Byggmeister Design & Build

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!”

Josy has been part of the Byggmeister design team since 2014 when she relocated to the Boston area. After 3 years of graduate architecture school, she worked with the Newton based architecture firm Tise Design Associates and spent time in Western Massachusetts as a residential energy consultant for the Center for EcoTechnology.  

She was attracted to Byggmeister because of our "integrity, strong client relationships, and environmentally sensitive approach" and is very excited to be part of a cohesive team. "My past roles as designer and consultant often felt as though I was working on the outside but the design-build model at Byggmeister allows me to be a part of renovation work from the first site visit, through design, all the way through construction." When she's not on the job she enjoys biking, playing hockey and spending time outdoors with her three kids.  

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.  

We asked Bill, why, after becoming an architect 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."

Stacey got started in remodeling as a teenager when she spent summers painting houses. After receiving a graduate degree in community economic development, she has pursued a twofold career path—alternating between residential remodeling and cooperative business consulting.

Stacey first learned about Byggmeister several years ago while working for another local contactor. She attended an "open walls" event at a Byggmeister deep energy retrofit and recalls being impressed by Byggmeister's openness. "While most companies would keep their cutting-edge methods a secret, and use them as an advantage over their competitors, Byggmeister invited competitors in to discuss how all of us could elevate our standards."

Stacey is thrilled to part of Byggmeister because she "loves making buildings better for their current and future occupants," and because she "loves working with a team that values effective business systems and continually strives to improve them."   

Francis worked in construction for four years before joining Byggmeister in 2012. Francis appreciates the team environment and feels that the emphasis on community sets the company apart. Francis was initially attracted to Byggmeister in large part because of the warranty program and focus on energy efficiency. He says, "I've never encountered another company that cares as much about energy performance, or does as much to ensure that their work holds up over time."

Josh started with Byggmeister in 2008 as a carpenter after having "worked as a general carpenter for a small renovation and remodeling firm for over seven years." During that time, Josh grew "to appreciate the attention to detail in fine residential construction. In my search to find a company that shared the same appreciation, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that not only do Byggmeister employees share the same regard for detail, but their customers do too."

Josh has since moved into the position of Senior Lead Carpenter and Production Manager. In the latter role, Josh is responsible for balancing resources across jobs, supporting other lead carpenters, and overseeing quality and safety standards. 

Matt has worked in the construction industry for more than 10 years, and has been a carpenter with Byggmeister since 2010. "Byggmeister stands behind every project we do, and that really appeals to me. My role as warranty manager allows me to investigate and solve any problems that might arise, and share my findings with the rest of the company. I get to close that feedback loop so everyone can apply those lessons to future projects." Matt has also recently become a Certified Remodeling Project Manager through the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).

Maria has been with Byggmeister since 1995, and has seen the company change in size but not in work ethic. "Excellence is Byggmeister's philosophy. Everyone here brings something unique and different to their work, but they all believe in doing their best work every time on every job," she says. She thinks the company's dedication to quality makes a visible difference. "They make excellence a priority so that when the job is done you can see the difference."