking nearly a year to obtain permits from the city due to variances on the land and the property’s shoreline, our new addition was underway, both in our home and in our family – my wife and I were expecting our first and the thought of building 2 months before our due-date made us a little nervous to say the least. To please the bank we interviewed three builders and Dan’s quote was right in the middle; however, Dan was the only contractor who spent more than 15 minutes looking around our house and discussing every detail of the project up-front – we had no idea if the other two contractors actually understood what we had envisioned or budgeted for our expectations. We also had two unique requests for the builders: 1) that their work would be complete by the time our baby was born, and 2) that they would allow my wife and I to do the rockwork on our new fireplaces, a project we had been dreaming of working on together for years. The first two contractors said they would do their best to complete the project on time, but would not let us do the brickwork, as they could not guarantee the quality. Dan eased our concerns and said he would be finished before the baby and would love to see us work on the fireplace. For the third time, we were sold and finally moving forward with Dan.
Exactly 2 months later and 1 week before our daughter, Kyra, was born, our addition was finished and needless to say, every inch of the 480 square feet is a dream come true. Dan’s attention to every detail, large and small, was above and beyond every expectation we had. As far as budget, Dan’s estimate was exact to the final penny. Also, we thought we would be living in dust for the last two months of my wife’s pregnancy – this was never the case as Dan and his team not only left the site immaculate at the end of each day, he went out of his way to re-tape all the plastic continuously so that we could be as comfortable as possible. Finally, the experience of walking around a safe, clean work-site every evening and taking photos of your dream addition as it is realized – well, that was something we never expected to enjoy so much. Had the site been a construction pile of tools, materials, and garbage – those amazing evenings would have never happened.
When asked by friends and acquaintances about our collective experience during the construction process, we find that our story focuses much more on Dan’s kindness and attention to detail than the actual construction process itself. In other words, we believe the unparalleled quality of his craftsmanship and consummate dedication to excellence were simply expected after visiting previous homes Dan had built; what we valued most in the experience was having Dan as a friend who truly cared about our family, our needs, and our home. We imagine having a contractor in one’s home from early in the morning to late in the evening could be a stressful, draining experience; however, when your contractor becomes a friend, it can be a highly satisfying and exciting time in one’s life. In our view, this is the part of the process that many overlook. Thank you, Dan Carlson, for the amazing experience and the exquisite great room you made a reality, a space that we will treasure and enjoy as long as our family continues to grow in this home. DT Carlson can truly make your dreams come true – we are living proof.”
- Charles and Jill Miller
Fritz and Stephanie Vandover
“From the minute we met Dan at his model home in Mahtomedi in the summer of 2009, to the moment he handed us the keys to our new home in October of 2010, D.T. Carlson Co. has been the epitome of an exceptional partner.
Every member of Dan's team is a focused professional and a talented craftsman who listens to what you hope to achieve and delivers.
The result of these qualities was an effortless design and construction process, and a beautiful home that we will happily live in for a very long time.”
- Fritz and Stephanie Vandover
Len and Sharon Copt
“I wanted to take a moment to write you thanking you for the wonderful addition to our house. We take great pride in the master suite that you constructed for us this past spring. We have shown it, with pride, to our neighbors, friends, and family… They have all commented on the quality of the construction as well as the design.
As you know, in my past roll as facilities director in charge of 1.5 million square feet of school buildings, I have had the opportunity to work with many contractors. In my twenty years of experience, I must say, your service to the customer and your dedication to your career is exemplary.
Sharon and I enjoyed your ethical approach to construction. You didn’t push for unnecessary add-ons and kept the change orders to a minimum. No surprises!! I appreciated that.
I felt that the key to our satisfaction was the project schedule that you created at the beginning. Before any work started, we understood when things would happen and when the project would be complete. Your schedule helped us to follow the construction and feel comfortable that things were moving ahead as planned. The schedule was created giving ample time for each subcontractor. This kept the project on time and eliminated overlapping of the subcontractors.
Once again, thank you for a wonderful project!!”
- Len and Sharon Copt
Karl and Ericka Koch
“We could not be happier with the home that DT Carlson Co. built for our family. Dan Carlson has a passion for building homes and it shows in his attention to detail, craftsmanship, and personal attention that he gives to the entire home building process.
We had researched several homebuilders, but Dan’s professionalism, patience, and commitment to quality convinced us that DT Carlson was the builder for us. It wasn’t long after we made the decision to build with DT Carlson that we realized we had made the right decision. We had put our trust in Dan, and he did not let us down. Before even discussing the details of the house, Dan spent time asking us what we wanted out of our home. This meant a lot to my wife and me, because it was important that the home fit our current and future lifestyle.
Dan’s accessibility and willingness to listen carried on through the entire process. We really felt like we were part of the process and that building our home was a partnership that we shared with DT Carlson.
The quality and craftsmanship of the home DT Carlson built for us speaks for itself. It’s a beautiful custom crafted house, but at the same time, it’s a comfortable home for our family. And our relationship with DT Carlson did not end the day Dan handed us the keys to the house. In the months after moving into our home, Dan reached out to us several times to make sure we were satisfied and that our home was meeting our needs.
Dan understands that building a house does not start with putting a shovel in the ground or end with handing over the keys to the house. Dan Carlson understands that he is building more than a house- he is building a home.”
Thank you D.T. Carlson,
- Karl and Ericka Koch