Catalyst Construction & Remodeling, Portland OR

We hired Catalyst to turn our dark and dusty basement into a place that we could use and actually want to hang out in. Did it take longer than we all thought it would? Yes. Were there some hiccups along the way? Sure. But we always felt like Ryan, Nick, and the rest of the crew were trustworthy, honest, and easy to talk to. And now we have this great extra space in our house that we are really happy with.

People aren’t leaving negative reviews because Ryan is a belligerent bully. I imagine, like myself, the people whose jobs he’s completely botched are afraid of what he will do if they complain.
Treated me horribly. Ruined the side of my house and told me he has beaten everyone who has tried to take him to court. I wish someone had posted a review like this before I hired him. Take care of yourselves out there.

I hired Catalyst Construction for installation of an egress window in my basement and they did such an excellent job. The workmanship was so beautiful which was not easy with uneven walls in our 1892 home. They also did such a nice job of cleaning up. I would hire them again in a heartbeat.

I was very pleased with Catalyst. My kitchen remodel turned out wonderful and it’s everything I hoped it would be. I would highly recommend Catalyst.

We bought a new home with a finished basement. Ryan did a great job with replacing our basement window with an egress window. His team acted efficiently to dig out a well along the side of the house and then install the window. They completed the project on time and cleaned up the job site. We’re so happy with the quality and look of the project! Ryan communicated professionally and really knows what he is doing! I would definitely use their services again.

I highly recommend Catalyst Construction for any remodeling/addition. I was very happy with our completed project & got exactly what we wanted. Ryan and Nick were great to work with.

We have nothing but positive things to say about Catalyst. I was very pleased with the work they did. The owner was very helpful through the process and answered all of our questions we had. We will definitely be using them again in the future.

THE WORST! Terrible job. 14 months to install 2 simple windows. Bullies. Liars. Stay away from these guys.

I have been a professional tradesperson for 50 years. I was recently hired by a client to represent them to remedy the defective work performed by Catalyst Construction. The quality of their work, their construction knowledge and professionalism are nothing short of ABYSMAL.
I contacted Ryan Klobas with his defective and delinquent work. I threatened to contact the Builders Board to motivate him to show up. His response? He said that “people always try to take him to the Builders Board, but it never works, ” and then promptly contacted his attorney, instead of showing up to the job site (something he NEVER did) to remedy the situation. He bullied my female client (a mother of an infant). He took 14 MONTHS to install 2 windows. It wasn’t until I began proceedings with the CCB that Ryan finally agreed to complete (or attempt to) complete the project. I had to draw plans on his behalf (he did not seem to know how) to show him how to do a simple window installation. I had to specify the use of proper materials, as he had not educated himself on this common trade knowledge. I forced him to get permits and engineering for the structural damage he had done to the residence. He lied to my client telling them that permits were “optional. ” He uses a chainsaw and a sledgehammer (literally) to cut rough (and I mean ROUGH) openings into structural concrete walls. He installed his windows exactly backwards. He dug huge holes in the yard.leaving them all winter to fill up with water which migrated into the house. He does not know how to caulk properly. He used finger-jointed (garbage) lumber which disintegrated in 2 months. There is not ONE aspect of construction, neither in the use of materials or standard construction orthodoxy, that Ryan knows how to implement. He makes things and systems up in his head, uses materials against their intended purposes, then writes a letter telling my client that he is “innovative, ” by doing so, and that my client is “crazy” for suggesting otherwise. All Ryan’s employees who visited the site, refer to Ryan as “an idiot” and “a bully. ” One employee told me that he got abused by Ryan because Ryan hadn’t given him the plans (which we provided) for the project. Ryan told his employee that he should “lie to the client to protect the company. ” EVERY one of his employees who attempted doing their mis-guided work on my client’s house, ended up quitting, because of the way Ryan mistreated them and his clients. I am not sure where the positive reviews have come from, but I suspect they are fake.probably from friends and family. My female client was literally afraid for her safety. She experienced Ryan as DANGEROUS. DO NOT HIRE THIS GUY.

Our basement remodel experience with the Catalyst Construction team couldn’t have been better. Our contractor Nick helped us navigate the project planning and estimation process in a way that made us feel involved and comfortable. Once the project got started, Nick was always available to answer questions and checked in frequently, in-person and by phone, to ensure everything was meeting our expectations. And when an issue arose, as it often does when working on an older home, Nick would patiently talk us through what it could mean to our budget and timeline before making any decisions. We’re very happy we chose Catalyst Construction.

Ryan and Nick are incredible partners throughout the construction process, which anyone can attest is anything but straightforward. We hired Catalyst to finish our unfinished basement and the end product is nothing short of stellar. Their crew members were professional and dedicated to the job; their subs were top notch and some of the best contractors the city has to offer. We finished on time, and on budget - a budget that only grew because we kept adding new services after seeing what Catalyst was capable of. In short, hire Catalyst, you won't be disappointed.

We had to tear all of the exterior walls out of our finished basement in order to have a moisture abatement system put in. Nick and his crew have done a wonderful job of replacing the walls and trim, adding new flooring, updating one of the windows to be an egress window, updating the electrical service, and helping to fix a number of frustrating design issues with the basement. Nick did a great job keeping us informed about when the various steps of the work would be happing and helped us work out how to deal with some of the design issues in our old house and some of the unplanned changes that needed to be made.
We now have a beautiful finished basement that has been updated from the old 90's aesthetic to one that fits seamlessly with the rest of the house and some previously unusable space reclaimed as storage. We are very very happy with the work and are planning on enjoying our updated basement for many years to come.

Nick and crew converted our 1925 basement into a family room with workout area, additional much-needed storage, and added new stairs. The team did a fantastic job from start to finish. The sub contractors were also top-notch and very courteous. Any design changes were handled with ease and done so at a reasonable cost. We couldn't be happier with end result. Highly recommended!

Catalyst was awesome. Kept to our concept. Timely, efficient, clean, responsive and quality craftsmanship especially the tile installers. Highly recommend this company!

Ryan and his team were able to get our project aligned with our budget and timeline. Very understanding, knowledgeable and easy to work with. We were extremely happy with the end results. Highly recommended!

We hired Nick and Catalyst to install an egress window at our property. Nick was so great. Explained the process, gave tons of options and advice, was timely, and their workmanship was fantastic. About a year later, someone broke the window's handcrank and Nick delivered a replacement- FREE OF CHARGE. They go above and beyond. Won't ever use anyone else other than Catalyst. Thanks guys!

Found Catalyst because they had one of the better reviews on Google. I originally wanted to expand my existing garage to have a larger work shop that was properly powered for me to work on my projects. Ryan was professional from our first meeting, after talking to him we all agreed it would be best to leave only a small section of the existing structure and do a majority new build. Ryan worked and planned as best he could around my budget, but due to Covid related circumstances out of anyone's control it did go over. When a lot of money is involved in a project like this it always makes me nervous to work with contractors, plenty of horror stories around of incomplete jobs, etc. Ryan and his crew however were always very responsive and he personally always made sure to reply to me and keep me in the loop about costs, changes and when sections of the job were going to be completed. Catalyst followed through on everything and made sure to leave the job site cleaned up when the construction was completed. I am very happy with my new shop and glad I went wit Catalyst.

So we had an aging garage with a sinking roof that needed reinforcement and siding replaced and painted. We also wanted to frame out the back third of the garage for a new sauna with tile floor, drain and changing room. Ryan and his team came in, carefully identified pertinent structural issues and rebuilt the garage and created a space for the sauna including placing a drain with a challenging layout. We also needed to replace a wall on one side of the structure, add a new entry door and window and pour a new footing.

He was cost conscious in the options he gave, price was competitive and quality of work exceeded my expectations. Throughout the process he was responsive to texts and phone calls and adaptable to the (many) changes I wanted. It did take longer than anticipated to complete but some of that was due to supply chain issues with getting the door and window. Possibly the most impressive thing is that we had agreed on a price for additional work done and a few days later he said the cost was actually significantly lower. He could have just pocketed the extra but chose not to. Would definitely seek him out for future projects.

Catalyst Construction & Remodeling excelled in fulfilling our hopes of our dream kitchen in a difficult, small space with big ideas. We were thrilled with the end result and our kitchen was transformed from an embarrassment to a show-stopper. Through excellent communication, planning, patience on both ends and creative problem solving, we found the process eye-opening and rewarding. They were clean, efficient, thorough and cared about both the entire process as well as the end result. We had some unusual design requests and through team effort and vision, Catalyst & Crew along with Michael and I crafted a beautiful space that has truly made our house a home.

We have hired Catalyst Construction and Home Remodeling for multiple projects at our property. From adding a cement staircase and French doors to our basement to trimming dry rot on our siding to adding another new 5’ French door and fixing a fence, these folks have got it together. Always very friendly and clean, the crew makes sure you are up to speed with all projects in process. We moved here last summer and didn’t know anyone in the construction trade, we are lucky that we located a solid company to get our to do list knocked out! Do yourself a favor and call Ryan, we are glad we did!