Are There Any Reliable Contractors in the Lakes Region?

[shard77]

My wife and I have a house in Moultonborough and we're thinking of selling it, buying land, and building a smaller home as we prepare to retire. Our experience with contractors in the area thus far has not been good. They either a) never return the initial phone call, b) set up an appointment and never show up, or c) come and look at the job and then we never hear from them again.

I've gotten references from our relator, Angie's list, and lumber yards - doesn't seem to make a difference.

Can anyone recommend a reliable contractor that actually shows up, does quality work, and charges a reasonable price?

Thanks.

[Doobs41378]

My brother is a contractor in Meredith. He built a few houses for members here actually. Not sure your timeline, think he’s scheduling into 2019 already but may be worth an ask. Good luck in whatever you decide.

www.bellawoodsbuilders.com




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[WinnisquamZ]

Ran into the same situation myself this fall. Five names called two returned. One showed. Many of the good ones are booked thu next year. In the trades Help wanted signs are plentiful here in NH. Tried Home Adviser and Angie’sList. Got calls from Quincy and Somerville Ma. The economy is very strong at the moment.


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[jbolty]

this ^^^

one of my best friends is a home builder and is booked thru at least the end of next year

[phoenix]

Joe Skeffington built a house for us and did a great job. He has built many housing in the lakes region

[DickR]

If you will be building new in NH (climate zone 6), it seems a shame not to make it "superinsulated." You have one shot at doing it right, not just building "to code." Most people have no experience with living in such a house, but those who have lived in one understand that it is more comfortable, year round. Then of course the winter heating bill is far lower, and the house is practically freeze-proof. But from a practical point of view, you can't assume that whatever builder you pick knows how to build such a house. You have to do your homework. Start with a search on "pretty good house" over on greenbuildingadvisor.com, or a look at the myriad articles on the subject at buildingscience.com. OK, I've made my pitch.

[Irish mist]

Jason Drouin Custom Homes. Gilford NH. Phone: 603-455-4745. He & his dad built a property for me years ago. He's most likely booked out, but he's a responsible builder & should at least return your call. Good luck

[BroadHopper]

If you can't find a stick built contractor, I strongly urge you to look at prefab custom homes. A number have been built in the area, and the owners are extremely satisfied with the work. There are cases the per square foot value is better.
These home are not just built to code, they are beyond that. Almost all homes are 'superinsulated' and used better quality materials.

Take a look at this local home builder. http://bensonwood.com/

[Parker]

I am in the business, if you would like to meet just shoot me a PM or check out our website leclercandson.com . We are based out of Bedford and do have some build slots available.

Parker

[DickR]

On the subject of prefab homes, here is one recently featured in Fine Homebuilding magazine, a company in Searsmont, Maine, that builds prefab superinsulated homes and ships to all of New England: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/...house-building.

[caminavoy]

Clearwater Construction which is part of Water Mark Marine. Highly recommend.

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[jacka82942]

Originally Posted by Irish mist

Jason Drouin Custom Homes. Gilford NH. Phone: 603-455-4745. He & his dad built a property for me years ago. He's most likely booked out, but he's a responsible builder & should at least return your call. Good luck

best job ever and we've built several houses. you might have to wait awhile because he's the best on the lake

[BroadHopper]

By NH law, builders are liable for up to a year for defect in building but not materials. I suggest you purchase a home owner's warrantee to cover all aspect of the home for at least 5 years. Meticulous and prefab builders often include one in their package. You will be surprise how much can go wrong in 5 years! I could write a book based on my experience!

[jogator1]

I could not be more impressed with Mike Pelczar and Interlakes Builders. Mike is a third generation builder and has strong local roots. I promise you will not find a contractor with more integrity and expertise. His sister Patty works in the office and she is cut from the same cloth. You won't find better people.

I have used Interlakes Builders with 3 different houses and the results have all been the same. I am completely satisfied and pleasantly surprised at the over-delivery of craftsmanship. My current house was completed by Mike last year and entered into the 2017 Parade of Homes in which Interlakes Builders won an award. If you want an efficient home that will last your lifetime give Mike a call. His number is 603-279-7378 and his website is interlakesbuilders.com.

[mishman]

We used RN Peaslee and Sons in Moultonborough and were totally happy with the quality of construction, all communication and commitments (we were in another state so it was a long distance process for us), their family of sub contractors and their construction crew. They are not cheap but what you get for what you pay was very worth it in our experience. Ten years later, we are very pleased with our home, the quality of the finishings, it's insulation value and the design changes the Peaslee's recommended.

[AC2717]

Paul Dupont & Sons out of Laconia, built our cottage last year, great job, attention to detail, many complements from subs and inspectors about his work at our place and his previous work.

[BroadHopper]

Paul Dupont, David Gammon , Andy Eastman , Gary and Jason Laflamme all highly respectable builders. All are booked for a year or more!

[TheProfessor]

Originally Posted by shard77

My wife and I have a house in Moultonborough and we're thinking of selling it, buying land, and building a smaller home as we prepare to retire. Our experience with contractors in the area thus far has not been good. They either a) never return the initial phone call, b) set up an appointment and never show up, or c) come and look at the job and then we never hear from them again.

I've gotten references from our relator, Angie's list, and lumber yards - doesn't seem to make a difference.

Can anyone recommend a reliable contractor that actually shows up, does quality work, and charges a reasonable price?

Thanks.

Cargill Construction
Address: 396 NH-49, Campton, NH 03223
Phone: (603) 726-3939

Please define "reasonable price".

[winni83]

Cerutti Contracting, Meredith, NH. Brian Allen owner. The problem with the really good ones, such as Cerutti and others, is that they are booked up pretty far in advance and they will not take on a job that they cannot finish in a timely manner. The good ones will usually (a) call you back; and (b) tell you that the job you want done this spring cannot fit into their schedule.

[VitaBene]

Originally Posted by phoenix

Joe Skeffington built a house for us and did a great job. He has built many housing in the lakes region

If you mean Joe Skiffington, he went through a lot of financial issues in the past few years, stiffing many local contractors and workers. Further, if he built your house, check the flashing particularly where siding meets the deck. A friend's Skiffington house just underwent a ridiculous amount of rot repair due to poor flashing- over $25K.

[sky's]

Originally Posted by VitaBene

If you mean Joe Skiffington, he went through a lot of financial issues in the past few years, stiffing many local contractors and workers. Further, if he built your house, check the flashing particularly where siding meets the deck. A friend's Skiffington house just underwent a ridiculous amount of rot repair due to poor flashing- over $25K.

BINGO ON THAT ONE ITS TOO BAD that the homeowners got stuck with that one.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by Irish mist

Jason Drouin Custom Homes. Gilford NH. Phone: 603-455-4745. He & his dad built a property for me years ago. He's most likely booked out, but he's a responsible builder & should at least return your call. Good luck

I had a guy name Drouin built me a place about 25 years ago. I'm not sure if it was the dad, there are quite a few Droun's in the area, but I was not impressed.

[Irish mist]

Originally Posted by Biggd

I had a guy name Drouin built me a place about 25 years ago. I'm not sure if it was the dad, there are quite a few Droun's in the area, but I was not impressed.

Could have been the father....the son was too young then. The house these Drouins' built for me was fine. It also could have been another Drouin....the name Drouin is like Smith in the Lakes Region

[shard77]

Thank you all for the feedback and the suggestions.

We're actually trying to plan ahead as far as possible and would be looking to build probably in the spring of 2019. At this point we're trying to figure out what we can get for our home and what it will cost to buy a lot and build the home design we've chosen.

[jogator1]

shard77,

You're welcome. We had a similar plan in which we purchased a property almost 2 years before we went through the construction process. It took quite some time designing our home, applying for necessary permitting and completing site work. On top of that we still had to sell our current home. Mike Pelczar made the process efficient and seamless. I think you should consult him. I wish you the best of luck and hope you enjoy the process. I have heard of many nightmares but my wife and I had a great experience.

[Bayview Girl]

Originally Posted by Biggd

I had a guy name Drouin built me a place about 25 years ago. I'm not sure if it was the dad, there are quite a few Droun's in the area, but I was not impressed.

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[RUGMAN]

We had Mike Pelzar remodel our lake front home two years ago and did a great job.We had quite the project. He is busy because he is good and cares about what he does, give him a call. Interlakes builders.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by Bayview Girl

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No message?

[TiltonBB]

Originally Posted by Bayview Girl

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I used a Drouin to build out a couple of apartments about 10 years ago. I know there are several Drouin's in the area but this one did poor work.

When I noticed that the space in the cabinets for mounting the microwave above the stove was off center by about 4 inches he said "sometimes it just works out that way". Huh?

I used another contractor who put chair rail at a height that required the bottom inch of all the switch plate covers to be cut off so that they would fit. When I questioned it he said "its's OK, we do that all the time" Huh?

Good contractors, who show up and do good work at a fair price, are hard to find.

[donnamatrix]

I work for an architect. The builders we use are InterLakes (Pelczar), RN Peaslee; Kurt Clason; White House Construction; Cobb Hill; Meridian Construction. They are all excellent firms-do superior work.

[Advisor88]

Ned Coville of Chinook Contracting. www.chinookcontracting.com