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A 2024 customer wrote that over two and one-half years Zac Cyr worked on a long run of projects at their 25-year-old Essex house; one of the most recent was a custom-designed egress window for the basement. Brown Trout Design and Build is Cyr's business: on its website he writes that he is a general contractor originally from New Jersey who moved to VT, and the site claims 8 years in business. On Google it holds 5 stars from 17 ratings. A 2024 customer said Zac renovated their small guest bathroom, with a coffered ceiling and tile on the floor and the bath surround, and stuck to both the budget and the start and end dates he had presented. In a 2024 review, a customer said Zac pulled out a bathtub and replaced it with a pan and tile surround, and had come in under his original quote on a few projects. A 2024 customer said the site was tidied up every day as he geared up to leave, so that it was safe and passable. A 2023 customer said Zac did an in-depth renovation of an old sunroom in their historic home, completed on time and under budget. A 2023 customer said Zac built a custom cedar fence for their backyard. A 2023 customer had a wooden fishing net built to the dimensions they requested. A 2022 customer described a full kitchen remodel, a mudroom addition with a custom-built cubby and a new garage configuration with door installs. A 2022 customer said Zac and team did a deconstruct and rebuild of their garage in the middle of the pandemic, with supply issues, and then a rebuild of a small porch and stairs. A 2022 customer who had hired Zac over about four years listed a bathroom renovation, a kitchen cabinet install, custom wood gates and trim work.
Exception attention to detail and quality. High degree of interaction w staff during planning and construction periods. High value relative to cost. Timely and efficient.
Inside, outside; upstairs, downstairs; all around the house! Over the last two and one-half years, Zac Cyr has worked on an amazing number of projects at our 25-year-old Essex house. We bought it three years ago, and as far as we could tell, no renovations, updating or even maintenance had ever been performed before we moved into it. It needed loving attention from contractors talented in virtually every trade. And for the most part, all of the work has been done by Zac, with an amazing attention to detail, and finished projects that draw “oohs” and “aahs” from everyone that ever visits us. Our sad house from three years ago is now our beautiful family home, where everything seems to work; radiate great quality; and look wonderful. One of the very most recent completed projects was a custom-designed egress window for our basement, photos attached. Zac has my permission to give you my phone number if you are considering him for a project and would like to speak voice-to-voice for a reference.
Zac at Brown Trout Designs is fantastic! He replies to texts and calls, shows up when he says he’s going to, gives accurate quotes, does INCREDIBLE work, and has even come in under his original quote on a few projects. His last project with us was to pull out a bathtub and replace it with a pan and tile surround. He did a fantastic job and was super patient while I changed the scope of the job on him multiple times (sorry Zac!). He was also wonderful and patient with our kiddo and our newly adopted puppy who loved to inspect his work! We are very happy with all the projects Zac has done for us and I can’t recommend him enough!
Quality of work is top notch, no question about it! However, what impressed me the most is 1) Communication: responsive, transparent, clear, honest in setting expectations, and will consult you with options if a decision needs to be made! 2) The Clean Up: everyday, as he geared up to leave the site, it would be tidied up so that it was safe and passable.
I cannot recommend Zac enough for any work you need done in your home. His communication is excellent, he included us in the plan each step of the way, and his work was fantastic. He was very organized, kept the space very clean after each day's work, and stuck to his timeline. All this while my wife and I were home with our newborn - which Zac was very respectful of and accommodating with. We still have a couple projects on the docket and wouldn't trust anyone else but Zac with the work.
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1 change recorded — last scanned Oct 23, 2026.
Typical your area range for this kind of work, from regional averages — not a quote from Brown Trout Design and Build. Use it to sanity-check bids, then get the real number in writing.
Estimated range
$23,000 – $35,000
Typical remodeling project around $29,000
