Best Custom Home Builder Cambridge Near Me

Arge Nego: Outstanding responsible honest contractor. Definitely one of the few good ones. What we liked the most was their transparency, they will explain everything to you. As to price they claim their price is real, meaning it is what the project will truly cost (as opposed to contractors with better prices who miss or under-price items and charge you later). Quality depends on what you want or need, we had projects with various finishes and they delivered. We always got what we asked for and feel they helped avoid unnecessary costs. During the project sometimes we felt we were being overcharged but after talking to other contractors I do not think it was true, probably our own paranoia of protecting our money. They do a good job overall. We built a 3200+ sqft house (plus a 1200+ sqft basement) in a lot of 5+ acres with them and also did several remodeling jobs in our home over four years). We hired them as builders so they followed plans, do not expect architecture or design unless you hire those services. Not their fault but I didn't like that if something was missing or wrong in the plans then it was more money but understand they had to spend a lot of extra time figuring things out for us. Not much was their fault but even those small things (a bathroom fan was really noisy) they stood by their work and corrected it at no cost, this was really nice.From our experience I hopefully can pass something along for others to benefit from it.(1) Listen, they know what they are doing. Doesn't mean all is good. Specifications or plans can have issues. They are not responsible for plans but if they catch it they will let you know, an architect is the key. We forgot to revise provisional tiles so they installed the ones in the plans which we hated, had to pay to fix that...hated that but not their fault.(2) We made mistakes (such a waste of money) I thought a lot about this and some things went wrong because (A) we tried to over-optimize our investment (too cheap and second-guessed them too much), (B) we interfered (didn't know construction but with an engineering background thought "How hard could it be?"), (C) we didn't include all specifications from the beginning (e.g. no kitchen or bathrooms details and near the end of the project more money was needed), we should have taken the time to specify everything (tile we want, where it goes, siding we want, etc.), an architect would have helped A LOT here) so make SURE you include ALL you want because the contract is king (it will look more expensive at first but will eliminate surprises, be honest with yourself about your real budget), and (D) we tried to save money by not hiring an architect (WORST MISTAKE of all, the company offers this through partners) so for your own sanity and peace of mind hire the whole package to run the project (architect, engineering, etc.) because if you get them to only build they will not be responsible for anything else (e.g. you will be responsible for any architectural/engineering/design related/caused problems/mistakes/omissions and you may be stuck paying $60k of extra landfill because you didn't provide house elevations).They were reasonable but because delays cost money they were strict on payments. We looked at other contractors and Patagonia Construction seemed better about how they are on top of things. I may be wrong but other contractors would have been more expensive and stressful because of added costs during construction without us changing anything, not to be confused with changes we caused (e.g. not hiring an engineer to survey the land for elevations even though they told us we needed it...how dumb is that). They use a serious AIA-based (American Institute of Architects) contract we felt protected us from a lot of things (other contractor's contracts are ridiculous), it will not let the company leave the job unfinished and more, very professional.

Max Asterlin: or are connected to them via other businesses.3. The review by Agre is showing pictures of the Upton house. The Upton house was purchased by Patricio and Christine Feder. They sold the house to Iris in the fall of 2019. Therefore, the post from Agre is likely false because they were never an owner of that house.4. Aditya is somehow related to Unmesh Gandhi (an owner of Patagonia

Tamara B: BUYER BEWARE! Do not select Patagonia if you are looking to build a new, custom home. We, unfortunately, did and found out that they deceived us. There are so many problems that we had with Patagonia in the short time we worked with them. The problems are too numerous to list here, but I will give a sampling. We have confirmed that several of the homes on their site were actually built by another construction firm out of Boston. During contract negotiations, they showed us multiple sample homes to demonstrate their quality of work. Incredibly, we later found out that they lied to us and walked us through homes that they did not even build. Also, to further trick us into signing a contract with them, they gave us their WIVES as references and did not disclose their relationship. Almost immediately after the project started, they submitted multiple change orders that we discovered were consistently 300% higher cost than other providers we found on our own. The final straw came when Patagonia claimed that they had received approval from the town on the successful inspection of the foundation hole. We later learned that the town had NOT approved the hole and had explicitly rejected it. Despite this, Patagonia managed to very timely charge us for the "work performed." The "digging" of the hole was the last thing that Patagonia "did" for us. We are so thankful to not be working with them. I am sure you will see a number of highly positive reviews conveniently pop up after this is posted, but beware that these reviews are likely not legitimate. They played the same game with the Better Business Bureau, who found a number of their reviews on BBB website to not be credible.Edit: As predicted, mostly fake positive reviews were posted following my review. All of the pictures posted from the different reviewers were from the Upton house (the one house Patagonia showed us that they built) that is owned by Iris Noon (who did legitimately post). So, below is a picture of the foundation hole that Patagonia said was approved. I would post the comparison picture of the foundation hole that actually got approved, but I don't want people to think Patagonia had anything to do with the high quality work we received and have ultimately built our house upon. I should add that Patagonia put a Mechanic's Lien on our property to try to prevent us from moving forward. We paid Patagonia for the "hole" pictured and then Patagonia put a lien on us for another $116K for "work performed". That would mean that it cost Patagonia approximately $200K to dig a hole that was not even approved.

Christine Feder: Excellent custom home contractor/builder. Very professional and transparent way of operating, usually those that work like this are 10-20% more expensive. They only build so you need your own architect, they have architect & engineer partners which was nice for us that had none. Very communicative, responsive and honest which is hard to find. We found their price excellent for what we were getting.They built a large custom home of about 4000 sqft for us in a lot with a very difficult to clear thick forest and an extremely uneven terrain that was hard to level yet did an amazing job. Also had a very long 200ft driveway and several conservation department issues that appeared in the middle of the project to be resolved and they supported us every single step of the way. They were part of a team including an engineer and ourselves but as mentioned before they are builders and when we needed them to go to a town meeting they were there (they charged for the meeting but it was more work so it was fine, I'm not a freeloader and appreciate the extra time and effort). It was a really tough project that they did very well and others turned down or gave us crazy prices. They also did several remodeling jobs for us over the years. Quality is good but they build to specification so it depends on what we were requesting them to do. If you need "economical" construction just ask your architect to specify whatever that is on the plans. Many things are by code so I guess you cannot save there but since finishes range from cheap to crazy expensive they just followed whatever we requested. They always respected our wishes in terms of quality and cost and the execution was very good. They were always on top of the project, just make sure you hire an architect as well -your own or one of their partners- because they are only responsible for building and you need someone knowledgeable to design things. You may also need engineers and they can also help there through partners. They are not going to design things for you and it is better to have all planned out at the beginning of the project so there are no surprises. They do handle unknown issues well but if you have incomplete plans or allowances are not enough you could end up paying a steep bill for unplanned or unspecified items. NOTE: I'll try to help others understand this, ir was hard for me at first, an allowance is a ballpark guess of how much what is NOT specified could cost, if it's not enough you pay the difference out of pocket, e.g. if you do not know exactly the flooring you want an allowance gives you a ballpark.Overall we are very happy with their service, no complaints. Almost all issues with the project were not their fault and the few that were they corrected. What we liked the most is how fast they act on everything. Having a contractor that picks up the phone every time we call was important to us, they answered every single email and phone call the same day, probably 99.99% of our calls were picked up or returned within minutes. We will keep using them again for sure.Services:Remodeling,Refurbishment,Exterior painting,Drywall installation

aditya naik: We were looking for a place to build a house and didn’t have much knowledge about the process. Patagonia helped us in all the preliminary work that we needed to get going starting with scouting for a lot giving us insights on process as we proceeded. We ended up staying in a condo in Boston downtown but I would certainly recommend them to anyone building a home.

Joe Bai: Patagonia Construction was very professional from the onset. They showed up to bid our project when they said they would. Their bid was thorough and well justified. The price was very competitive.Workers showed up when promised and left our house presentable at the end of each day. The crew was respectful and very hard working. Our job proved to be bit more complicated and larger than anticipated. Patagonia handled the additional building supplies and man hours as quickly as humanly possible.At the end of the project our home was left spotless. The quality of the job has greatly enhanced our home.

Don Vitters: We hired S+H Construction in 2013 for a major renovation and small addition to our 100 year-old house in Arlington. The work was completed in 2014 and we were completely satisfied with the results and process.The scope of work included a complete renovation/addition to the existing kitchen, a complete renovation of the 2nd floor bathroom and 3rd floor bedroom plus the addition of a bathroom and study. A new heating and air-conditioning system was installed serving the 2nd and 3rd floor. In the kitchen and 2nd floor bathroom, the existing radiators were removed and replaced with a new sub-floor hot water heating system providing more space for cabinets and storage.During the entire pre-construction and construction phase, we were impressed with the level of detail and attention we received from S+H's project manager and construction superintendent. The sub-contractors were experienced, professional and responsive to any issues that arose. We would highly recommend S+H and hire them again should the opportunity arise.

Priscilla Cobb: We hired S&H to renovate our first floor apartment, including a complete kitchen renovation and addition of a new bathroom. It was an excellent experience from start to finish. The design team helped us figure out how to best meet our needs in the most cost efficient way and were very responsive to the ideas and concerns that we had. The project came in on time and under budget. The project manager was extremely responsible and skilled and all of the subcontractors were excellent. I recommend S&H highly!

Lucien Weisbrod: Over the years there have been too many small and large projects to recall. The most recent involved retrofitting our kitchen, installing a deck, gutting and totally remodeling our half bath and overseeing the removal of an antiquated heating system and replacing it with a compact and much more efficient one. Thanks to S+H's in-house range of skills and access to highly skilled subs, none of the projects required the service of an architect or designer. As general contractor, S+H did a superb job of guiding us through each phase of the project and coordinating the subs in a manner that was highly efficient and minimally intrusive on us (who were living in the house at the time of each project). However, nothing was more awe-inspiring than the up-beat atmosphere, trust and mutual respect that all trades people displayed on the job. There could have been no doubt that they have had extensive past history as colleagues and subscribed to common goals and objectives of the task at hand. We were almost sad to see them go when the job was over. (And our marriage was none the worse for wear)

Jody Sharpe: The company and the people at S&H are exceptional! Professional, personable, and reliable. They are everything a homeowner could possibly wish for! They completely deserve their very well-earned reputation!

Jeffrey Howard: S & H took over our project after we had to get rid of a contractor who was terrible. We literally went from the worst to the best ! President, Doug Hanna, and his staff have seen to it that all the sub-standard work performed by the previous contractor was corrected and all continuing work was done right ! The sub-contractors they use are exceptional, always making sure that we, the homeowners, understood the work performed and asked questions to make sure that we would be satisfied in the end. Issues were always addressed and acted upon, without delay, by the project manager and on-site supervisor. I would recommend S & H Construction with enthusiasm to anyone considering renovation work.

Josh Berg: The S&H team was incredible, and I would highly recommend them. They built a bathroom, laundry room and master closet for our home, and the craftsmanship and thoughtfulness of the team was beyond our expectations. The team was responsible, respectful, clean, and friendly to the point that by the end of the project we felt like they were an extension of our family.

M C: Unfortunately the company was sold and the new owners have no sense of quality or customer service. Stay away from these guys if you have an expectation of quality or support. When I complained about the quality of their on-site supervision and requested a new on-site supervisor they unilaterally abandoned the job and I was required to get a new building permit. The new owner does poor work and seems incapable of understanding how to deal with customers who demand quality and service. Avoid them at all cost.

Linda Pham: S&H Construction is well-known company located in Cambridge for 30+ years. This company focuses on detail and emphasizes quality. I highly recommend.

Kenneth Virgile: Never again. A true nightmare after hiring them.

crisol chacha: Customer service call is horrible , can't believe. Can't even talk to someone in charge without getting harassed.

Rai H.: 😎how many times have I been to this place? 5+👩🏻summary: got most of furniture pieces from DWR.💬service: Michael was friendly and helpful.💁🏻‍♀️would I revisit this place? Yes

Stavros Macrakis: High quality at very high prices. Large airy space, helpful staff.

Raphael Matto: I had the best service experience of my life at this DWR (I’m mid-40s). The staff is wonderful! I worked with Adam L & purchased about 15 items over a 1/2 year period to furnish my new apartment. This was smack in the middle of the pandemic when there were heaps of supply chain & availability issues. Some of the items arrived quickly, within a couple weeks, others were delayed by months. Adam set expectations & guided me through all of it, provided updates, made sure I was getting the best sale prices, rushed to correct a couple mistakes for free (I’d forgotten to specify the leg color on a desk, and a table showed up in a different wood), and offered an incredible discount on one item I’d ordered that changed manufacturing locations & looked a bit different. He was so knowledgeable, helpful, and patient, esp with fabric choices, and some waffling on my part trying to decide between chair and sectional sizes. It really was the best retail experience I’ve ever had, both with the build-quality & beautiful design of my purchases and with the service—I’m so happy with how my apt turned out. I also worked with Andrew on a couple days when Adam was out, he is so relaxed & great, too, & the store manager, Margaret, who is wonderful, warm & friendly—she extended a sale date for me, & pulled some strings in a tricky situation. Delivery crews were also fantastic, navigating everything up a narrow steep staircase to my attic apt, and assembling everything quickly & expertly right there. One piece of advice: it’s good to know which type of delivery service an item is attached to—some usually larger items are linked to “white glove” delivery & can be partially unpacked in the street to squeeze them up tight spaces, & are assembled on-site. Other crews (standard service?) are only allowed to leave items on a front porch if they don’t fit in a door or up a staircase. So I’d recommend asking which type of delivery service an item is attached to, otherwise you might be confused or disappointed when something is left on your porch instead of being brought in. Anyway, highly recommended! I will always purchase through the store & not online for anything significant, it just really helps to have someone from the local store in your corner in case something needs to be returned, or to get status updates, etc. & I like knowing I’m helping out the local branch :)

Vicki Klein: We bought an Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. Everything went so well until delivery was backed up and communication with our salesperson/manager fell apart. We were told one thing and then another. We had to chase down people in charge for answers. They couldn't even get the delivery on time after they screwed up. Now we are trying to return the chair and ottoman and need to pay for the return and restocking fees. It's been a week since we've heard from anyone after our salesperson said a pickup would be scheduled earlier this week. Even today, after being promised someone would call, no one has. For the price we paid for this chair and ottoman, and for the price we now have to pay in return fees, the customer service (or lack thereof) is so ridiculous that I can't imagine anyone wanting to invest in this store for anything. Everything should be top notch at these prices especially the customer service "white glove" treatment. It's been a total headache. Never again.

Fang Z. Ni: We ordered and paid for a TALL Eames Lounge Chair. 3 weeks later a SHORT Eames Lounge Chair was delivered. When we complained, we were told the correct TALL Eames chair will be available in 3 months and swapped.... 3 months pass and they AGAIN delivered the SHORT Eames Lounge Chair. At this point I am speechless. Design Within Reach should invest in some quality control measures.

Grace Fu: Great looks and furnitures in it, but they are really expensive!

Andrea Iriarte: The furniture is beautiful. You can buy pieces that you could not get anywhere else, by great designers. The price point is higher, but you are buying great quality and design. The sales persons are quite knowledgeable and helpful. The have private parking in the back of the store.

Ron Scozzafava: Great attentive service. One style of furniture either you like it or not. Huge plus: There is a small parking lot for customers in the back

Toni Walker: It has excellent furniture selection. Not within my budget but if I could I definitely would

Alan Fried: Drove down from Maine to shop for a couch. Was a small line of about 4 parties. We stood there for 20 minutes with no communication from the store about what was going on. There was NOONE in the store. Then a guy comes, takes in the first party in line, and tells the next party it might be 15-20 minutes. So maybe an hour wait for us? But who knows? There was NO commuication. They clearly didn't give a damn about communicating with us. We could easily have been browsing in the store. Or have people make appointmemts. Just terrible cistomer service. Really disaapponting. We won't go back.

Maylee Austin: Excellent customer service, best furniture!

Drew Cameron: Pricey, but the staff is very helpful and enthusiastic about their products. Adam had great advice and a surprising amount of background knowledge about the item I was interested in.

E Marshall: Well laid out store,lovely (if pricey) modern design furniture and other items, knowledgeable staff

Fern LTTC: Great group of people. I've worked with them as an independent contractor and I just can't say enough good about each individual there (Gary, Todd, Adam etc)

montepilot: Great store with unique designs. Found the perfect Herman Miller chair. Many thanks to Bobby Valentine for his helpful information.

ALEJANDRO HERNANDEZ-LOPEZ: Great colors and designs!

Linda Nelson: The most helpful and knowledgeable staff in any furniture store. Timeless designs that are well made.

David Ortega: Nice Spot, Very pretty furniture.

Josh B: This Design Within Reach store is clean and well-stocked to check out man options for mid-century modern or contemporary style furniture. As noted in some reviews, the prices are more than what you might pay at a discount or Swedish-style chain. However, the quality easily makes up the difference. This is furniture that will look and feel good in one's house for a generation or more.In particular, Bobby Valentine has been a joy to work with when purchasing furniture. He's lightning-fast to respond with a quote and helpful with a good suggestion. He's the reason we're willing to make the trip into the city and visit this location.

Stefano Barbier: Great store, great style