I have been a professional tradesperson for 50 years. I was recently hired by a client to represent them in remedying 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 (the owner) with regards to his defective and delinquent work. I threated 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 (who sent us a patronizing letter) 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 dry plans on his behalf (he did not seem to know how) to show him how to do a simple window installation. I specified 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 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 time. There is not one aspect of construction, neither in the use of materials or in 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 of Ryans' employees who visited the site, refer to Ryan as "an idiot" and "a bully." One employee told me that he gotten 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. My female client was literally afraid for her safety. She experienced Ryan as DANGEROUS. DO NOT HIRE THIS GUY. read more

See all

Catalyst construction came recommended to me from a friend who had them build a garage for them. After having a tree fall on my house this winter they were able to fix everything back to the original condition. Once they started my project was done in no time and the work all looks top notch. Highly recommend! read more

Ryan, Nick and the rest of the team at Catalyst Construction carried out a complete remodel of our basement for us and we couldn't be happier with the results. Our project was to create a comfortable and inviting guest suite and also to have a storage area and laundry. To give you a sense of the scope of the work: we had a seismic retrofit, waterproofing (French drains and dry wells), new water line, tiling, electricals, lighting, painting, the installation of a gas fireplace, custom cabinets and countertops, kitchenette, plumbing, whole house water filtration system, eucalyptus hardwood flooring, ducting and new air conditioning, a new egress window with a custom poured concrete tiered window well, insulation and new windows. So, basically, everything from scratch! The team were able to realize the ideas that I had in my head and come up with great solutions that all really came together to look beautiful. Ryan was very receptive to all the little details that were important to us and he was enthusiastic about getting them right. It's clear to me that he and the whole team understand the importance of the little things that make a big impact and for that I'm deeply appreciative of all of their efforts. When some unexpected things came up (for example, it was discovered that we had rotted footings on our support columns and also that a previous owner had removed a section of support beam(!)), costs and time to repair these things were very reasonable, the work was top notch and the solutions were creative and clever. During the project we wanted a few extra things added and Ryan and the team were very flexible about making these things happen. We're thrilled with the final result and would not hesitate to recommend Catalyst Construction. Great people, excellent Portland business :). Special shout out to Nick, his amazing woodworking skills and all-round awesomeness, Mike's wonderful work ethic and Bruce's "holey" work! read more

See all

Our Dream Home! The moment we walked into the contemporary home Catalyst Construction & Remodeling built, we knew this place was special. The attention to detail, eye for design and tasteful finish selection are just the beginning. Every level of the home has a beautiful gas fireplace including the rooftop deck. Mixed stone and glass back splashes compliment the custom cabinetry in the kitchen and bathrooms. Every surface is functional plus durable. As soon as we walked up to the rooftop deck with a 360 view, we put an offer in. Later, during the home inspection, the building inspector said it was the best built modern home he had ever seen. It is a privilege to provide this endorsement of the fine work of Catalyst Construction & Remodeling and its owner, Ryan Klobas. They built our dream home! Thank you! read more

Catalyst Construction & Kitchen Remodeling - General Contractors Near Me - Portland, Oregon

We really enjoyed working with the Catalyst Construction team. We found them by searching for contractors within our neighborhood; Ryan was responsive to our inquiries and was clear when they could get us on their schedule. Catalyst Construction completed a big project for us: they updated our unfinished basement into an entirely redone space that included a living room, bedroom, bathroom, laundry room, and kitchenette. They also oversaw a new water line to our house and an increase in our old electrical system to 200 amps. Remodels always come with their challenges, but the CC team was continually up for what our old 1930's house threw at us. From the initial floor layout, to their construction follow-through, to the final finishing details, we were extremely happy with the service provided. We were very involved with our remodel, checking in often. That worked really well, and we really enjoyed the joint problem-solving as our project progressed. Ryan and Nick are great people to work with. In the end, we couldn't be happier with the result. We love the space, it looks great, and we felt very much a part of the process to get exactly what we wanted out of our basement. We highly recommend working with Catalyst​ Construction and hope to do so again in the future. read more

See all

I don't ever feel great about writing negative reviews, but I also don't want anyone to have the same experience as I did... Originally called and spoke to Nick about putting a bathroom in my semi-finished basement. He was a nice person, came out and looked around, we brainstormed ideas and he said that he needed a plumber to take a look at adding the necessary plumbing before he could give an estimate. No problem, he said he would let me know when a plumber was available. Then I didn't hear from him for over a month, so I called back and asked if he could prepare an estimate for me. He apologized and scheduled for the plumber to come out over the phone, and also scheduled for the electrician to come take a look. During the next week, I showed Nick and the plumber and the electrician around the basement. He said he would pull everything together and get me an estimate. I never heard from him again. And since it was 6 weeks after the initial meeting, I did not call back to ask about my estimate because it seemed pretty obvious that they were either not interested in my project at all (though having a plumber and electrician over was a waste of everyone's time), or they simply weren't good about keeping track of things and following up which would make for a frustrating project for me. So I had Nick over, then I had a plumber and Nick over, then I had an electrician and Nick over, and I never received an estimate for the project. read more

This was a big project and I'm glad that I had Ryan Klobas and Nick Werfel from Catalyst Construction on the job. The project involved removing the roof and adding square footage to the second story of an old 1920's house, which was in rough shape, to support 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and renovating the downstairs. Ryan's communication skills were great, and I appreciated his timely updates, especially in the beginning of the project when we were running into unexpected structural problems. Nick's attention to detail and craftsmanship were superb and he was a pleasure to work with. The house turned out beautifully and I couldn't be more pleased with the finished results. read more

I had a great experience with the professionals at Catalyst. We recently completed a demolition and remodel of our basement including all new windows. Their bid was solidly in the middle of the bids we received, and they were able to complete the job within our budget. The work was well done with quality subcontractors. Ryan and Nick were honest and easy to communicate with, and any problems were addressed quickly. We are so happy with our beautiful new basement space and highly recommend Catalyst to anyone else looking for quality workmanship. read more