we hired Donaldson Home Improvement to build our house on Cook St Court in Charlestown. We broke…read moreground and started the foundation this past April. We received our occupancy permit October 13. With the problems that occur during city building Donaldson Homes did a fantastic job. They we extremely cooperative with the neighbors during construction. Mr Donaldson was very helpful in picking out kitchen and bathroom designs as well as the final finish work. His crew of workers from the helpers to the finish carpenters are excellent. I would highly recommend Donaldson Home Improvement to anyone. James Andrea Charlestown

Since moving in, I have encountered numerous issues with the home that were neglected to be…read moreproperly addressed during the construction; including, life safety issues. One potentially life threatening issue was that there were live wires in the outside hvac electrical box that were not capped or connected. In addition, there were 10-12 other wires that were left uncapped at the main panel. This is a serious issue that potentially could have not only caused a fire but could have electrocuted my children or myself if I did not hire an electrician to inspect why the mini split did not work. The home was sold under the assumption that the mini split system was running; however, when I went to use it recently, it was not connected. According to my electrician, there are multiple electrical issues and he does not think an inspector would have signed off on this or that a permit was pulled. Another ongoing issue has been the plumbing. According to the plumber and a drain specialist that I hired, there are multiple issues with the plumbing that were not properly taken care of during construction. I have had serious drainage issues and have had to pay both of these contractors to remedy issues that were overlooked by your company and/or your subcontractors. Both agree that shortcuts were taken during construction and the plumber did not address the drainage piping correctly. Nobody can understand why a sewage grinder pump was installed for the downstairs bathroom when there is a gravity drain about six feet away. Most municipalities require gravity drainage to be used unless it is not possible. This may be part of the ongoing issue with the drainage. Plumbing was something that almost set back my closing date so it is apparent there was an issue that everyone knew about. In my "finished basement" I already have water and mold. This area is my bedroom. I am distraught over the lack attention and detail Mr. Donaldson so vehemently ignored. Mr. Donaldson agreed to come to my home to see the issues, had me wait all day and never showed. He scheduled a second time, and again was too busy. I am completely disheartened with his business and lack of etiquette when it comes to scheduling.

Quick response, thorough sales and pricing process, fast product procurement, easy scheduling, and…read moregreat installation. Jerry and Andrew were great to work with and I am already looking at other projects to call on them for They truly made the process easy and as most of us know, contracting projects can be a very nerve racking and difficult experience.

A&A recently completed new vinyl siding, gutters, downspouts, soffits, fascia , and repair on my…read morehome. They coordinated everything, and started on time. Delivery of a dumpster, materials, even a port a potty. Crew worked hard, striping old wood shingles, replaced some rot, Installed house wrap, new siding, wrapped windows, doors & trim in aluminum. The crew member, who sculpted the aluminum trim for windows is an artist! Beautiful job. clean up, and removal dumpster, etc., was quick, too. I am very happy with A&A Services, and definitely recommend them, if you need home improvements.

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!

Overall, an exhausting and deeply disappointing experience…read more I selected Ryan based on his consultative approach and positive reviews, but unfortunately I cannot echo them. Exception - the tile guy was great. I had two projects: bathroom renovation and roof/sunroom repairs. He quoted 3-4 weeks. After 7 weeks, the bathroom was still unfinished and much of the work was poor enough that it had to be redone by other professionals. He never started the second project before going onto other jobs (which I'm now grateful for). Drywall and finish work were unacceptable. The walls and ceiling were poorly mudded and taped, with visible seams, blobs, and defects -- especially on the ceiling. I raised concerns early, but he continued painting (badly) over unfinished surfaces instead of correcting them. After five weeks, he left for another job and told me to mark defects with painter's tape for his part-time employee to fix. That employee told me he does not do drywall work. Although Ryan repeatedly promised to bring in a professional, he showed up alone in week seven with excuses and no solution. A drywall professional later confirmed extensive errors and provided a $3,250 estimate to fix the work. Ryan rejected the cost, and it took me contacting five companies to find someone willing to correct it for less. During this time, I was without use of my bathroom while he repeatedly pressured me for final payment before corrections were complete. Poor attention to detail throughout: Trim was unpainted, uncaulked, nail holes weren't filled, doors were poorly painted, walls and wainscoting had paint drips all over. The vanity, mirror, and light were not centered. Trim doesn't meet the cabinets properly. One drawer can't fully open. The toilet doesn't sit flush. The shower door has a crooked fixture. A cat door was installed by cutting into trim (instead of above it), mounted crooked, and the trim was never nailed back into the wall. The floor transition piece was never installed. Electrical and plumbing issues: I was charged $400 to relocate the sink drain, which wasn't aligned below the sink. I was charged $800 for electrical work to remove a wire from the panel, move a light, and install a ceiling fan. Yet when I asked for a simple light switch change, he said, "I'm not an electrician." The ceiling fan does not function properly, and I was told to read the manual (which he threw out). Floors are perfectly straight. The closet is totally crooked and it's very obvious. Ceiling tiles below the bathroom became waterlogged twice. Ryan initially denied a leak. It was later discovered that a pipe had been left completely disconnected, causing ongoing leakage. I am now fixing the damage myself. Disregard for my home and pets: Gates, doors, and sliders were repeatedly left open, resulting in my dog escaping and me having to search the neighborhood. No drop cloths were used during painting; it was all over my bedroom floor. Sanding was done with no dust control and the door wide open, coating my bedroom in drywall dust and triggering allergies. He took the box fan we use for sleep noise (without permission) to use in the bathroom, caking the inside with drywall dust. The basement bathroom was repeatedly left trashed after plumbing access. He also left my water turned off there for over a week after leaving for surgery (which I was told about the day before). Pressure for early payments: The original contract and subsequent change order both required 50% down and 50% upon completion. I paid 50% for each initially. Despite this, I was soon asked to pay the remaining balance on the change order prior to work completion. He also demanded half of the final payment prior to completion, claiming only a few days of work remained, though the project was still unfinished weeks later. He continued to pressure me for final payment while significant defects were still being addressed. Bottom line: Cut corners, risk to my pets, poor workmanship, missed deadlines, constant pressure for payment, and a lack of accountability. After he shared a story about resolving a dispute with a prior client by entering her property to remove materials, I felt compelled to change my garage PIN and add camera monitoring for my own peace of mind. I would not recommend this contractor.

Ryan is wonderful to work with. Knowledgeable, honest, very fair pricing and hard working. A true…read moreprofessional. The work was done on time and it was done the "right way"'. He even went back to the store because some spindles were a little warped (and *maybe* could have passed, but, he did not want to just leave his work looking like that). We had our railings replaced and they look great! I am so happy with the whole project from beginning to end. Ryan is a pleasure to work with, he made the whole process so easy. I highly recommend him!

To Whom It May Concern,…read more When you hire someone to work on your home you expect knowledgeable and skilled workers, reliability, accurate scheduling, and a high-quality finished product. With MET you get the complete package. Mark accurately described the work to be done. He and Heather provided good consultation and accurate scheduling. Russ and Pat arrived on time each day and worked conscientiously to get the job done. They were considerate and clean (as possible) and were conscious of leaving the work-site in a liveable state (if possible) at the end of each day. The quality of the work they did is First Class. MET also helped me work through a problem with the City of Nashua, providing consultation, support, good work, and a good attitude. Highly recommended. Earl and Mehrzad Mosier Nashua, NH

I had a water line break in my home that created a serious flooding to my downstairs. I reached…read moreout to a couple of contractors but found no one was available immediately. I called MET and spoke with Mark who was very informative on the process with the insurance and was willing to take this job on with his busy schedule. The crew was prompt daily and very professional. I dealt with Mark regularly and at times with the office and I must say during a crisis they made me feel they would make everything right and they did! I highly recommend them and plan to use them for my next project.

These guys did a great job. From the time that they showed up until the time they left they didn't…read morestop working. They explained everything they needed to do and how it would save us money on our heating bill. Also they cleaned up before they left. I would recommend to anyone

Insulkings was assigned to do the identified work through Mass Save energy audit. They were very…read moreeasy to work with: showed up on time, communicated well, cleaned up after their work They went over everything that they did. I would highly recommend them for all your needs.

We reached out to Merrimack Construction Group to give us a quote for a new deck in our pool area…read more Chris and his team were so easy to work with. They were professional and extremely knowledgeable. I instantly felt comfortable working with them, and they understood exactly what we wanted. They arrived on time to start the deck. The project was completed in the timeframe that they quoted and the final results were exactly what we wanted! I would highly recommend MCG, in fact, I have already been back in contact with Chris to start another home project!

We engaged Merrimack Construction Group for a project and the overall experience and results were…read moreso positive, that I felt compelled to take the time to submit this review. The project was delivered within the budget quoted and, in less time, than originally anticipated. The results of the bathroom remodel were great! The Merrimack team maintained a clean working environment and they were extremely pleasant to work with. I would strongly recommend these guys to anyone looking for a reliable home improvement / construction company.

In 2001, Gibely replaced a roof on a 3 unit victorian mansion where I owed a condo. They were the…read moremost professional and best quote so we went with them. Their work was impeccable. They carefully covered the large rhododendron that surrounded the house when removing the roof. They clean up everything. In 2005 I bought a house and Gibely installed a new roof there as well. They also replaced a large custom front door, two windows and a deck. The work they did was very high quality. I read some other reviews here saying they had problems with customer service; I didn't have that type of problem at all. Initially, Jeff came to my home and was extremely professional and thorough and gave a detailed estimate. They also completed the work, including a thorough clean up, within their estimate.

they get the job done fast, but there quality, craftsmanship and caring about doing a good job, is…read moreseriously lacking. they destroyed a 12 ft section of aluminum flashing that abuts the sunroom roof and house wall. they made numerous 2 inch holes in the flashing, my guess is with a pry bar, during the removal of the shingles below the flashing, speed is everything, taking your time to make sure you don't damage the flashing is an afterthought. Now I'm concerned about all the other flashing on my roof, that was probably damage during the roof job, that I won't know about until I see the leaks In my house interior.