CJM did a complete new exterior for my house: doors, windows, siding, a roof, and a deck. The…read moreproject went better and faster than I expected. They were great to work with. Great communication.

CJM Builders built my custom home 13 years ago. Our first issue was with their plumber, we kept…read morehaving connections break and floods. After WE did the research we found out that the plumbers did not use the correct clamping tool for the pek lines. When brought to the plumbers attention (Chuck's brother Dave) he was unaware that a specific clamping tool was needed! How is that even possible? We ultimately hired a different plumber to resolve the issue (yes, WE had to pay to correct our builders mistake). Next was the heating system, again Chuck's brother Dave (CJM Plumbers). Another issue WE had to pay another HVAC person to correct. Wrong placement of system to cover the second floor. We had to add a third system to adequately heat the second floor. Fast forward to today, we decided to add crown moldings, wainscoting and change paint colors. Dark colors are not forgiving to wall errors like lighter paints. Low and behold what do we see, tons of screws that were not "sunk" in the wall board as they should have been, not to mention literal "waves" in the walls that should never have been. Don't tell me that Chuck and Brian did not notice this, they were just happy that we did not before our warranty expired. If you are looking for a "quality" builder that uses quality subcontractors, keep looking.

Godfrey design build recently gutted and fully remodeled my kitchen. It was a small galley kitchen…read moreand I wanted to make it feel as roomy as possible. I could not be happier with the outcome. Pat, Fred and Dan and the rest of the team are amazing as they really listened to what I wanted and it came out exactly as I had imagined and envisioned. From design to punchlist, everything went as planned with no surprises or disappointments. The project came in on time and on budget. Subcontractors were all great, very professional. The quality of the work is second to none. No shortcuts, quality materials and first rate workmanship. I will share a couple before and after pictures so you can see their magic. I am thrilled and will use nobody else for all my future projects.

After meeting with several contractors we are very pleased that we chose Godfrey Design-Build for…read moreour project. Pat and his team helped us renovate our basement that included a 1/2 bath, wet bar, media room/game room, along with new windows and doors. From the beginning the entire team was fantastic and clear communicators. We always knew where we were in the project, who was scheduled to arrive and if there were any issues, delays, or decisions that needed to be made. Every member of the team, including sub-contractors, were always prompt and very responsive to any questions or concerns we had, no matter how small. They made it a priority to help us feel very involved throughout the whole project by listening to our ideas as the project progressed. In the end, the project was not only completed on budget, but it turned out exactly as we had hoped and envisioned and we would absolutely love to work with Pat and his team again in the future.

The entire Our House team is amazing, I knew it was going to be a good fit from the initial…read moreconsultation. Steve knows what he knows (and what he doesn't stating he'll get back to you - which he actually does), knows he's got a strong team behind him (he's collected the best of best from years in the business and he'll tell you so - but he's not saying it in a way that comes across rude or a hard sell, he's just stating a fact) and everything supports that! After living in our house for 10 years I knew the kitchen could be better, I just didn't know how. I made it clear to Steve that I would need the options and associated cost laid out so we could make an informed decision, we knew the scope creep possibilities could be endless! Steve assigned us to Amy (the visionary and Alex whisperer) and Alex (the engineer, pro CAD user bringing Amy's visions to life) and from there we were off to the races. We ended up taking down a wall and removing the chimney, which led to moving heating, electrical, and some plumbing to the upper floors; we removed two windows and a set of French doors, replaced by one big window and a single door to the back deck. A BIG project, estimated to take 4-6 months, and they came in right at the 5 month mark! Another key selling point is they are familiar with and took care of the entire permitting process - which for anyone who lives in Somerville knows, is no easy task in our city. It was an explicit criteria I had as we were seeking bids. Reid was our project manager, he was on site almost every day and absolutely amazing in terms of addressing any questions. Pat was our safety officer, but also a PM of sorts - he made sure there was limited dust, and overall everything went smoothly because of his attention to detail. When there was a mishap with the dumpster and our relatively new paved driveway, Pat declared, "No dumpster!", they removed trash manually every evening and fixed the pavers at the end of the project. Kevin is a MASTER carpenter, super kind, smart, and generous with his time. When he asked me how I wanted the crown molding in a weird doorway alcove, I told him I had no idea! He walked me thru the options, was patient with all my questions, and shared his opinion what would look best. It's gorgeous. The best example, is we saved our unique door and window trim to incorporate into the new window & door. No one believes me when I say the new kitchen window trim is actually comprised of 6-8 pieces of trim! It's beautiful and a masterpiece! (Also Kevin and team listen to great music and would be awesome karaoke partners!) Brian (plumber), Wayne (HVAC), Joe (electrician) - also amazing. Answered all of my questions, their teams are very courteous and clean - no one entered the house without introducing themselves. And a shout out to Paige, the designer, who saved us countless hours by narrowing down options! We are in love with our countertops. But the biggest compliment comes from friends and family when they see the outcome - they all day the same thing (aside from its amazingly beautiful) it looks like it was meant to be! Thanks to Paige we were able to update & make our kitchen more function, without losing the period feel of the house which is now more open concept. Communication is key, and aside from the workmanship and skill of Steve and the entire Our House team, the fact that they listen and work WITH you is what makes them stand out. As other reviewers have stated, you get what you pay for. This was not the lowest bid, but what we got in terms of process management and importantly the END RESULT was well worth it. We are saving up for our next Our House project!!

We absolutely love working with Our House! If you like contractors that communicate well -- and…read morelisten well! -- you'll love them too. We've now hired them for several projects around our house: a bathroom renovation, a new retaining wall, a new basement foundation, a new set of stairs, and a huge attic renovation project including two giant new dormers installed. We've hired other contractors before for other projects in our fixer-upper, but once we found Our House, we've only worked with them since. OH is really good about doing what they say they'll do when they say they'll do it (while notifying you of any changes), and they're super responsive via email. It's clear that they take pride in the quality of their work, too. When we had an issue with water in the basement almost a full year after the foundation was poured, we emailed them about it and they were out the next day to see what they could do to fix it. Through all the work they've done for us, our project manager and architect were amazing about checking in with us every step of the way to make sure everything was exactly the way we wanted it. Furthermore, when you have lots of construction projects going on in the house you're living in, you don't realize up front just how dusty everything is going to be. It's impossible to contain ALL the dust, but man, do they do a really good job of trying to keep your living space clean. They contain the area they're working on behind a plastic zip wall, and more days than not, they vacuum/sweep the areas they had to track through your house so that they're keeping the mess behind the curtain. We also have two cats that we weren't willing to rehome while construction was going on, and OH put up extra zip walls to help us confine them to the first floor while they worked on the attic so the cats wouldn't get out or get in the way! OH may not be the lowest bidder for your project, but you definitely get what you pay for. They're honest, timely, and professional, and each and every time they've completed a project for us, the result is beautiful. I can't recommend them highly enough!

Barrowclough came highly recommended, especially Paul Newman. I had seen his work at a couple…read morehomes. It was perfect. When it was time for us to do a major renovation, we invited them to give us a quote with other contractors. We ultimately chose them, although they were not the lowest quote. We chose to leave our home during construction to give them freedom to do their thing. Not only did Paul work quickly and efficiently, but during the job, he called frequently to keep me updated, and he came up with ideas to make the space more usable and modern. Rather than keep 2 old fashioned pantries, he had an idea to pull off the doors and order cabinet frames and doors and extend the kitchen into the hallway. He pulled out the insides and reengineered them to our custom specs. The result was that for minimal cost (hundreds of dollars) we got much more functionality and efficiency. We ended up adding to the kitchen and dining room job. What did we add? We removed popcorn ceiling, painted hallways and stairwell, painted master bath and bedroom, redid two upstairs bathrooms and more. We came home to a new house in April 2021 just as covid is (hopefully) winding down. What a gift Paul is. I'm happy to show the work that Paul and his crew did. He employs the best subcontractors and partners with them to ensure they are working together well. You can't go wrong with Paul and Barrowclough. Paul is a master carpenter.

We had an excellent experience with Tom Barrowclough Contracting on our recent home renovations…read more Tom met with us promptly after I called to request an appointment for a quote. Our project included a new roof, siding and all new windows. Tom delivered our detailed quote within a week or so. Our project started mid July 2018 and was completed last week. We were informed by Tom that the foreman, Paul Newman and crew would arrive at 7:00 am on a Monday morning, which did happen. Going forward Paul was in communication with us daily informing us of the next days schedule. All coordinating of product delivery, plumber, electrician, plasterer were under his supervision. There were no delays even with the August extreme heat. The crew of 3 were courteous and worked consistently through out the day. All materials were cleaned up at the end of the day. We requested some additional projects and the crew all worked together and made it happen. This included painting all the new window trim and a few rooms and ceilings. What impressed us the most, beside the quality of work, was that the Barrowclough team took our project and ran with it while consulting with us if needed. We would rate our experience as 5 stars and will use Tom Barrowclough for our next home project. Pat and John Dunn

I would absolutely recommend Steve and Stella Roofing Services. I have to say after the job they…read moredid today, I am not surprised seeing so many 5 star reviews about his work ethic and most importantly, his communication. When I decided it was time to replace my 40+ year-old roof after consulting with Steve, he told me truthfully that he would do everything he can as a local owner and a friendly neighbor (literally one street over) to help me in any way he could to take care of my need for a new roof under my financial limits. He made sure to address any potential issues, he assessed the inside attic space and made sure he didn't see any serious concerns before making any knee jerk assumptions like some do from a visual standpoint. Whether it be from the delivery of the shingles (which he communicated with me immediately to take care of a shipment error on the warehouse side before the job started) so that the job didn't start with the wrong shingle we selected !! His price was fair compared to a couple other companies who he competes against, because he truly wanted the business so he can continue to grow to compete against the other big name companies that upsell from a commissions perspective. Everything happened as he had scheduled. His team arrived in the early morning and finished in 7 hours. Shane assisted with taking care of boarding up the existing Gable vents and cleaning up everything inside the house as well as assisting the rest of the team so that there was no trail of a mess left behind. In echoing another reviewer, after the job finished, "his entire team cleaned up so you wouldn't even know they were there." I am thankful I went with Steve and Stella Roofing Services, and will consider for any future home improvement projects.

I honestly don't understand how anyone could give more than one star, I would have given zero if…read morethat were an option. I've completed previously several projects on my property with half a dozen different contractors, and I've never had an experience as poor as the one I had with Stella. 1. Subcontracted Work: Stella subcontracted 100% of the work to third-party contractors except for trash removal, which I'll address later. They likely hired cheap subcontractors and added a 20-30% markup for their own profit. 2. Lack of Communication: Communication was minimal. I was rarely informed about the next steps or timelines. Initially, I thought this was just one person's oversight, but after interacting with other employees, I realized it's systemic. The company seems to operate with a policy of minimal customer engagement unless absolutely necessary. 3. Unannounced Workers: Subcontractors (painters, electricians, carpenters, etc.) frequently showed up without notice and began working without even a greeting. On multiple occasions, I nearly called the police, thinking someone was trespassing. Most didn't wear uniforms, spoke little or no English, and simply said "talk to boss," making it impossible to understand what they were doing. Stella never communicated these details, and one of their employees even scolded me for asking the workers what they were doing. Ironically, Stella charged a "management fee" despite me having to coordinate with the subcontractors myself. These workers came sporadically one or two days at a time, then disappeared for weeks. This dragged the project out for several months. 4. No Shoe Covers: None of the subcontractors wore shoe covers, so I had to clean up after them daily. 5. Billing Issues: Stella issued invoices for partially completed work and expected immediate payment. If not paid right away, they charged interest even though the work wasn't finished. 6. Trash Removal: The only physical work done by a Stella employee was trash removal. My property was surrounded by piles of debris for months. They sent one person every 2-3 weeks, only when the trash had accumulated substantially. I had to constantly watch for loose nails and other hazards. 7. Final Advice: Save yourself 20-30% of the cost and a lot of headaches, hire a reliable local contractor instead.

I received a recommendation to use Stan to redo my backstairs and landing with composite and…read moremaintenance free materials. Stan came over, saw my situation and right away knew exactly what I want. He saw that it was very narrow and said he can make it a little wider. While he was there, I mentioned that I want to have my foundation wall finished with stucco. He told me he has a guy who can do that too. Well, I got a couple of other quotes from others and I knew after that Stan was the right guy for the job. His numbers are very reasonable and I can tell he knew what he was doing. Stan has a great crew who showed up early and worked professionally. Good guys! The stairs, landing and the masonry work came out perfect!

Stan and his team were communicative and professional. Finding contractors that stay on time and…read morerespond to emails/text quickly is not easy. After hours of trying to find the right contracter, Stan checked the boxes on both counts. Him and his team did an excellent job taking apart our leaky deck and making a new one. Would 100% recommend him for your carpentry needs. Thanks, Stan!

We hired North Shore Home Repair to do over a bathroom at my mom's..they had fair pricing...were…read morethere when they said they would...never left a mess..and most importantly top notch work. Highly recommend

Dave and North Shore Home Repair has done work for us a few different times at both of our homes…read more His work has been excellent, fairly priced and done in a timely fashion. I would highly recommend North Shore Home Repair for any of your home repair or remodeling needs.

Guy and his worker did an excellent job repairing the walls and painting our upstairs office. He…read moreis very clear in his communication, and honors his word. We had none of the aggravation most contractors bring to a job. And they were in and out in a week. The walls had deteriorated in several areas because of water damage, house settling and age, as the house is nearly 100 years old. The interior of the closet was a real mess and now it looks really nice. He installed a new closet door and that was perfect, too. In sum, the completed work was impeccable. We are very happy to recommend Guy and his team. You'll be happy too.

G & C (Guy Fodera) has done a few major jobs for us. He communicates clearly, gets the job done on…read moretime (in one case, he needed just a few extra days) , does a good job and keeps tight control on his sub-contractors. There have been a couple times when we realized that we forgot to specify some details in the specifications (for example, damage to plaster when molding was replaced) and Guy took the initiative to take care of the work at no extra charge, without being asked, even though it was not in the spec. We are big fans and will use him again!