Get matched with top architects in North Reading, MA

"I'm happy to give Scott my strongest positive recommendation. Our project went quite smoothly, staying on schedule thanks to the fact that my office is in the house and Scott's commitment to providing a foreman. This enabled us to make decisions quickly and address problems promptly. Scott and his crew showed a lot of creativity in meeting our requirement to stay in the house during the renovation, to the extent of setting up a temporary kitchen and shower in the basement. In the end, we only had to be out of the house for about a week. He was also very good about coordinating with our architect and the cabinetmaker that we selected ourselves. Having heard a few horror stories of renovation cost overruns, I think we also did well in this respect. Our final figure was about 10% more than the initial estimate due to the kind of unforeseen issues that can be expected on any such project, along with a few changes that we ordered. The level of detail Scott provides in his constantly updated spreadsheet also helped us to make some decisions that reduced our cost."

"Richard is a wonderful person to work with. Great communication and very easy going. He knows his stuff! He was able to accomodate the design needed for additions in my 1949 Cape Cod style home, as well as redesign on the interior. He lived more than an hour away, but was willing to travel out to my home for measurements! This was a huge plus. He was able to coordinate the printing of blueprints, so I could pay for them and have them sent to my home, since he lived a distance away. I would highly recommend him to anyone, in need of an architect, for a project, on an older home. He was such a pleasure to work with!"

"Brad is very understanding and he is friendly. He is very good when architect and engineer comes."

"We’ve done a lot of renovations on our 95-year-old house. We’ve been happy with contractors most of the time. The project at hand was a rebuild of our back porch, for which we obtained several bids. We hired Perry Brothers, who gave one of the higher estimates We expected them to be detail-oriented and do top notch work. Our experience was mixed. In most ways, they did great work. The construction of the porch is very solid, well-built and the guys showed up as expected. They had a crew of 2 or 4 guys on any given day. They installed supporting beams to shore up the structure and they worked in the sweltering heat. The project took about a month for construction. We had permitting problems that delayed the project by 3 weeks. We had to intervene to get the permits. We were not too bothered about that, although it did seem odd -- that’s never happened to us before. Our principal disappointment with the project was with the finish work. We discussed a complete rebuild of our porch, and for $45K, we expected a complete rebuild. Unfortunately, they left the porch ceiling on the second floor unfinished. We had the whole porch wrapped with Azek trim and composite boards & railings. The ceiling was left with bare sheathing (see photo below). They recommended painting to finish it -- that we paint it ourselves. That to me is not finished work. We’ve had several people over to enjoy the new porch/deck and they consistently comment, “The ceiling isn’t finished; are they coming back to fix that?” Well, the answer we got was, “No. It’s not in the contract”. They could have discussed this part of the project mid-build so we knew what was happening. How could a contractor complete a porch and leave unfinished work? It is exposed and doesn’t fit in with rest of the porch work. A second disappointment was Perry Brothers behavior toward the end of the project. We were asked to give final payment while there was still a pile of debris in the driveway, the permit was still open, the fence looked hacked up and terrible, and the porch had bare wood exposed. We had to demand the project was finished before final payment, which they agreed to. However, this is not the kind of interaction we expected from this contractor -- we expected them to manage the details. We had to gather more estimates from a finish carpenter to get the ceiling finished. It will cost another $2K to finish it off. We were so disappointed to have pay another person to finish the job and the added cost. Our friends ask if we would recommend them in the future and sadly, the answer is “No”. What I did learn from this experience is that you really need to review the construction contract with a fine-tooth comb and probably hire the architect (even for a porch rebuild). Also, we felt pressure to give the final payment (“we need to make payroll”); but we should have held back until we were completely satisfied with the job. Our bad. The owner, Bill, contacted us after we expressed disappointment that the porch ceiling was left unfinished with bare wood. He was responsive and offered to negotiate a solution to resolve/ finish our project. He asked what we wanted and that entailed a fir bead board ceiling and finished PVC trim to cover all exposed wood. Bill gave us the money to cover the costs to finish the project. He was very pleasant to work with and in the future would recommend working with him directly. Our back porch is beautiful and we’ve enjoyed using it this summer and fall."

"Our house was a 1955 ranch-style house with 3 bedrooms, one bath, kitchen, and living/dining room that we moved into in 1995. We had been looking to add a second bathroom and had originally worked with an architect from NH to do a modest front and rear bump out to give us more room to fit in a second bathroom. This architect had to withdraw from the job and recommended David Kinsella of TBC. David initially made some modest changes to the plan that made sense. After somefurther discussion, in which my wife and I raised the possibility of a larger scale project to modernize the style of the house, David developed a plan that essentially rebuilt the house except for our previously remodeled kitchen and original foundation. This new plan converted our house into modern design with a more open floor plan, completely new roof line, loft space, re-finished basement (and the second bathroom). David was able to fit this into an only slightly expanded footprint in order to comply with town regulations. Throughout the process, David kept our budget in mind and would typically present different price options for us to choose from to allow us to come up with a reasonable comprise between price with style. In addition TBC worked with the town to make sure our design stayed within our zoning and conservation restrictions.
After deciding to go ahead with the project, we interviewed several contractors and decided that TBC brought us the best value for our money and would also allow David to oversee the project as needed. We started the project in June 2011 and completed the project in May 2012. The project did take several months longer than expected, but did stay on budget. The major problem that occurred that delayed the project was that in the summer of 2011, the original subcontracted framers were being sent to other jobs by their boss even though TBC was told they would be coming to our job. Hence, instead of working full time on our job, they were working less than half time. Eventually TBC had to fire them and find a new contractor to step in. At the time we felt that TBC should have replaced them sooner, but perhaps this was difficult due to contractual obligations. (We also found this first group of framers were slobs who did not have much regard for the fact that we were still living in the house.) By the end of summer 2011, the house was not completely framed and roofed and number of rain storms (including hurricane Irene) slowed down progress further. In mid-October we were still living in the part of the house and we agreed at this point that we would move out to allow for a more efficient work flow. From this point construction generally proceeded ahead, except for a few delays do to weather and scheduling conflicts that arose for other subcontractors, no doubt due to the significant delay caused by the no-show framers.
In the end the house is beautiful and works for us better than we could have imagined. While the house has not expanded much in
terms of square feet, the open floor plan and high ceiling/roof line combined with increased natural lighting gives a much more expansive feeling inside. From the curb, the house has modern angular green metal roof with cedar siding and one has to look hard to find any resemblance to the original house.
At the completion of of the project, TBC was very responsive to completing punch-list items and other minor issues that have arisen over the past year. While my wife and I certainly had stressful times during the renovation (and certainly did a lot of second guessing our decision to renovate rather than move), we always felt that David had a personal interest in getting the job done correctly and making sure that we were happy in the end. In that regard, David was very accessible by email or phone before, during, and after the work. In summary, David Kinsella provided the creativity to design a renovation plan that was truly transforming for our house and TBC was then able to see the plan through to successful completion."

"Every project we have done with Classical Homes has been an excellent experience. The design aspects have been substantial, and have been executed by the architect with attention paid both to the aesthetics and to the functionality of the space. Time was taken to listen to our input, and to incorporate our thoughts into the final design when appropriate. The builder supervisor likewise oversaw the work of his sub contractors with care and concern, and proceeded in an efficient and orderly manner. Costs were outlined in advance, and contingencies provided for. Both of these professionals at Classical Homes were committed to the highest possible standards. We would have no hesitancy in using use them again should opportunities arise."

We have just heard from Angie's that you are in need of building design services. We are architects who work in the Metro Boston area and would be happy to assist you in your building design needs. Please call Steven Petitpas at 617-323-6081, the company's founder, at your earliest convenience to arrange a walk-through of your project. \n\nAll residential projects are fixed fee & most projects can be done between $4,900 & $5,900. Please visit our web site www.Boston-Architect.com and fill out a service request form.\n\nMassachusetts only permits registered architects licensed by the state to perform architectural design services. Only a licensed professional can legally be called an Architect. Our Massachusetts architectural registration is #8391, which can be verified on the board of registration Mass web site.\n\n\n

"Guzman was very helpful and knowledgeable in designing what was need for the permitting process and construction. I would recommend his very highly. I've been working with him for over twenty years. He is my goto architect."

"I have worked with over a dozen A-rated companies on Angie's List, and the Narrow Lane is my favorite. We have worked with them consistently for over 5 years. They are reliable, diligent, and very talented. I have spoken many times with the crew members and know that the Narrow Lane pays fair wages and respects all labor and finance laws. Here is a story: when heavy snow tipped one of our giant arborvitae over, the snowplow crew noticed. Before we even asked for help, the owner of the Narrow Lane was on site to assess the problem. His crew righted the tree immediately and saved its root system, also saving us a lot of money. The company has the intimacy of a small business, but I have been surprised by the breadth of their capabilities. They have a landscape architect with decades of experience. Many of the team members have a deep knowledge of botany. They have heavy equipment and take care of stonework and landscape lighting. If you hire the Narrow Lane for snow removal, the operations director will send you an email before EVERY winter storm discussing the forecast and the company's plan for your property. You can call or email them at any time to modify the plan based on your needs, for example, your work schedule. In summary, the Narrow Lane is a high-performing company that adheres to its principles and will take very good care of you and your property!"

We are a reputable architectural design company that specializes in a variety residential and commercial projects. We take pride in our ability to exceed expectations in all aspects of business. We look forward to building long term relationships with our clients, and we guarantee your satisfaction.