Testimonials

"Having had a bad prior experience building a home in Austin, Texas, John and I were determined to find a builder for our retirement home in Manitou Springs that would not only build us a home of high quality but also be reasonable, honest, and a joy to work with. We interviewed seven of the top custom home-builders in the Colorado Springs area and, from the get-go, Mark and Stephanie were superior in every way. The others were ho-hum about meeting with us, perhaps because we were out-of-towners still a few years from building on the lot we had bought in 2000. Mark and Stephanie, on the other hand, were excited about our project and set aside time to meet with us in their home and to walk our steep 5-acre hillside property. They were quickly able to envision the right placement of our home and to assure us that building our dream home was indeed possible. Only one of the other builders we interviewed was interested in seeing the lot and, after seeing it, said it was too difficult a site and declined to work with us.

Choosing PETRA HOMES proved to be the beginning of a delightful journey through the entire building process and beyond. Mark and Stephanie combine their unique talents to solve every design issue or construction problem in the most satisfying way. They care about your home as if it were their own."

"When we relocated to Colorado Springs from Nevada, we faced some major homebuilding challenges. Besides wanting an elegant retirement home for ourselves, we also needed room for lots of family get-togethers. And then there were the special needs of our six animals, too—three of them horses. It was a complicated set of requirements. Given the ordeal we went through when building our previous home in Nevada, we prayed it would be better this time.

Mark and Stephanie Kohlman made the whole Colorado project come together beautifully. Beginning with the initial property survey, they quickly translated our ideas and requirements into a holistic vision that included not only three major structures but also management and access of the 5.5-acre grounds. Specifically, besides the house and barn, they helped us design four different pastures, an arena, a 30'-by-60' storage garage, a large turnaround area for trailers, 700' of driveways, and a sensible plan for installing all the needed utilities. In scale and complexity, the project almost amounted to creating a small town.

The Kohlmans took it all in stride. They are consummate professionals. And their attention to detail across every phase of a very complicated timeline included superior management of all subcontractors, an exceptional ability to accommodate 19 different contract changes, and an understanding of what was critical to us. They were at their very best when things were the most stressful.

At the end of the day, we have not only completed our dream property, but have acquired two close friends. If Mark and Stephanie were Navy pilots, I would trust them as my wingmen in combat."

"Creating our dream home here in the Springs proved a happy journey for us. We knew we wanted to capture the unique character of our community by incorporating expansive views both of Pikes Peak and of the open spaces immediately surrounding us, and also by designing a Southwestern-style home in keeping with the landscape. As preparation, we had traveled extensively in Arizona and New Mexico, studying desert architecture and taking hundreds of photos, so we were very invested in our project, and hoped to find a builder who would be as invested as we.

Years ago, as it happened, we had toured a PETRA HOME featured in the local Parade of Homes. Neither of us will ever forget its comfort, elegance, and originality. Its centerpiece was a glass-enclosed bridge that ingeniously spanned a stream between the master bedroom and the main home. Our dream was still far in the future, but we never forgot that magical touch—and never forgot that PETRA was its creator.

When the time came, we interviewed several area builders, but from the beginning we felt our original instincts about PETRA had been right. We were immediately comfortable with Mark and Stephanie’s friendly, patient approach. Their years of experience and professional competency reassured us. They invited us to tour their own home and others that they had built. Then, as we pored over our building plans together, they offered a number of creative adjustments to accommodate our budget and building site. Even once construction was underway, they came up with still more creative touches in the course of our weekly on-site meetings.

Our dream did become a reality, and it proved one of the most satisfying journeys we’ve ever taken. Oh, sure, there were inevitable bumps in the road—e.g., we discovered some tricky soils on our lot, and we needed to adjust the placement of the house so as to sidestep a waterline running through our building envelope—but all were skillfully and doggedly navigated by Mark and Stephanie. One big plus for us was that PETRA is a green builder. Our home has been highly energy-efficient as well as blessedly tight and stable against the high winds we get on our exposed ridge in Colorado Springs.

When warranty problems occurred with the window company and its faulty installation of some of our windows, Mark and Stephanie stood by us, advocated for us, and even committed some of their own resources to achieving a satisfying and correct resolution.

Three cheers for PETRA! We would gladly partner with them again."

"A week before our expected move-in date, I drove over to our new house in Manitou to check on something and happened to arrive just as the house inspector from Regional Building was walking out to his vehicle. ‘Did we pass?’ I asked nervously. ‘Oh goodness, yes,’ he replied amiably. ‘A+! But I’d have known that even before setting foot in there. I’ve inspected several of PETRA’s homes, and all were beautifully built. Mark Kohlman builds a great house.

Does he ever. Jan and I have lived in that house for six years now, and hardly a day goes by that I don’t marvel anew at its fine craftsmanship. I feel similar gratitude for the pleasure of having worked with Mark and his wife, Stephanie. Mark may be the ideal custom home builder, at least for perfectionists like Jan and me. He has all the essentials. Smart. Unflappable. Reasonable. Conscientious. Honest. Competent. Agreeable. Toward the end of our year-long project together, I kiddingly said to him, ‘You know what your signature response is, Mark?’ He looked puzzled. I answered my own question: ‘”OK.”’ He looked even more puzzled. I went on: ‘No matter what request we throw at you, you’re always so accommodating. You never guilt-trip us or deny us. You just reassure us that you can take care of it, and will. Like saying “Sure.” Except with you it’s invariably simply “OK.”’ We both laughed. But I was making a serious point. No homeowner wants a contentious builder. You want someone even-keeled. Patient. Accommodating. And that’s Mark. And that’s why his subs respect him as much as his clients do. He’s totally easy to work with. A joy, in fact.

A word now about Stephanie. She proved as indispensable as Mark. It turned out that she reads complex house plans with a draughtsman’s savvy and was able to spot problem areas and missed opportunities that neither Jan nor I had noticed, despite having labored over those plans for close to four years. It also turned out that she has great design sense, and great business sense, and a nose for bargains. Several of her suggestions, such as the one about door hardware, saved us a boatload of money—and at no sacrifice in quality, either. She was clearly protecting our pocketbook, not draining it. We really appreciated that, for she was looking after our best interests as conscientiously as Mark was. What a great team they are."

"Our experience designing and building our new home with Mark and Stephanie Kohlman of PETRA HOMES was outstanding. We plan on living in our house “forever”; but if we would need to do this all over again, we would choose Stephanie and Mark in a heartbeat. We feel lucky to have found the perfect builder in PETRA HOMES

We had thought for years about building a house and had particular stylistic ideas in mind which were different from much of the architecture in the area. Mark and Stephanie were very good at listening to concepts and translating them into a home that we enjoy both aesthetically as well as functionally. The “Organic Contemporary” design style of PETRA HOMES melded very well with our love of The Prairie Style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Because Mark and Stephanie were open to our design ideas and to our involvement in the design process from step one, they included us in all the details, both large and small. We now have a home that reflects our tastes from the biggest architectural details such as a second-story covered deck to the smallest finish designs such as the trim on the newel posts. We were together able to actually design a house, as Mark put it, around our craftsman-made cherry and bird’s-eye maple dining table. From there we had a hand in the design of our gorgeous wrought-iron stair rail, in the pattern of the beautiful wood entry screen, in the concept of the wonderful cherry wood arches setting off the dining area, and in the choice of burled elm and cherry for the mantel in the dining room. These examples are just a few of the special elements of our home. Even the views of Mt. Blodgett and of the city lights are better than we had imagined.

From our initial meetings with Mark and Stephanie, we felt sure that we would have a great building experience with them. Through our conversations with them and in learning about their building process, Mark and Stephanie demonstrated that they have the utmost integrity. We never then needed to question their honesty, experience, and ability to build a beautiful home.

It was apparent as we moved along, that Stephanie has an innate talent for design and that Mark has a very high standard for quality in the homes he builds. Over and over again, we were impressed that Stephanie could look at a plan or think about a particular room and come up with an original design solution from the floor plan of the house which definitely does not stick to the standard rectangle outline, to the diagonal stripe of tile placed in the guest shower. To paraphrase Stephanie, “Horizontal stripes have been done.” Frequently, when we needed to make a design decision, my question was, “Where’s Stephanie?”

Mark's attention to every detail of construction was notable. We know of many instances in which Mark was already at work on a construction fix when we brought it up to him or on an important detail that he had noted and of which we were not aware-e.g., asking the framer to right an upside-down floor joist, having a large steel structural beam raised up a few inches as it wasn’t placed according to plan, writing a note “squeaks” on the kitchen sub-floor, and then another note “still squeaks” a few days later, etc. We were asked to make our own lists to add to Mark’s checklist. In this way, Mark made certain every last detail was completed properly.

Way back when, Matt interviewing for his new position in Colorado Springs, called the number on a PETRA sign and had a great conversation with Stephanie and Mark in their newly built home office. About the same time, back in Chicago thinking about our pending move, I placed the flyer of a stand-out home that my mother-in-law had spotted on the top of my pile of intriguing prospects of homes in Colorado Springs. When we spoke on the phone later that day, we found we were talking about the same house; one with amazing details and finishes and the look of a home we would love, as well as one with superb construction from foundation to roof. A PETRA HOME.

After the completion of our home, one admiring subcontractor said that our house “has character even though it’s a new home,” and a friend, who is a pastor, said our home “has soul.” We are so pleased! Mark and Stephanie told us repeatedly, “This is your home, it needs to be the way you want it,” and they certainly meant it. PETRA HOMES is truly a custom home builder."

"We had the pleasure of building a house with Mark Kohlman of PETRA HOMES. We had watched the same model go up the previous winter at a different location and fell in love with his design. There were a few changes we needed to make to accommodate our family of six and Mark was more than happy to oblige. We were able to completely customize the lower level to make it fit our lifestyle and made various changes to the upper-level floor plan for our convenience. Mark had a wonderful and unique style. He was very flexible with us and allowed us to make all the changes we wanted to. It's fun to have our friends over and ooh and aah! We would definitely build with Mark again and would feel comfortable recommending him to our friends."

"Our PETRA HOME is now a year and a half old, and we are still incredibly pleased with it. We chose our contractor with care, because this is our "forever" house. We chose well. Working with Mark was a pleasure. Mark is easygoing, while still a meticulous contractor with very high standards, both for himself and for his subcontractors, whom he has chosen with care ... Having a house built can be a stressful experience, but working with PETRA made it much easier. We highly recommend PETRA HOMES."

"Mark & Stephanie Kohlman are one of the most professional custom home-building teams in the Pikes Peak region.

Their custom home products always reflect a sense of style, sophistication, and decor that align with the needs of their customers and make their vendors’ products look exceptional.

They always apply the Golden Rule with their vendors & trade partners when it comes to their working relationships. They are a pleasure to do business with and an honor to have as a customer of Milgard Windows for over 10 years."

"We here at Plush Designs Kitchen and Bath have had the pleasure of working with PETRA HOMES on many unique and custom projects over the last decade. Every one of the homes that I can remember were very different in their own way. I would say that summarizes what Mark and Stephanie really bring to the table in their custom home-building company. And the result is always terrific. Each job unique and special! Quality builders with great ideas . . . and very professional to work with in every way. From scheduling to prompt decisions, Mark is often found on the job personally, available to answer questions that arise. I would recommend them to anyone considering a quality home-building experience."