If I hadn't seen the negative review from Adam C. I might not have written this one but the people…read moreat Cooke & Jones have been so great to work with that it wouldn't have been right to let it pass without comment. We've had the company perform work at our house many times over the past twenty years and each time they've been courteous, well-organized, prompt, and fairly priced. On top of that, their work is fantastic. There's very little they can't do. While we don't look for problems to solve, when we run into them, Cooke & Jones is our first call. If they can't do the work, they sub-contract what's needed or refer us elsewhere. They're fantastic. Period.

From the owner: Click Business Name for More Information…read more We have been in business Since 1946 and specialize in all aspects of residential and light commercial construction. This includes everything from additions to remodeling. Our goal is to provide our clients with a strong responsive construction team that knows how to work together to get the job done correctly, on time,within budget and with pride. By providing premium quality services, we've earned respect by exceeding your expectations. We work with you to ensure that each project is done right the first time.Hard work, ambition, safety, honesty and the desire to be a superior presence in a demanding business have won our reputation of quality and dependability. Our company was founded on the premise that quality construction principles and attention to detail should be unwavering standards. And it doesn't stop with the construction of a project. Service afterward has always been a part of our tradition and commitment to service. Quality craftsmanship and attention to detail go into each and every project. Our projects are consistently completed on time and on budget, delivering a top quality, cost efficient and functional project to our clients. We offer a wide range of cost-effective design solutions without sacrificing architectural aesthetics. We strive for originality, good taste, and excellence.

Obear recently renovated a property that my family was lucky enough to purchase after Obear had…read morecompletely renovated the property. We were so happy when the inspector told us what a fantastic job the contactor did with the total construction and the care they had taken with the foundation work and electrical - both items that shortcuts can often be made. We love the work they did on a very old house to make it look new again but retain character. It really surprised me that the owner himself responded to me quickly when I had emailed questions about the heating and cooling system so that I could get in touch with other vendors; this felt above and beyond. I highly recommend Obear Construction!

Bob Obear no longer is my contractor because I do not trust his word. I asked him to weigh in…read morebefore I installed solar panels on my roof because I thought he might prefer to work on my dormers before they were installed. He sent me a reassuring response that they shouldn't be a problem. On his word, I let the install go forward as scheduled. Then, Bob told me he would not work on my dormers because of the solar panels; that he is "not responsible for any work done after the contract was signed." I pointed to his email of 3 months earlier starting that it would be ok. He said that he hadn't known where precisely the panels were to be installed. In my view, first told me one thing, then when that information was no longer convenient for him, he told me something else. For that reason, I fired him. I wish I had had a better understanding of Obear's character before I hired him.

We really appreciate Matthew's work. We've hired him for a couple of projects and will continue to…read moredo so for our next ones. Excellent communication, fair prices, and extremely high quality work. He's done deck work, basement stair redo, and more. We're very grateful to have found such a good and reliable contractor.

I love this company and Matthew who was willing to do a job that many others didn't want to tackle…read more I needed a 16' section of my vinyl pool deck fence replaced after it was destroyed by a bear. Matthew came and looked at it and recommended a pressure treated fence to match the rest of the deck. He looked closely at it, took pictures and did an absolutely beautiful job. Matthew was always on time and finished in under a day. He also replaced a rotted handrail on the deck. It came out perfect! I would definitely call again for any construction projects and would highly recommend.

blackwater turned my old yucky bathroom into a brand new bathroom. We are so in love with our new…read morebathroom and the detail that was put into it!

This was our first project with Blackwater HR, and it was kind of tricky. We needed roofing repair,…read morein part to falling shingles by a prior installer, and to help with squirrel damage. Austin came over soon after we made our request, gave us a fair quote, and began the first part of the repair soon after. The project was in two parts because part of the damage was under solar panels. So we paid for what he did, and stayed in touch as the installers weren't able to get to us for weeks. Final roofing work happened yesterday, and he also replaced two shingles that had fallen since he'd left (not his fault). Easy to communicate with, generally responded same day or next day. Would use again.

Ed ended up not doing the job. I felt like if he was serious about doing the job. He would had been…read morewilling to negotiate with me. We could have come to an agreement that would have been mutually beneficial for both of us. I would still recommend him because I really believe he was capable of doing the job.

Ed was amazing! He fixed tape cracks, patched damaged spots, and repainted my 15' ceilings --…read moreeverything looks perfect. As a new homeowner, I get nervous about hiring people, but Ed was super honest, communicative, efficient, and reasonably priced. I couldn't be happier and will continue to recommend him to family and friends.

We hired Renaissance Builders for an addition to our home. The Excavators did a very fine job and…read moreI have no complaints whatsoever about that portion of the business. The building contractor side is another story: some subcontractors were good, others not. And the Renaissance employee overseeing the project who was also the lead carpenter was unconcerned about quality. This was a time and materials contract, but on quite a few occasions I had to fight to have things redone because the work was not done well nor correctly (the wood floor, in particular). Following the blue prints were a suggestion in their mind. I could go on and on: when I insisted that they install the correct threshold, they finally did but then nailed it in severing the wire for the radiant heat flooring. Now half of the addition has radiant heat, the other half doesn't. When they found some rot on the sill of the older portion of the house they repaired that, but then left all the rot on the framing, failed to point it out and then covered it up and resided the wall, leaving the rot in place. Why? Insisting that there were no replacement skylights, but they could replace the glass (the seal between the panes had broken and they were foggy.) 9 months later their repair failed, now leaking rain into the house. When I insisted that they fix this problem, it was found that, indeed, there were standard Velux skylights that fit. By now it is winter and I had to pay a premium for that work to be done. In sum, I would suggest that there are many builders out there that care about the quality of the work they do and take pride in their work. Renaissance is not one of them.

From the owner: Renaissance Excavating, Inc., located in western Massachusetts, has been serving Franklin and…read moreneighboring counties since 1970. We provide expert excavating services of all types to meet the needs of Residential, Commercial and Industrial clients. We provide almost any excavating service that you might need. At Renaissance Excavating, we are problem solvers. We treat every job seriously and we think outside the box to produce a workable solution. Renaissance Excavating, Inc. has been in business serving Franklin and Hampshire Counties and surrounding areas, since 1970. Doug Edson, the president of Renaissance Excavating, started the business with one backhoe. Since then the business has grown to 2 excavators, 2 bulldozers, a front end loader, a backhoe, 5 dump trucks, compaction equipment, grading equipment, and everything needed to complete any type of site work that you might need. We also have a pneumatic rock hammer for doing ledge removal projects. Renaissance Excavating

Hired for driveway and walkway in September 2025. After 3 months and a naby, many delays the…read morewalkway was done but it was installed up to the stairs incorrecty. They only left a 3" step which is illegal. Left a ton of cement in the driveway that we had to break up and remove because it was starting to snow. He did not do anything with the driveway because several times he didn't show up when he said he was coming. Then it was too cold to pour asphalt. Took a $2000 deposit for the driveway. Original quote for the walkway was change 3 times each time increasing with an unfounded reason. Have tried reaching out to him this week to try and resolve the issues but he has not reponded. Looks like we will need to take him to court to recoup our money.

From the owner: DG Construction- General Contractor - we do all construction services-…read more -Excavation -Septic systems -Concrete -Property Management -Brush whacking -Lawn care -Hardscaping/Landscaping -Tree services/ Arborist -Carpentry -Pressure washing / Cleaning out mini splits -Clean outs & junk removal -Solar panels -Snow removal -snow clearing ( clearing off buildings & structures)