Byggmeister Design & Build

An ardent carbon dioxide cutter, Jason has been doing home energy assessments and air sealing for Byggmesiter since 2009. He says he wanted to work with Byggmeister because our "company spirit is always to do the right thing. Not to mention that the crew is so smart, funny, passionate and talented."

Before joining Byggmeister Jason ran a successful painting business, but his concern about climate change led him to learn the weatherization trade. Jason claims that "nothing makes me happier than to crawl around in the recesses, nooks and crannies of someone's home, and repair the holes responsible for that home’s heat loss." Which sounds far-fetched until you've been on a job with him; then you know he means it.

Here's a poem Jason wrote to his favorite building diagnostic tool:

An Ode to the Blower Door

O, Blower Door
You red glowing beauty
Giver of wisdom
Revealer of mystery and hidden secrets
Perfection-maker
You lift me with your lusty breeze
Though some may think that I'm a bore
I’ll never stop my blower door

Bill has a long history with Byggmeister, going back to 2001 when he first joined the team as an Apprentice Carpenter. He quickly moved into the realm of estimating projects and few years later he returned to school to become an Architect. He is currently pursuing licensure.

We asked Bill, why, after earning his Master's Degree in Architecture, did he want to come back to work with Byggmeister? “After I had left Byggmeister, when describing the company's process and approach I would still find myself saying "we" - it's a rare and special thing, to work for a company whose mission is one that you believe in.  That was a hard thing to walk away from in 2007 and I'm grateful that since then we've been able to collaborate in a new way."

Emily joined the Byggmeister crew in 2018. Before embarking on her career in carpentry, Emily followed a “meandering route” that includes a degree in math and several years of organic farming. Most recently, Emily approached Catherine, who is a family friend, about making a career change to carpentry and decided to invest in carpentry training through the North Bennett Street School.

During her interviews with us, Emily was impressed by Byggmeister's highly organized planning process, the clear and specific expectations around work culture, and the number of women on the team. "The fact that more than half the people I met during my interviews were women was a huge draw for me.” We were equally impressed by her and thrilled to bring her on board. So far Emily has been enjoying her work immensely. “There’s so much variety. Each day I’m doing something different. I’m helping to create something sturdy, lasting and beautiful. I also enjoy proving that someone who is 5’0” can haul lumber and build houses!”

Having joined our team as a carpenter in 2000, Cador has held multiple positions at Byggmeister. Currently, he is the full-time estimator working with the project development team to clearly define and accurately estimate project costs (our goal is for actual costs to be within 2% of estimated costs). 

Cador feels that one of the things Byggmeister does best is create a sense of teamwork. "Not just among the crew," he says, "but for everyone involved: the architect and homeowner and the builders. The trust between Byggmeister and our clients is very high because they know we are all on the same side, we all want the same thing: the best possible outcome for their home."

With Byggmeister since 1998, Corky says the best part of the job for him is getting to know the clients. "Our clients are generally pretty interesting people, and they seem to respect the fact that we're generally pretty interesting people, too," he says. "I'm also very conscious of the fact that they are trusting us with their homes, and they are spending a lot of money and deserve an excellent result."

A carpenter since 1989, Catherine worked as a subcontractor for Byggmeister for about five years before joining the company in 2002. "I really like my work and I really like this company," she says. "Paul is very creative, and he maximizes our attributes and works with our flaws." A former cook and caretaker of thoroughbred horses, Catherine says she gets great satisfaction from seeing what she has helped to build.

Working for Byggmeister gives Anita a fringe benefit not often found in the remodeling business: peace of mind. "Homeowners appreciate when things look nice, but it's important that the 'bones' of a project are right, that it is sensible to the very bottom," she says. "Byggmeister is so thoroughly committed to quality that I never have to fret over whether or not they will do things properly." Having worked with many different builders during her career, Anita says she appreciates Byggmeister's equal attention to both aesthetic and structural quality. Anita joined Byggmeister's team in 2003.