I want to upgrade my Boston home.

Where do I begin…?

Maybe I live in Wellesley, Chestnut Hill, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Natick, The South End or in some beautiful part of the Greater Boston Area.

Should I seek an Architect? A Builder? What will this cost and what is the most straightforward, effective and certain approach financially for myself and my family?

How do I avoid a terrible experience like the one my neighbor/friend/relative had—she is still dealing with a leaky roof three years later!

What is the best approach for the environment—is sustainability a factor? How to I approach a design and remodel for my home which is consistent with my environmental values?

Where does one even begin?

And WHAT are accurate cost estimates for this endeavor? Does the budget I have in my head even approximate reality? I don’t know.

When sitting down to google “Home Remodel in Boston” one is inundated with google pay per click advertisements, promises and a deludge of confusing information.

I totally understand.

This is a common scenario with families and professionals embarking on the adventure that is a major home remodel in Boston, Mass.

It can be a confusing endeavor—after all this is a major undertaking for a family and not something normal people usually do every day.

We’ve been in this business since 2005 and have worked with many professionals and families across Boston to design and build their homes to their exact specifications, needs and wants.

Cost is a subject staring all homeowners in the face as they consider a potential major home remodel. It’s an extremely important topic and we prefer to be exceptionally straightforward and candid on the matter so our clients can think with and evaluate actual information.

We pride ourselves on transparency and candor when it comes to cost and planning for such major home remodels.

First of all – let me define and clarify one key term:

“ARCHITECT”

“Architect” defined:

The root of the word architect breaks down into “chief” or “master” (arkhi) and “builder” (tekton). Archi and tekton come from the ancient Greek language, which originated as far back as 800 BC. The Architect’s true heritage is that of Master Builder—a legacy nearly lost in today’s industry.

We seek to embody the original beingness of an Architect as evident throughout the ages—a competent master who could both design and build. After all, for thousands of years these practices were one and the same.

After four years of Tufts Architectural I was dismayed at how little I could actually execute in the building of a home. My mind was brimming with theory. Accordingly, I sought out and took a job as a carpenter to teach myself to build.

From this union of theory and practical, New England Design & Construction was born. Over the past 17 years we have evolved into a competent, talented and creative team of 20 or so Architects, Interior Designers and Master Artisans. All of us are passionate about sustainability and the importance of the environment. We very much love and respect our earth and the natural beauty it lends to life around us.

We know the real costs involved in building and remodeling a home in Boston and we can design accordingly. Rather than being divorced from the construction portion of a client project, our design process is intimately joined with it from the very beginning. We design in accordance with a postulated construction budget—and with our familiarity and experience there are minimal surprises.

I’ve had clients approach us after spending six figures on architectural plans only to discover their projected construction costs to be 2 or 3 times what they could afford after these plans had been bid to multiple contractors. This is the result of an unnatural fracture and disconnect between Architectural planning and building. This is the industry we are seeking to reunite.

Such examples can be painful.

In the spirit of transparency, help and accurate planning we have assembled a cost guide based on numerous home planning and remodeling projects in the Boston area. It’s for use in gaining a rough understanding of the costs involved in the following:

• A Boston Whole Home Remodel
• A Boston major kitchen remodel
• A Boston Master Suite and Bedroom remodel
• A Boston Home Addition
• A Boston Master Bath remodel
• We’ve also included Mudrooms, laundry rooms and an assortment of other spaces and ideas.

Please find this free resource available for download HERE

Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or ideas on your own home—we are happy to help!

Best,

David Supple

CEO – NEDC