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Builder/Custom Homes
EDITORS' CHOICE
HOWELL CUSTOM
BUILDING GROUP
Howell Custom Building Group
prides itself not only on the
custom homes it creates for
clients, but also on the process
it uses to get there. Helmed by
husband-and-wife founders
Stephen and Susan Howell, the
firm offers exceptionally detailed,
precise, and honest services
every step of the way, from
pre-construction to construction
to its two-year-plus warranty
follow-up program. It also offers
specialized expertise in green
building and timber framing. The
proof is in the projects, like the
warm and airy contemporary
North Shore home that won
a PRISM Silver Award.
The
Riverwalk Complex, 360 Merrimack
St. #5, Lawrence, 978-989-9440,
howellcustombuild.com
READERS' CHOICE
GROOM CONSTRUCTION
96 Swampscott Rd., Salem, 781-592-
3135, groomco.com
Builder/Renovation
EDITORS' CHOICE
HOWELL CUSTOM
BUILDING GROUP
Celebrating its 20th anniversary
this year, Howell Custom
Building Group reimagines and
renovates drab kitchens, baths,
patios, façades, and entire homes
into the beautiful and functional
space of their clients' dreams.
In one stunning Cape Ann
example, the firm transformed
a single unshaded deck into a
sweeping, multilevel outdoor
living space with an expanded
deck, architectural stairs leading
down to a granite and bluestone
patio and fire pit, and a pergola-
shaded eight-person hot tub.
Howell Custom Building Group's
dedication to revitalization also
extends to its own community;
it is located in the renovated
Riverwalk Complex in Lawrence
and has worked with local
nonprofits for years, including
Merrimack Valley Habitat for
Humanity and Uncommon
Threads, a new boutique that
provides domestic violence
survivors and other women in
need with clothes.
The Riverwalk Complex, 360 Merri-
mack St., #5, Lawrence, 978-989-9440,
howellcustombuild.com
READERS' CHOICE
BLB CUSTOM BUILDING
11 Chestnut St., Amesbury, 978-360-
0411, blbcustombuilding.com
Builder/Restoration
EDITORS' CHOICE
WINDHILL BUILDERS
Beautiful, historic homes are a
crucial part of the North Shore aes-
thetic and community, but some-
times hundreds of years of wear
and tear, not to mention changes
in what a family needs, mean that
they need updating. Enter Windhill
Builders, which has been trusted
for years to carefully restore these
treasures while retaining their
character and charm. You can find
their work on Ipswich's historic
High Street, the circa 1790 Garvin-
Weeks Farmstead in North Read-
ing, and the 1729 Timothy Hyde
House in Newton, to name only
a few of their incredible projects.
16 Market St., Ipswich, 978-356-8988,
windhillbuilders.com
READERS' CHOICE
WINDHILL BUILDERS
Howell Custom
Building Group
P H O T O G R A P H B Y E R I C R O T H
B U I L D
