Acheson Builders

We just completed a big renovation with Acheson Builders and we\'re extremely happy with their work. We expanded a dormer (through a slate roof) and reconfigured/renovated two bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It took 5/6 months to reach full completion. We lived here the whole time and everyone was wonderful to work with and be around for that length of time. Jim Acheson does a wonderful job of paying attention to detail and made the renovated section of the home look seamless.

Our home was built in 1926 so staying true to the time period was very important to us. We would highly recommend Acheson Builders and will be doing more projects with them as well.

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.

A suggestion: if those of us who employ building trades want faster work flow, we should encourage both young women and young men to enter the trades! The current shortage of workers negatively affects businesses' ability to keep up with demand.

When you have an idea of what you want your house to look like they can build it

We have counted on Acheson Builders for all our home improvements and remodels over the past 25 years! It gives my husband and me peace of mind, knowing things will be done right with Jim Acheson in charge. There is great creative input and attention to detail with Acheson Builders. Our last project was an update of our family room, especially a new high efficiency gas stove installed, with the old, rusty wood burning one removed.

It looks fabulous and now it's everyone's favorite place in our house! We can Highly recommend Acheson Builders with confidence and trust in their workmanship and professionalism.

We are very happy with the work done by Acheson Builders to remodel our bathroom. A designer visited with us several times and created a design that met our expectations. She then assisted in the creation of a list of specifications with cost estimates so we could have an excellent idea of how much money we were investing. Tim, the master carpenter in charge of the project, kept us informed on a day to day basis about progress (or minor delays) and approaches to various aspects of the work. And punch list items were resolved promptly and cheerfully. All in all they did a wonderful job! We love the final product.

My husband and I hired Acheson builders to completely remodel our 1970's style kitchen in 2009. Jim Acheson, a soft-spoken, sincere, and creative builder, suggested some excellent ideas that helped the kitchen design flow into the surrounding rooms. He worked to lighten and smooth out our dark-stained deep-grooved wood floor in the front hallway to go with the lighter oak floor of the kitchen.

When I couldn't find a back splash that pleased me, he came up with a perfect tile that created a fantastic look. He worked within our budget, and had the entire kitchen gutted and remodeled within ONE MONTH. His craftsmen were hard-working and diligent, and the kitchen turned out beautifully. We were very pleased with the quality of Jim's work.

I do not recommend working with Acheson Builders. I was under contract with them for seven months for an estimated $75,000+ project and was never given a timeline or formal quote. In the impressive initial meeting (2/18), Lauren said that we'd be able to complete the project by that summer. Once they cashed my $950 deposit check (3/18), they had Nate come out (4/18) to measure the space.

Despite emailing and calling every week, there was no progress being made; they would give me excuses and say there are no updates or they're working on it. After three months after giving the deposit (6/18), I paid Jim and Lauren a visit in the office to relay my concerns about the project, and they promised me that they would deliver a timeline to me within the next two weeks.

They did not deliver a timeline. Jim and Lauren came out to the house (7/18) to see the project again to see which subcontractors they needed to schedule. The subcontractors came out (8/18), and Jim said he'd have the formal quote ready by next week. They did not have the quote ready, and cancelled that meeting a half hour before we were supposed to have it.

When they got around to scheduling a new time to meet about the formal quote (10/18), they again cancelled the day of. At that point, I finally gave up and accepted that my project wasn't going to happen any time soon, if ever. Two weeks later, I paid them another visit asking them to refund my deposit. Jim refused, and instead only refunded half, $475.

I asked for the subcontractor's quotes to be forwarded to me. As of the time of writing (12/27/18), two months later, I've sent multiple emails and texts to Lauren to forward me the emails and they still haven't. In this period of time, Acheson has lost multiple employees, including a lead carpenter to a competitor. Acheson broke promises, treated me and my time disrespectfully, and lied to me. In the end, all I got was a rough sketch of the kitchen with basic dimensions for $475 and nine months of wasted time. Do yourself a favor and find another contractor.