Needham Woodworking LLC

I hired Shaun Ritter (Needham Woodworking) to build a kitchen island with a sink, cherry countertop and undercounter refrigerator based on the many positive reviews I had read. Sadly, this proved to be a mistake. Things started off well but as the project wore on he became increasingly non-communicative, ignoring many important emails, which lead to construction errors (eg. a trim panel for the refrigerator was cut wrong, a toe kick piece was omitted). Other construction issues--the finish on the cherry countertop scratched very easily, the sink cut out was not entirely flush and he did not install all of the cabinet hardware. I had hoped that Shaun would stand behind his work and address these issues, but once he was paid he ghosted me and I have now had to file a formal complaint against him with the Office of Consumer Affairs and scramble to find another contractor to finish the job. For these reasons, I would not recommend him and am sorry I got involved with him. Aside from the workmanship issues, he appears to take little pride in his work, lacks integrity and is unprofessional, caring more about getting paid than customer satisfaction. I suspect he may reply to this review by denying that I was ever a client, so I am leaving my personal email for anyone to reach out and contact me for documentation of my experience with him. [email protected]

Shaun and team do absolutely gorgeous work, and Shaun is so attentive to the style of what you already have in the room so that he can craft something to harmonize with it. He also notices what needs to happen to make the most of your space and make the piece as functional as possible. I can't imagine a better woodworking operation!

Communication was excellent, Shaun was always on time, helpful, and delivered what he promised. Most importantly he was precisely on budget. Frankly I want him to make everything in my house! Workmanship was of excellent quality.

Shaun and his team did a spectacular job with my project from beginning to end. I removed an old wood burning fireplace and stone surround in my living room and installed a gas fireplace that I needed to surround with something. I also wanted to have space above the fireplace for a 75" TV. We had to contend with some stairs that go up to a living room and the fireplace was set back farther into the open area than I expected and I couldn't figure out what we could do to make everything work. Compounded by the fact that I met with a few other carpenters before Shaun and they had completely inferior designs that didn't really look great in our space. I was concerned about the recessed fireplace, the 75" TV looking too big, the side cabinets too small, the floor and tile spacing, etc. I couldn't visually figure out how it would all work. Shaun came over to our house and spent a couple of hours taking measurements, reviewing the space, reviewing the fireplace documentation, reviewing my Mantle Mount TV mount documentation and then he came up with a drawing that fit all of or requirements AND looked great. I have been through many home renovations before and Shaun's vision and design skills are truly amazing. Shaun and his team ran wires from behind the TV to one of the cabinets as well as ran pull strings to my attic for future surround sound installation. Shaun was responsive and flexible. He coordinated with me through the fireplace install, the tile surround install and the hearth install. Reviewing and assuring me that my framing, measurements and placement would all work with his design. He cut the hardwood floor to perfectly line up with my tile. This project literally transformed this space into our favorite place in the house and completed surpassed our expectations. I can't say enough good things about Shaun and his team. This was easily the best experience I've had from start to finish with any home improvement project I've been involved with in the last 20 years.

Excellent craftsmanship. I would hire them again without hesitation.

Shaun and team built some wonderful cabinetry consisting of a beautiful wall unit, bathroom vanity and laundry cabinets. Since this project was somewhat atypical, Sean was incredibly thorough through each design iteration, and made plenty of wood samples to make sure we were getting exactly what we wanted. We are very happy with all aspects of this project from craftsmanship to customer service, and are happy to provide top reviews to Shaun and his crew.

We had a very good experience working with Needham Woodworking and definitely would work with them again.  Shaun promptly responded to my initial inquiry and spent an hour or so at our house designing the wall unit using a computer design software.  He made adjustments to the design based on my feedback and gave his opinion about the width of columns, number of cabinets, and other features based on his experience.  He did not charge us for the design, and we could keep it even if we selected a different carpenter.  His price was more than $1,000 below a competitor who produced a far inferior design.  The wall unit is beautiful, functional and solid.  It transformed our living room.  We constantly receive compliments about it.  My only negative comment is that we needed to do some plumbing and electrical work to prepare the wall for the new unit, and it was a hassle to find someone to do that work and coordinate it.  However, if we had used a general contractor for this project, I highly doubt we would have received the same quality work.  He also managed to do the project without any delays, which is quite different from our experience working with general contractors.  The wall unit is really exceptional and an excellent addition to our home.  

We've worked with Shaun several times. He is fantastic. He is responsive and the quality is great.

We contacted Needham Woodworking to make a custom ?L-shaped entryway backpack case / shoe rack? for us.  We sent on sketch drawings, and they returned a beautiful CAD design, visited the house, double-checked measurements, suggested design changes and woods, and were able to deliver and install it in 2 weeks!  It?s beautiful, the installation is great, and we?d highly recommend working with their team. 

Shaun came out to do the estimate and did a 3D rendering for me on the spot before he left.  He worked with us, told us all the different options and where we could save money etc.  He mailed a copy of the rendering even before we decided to use him.  Nobody else would do that.  We got several quotes, he wasn't the cheapest, but he wasnt the most expensive.  But, as far as responsiveness, he answered us promptly via emails and once we finally decided to go with his outfit he responded quickly to all our changes and questions.
One thing his guys didn't do was protect my wood floors on install, make sure you have them protect your floors and I wish they would have vacuumed the dust off my steps.  Minor stuff, but room for improvement in that area only.  Not a reason to not use NW, their workmanship and professionalism is top notch.
Shaun was willing to work with us on our budget, and even when we wanted more than we could afford he worked with us again.
His guys were polite and professional.  They did everything they said and the cabinets look awesome. I can be hard to satisfy sometimes, as when you spend hard earned money you want things done well.  Mission accomplished.  I will definitely call Needham Woodworking again for my next project.  

I contacted Shaun through angles list and he promptly responded to my request.  He provided 3D renderings and design solutions to fit out needs perfectly.  When his crew came to the house for install, they were very professional and completed the install in 1 day.  When his crew left the house, it was perfectly clean.  I would recommend Needham Woodworking to anyone and would quickly use them again in the future.

I LOVE MY NEW CABINETS!!!! I contacted Shaun at Needham Woodworking through Angie's List.  He responded promptly and came to my home on a Sunday to look at the job. I needed new vanities to replace floating countertops in each bathroom and a custom dry bar install in the kitchen/living area with lower and upper cabinets, a wine cooler and glass insert doors on some of the upper cabinet. I had Houzz images of the bathroom vanities that I wanted to have made and a sketch of the dry bar.   He spent 2-3 hours with me that day taking measurements, discussing materials, options, color choices, lighting and things that I needed to consider with the finishes I had chosen.  He provided 3D and 2D renderings and a general estimate at that time. I had a written itemized estimate within 2 days, which was exactly what he quoted while at my home.  I was also given a very reasonable timeline for production and installation.  Shaun was responsive to my questions throughout the process and recommended an electrician who was also very responsive and reasonable. They communicated the plans for the project so that the wiring was in place prior to installation.  It was all very easy for me.  I have an atypical work schedule and Shaun worked with me to accommodate the schedules for installation.  The installation was seamless and fast.  The vanities looked exactly like the pictures and made the bathrooms look even better than I expected.  The dry bar looks spectacular!!! The high gloss black finish is flawless and the cabinets are beautiful.  It has completely transformed the space!!!  The space was clean and settled after installation. I could not be happier with my cabinets!!! Needham woodworking not only met but exceeded my expectations!!  The craftsmanship, quality, materials are all spectacular and at a reasonable price!  I will definitely use them again and recommend them without reservation. 

Needham Woodworking was great.  They explained everything they had to do in great detail and then delivered on all estimates and work.  The final product was great and we were very happy with the work done.  Definitely recommend this company as they were great from start to finish.

Everything went great and my husband and I would highly recommend working with Shaun and team in the future. We have a challenging kitchen layout and really lacked storage. Shaun came in and helped us visualize a kitchen island in the space and built it exactly the way we needed it. He was a pleasure to work with and we couldn't be happier! Thank you!

It went very well.  Shaun can be tough to get in touch with sometimes but a reminder email usually gets a response quickly.  
Shaun provided a sketch of the project before we moved forward and he had a great grasp on what we wanted to achieve.  To that end, when the finished product was delivered it looked stunning and looks like it has been here all along.  The craftsmanship is up to our expectations and we would happy recommend Shaun to anyone looking for a quality carpenter.  Admittedly, Shaun does more cabinetry but this project fit within his expertise.

Having work done in Beacon Hill is challenging--the look should conform to historic standards (Federalists) and the actual dimensions vary (as craftsmanship was not as precise in the late 1800s as it is today).  I had a specific look and design in mind.  Shaun and Needham Woodworking came to the house and took exact measurements of each location, provided a variety of alternative solutions at various price points, provided excellent references, prepared a compelling proposal, and won the work.  Of particular note, Shaun had a cad cam system on a PC that allowed us to see how the vision would look in the room--which led to several design modifications.  However, creating the cabinets was just part of the job.  Shaun and his team matched the paint to an old oil based trim paint. They ensured that each cabinet fit the odd dimensions, and they were flexible with add-ons (as the job was on going, we wanted to add to the design).  The quality was high, the installation on time and on budget.  Also, there was minimal disruption in the house as Shaun and his team kept the work space clean and organized every night. I highly recommend them.

Amazing!  Shaun came and spent an hour in the space, asked a lot of questions and promptly gave us a design and quote via email.  The final product is exactly what we were hoping for.  The space is an awkwardly shaped living room in a 1920s home, and Shaun was very careful to design and build us something that met our needs and also looked like it was part of the original space.  He succeeded beyond what we could have inspected.
Shaun is a true professional and we would definitely use Needham Woodworking again!

Perfectly.  It was initially hard to get in touch, but once we connected, Shaun was very responsive, professional.  All was delivered as promised, on time.  I met one of his installers, who was very professional and polite.  He sent his installer back after I'd chosen hardware to install it.  Excellent service.  The built in's are beautiful - everyone compliments them.

Great!
Things to keep in mind:
1. The initial cost may be a little higher than other people you may hire, but the lower cost of change requests and small updates will more than make up for the slightly higher initial price.  We saved $2,000 when it was all said and done.
2. The attention to detail and expertise about what looks good and what will work is amazing.  The cabinets we got may not have been what we initially envisioned - they are much nicer and the result exceeded our expectations.
3. Adherence to schedule - the project was done when they said it would be and it looks great.
4. Tidying up - when they left, the our house was in great shape and very tidy. We did not have to clean up after them.
I would strongly encourage everyone to work with these folks - they do amazing work.

I can't say enough great things about Shaun and his guys. They went above and beyond to make things right when faced with tricky conditions in my old apartment. On top of all that their price was very reasonable. I would definitely hire them to do future work on the building.

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Service and communication was better than expected. Shaun is a class act and delivered to my exact wants and needs. I highly recommend Needham Woodworking to anyone looking for custom cabinets, entertainment centers, electronics and custom furniture.

The project was fabulous.  The whole team was fun and pleasant, and a pleasure to work with.  The collaborative design was better than our original ideas, and the implementation was flawless.  The team put a priority on quality, and worked hard to make perfect anything that wasn't quite right along the way.  The end product surpassed our expectations.  We will definitely work with Needham Woodworking again!

I could not be happier with the final product.  Shaun came to my house on 3 occasions to figure out the initial design while also making various adjustments to accommodate some challenges with the space (and the crooked walls inside of an 1875 home).  His design software was able to depict an exact picture of how things would come out, which helped immensely in the planning process.  His initial attention to detail and clear visual representation of what he would build for me removed all stress/uncertainty from the process and was what set him apart from the other people who provided me with quotes. 

The built-ins came out exactly as illustrated, and completely transformed the living room.  The quality could not have been better, and the entire project exceeded my expectations.  Shaun and his team moved an existing and TV and incorporated it into a new surround sound system which he picked out and installed for me.  He incorporated the entire system into the new built-in unit.  They also painted around the room and patched holes where wires were previously.  Great experience.  If I ever need any type of built-in cabinets or shelving again, or any type of A/V work in the future, Shaun will be the person I will call. 

It went really well. Sean came round a couple of times to make sure the planning was as thorough as possible. We added on an extra bookcase at quite late notice and Sean accommodated the plans quickly and had a new quote to us in a couple of days. the project involved advising us on novel ideas to maximise the room's heating as we needed to remove the baseboard covers along the wall with the built-ins. The  solution works great and looks very aesthetically pleasing too. The built-ins all have white wooden units with beautiful oak tops. Sean catered to my crazy vision of wanting the back panels of the shelving units to have graduated colors of pink, and we're all delighted with the end result. 
The work was all fitted when we were away for a trip, and it worked out perfectly. One adjustment needed to be made to the top of the window seat in order to fit a bed snugly against the wall, but Sean came round immediately and fixed the issue in a couple of days so we couldn't even tell there was a difference.
 We all love the end result, and everyone compliments the work when they see it!
Professional, practical advice and great value beautiful additions to our home.
We will definitely use Sean's company again.