Auburndale Builders

We had a terrible experience with Auburndale Builders. They sell themselves as a high quality builder of high efficiency homes but clearly we were their guinea pig. When it was apparent they were going to run significantly over their estimate, they walked away leaving us a mess to sort out and clean up. They could not even deliver us a certificate of occupancy. I would not recommend them for any job no matter how small.

Almost everything Auburndale touched was never completed. The wooden floor does not meet the tile, the stone counter was cut too big and warped our custom cabinetry. The custom woodwork was subpar. Auburndale provided us with a long list of promised fixes but decided to terminate our contract to avoid fixing their errors. They sell themselves as a high performance builder but even my front door doesn't swing open correctly. Feel free to contact me with details or photos, I highly recommend finding a different builder.

I would like to highly recommend Auburndale builders and especially our project manager Casey McCarthy. We would absolutely use them again for another project. The communication and attention to detail was phenomenal.

After working with Nick, Jimmy and the Auburndale crew for our first home renovation in 2009, we were excited to work with them again for our 2016 3rd floor master suite renovation. To minimize costs, we elected to hire Auburndale exclusively for the demo, framing, roofing and windows for this project, and acted as the GC ourselves for the remainder of the work. This required an unusual style of interaction with the Auburndale team, but we were impressed with their flexibility and commitment to the overall success of the project, despite only being involved in 50%. The pace of the project was breathtaking and quality of the framing (from the sub Darrel) was unbelievable. The Wellesley inspectors said that they had almost never seen such outstanding work and being on a main road we received numerous compliments on the project (pace, strategy, cleanliness, etc). Since we were acting as the GC ourselves, we agreed to pull the permit ourselves (not an easy task, but the Auburndale team provided advice). The roof and structure came off in one day and a high quality rubber membrane protected the remainder of the structure. Darrel's framing crew were the real stars of the project. Remarkably, each of the trusses, walls and dormers were framed, trimmed and weatherproofed while lying flat, to save time. The crew worked hard, every day and was extremely friendly and responsive to questions and suggestions. Jimmy (site supervisor) and Darrel were happy to help with small additional framing tasks to streamline work for the downstream sub-contractors we were hiring ourselves. In addition Jimmy was committed to going above and beyond to meet with others that we had hired independently. The windows went in quickly and the mason, siding and roofing crew were arranged to close in the structure. The quality of the additional subs' work was very good and Jimmy continued to be highly responsive. Scheduling the mason and roofers seemed took several extra days in each case. In retrospect, it's not clear whether or not this could have been slightly improved with more advance planning/attention to our project, or whether this was simply the consequence of the season being busy. In addition, the Auburndale portion of project costs ended up being somewhat higher than anticipated. But, overall we feel like we got a great value for the work performed. So overall, we can't recommend the Auburndale team enough for work that demands precision, attention to detail and quality. Their flexibility and customer service is top notch. It was so unusual to have the Wellesley inspectors continually comment on how unbelievable the work quality was. Super job! Thanks so much Jimmy, Darrel and Nick!

I hired Nick Falkoff of Auburndale Builders for a large project consisting of a first floor addition, gut remodel of the kitchen/family room, gut basement remodel, HVAC installation, construction of new deck, and remodel of a first-floor bathroom. Nick and his project manager Jimmy are true professionals and great guys, and we could not have been happier with the way this project worked out. The first thing to know about Nick's team is that they truly care about the quality of their craftsmanship. They are perfectionists and it shows in the finished product. Nick recommended the architect, Iza Synott, who was reasonably priced and lovely to work with. After our plans were drawn, Nick provided a detailed and accurate cost estimate. We then signed a pre-construction agreement, wherein we paid $4K down so that Nick's team could spend more time working up a more detailed esimate and construction schedule. Nick is a very intelligent and thoughtful guy who provides great suggestions on the little things that you wouldn't necessarily think of. His subcontractors were all high quality and I trusted the work crews around my kids while we were at work. He has worked with the same group of subs for many years, so there were no unwelcome surprises. Again, all the work was TOP NOTCH. We had a weekly meeting each Friday morning with Nick and Jimmy to review progress and plan the next steps. Nick and his team largely kept to the schedule, as what small delays resulted from decisions (or procrastinations) I made to expand scope of work, and sometimes due to the schedules of his contractors. The project was basically on schedule. The costs were in line with intitial estimates, although in many of these projects unforseen structural issues will surface when you start ripping apart an old house. Nick and his team are diligent in identifying those and helping you process decisions as they come up, with sensitivity toward your own preferences and financial considerations. Nick's business model is 100% transparent, so you know what you're paying for down to the last dime. He is a highly ethical and responsible and decent guy, which is important when you are making one of the biggest cash outlays of your life. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Nick and his team, and together we made a beautiful transformation to our home that my family of 4 kids, a nanny, and dog are very much enjoying every day. If you are considering Nick and Auburndale Builders for a similar project, there is no way you'll be disappointed.

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Went very well. It is an old house so nothing is easy. Took a little longer than planned because of Non-plumb doors. Old doors were not insulated so new doors are efficient and house is warmer.

They are great. VERY responsive, especially to good clients. They will come quickly if I have an emergency, even if it is a small one. They are very pleasant to work with. They are clean and manage the site well. They have done even difficult things like matching up out of availability molding. 

Only good things to say about them!!

We had a fantastic experience with Auburndale Builders. We had worked with them in the past on a few small projects and had been really impressed, so we asked them to do these recent renovations for us. They exceeded our expectations both in terms of the quality of the work/final product and in terms of the day-to-day experience of working with them. Every single person we worked with - from Nick to our project manager, Ryan, to all the subcontractors (electricians, plumbers, tilers, masons, cabinet maker, carpenters, architect) - was responsible, respectful, nice, punctual and easy to work with. The Auburndale builders - Ryan, Casey and Craig were terrific in all regards. The outcome of the work is exactly what we had hoped for. We got great ideas from them along the way that improved our plans. This work was done during the very snowy months of January and February 2015, and there were a lot of inconveniences to deal with (parking, shipping delays etc...). They all kept working right along without hesitation and didn't disrupt our family despite many days with kids at home from school. We recommend them without any hesitation.

I own a luxury condo  in the South End which I rent out. Recently there was a Pipe break in the building and about 10 units were flooded with water.
ServPro as the immediate response, removed water and prevented mold -- which meant they had to take out the ENTIRE beautiful bamboo floor, walls and ceilings were cut open and in some areas completely removed.
We called Nick and he sent Jimmy in right away. I had an estimate and a call from Nick within couple of days after to go over the details. 
It took some time to get the actual Permit from the City of Boston, but once that was done - it was a totally stress free for me. Jimmy as the PM took care of everything within the timeline they estimated it'd take. I didn't need to chase anyone, or even be there. 
Nick is always a pleasure to work with - he is straight forward, honest and down to earth. 
I highly recommend working with them.

Awesome as always. I've used Aburndale Builders for over six years and they have renovated every floor, every room and every system in my 1895 home. This latest project was small by past standards, but was key to getting my daughters into their new room.

Ryan managed the project and was always prompt, courteous and thorough. The AB crew is inventive when it comes to challenges they encounter along the way and works with you to make sure the project meets your goals and budget. It was no different with this project.

The end result was perfect.

They were outstanding to work with. They were extremely professional, polite and conscientious. The helped make my dream kitchen a reality and did a beautiful job. When they noticed potential issues they notified us promptly and even helped us resolve an issue from prior work with another contractor. I would highly recommend them and hope to work with them again in the future.

We were delighted working with Auburndale Builders from start to finish. At the start of our project, we we interviewed a couple of builders, each of whom referred us to a couple of architects. After interviewing all of the architects and the builders and carefully checking multiple references, we ended up choosing Donald Grose (D.L. Grose and Associates) as the architect and Auburndale Builders. All of their references noted that both Donald and Nick Falcoff (principal at Auburndale) were meticulous and fair.
The design process itself was complex since there were so many degrees of freedom-- we were completely modernizing a 140-year Colonial house and doing a to-the-studs renovation to about two-thirds of it. While we obviously had final say, the design process was highly collaborative throughout and I think that the end product was much better because of everyone's (Nick, Donald, us) input.
Once the design was set, Nick's team started to work. Due to an unusual set of circumstances, we switched project managers midway through the project. Like other folks have noted, we cannot say enough good things about Jimmy, the project manager who did most of the work on the house-- he's responsive, collaborative, and extremely good at what he does. Also, Jimmy is extraordinarily detail-oriented-- when he first viewed our house, he observed that in one room, one window was a tad lower than the other. I hadn't even noticed until he pointed it out, but he was right, and he shimmied up the window so that it was aligned. Jimmy brought that level of attention to detail throughout the entire project.
Overall, the project took about 8 months and it turned out beautifully. We've been living in it for several months and have no complaints.

A wonderful job. Gave detailed estimates by discipline and room and was the only contractor to separate code updates from other work as the insurance company requested. Hired them because of their project management. We met weekly and every meeting was documented, change requests were also documented and agreed upon via e-mail confirmation. Anytime, we had a question, it was answered quickly. Can't say enough about Nick,the owner, the subs he used and his Supervisor.

We had an outstanding experience with Auburndale Builders.  My wife and I were novices in the area of home renovation and had heard numerous horror stories re: the expenses and pains that came with working with contractors.  Working with Nick and his team was an absolute pleasure.  In general, he was communicative, a good listener, honest, creative, and open to feedback.  As we moved through the various phases of our project, he clearly explained everything and offered creative suggestions that made our addition, kitchen remodel, deck, and master suite come out beautifully.  At a few points, expenses far exceeded what had been expected, but Nick went out of his way to share some of these surprise costs, which we deeply appreciated.  We wouldn't hesitate to use Auburndale Builders again in the future and highly recommend them. 

Auburndale Builders is a top notch company, with Nick Falkoff at the helm of a great group of builders. It is immediately evident that they take pride in their craftsmanship and treat each project as if it were their own house. Nick's secret weapon is the best crew chief ever - Jim Buckley. Jim is deeply experienced beyond his expertise as lead carpenter. He is well informed, a great communicator (such a RARE trait in construction crews!), a terrific problem solver always ten steps ahead of his team anticipating problems before they happen, a resource for great advice as the project progresses, extremely considerate of his clients, a strong advocate for the homeowner and a natural born leader.  Auburndale prides itself on hiring first-class sub-contractors and under Jim's watchful eye, they perform. Nick, Jim and company are a pleasure to deal with, they are responsive, knowledgeable, provide great customer service and real artistry to their projects. Any construction project is disruptive but these guys make it painless ...and maintain the cleanest job site you could ever wish for in the process!

There is a big problem with the hardwood floors, which were newly installed before construction and damaged during construction.  Nick at first said he was not liable because he thought I picked out the floors myself.  But, I didn't pick them out myself!  He hid the fact that they knew they had damaged the floors during construction.  The subcontractor had a suggestion to repair the floors, which we tried at his expense, but it was not satisfactory.  Remember, these were brand new floors!

Other than that, the company did try hard to accommodate me, did good work, and was reliable. 

I am still negotiating with Nick about this, very slowly, and I am living with floors that are damaged, maybe defective.  I wish I had withheld final payment, but the project was done while I was out of town, and I trusted Auburndale Builders. 

Nick and his crew did a great job updating our condo in Boston.
1) They know their business. During our initial walk through, Nick identified and described changes needed to bring the unit up to code, along with ways to address noise concerns. He always presented suggestions and options with information that would help us make decisions that we would be comfortable with. His cost and work estimates were very close to final tallies.
2) They are good communicators. He and the project lead, Jimmy, provided constant updates regarding status and plans. They listened to any concerns and questions we had about the work, the budget, material options, etc., and addressed all concerns and answered questions without hesitation.
3) They are easy to work with / flexible. They adjusted their schedule multiple times to accommodate our schedule (holiday plans, etc.) and external dependencies (work by other contractors for the condo building).
4) They do high quality work, wanted us to be happy with final results. And we are very happy!
We recommend Auburndale Builders without hesitation.

Our experience with Auburndale builders, from Nick Falkoff, to his project management team, to his chosen subcontractors could not possibly have been better. We found Nick to be delightful, gracious, personable, knowledgable, inventive, reliable, well-organized and responsive from the time of our first meeting until well after the project had been completed. The prep work was impeccable and creative, including the devising and constructing of a kitchen substitute for us to use during the project. We met with Nick and our architect, with whom he worked seamlessly, regularly during the project. He would outline what we could expect, and who would be in the house daily for the coming weeks. He consistently helped us to keep the project on time by alerting us well in advance to decisions that we needed to make. The schedule virtually always proceeded as the had predicted, with the rare exceptions being entirely explained by the uncertainties of construction in a century old building or by the unpredictable weather of the New England winter. The head carpenter, who was physically on site almost every day, was a wonderful, wise, man with enormous practical experience and ingenuity. Nick, his staff and the subcontractors whom they chose were polite, enthusiastic, and highly expert. The clean-up at the end of each day was meticulous. The price of the work was competitive with other bids.
Finally, the quality of the workmanship was superb in every respect, from the large features such as framing the extension to the house to the innumerable small details that a project such as this involves. 
We would certainly choose Auburndale Builders for any future projects and recommend Nick and his team to our friends without reservation.

I am the property manager of a church and we have used Auburndale Builders on numerous projects over the past five years.  Most recently, they installed new energy efficient windows in our parish hall and offices, and new storm windows on our church.  In addition, they installed new emergency exit doors and new safety handles/bars on several other doors.  They are extremely professional and timely in their work, keeping me informed of when they will arrive and of the progress of the work.  The work was well done and on time and I highly recommend them.

Mike was efficient, approachable, and  trustworthy.  When you give someone keys, alarm codes and daily access to your house these traits are invaluable.  During the project, I made lots of changes to the plan and many (many!) issues came up which Mike managed well.  Throughout the whole process I felt like I was part of a team but on the flip side, when my schedule got busy, Mike was able to "just take care of it".  Mike hired and managed expert subcontractors who did beautiful work.  I'm so happy to be back in my  home thanks to Mike and the team at Auburndale Builders. 

Nick the owner is very organized. He holds weekly meetings with the clients to deal with performance updates and progress. He has wonderful project managers and staff. Nick also makes sure everything is cleaned up after the work is done. He is very timely, responsive and keeps to the schedule. He was willing to work with us and our other subcontractors. Nick was extremely responsive to my emails. We had water come into the basement two years after the renovation because of a broken downspout, I called Nick and he sent over a young guy the next day who came with a wet vaccuum. The young man cleaned up everything. Nick walked me through everything I needed to do to address the issue in the basement. Nick was extremely gracious and I really appreciated that I could count on him. Nick and his staff are very compassionate, I was very lucky to have them work for us. If I have another project I would hire them in a heart beat.

They were terrific.  They were very  responsive. They came out and gave me a quote and stuck to the pricing.  They were very cautious of my home by taking extra precautions as to not destroy my floor or mark it up.   They kept it clean and neat

Nick and his team at Auburndale Builders were excellent to work with.  This project had particular complexities as we were looking to complete the renovation as quickly as possible so that our parents could move from a temporary room in an assisted living facility into the newly renovated condo.  The accessibility requirements and details for bathrooms, kitchen, bedrooms, doorways, flooring were all very detailed.  And the project required many of these specialities to be worked in parallel, with a complicated schedule that had no down time.
The building access also added additional complexity.  There was one small elevator with a 500 lb. limit to gain access to the floor of the condo.  Coordination with the building management firm, and attention to the condo association rules and other residents added additional overhead. Auburndale did an excellent job making this work and earning praise from neighbors in the building.
Such an extensive renovation would normally have taken 3-4 months, or longer.  We needed it to be completed in as short a time as possible, while still making sure that quality and cost were managed.  Nick was great to work with, finding ways to anticipate issues and details, and keeping multiple parts of the project moving in parallel.  The entire renovation was completed in approximately 2 months, and on budget.
Nick communicated and coordinated very well with us on all decisions we needed to make throughout the project.  We had weekly project meetings, and more frequent communications on all details, materials choices, budget impacts, etc.
We highly recommend Auburndale Builders for any project where quality of work and attention to detail is paramount.  The entire team did an outstanding job and were terrific to work with from beginning to end.

It was great. They showed up on time and they cleaned up after themselves. The work was perfectly done. They even worked Saturdays sometimes. They were ahead of their projected schedule. We had weekly meetings with the owner. The owner had very professional communication skills; he answered calls and e-mails promptly. We also used them for some carpentry; he recommended a garage door company this summer and both the carpentry and garage door work turned out perfectly.