RENOVATION – NEWTON, MA 2022

“Benchmark Builders built our house 12+ years ago. Over the years, Matt Harkins and his team remained available to address any questions we have had about the house, systems, maintenance, etc. About 5 years ago, we hired Benchmark to finish our basement – the work was completed on time and on budget. And last year, we were looking to do some significant updates/work to the kitchen. With Bill Andrews on board, Benchmark came in, mapped out a plan of action, brought in their team (as well as subcontractors), and performed the work on time and on budget. Benchmark is a great company and we highly recommend them.”

NEW CONSTRUCTION – WESTON, MA 2021

“We had the pleasure of working with Benchmark Builders for our new construction from 2020 to 2021. The experience was nothing short of exceptional. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and commitment to quality were evident at each phase.

Matt and Bill were incredibly responsive and communicative, always available to answer our questions. We were especially grateful for their dedication to engaging with the town, attending lengthy public hearing meetings, and successfully proposing an alternative for a design component. The original design, which we consented to adopt to avoid delays in the approval process, was far from our preferred choice.

The construction team was skilled, courteous, and meticulous, and adhered to high standard of craftsmanship and quality.

One of the most impressive aspects of working with Benchmark Builders was their ability to deliver the project on time and within budget. Despite facing unexpected challenges during the pandemic, they managed to keep the project on track while ensuring the quality of their work.

We are grateful to Matt and Bill and their entire team for making our dream home a reality. We highly recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable, skilled, and professional builder who truly cares about delivering the best possible outcome for their clients.”

RENOVATION – BROOKLINE, MA 2020

“We were extremely fortunate to work with Benchmark Builders on an extensive gut renovation of our home in Brookline starting in October of 2019 and running through January of 2021.  From the start, and throughout the project, we were treated with respect and kindness and the project manager and staff went above and beyond to make sure every detail was taken care of.

Whenever we reached out to Matt, Todd, Ron or Bill with a question, they got back to us right away with a response.  We are extremely happy with the level of workmanship on our home, it goes above and beyond what we have experienced in the past with other builders.  We highly recommend Benchmark Builders for new construction or renovation projects.”

NEW CONSTRUCTION – WESTON, MA 2019

“Benchmark Builders has been an incredible partner in this process. Matt and his team are thoughtful, solution-oriented and care deeply about the quality of their work. Not only do we have a beautifully crafted and high-quality home, but the customer service is equally excellent. Matt is extremely knowledgeable, organized, responsive and goes out of his way to make sure we are pleased. Even neighbors who lived through the construction comment on how great Matt’s team has been. We are thrilled with our new home and highly recommend Benchmark.”

RENOVATION – LEXINGTON, MA 2019

“We met Matt and the Benchmark team at an open house for a new construction home they had just completed in 2019. We were looking for a new home and ultimately bought an older home where we partnered with Benchmark on a renovation project.

Matt and his team are a joy to work with. They are all extremely professional, courteous, and reliable. The quality of the work surpassed our expectations on a challenging project with complicated structural work including the addition of a steel beam to open up interior walls. You can tell Benchmark and the team really care about what they do, and will go the extra mile to make sure things are done right. As an example, they ripped up and redid the entire master bath floor tile at their expense because they felt that the floor wasn’t perfectly level, something we may not have even noticed.

We had such a wonderful experience that we recently hired Benchmark again, this time to build a new home in Lexington for our parents.”

NEW CONSTRUCTION – NEWTON, MA 2017

“…We’re thrilled with the house, and even happier about the process of building the house with you. 

We heard so many horror stories about builders before we started the project. You are incredibly patient, go above and beyond to make sure the house is top quality and you stand behind your work.

In the end, we have great memories from the last couple years thanks to you, and we could not be happier with the house. It has been fun!”

NEW CONSTRUCTION – CONCORD, MA 2011

“Home construction is a complicated business for both the builder and the client. One therefore needs a partner who has the depth and clarity to enable you, as the client, to navigate these waters skillfully. Matt Harkins of Benchmark Builders is certainly a highly experienced, expert builder. But more than this, he is deeply committed to his work, and to the quality, beauty and cost effectiveness of the finished product, in ways that will greatly exceed your expectations. He will stay with you every step of the way, have an eye for detail and care about results in the smallest matters, beyond anything you will think of, and reliably does what he says he will do. For everything we can see, and everything we do not see, we know we have a truly magnificent result.”

RENOVATION – CONCORD, MA 2015

Words can’t express how grateful we are to you but we wanted to try anyway. We feel so lucky that you agreed to take on our home renovation project.

We are in awe of the finished result, but it’s really the process itself that was most amazing. It’s not just the fact that you did everything pretty much exactly when you said you were going to do it, and even finished ahead of schedule, although that was of course, very much appreciated.

We’re not sure how you got guys to show up every single workday, often on Saturdays, and at least once even at 8am on a Sunday, but it’s clear that they all respect you and really like working for you, which says a lot about you.

One of the best parts about working with you was that you always spoke in terms of options and solutions, not problems – whether it was unexpected insulation that was needed, figuring out what to do about the edge of the glass tile, or anything else, it was a relief to know that by the time we learned there was an issue, you already had it pretty much figured out.

There were also so many little touches and details that nobody else would have thought of or bothered with, but we are so grateful that you did – like saving the door frames that had the kid’s heights marked on them, going the extra mile to make the floors in the living room and den look so nice, and painting the trim in Lorelei’s room to add to that special moment of her “big reveal”.

We are so, so thankful for everything you’ve done for us – if there’s ever any way we can help you in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask.

RENOVATION – NEWTON CENTER, MA 2015

“I don’t know anyone else, who has been as happy with their contractor as we were with Matt and Benchmark.  Our friends and colleagues would tell us horror stories of timelines and budgets which went astray.  That simply wasn’t our experience.

And our project objectives were very aggressive!  We decided to renovate our 130-year-old Victorian in December 2009 and commenced demolition just 5 weeks later.  After expanding the scope of the project several times and including a new extension… we moved back into our home in May, just in time for the birth of our 2nd child.  Had the project been delayed by just a few weeks, our family would have been put in a really difficult spot.

I tend to think that Benchmark’s ability to hit our rapid timeline, was a function of not only great organization and project leadership but also a genuine and personal interest in our family’s need to move back home.

We were so fortunate to have been introduced to Matt and his team by our realtor and never regretted our choice of general contractor for the project.  We have recommended Benchmark to our friends.”

RENOVATION – NEWTON CORNER, MA 2010

“…Benchmark Builders met every deadline, surpassed every expectation and worked in close collaboration with our architect, my wife and me to bring about an exceptional result. This was the third property that my wife and I renovated, each classic in their own right with unique qualities bundled with the challenging issues of a property built 120 years ago. Benchmark and all of their sub-contractors dealt with every challenge efficiently and effectively while always being pleasant to work with and above all accommodating.

Benchmark’s team transformed great concepts and ideas to a very real environment in which we (and our friends) love to spend time.

Matt has been thanked many times over and I can’t think of a better way of thanking him than recommending him above all of his competitors. Matt is a gentleman that has the requisite skills and personality to make dreams come true. ”

NEW CONSTRUCTION – CARLISLE, MA 2004

“…Our home has now been through several New England winter/summer cycles and the stability of the structure is remarkable with the build quality being exemplary.   The punch list was completed expeditiously and Matt was available to assist with any questions or concerns we may have had even beyond the customary year’s warrantee period.

The build process, although started in the fall of 2004, began for us in April of 2005 with our closing in September of 2005.  There were a host of custom features requested in our 5500 sq. ft. home that Matt and his crew completed in a positive, friendly manner, demonstrating flexibility and responsiveness.  With two young daughters present at most of our meetings, patience held true as a virtue.  Customer satisfaction was clearly a goal for Matt, which made this process enjoyable and created a satisfying working relationship.

It has been a pleasure to get to know Matt and we continue to keep in touch and share an interest in his projects.  This is our family’s fifth house together and one that we can truly call home.”