Located in Taos, NM

Our Work

About Us

Bob Orner, founder and president of Up Front Construction Company, has been building beautiful homes in Taos Valley since 1977. Up Front Construction Company is comprised of local craftsmen and artisans who take great pride in their work and reputations.

We do most phases of the home building process ourselves, instead of hiring outside sub-contractors. This allows for better quality control and fewer scheduling headaches. We do our own foundations, slab work, drywall, plastering, fireplaces, brick and tile work and all associated carpentry. We are very proud of our workmanship and our reputation. Our formula for success is simple - we offer quality work, reliability, honesty, optimism, and a sense of humor - all at a fair price (except the sense of humor - that can be expensive!).

Please call us today to discuss your building or remodeling plans. We will be happy to supply you with a long list of client references and show you examples of our accomplishments. Up Front Construction Company will be proud to assist you with your building needs.

Contact Us

Testimonials

Dear Bob,

We want to thank you and your crew for your excellent work on our house (completed in 2009) and guest house (completed in 2005). We are most pleased with the quality of the work and the prompt attention to follow-up and "punch list" details.

The two-phase schedule (building our guest house and garage as an earlier separate phase) presented planning and phasing issues, but both phase have come together seamlessly.

In addition, the solar design, rain water collection features and the complex roof design of the main house presented some real construction challenges which you and your crew took in stride. We are very happy with the detailed attention to every aspect of the construction.

Building a home can be nerve-wracking for owners, however, the professionalism of you and your staff during and after construction made life easy for us. For this we are truly appreciative.

All the best,

Bill + Kit Owen

Dear Bob,

Although Nancy and I have thanked you many times in the past for the wonderful job which you, Joe Cruz and the others did on our recent guest house construction in Turley Mill, both of us wanted to express our thoughts in a letter. You truly made the construction of our guest house a pleasurable, enjoyable and memorable experience. Nancy and I could not be more pleased with the results. If there had been an exact replica to our specifications in some other location which could, by magic, have been placed on our lot we wouldn't be any happier. Your attentiveness, attention to detail, responsiveness, and promptness -- you simply being you -- has brought about the fulfillment of our hopes and dreams to eventually be in Taos on a regular basis. We have said to you on several occasions that there is absolutely no doubt in our minds that you will be the one to build our main house before the turn of the next century (yes, it's just around the corner) and we have no doubt that it will be an equally enjoyable experience.

Again, Bob we thank you for everything and we look forward to seeing you and Jessica and the others on our visits to Taos. Please don't hesitate to show our guest house to any of your prospective clients and don't hesitate to have them call us; that is if they have time to listen to us praise your many fine qualities.

Sincerely,

Roger & Nancy Allen

It is with great pleasure that we undertake the writing of a letter of reference for Bob Orner, Owner of Up Front Construction Company. Up Front completely renovated our 200 year old adobe in Pilar, NM during the winter and spring of 1994. The project was complex from a technical standpoint and potentially frustrating due to all the unknown variables involved in working with a house this old. The ultimate result was one of the most functional and charming homes welve ever seen no less lived in at a cost we could ultimately afford. The process of our building experience with Up Front was very positive, almost unbelievably so, considering all the nightmares friends and family had related to us about their building experiences with other contractors. In retrospect, it is clear to us why our renovation went so well.

The hallmark of Mr. Orner and his crew is excellent communication. Even before ever signing a contract we spent countless hours with Bob scrutinizing the details. From our first meeting, until actual ground breaking, we probably spent 50 hours together reviewing living philosophies, design, financing, subcontractors, materials, etc. We know he spent a lot more time doing his homework, as he always came to our meetings well prepared and provided good insight. We continued to meet formally and impromptu during the renovation, each time better understanding each other's expectations.

The other major strengths of Up Front are flexibility, attention to detail, reliability, and friendliness. One thing we really liked about Bob and his crew was their ability to work up numerous options with variable costs for single situations. They would point out the pros and cons and could swing in any direction. The other very delightful surprise was the crews attetnion to detail. They would make suggestions and work solutions that revealed incredible creative insight. To them, problems represented challenges and the opportunity for them to grow as builders. Sometimes, we were just too exhausted and burned out on the project to know what we wanted to do in certain situations. Not Up Front! They always had tasteful solutions. And they were reliable too. If Bob said be here at 10:00 a.m. to meet a subcontractor, they were all present at 10:00 a.m. Ultimately, the renovation was completed within the time frame we agreed to, which was amazing when you consider what could happen when you cut into a 200 year old adobe structure. Through it all we actually laughed alot. Bob has this incredibly dry sense of humor which is so subtle that we found ourselves laughing over something he said the day before. The crew was so friendly and genuine that we still feel connected with them. When the job was finally done, we all had a big pizza lunch together and celebrated.

If you are considering hiring Bob Orner and Up Front for your construction project, feel free to call us with your questions. We feel certain you will be fully satisfied.

Sincerly,

Susan and Jim Cardasis

Dear Bob,

When we first saw your ad for "Up Front Construction Company" in the yellow pages, we figured you either had clear business ethics or wished you did. We soon were to learn that "Up Front" is exactly the way you operate. Before we chose a builder for our new home, we asked both a local attorney and a building inspector which contractors we should consider. The attorney said he had never heard of complaints about your work when the job was finished, and the inspector said the quality of construction was always excellent.

We found you to be fair about price, helpful about ways to contain cost, cooperative with our architect, exceptionally responsible and always attentive to detail. This latter characteristic is your organization's hallmark... everyone working on our home worked to get it "just right." The banco, nicho, viga and ceiling details, cialis-price, canales, etc., etc., all show a commitment to build things of lasting beauty. We overheard things like this all the time: "I like working for Bob. See this roof detail... if you don't do it the customer would never notice but the roof would leak eventually. Bob would never ask us to cut corners that affect quality."

Everyone on the crew seemed to enjoy coming to work; there was a spirit of cooperation and even fun on the job site. We witnessed how the crew and the sub-contractors pitched in to help each other. The guys were always willing to answer our questions and also taught us a thing or two about carpentry (you've seen my cord wood racks?). No cussing was ever heard nor were dead beer cans ever seen lying about. The job site was always clean and the materials organized.

We were thrilled that we were allowed to participate directly in the construction process. It's clear you were confident that your crew was building a quality house, and we always felt welcome on the job site. The weeks Heidi and I spent staining and painting "bonded" us to the home... it's really "our" home. We also appreciated everyone looking out for Julianna and Peter; helping them feel involved and keeping them safe.

I hope even before this letter you got the message that we are thrilled with our home and thrilled that we chose your company to build it. Should we ever build the planned dining and guest room addition you can be sure we'll ask your crew back to build it. We've had many happy experiences since moving to Taos, but our experience with you have been especially positive. Thanks.

Sincerly,

Rudolph P. Fedrizzi, MD