Fleschner Construction prioritizes long-term relationships beyond project completion.
Fleschner Construction, located in Multnomah Village in Southwest Portland, defies the too-familiar attitude of “one and done.” Long after the company completes work on its projects, its founder and owner, Ashley Fleschner, finds himself engaging with clients whom he considers friends. The best friendships are those that last, he says.
“I want to have a relationship with our customers,” said Fleschner, an active member of the Pacific Northwest National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). “It’s good for business, it’s good for my employees, it’s good for our customers.”
Fleschner founded his company—now 12 employees strong—during the uncertain economic recession in 2008. Prior to launching his own business, he’d spent close to three years working for a company that was flipping homes. It was work he didn’t feel very good about; contractors too often selected subpar materials and he never got to know the homeowners.
“Knowing our home owners is important because once you establish that relationship, you end up having a customer for life,” Fleschner said. “You know the kids, their life challenges—we are doing something to improve their lives.”
Fleschner wanted something more for himself and for his clients: long-term relationships based on well-run, beautifully imagined and finished home and commercial projects that met clients’ budgets and time-frame expectations. This desire fuels all of his decisions, including choice of contractors and subcontractors, materials and appliances vendors, and the paint company able to ensure just the right shade.
“What I wanted was to bring a higher level of quality to the entire process,” Fleschner said.
A recently completed kitchen-mudroom-powder bathroom gut and remodel showcases everything Fleschner Construction can do. A family in Portland’s Southwest Hills desired a better flow between this trio of rooms and a modernized kitchen in both its look and appliances. Key challenges included finding the products the family desired, sticking to its budget and maintaining the external aesthetic of their 1923 colonial-style home.
The busy professional husband and wife have two young children, and the family likes to entertain dinner guests. Product resiliency and efficiency were important considerations. Fleschner Construction installed a Jenn-Air 36-inch pro-style dual fuel range and a fully integrated bottom-freezer refrigerator whose custom panels match the new cabinets constructed by On the Level to meet those needs.
In addition to the kitchen cabinets, the family also wanted to match the updated, custom wood in their flooring and crown moldings with the original wood in the rest of the house dating to the roaring ’20s.
Fleschner has a special affinity for this three-room remodel’s “showcase” kitchen: its countertops and sink backsplash. The tile backsplash accent is an eye-catching Rudiment Herringbone, provided by Cepac Tile. And for the countertops the family craved marble, which at first Fleschner cautioned against because they can be “brittle and prone to staining,” he said.
His team installed Carrera marble with a Dupont edge, so delicate that the material could only endure a water-laser cut to the desired dimensions. Fleschner said the couple promised to keep up on proper cleaning and sealing of the marble to mitigate staining and other damage from spills and the like.
“This kitchen in particular looks elegant, and it flows with all of the other rooms,” like its adjacent living and dining rooms, he said. “It may take more maintenance, but the aesthetic is stunning.”
Perhaps just like Fleschner Construction itself: After its projects are completed, it prioritizes maintaining relationships with its clients. The Fleschner Home Guardian program means team members return to former project sites for years to ensure their integrity.
“We want to create a legacy of trust that continues after the project has been completed,” Fleschner said.
For more info, visit: FleschnerConstruction.com
