ANDREW CALORIO CONTRACTING

Andrew is the general contractor and builder on a very large renovation project on our 1890 Cambridge Victorian house. If you've ever been in one of them, you'll know that they tend to be chopped up into warrens of small rooms and passageways. Andrew and his crew removed a load-bearing wall and replaced it with a flush-framed steel I-beam. This turned three small rooms into a large open-plan kitchen/dining room. They replaced all of the windows in the space with new, larger ones, added exterior french doors and closed up old exterior window and door openings. They also refurbished the doors from an original double french door that had been dismantled years ago. They're now used as matching passageway doors on either side of a fireplace between the old part of the house and the renovated part. One door replaced a solid door and the other went into a new opening. They took an old closet that was under the stairs to the 2nd floor and converted into a powder room.
The job has gone very well and the results are better than I'd even imagined. Andrew and his crew do very careful and thorough work. In all cases, they do work of the quality they'd expect in their own houses. This job was complicated by the fact that we had a specific cabinet shop we wanted to work with. Andrew showed great flexibility and cooperation with the cabinet guys resulting in a highly precise and finished result. Another complicating factor is that our design is very contemporary and our house is not. Andrew worked well with us and our architect to provide solutions to carpentry and other construction issues that arise when renovating old houses. For example: Part of our plan called for removing part of the central load-bearing wall supporting the two upper floors and replacing it with a beam. The trouble is that our house was framed with a combination of balloon and timber framing techniques that are rarely used anymore. This issue wasn't apparent until the space had been stripped to the framing. There was no way to support the part of this wall that's on the second floor and supporting the third floor from the first floor. They constructed a temporary A-frame support structure on the 2nd floor that essentially held the 2nd floor wall up by the top - as if a pair of tweezers was pinching it from above. Not only did that solve the support issue, but it made it possible for the beam to be inserted flush with the 2nd floor joists. Now the entire ceiling of the new space is a single plane. We have Andrew to thank for this. It was his suggestion to frame it flush. There are quite a few other instances in which his collaborative approach resulted in a better end product.
Andrew's billing and pricing is totally transparent. We knew exactly what we paid for and how much we paid for it. It made budgeting much easier. This was an expensive job, but that was up to us. The way it was priced gave us the option of being frugal or extravagant in just about any facet of the project. We were able to prioritize our spending to get the things we really cared about (the Capital Culinarian rangetop) and save on the things we were less picky about (painted poplar millwork vs. natural cherry). There's no question that we got our money's worth.
Andrew demands quality work of himself as well as his subs. He won't hesitate to re-do something that didn't come out the way it was supposed to. For example, one of the details of the kitchen is a vertical glass subway tile backsplash for the rangetop. The design of it was such that it had to be very precisely aligned with the upper cabinets, the stone countertop backsplash, and the cut-out for the rangetop. If anything was off, it would stick out like a sore thumb. The tiler had done a hurried job of it leaving uneven, out-of-plumb grout lines. I noticed it right away, but Andrew already had it on his list of things to fix. He ended up parting ways with the tiler. His finish carpenter and all around problem solver, Junior, spent a good chunk of time pulling the tiles off the wall, cleaning the mortar off of them, and re-tiling the backsplash. Now it's absolutely dead-on perfect. Just about every time I've noticed an issue, Andrew was already aware of and dealing with it.
Another example of the quality of work is the wiring. The existing wiring was an absolute rats nest. All of it came out and was replaced by the neatest, most organized residential wiring I've ever seen. All of the wires run parallel to each other and the framing with uniform spacing between them. The switch banks are logically organized and the receptacles are well spaced and level. The electrician was quickly able to relocate an active bundle of wires that had been haphazardly installed in a plumbing chase to the upper floors. By doing so, we were able to shrink the chase and reclaim that space to make the powder room bigger.
Andrew and his crew are all very approachable and friendly. I'm a renovation/architecture nut that would generally drive builders nuts. Andrew and his guys have been genuinely open to my questions and input. I've enjoyed being part of the design, planning, and problem-solving process. They've all been willing to take the time to objectively consider and validate my position on issues. I've never felt ignored or dismissed during the project. This has been very important to me since the priority of this project wasn't resale value. Every decision we've made will have an impact on our day-to-day lives for years to come.
I would, and will, use Andrew again without a second thought. We'll be redoing our front porch and entryway some time in the next few years. He'll be the first person I call.

The inspection of the condo we were purchasing revealed there was mold throughout the kitchen. The seller agreed to correct the problem and used Andrew as the contractor. During the remodel of the kitchen, Andrew worked with us and suggested that we decide what style of cabinets, type of sink and faucet, etc. we wanted installed as we were purchasing the house after the remodel. He gave us locations of local showrooms to help with our decisions. He did not have to do any of this being that he was working for the seller, but had the mindfulness to work with us during the remodel.
After we closed on the house, we decided to use Andrew to install hardwood floors. We gave him a very tight timeline and a nonnegotiable deadline. He was able to meet the high standards we set and did so in a very professional manner. All of his subcontractors were professional and friendly.
During the installation of the hardwood on the stairs, it was discovered that the staircase would have to be rebuilt due to years of mending and quick fixes. Andrew took it upon himself to complete this task as it was not in the original timeline and he understood the importance of meeting our deadline. He worked diligently through the holidays to ensure he honored his commitment.
I am very impressed with the quality of work and level of service Andrew has provided. I would highly recommend him for any and all home improvement contracting.