Norwell Design Build

My family just completed a new home construction with Norwell. It started in 2019 and took about 6 months of design and then about a year of permitting and construction. We were extremely satisfied with Mike and Ian at Norwell and the finished result. Norwell is a design build firm. To highlight both Mike and Ian are architects and having the design done in house was important to us. Other design build firms outsource this work. Ian primarily handled the design and was very thoughtful and attentive to our needs. At no time we felt rushed or pressured and the entire process was very collaborative. Our permit submission was approved with only a single round of minor revisions. Mike handled the construction phase. He was efficient in scheduling all subcontractor work, inspections and helped facilitate other necessary consultant work (surveying, soil testing, structural engineering, etc). Many of Norwell’s subcontractors have worked with them for over a decade and all are professional, trustworthy and take great pride in their work. Construction is a stressful time. There were change orders, unexpected problems and scores of design decisions. Despite all this, we collaborated very closely and effectively ensured our project was progressing to everyone’s satisfaction. Most important we avoided any scope creep and Mike and Ian’s attention to detail helped ensure faithfulness to the original design intent. We highly encourage you to give Norwell a call or, even better, visit any of their finished projects. Online reviews are nice references but you’ll get a greater appreciation of their work by talking to the homeowners and seeing firsthand their design and craftsmanship.

In 2017, my wife Betty and I purchased a mid century rancher in Belmont. As we decided this home was to be 'our forever home' we wanted to hire a design - build firm who would assist us in vision and construction. We interviewed a number of firms, but after meeting Mike Sullivan of Norwell, and discussing what we were looking for, we chose he and his firm. This was one of the better decisions we made in 2017. Mike's approach was to really understand what we were seeking. Once he had our vision in mind he began to develop plans, Mike reviewed them with us as progress and enhancements were made. We found Mike to be very precise in design, and as important creative. He really helped us sharpen our focus and wish list. At one of our 'plan' meetings he mentioned that as he thought about 'our forever home' we should accommodate my stature, I am 6'8" tall. His recommendation was to change all interior door heights to 7', this did include all sliding glass patio doors as well. Mike completely redesigned our kitchen, dining room, living room, foyer entry, both bathrooms. In addition, he converted one of our bedrooms into a media room, and another into an art studio. In terms of scope this was a 'down to the studs' remodel; walls moved, rooms moved and redesigned. When construction began we found that his staff are very competent and detailed, a lot of pride in workmanship was apparent. Several of the construction projects were outsourced to sub-contractors. What we found was that these trades had been sourced and used by Norwell for years. At completion all inspections passed without issue, as well as during construction. Mike Sullivan is a consummate professional, one who is not satisfied unless and until his Clients are. Betty and I recommend Mike and Norwell without hesitation.

Mike Sullivan oversaw a complete remodel of my 1970s townhouse, including the kitchen, two bathrooms, living room and bedrooms. The project involved relocating the furnace to the attic and using the reclaimed space to rebuild and extend a bathroom and create a linen closet; removing a closet and wet bar from the living room to open up space; tearing out and replacing the kitchen cabinets and countertops; replacing all fixtures in the guest bathroom; a new fireplace and surround; construction of a window seat; and new windows and lighting throughout. The project took about five months to complete and involved multiple change orders, as I added items to my must-have list. Throughout the whole project, Mike was a delight to work with, always friendly and helpful. He is the consummate professional. When I had somewhat vague ideas about what I wanted, he helped with suggestions and produced drawings that were a great aid in clarifying my thinking. He responded in timely fashion to my calls, texts and e-mails. He uses subcontractors, and always took full responsibility for ensuring that their work was of the highest quality and completed on time. He is very knowledgeable about what will or won't work. For example, I had chosen a fireplace myself, but Mike was concerned that it would not fit well in the space, and took it upon himself to work with the supplier and arrange for what turned out to be a much better alternative. And at the end of the day, we came in slightly under budget! I could not be more pleased with my "new" house and would recommend Mike and Norwell without a moment's hesitation.

Norwell is run by two really nice guys - Ian Wheeler and Mike Sullivan. They designed and constructed a new kitchen for our home and we are very happy with the results. They worked collaboratively with us In both the design and construction phases. They are very good communicators and responded promptly and comprehensively to our input and questions. Their crew and subcontractors were efficient and worked very cleanly. They also regularly provided updates and schedules so that we were aware of work that was planned. They were both meticulous in the design and execution of the work so that everything fit together (no issues with equipment installation) and looks great. I highly recommend this firm.

We interviewed many architects and design-build firms before selecting Norwell. The others told us what they thought we should do, while Norwell listened to us, put together a proposal, and we were floored because it was exactly what we asked for. Mike and Ian are really good at figuring out what was important to us, and then making those ideas happen. Our project was a down-to-the-studs reno. Everything was new by the time the house was ready. When we eventually sold our home six years later, everyone at the open house was asking -- "which firm did this project??" I have zero reservations recommending Norwell to anybody. They have great integrity, produce fantastic results, and are really fun to work with.

We have worked with Mike on two good-sized remodels. The first was a master bedroom, bath and master closet. The second was a new kitchen. Mike is a delight work work with. He is creative, responsive, professional and highly competent. He is also exceptionally well informed about building products and sources. His earlier work as an architect and is capability with CAD is a real valued-add when thinking through options on layout. He is very responsible. All our projects were accomplished within the budget and on scheduled time. We recommend Mike regularly to our friends and neighbors.

We did a complete remodel of our home in Woodside a few years ago. After hearing stories of architects and contractors finger pointing every time there were issues causing costly change orders, we decided to investigate the design to build model that Norwell uses. We interviewed a few and decided on Norwell. Unknown to us at the time, it was by far the best decision we made since deciding to get married in 1994. (And, yes we are still happily married - even after a remodel.) Mike and Ian were a joy to work with, honest, hardworking, and conscientious. They listened closely to our desires and helped us create what we wanted at a price we could afford. Our friends were blown away with what we managed to do with our budget. Yes some costly zingers were thrown at us, but they were from the town's permitting process. Norwell continually worked with us and the town to reduce any issues and often came up with innovative ideas to solve problems. For example, the town wanted us to tear apart our foundation to make sure it was made properly. Norwell suggested X-raying the foundation instead. This saved us from rebuilding an already fully compliant foundation. Yes the project took longer than expected, but all of that was waiting for a permit or adjusting to its restrictions. From the start of the actual building, we stayed very close to our time schedule and to our budget. Since this time we have done some work with landscaping companies and have seen a different style of business. Change orders seem to be the way to make up for all the inefficiencies of the building process with many other contractors. With Norwell, a change order only reflects the change, and if there is a cost increase in the change, it is honestly reordered and only involves the increased cost of the item or the time to install the new item. We are very diligent, and we checked the price of everything, never once finding any discrepancies. (This contrasts greatly with other contractors we have worked with.) I had never realized how difficult it was to find honesty in this business, and I feel very confident when I say that honesty is one of Norwell's many positive traits. But to be clear, whenever a person goes through a remodel there will be hic-ups, unexpected issues, or undesirable outcomes. If you compare Norwell to perfect, there will be flaws. But I don't believe any remodel is perfect, so when I give it 5 stars I'm comparing Norwell to the rest of the industry, not the perfect illusion of a remodel.

Our project began as a simple kitchen/bathroom remodel, removal of a fireplace and possible window replacements. We talked to several design build firms and general contractors and what set Norwell Design Build apart from the others was their approach. No hard sell or cutting corners on either the design or permitting process. We worked with Ian on the initial design and he met with us several times, listened to what we wanted and evaluated our project against our current use of the home. Ian has a wonderful eye for design as well as functionality and flow of the space. His suggestions on how to better utilize all the square footage within the house by relocating our kitchen provided us with a much larger and functional kitchen than we had originally planned and gave us the open flow we wanted in the house, but did not know how to achieve. Ian, Mike and all the crews that worked on our project were very professional, talented and overall a joy to work with. We love the flow and functionality of our ‘new’ home and we will go back to Norwell for any future projects.

We had a tiny kitchen and a home that was very compartmentalized. The traffic flow through the house was poor and you lost contact with anyone that was in a different room. We talked to a couple of companies about our need for a kitchen remodel but were not that impressed with the solutions they suggested. We then had a conversation with Norwell and the ideas and recommendation began to flow. We quickly saw the advantages of the suggested changes to the room layout and the dramatic improvements in the traffic flow. The subtle changes made the house “live” totally different and made the same square footage feel like a larger home. Norwell’s attention to detail is the best I’ve experienced. Everything was completed on time, the workmanship was excellent, the cost was very reasonable and the value was much greater than all the other solutions we considered. I highly recommend Norwell with absolutely no reservations.

If we could give Norwell more than 5 stars we would. I realize that to sing the praises of our contractor may invite some skepticism, but the total experience from initial call to punch list was absolute perfection. We wanted a team of professionals to handle every little thing with as little disruption as possble when 1/2 your house is being remodeled and you're living in it with 3 dogs and Norwell delivered. Every single person went above and beyond the job. Our vision was flawlessly executed and turned out better than we imagined thanks to Ian's creativity. I think our experience is best summed up by saying that when the project was over we actually missed them. And who ever says that about their contractor!

We had Norwell Design Build do our home renovation of our kitchen, two bathrooms, and living room. We were very satisfied with the design work and the execution of the project. They had many great ideas and recommendations. The quality of workmanship was outstanding and their work crews were all capable and courteous. They worked hard to give us the best possible outcome while controlling costs and timelines. We highly recommend them.

Mike Sullivan and his team helped us with structure enhancement and updatded the lighting, bathroom and kitchen. They are very professional and with in-depth expertise. In the middle of the project, additional work is requested outside the original scope. They were able to work with us to fit into their busy schedules. Some work performed in the attic with tight space and poor ventilation. They were able to flex their work schedule and get it done. This is a very professional, skillful and prompt group to assist us. I will highly recommend them to 0thers.