In August 2019, we found we had a long-standing water leak from the plumbing in the upstairs bathroom. This eventually involved gutting the bathroom to ensure that all rotted subfloor was replaced, replacing drywall in the first-floor kitchen and building two kitchen cabinets to match the existing ones, plus replacing drywall in the wall and ceiling in the room on the other side, and new flooring in two downstairs rooms.

We selected Acheson Builders because we have known Jim since the mid-1970s and knew his ethics and the quality of his work and of those he selects as subcontractors. We knew going in that as the house was merely unsightly rather than unlivable, we could not expect him to bump all existing customers in the queue to work on it.

When they began work in January, they arranged for a POD and helped move our furniture out. We normally had workmen there most days, sometimes affected by sudden demands at his other projects that tied up a specialty worker, but until COVID hit, we were clicking along. The last details were finished to our delight as soon as they were allowed back in.

All the workmen were honest, skilled, and careful. Most were also friendly and unbothered by my watching them and learning as much as I could from what they were doing.

The results have definitely met our hopes, and exceeded them in some cases (such as when Jim noticed a major pipe that is usually buried in the wall that would have rusted through soon, and replaced it).

All inspections succeeded the first time. This was the second project we had Jim work on here and we already have a list of things out for Jim to quote for next summer’s outdoor work season.

— Martha Krieg