Is Now the Time to Remodel?
With many Greater Boston homeowners having seen the value of their investment rise since the dark days of 2008–2012, now may be an excellent time to put some money into home improvements The key is …
A Dedicated Team Is the Key to Our Success
Outside of quality of work, price has traditionally been the most critical variable for homeowners evaluating general contractors. In Eastern Massachusetts today, however, availability may well have moved ahead of price. In the March …
Making the Case for Design/Build
When it comes to a sizable remodeling project, homeowners can take one of two basic paths: 1) Hire an architect to draw up plans and then a general contractor to execute on those plans, …
Making Sense of the “Cost vs. Value Report”
Remodeling magazine’s 2016 “Cost vs. Value Report” is out and, as usual, contains some interesting data for homeowners to mull over. The report “compares average cost for 30 popular remodeling projects with the value …
In Today’s Busy Remodeling Market, Patience Will Pay Off
Are you eager to get a home renovation project underway? If so, you probably already know the challenges of trying to find a remodeler to do the work in such a robust economy. You might …
A Conversation with Kermit Baker of Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies
What’s the outlook for the remodeling industry? What trends are worth watching? We have our own opinions but thought it would be interesting to hear from a third-party expert. Kermit Baker is a senior …
The Keys to Our Success
It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were celebrating our 20th year in business. Now it’s 25 years — hard to believe. Thanks to all our clients for …
Hitting the Quarter-Century Mark
Thank you for 25Years! In a highly competitive industry where the average firm only lasts a few years, it’s a true honor to celebrate 25 years in business. Custom Contracting opened its doors in 1990, …
Kitchen & Bath Design – Understanding Your Motivations
Our clients have a variety of motivations for remodeling their kitchen and/or bathrooms. Scenarios range from a growing family that needs more space to a couple who’s finally ready to build out their dream kitchen or bath. Regardless of what motivates the homeowners, the key to creating a …
The Realities of Renovating a Bathroom
Despite what you may see on HGTV or hear from companies like Bath Fitter, you can’t complete a major bathroom renovation in a week. If you’re going to do it right — which is how …
The Importance of the Lead Carpenter System
In this Management Memo, we’d like to explain Custom Contracting’s “lead carpenter system” — and how it benefits our clients. The way we see it, there are two possible extremes for a remodeling project: chaos …