Bob Batchelder is an amazing contractor. I can't imagine a better choice for a homeowner looking to get the most value for their investment. At first glance he's not the cheapest, but when we compared his proposal to those from other respected builders, we found that he had included contingency amounts (fully refundable if not needed) for plumbing and electrical problems he anticipated in bringing our 90 year old home up to code. His proposal also assumed quality materials and methods appropriate to our home and market, where others had cut corners. He won't try to up-sell you with trivial enhancements, but he insists on quality and is not willing to produce a sub-standard result. During the course of our project Bob proposed cost effective ways to fix other problems and make other improvements. He wasn't pushing to increase the project scope, but hate's to ignore problems that can be fixed more cheaply during construction than later. For example, after tearing out the ceiling of our downstairs bathroom he noticed that the slope of the now exposed upstairs bathtub drain was too shallow by several degrees and would not drain properly. We confirmed that it had been a problem for years. He saw the problem, his plumber fixed it easily, and our monthly draino budget has gone to zero. We have numerous similar examples of things he fixed or improved because he is experienced, alert, and cares about quality. Scheduling: Through the worst winter Boston has seen Bob kept our project on track. The success was in part because he's an experienced planner, realistic, honest with himself and his customers, and driven to deliver. If he says he can do it, he will. His network of experienced tradesmen is another success factor for him. They want to work with him. They know he expects quality work, and they appreciate the opportunity to do things right. They call him "Quality Bob"! They know he meets his schedule commitments and expects them to do the same. They show up on time and do excellent work. Bottom Line: Bob is a great craftsman and problem solver, and he's a fun to work with. My wife and I are always happy to see him. How many people can say that about their contractor? But in the end for Bob it's about delivering value. Everyone who's seen our remodeled home is blown away by the result. Everything is square, everything lines up, there are no squeaks or mistakes we have to look at and try to forget. If we sold today I'm convinced we'd get back every penny we've invested and then some, but the house is so nice now we have trouble thinking that way. By the way, with respect to those contingency amounts in the proposal, Bob was a little high on plumbing and a little low on electrical. It was a wash. The other contractors would have presented these as unanticipated expenses necessary to meet current building codes. With Bob there were no surprises.