Regional · Acton, MARegional · 916 Main St, Acton, MA 01720, USA
Verified record
Typical Greater Boston range for this kind of work, from regional averages — not a quote from Kistler & Knapp Builders. Use it to sanity-check bids, then get the real number in writing.
Estimated range
$23,000 – $35,000
Typical remodeling project around $29,000
The name turns up in the credits of architect-designed houses more often than in review feeds — Boston Magazine on a Concord waterfront house, Boston Design Guide on a 2013 build in Lincoln, New England Home on a Boston renovation. Kistler & Knapp Builders runs out of 916 Main Street in Acton, with a second office in Onset for Cape work, and the company says it has 45 years of building behind it; BBB dates the start to 1982 and grades the firm A+. Its Massachusetts home improvement contractor registration, 103855, is active and held in the company's own name. What people hire them for is the long, complicated job: custom homes, whole-house renovations, additions, historic restoration. Houzz shows a 4.9 average across 19 ratings alongside 23 project galleries, and the accounts carrying the most detail are old. In a December 2017 review, a client who had them build two homes described a Truro beach house and a 3,500-square-foot fit-out in a Boston condo conversion, crediting them with finding cheaper ways through complicated custom work. A December 2016 client wrote that the assigned project manager was on site every single day from April to December, and singled out transparency in accounting and billing. The newest account is from April 2026 on Google, from a homeowner whose house they built and who still has them handle the maintenance; that reviewer named Gary Longo for staying communicative and organized through construction. Two things are worth weighing before you call. The written history is dated — twelve of the thirteen reviews on file were posted in 2016 and 2017, and only that one Google review has landed since, against a single Google rating overall. And several of the Houzz entries were not written by homeowners: the owner of an electrical subcontractor, a mason who says he has subbed for them for 20 years, and an architecture firm that reports Kistler & Knapp completed more than twelve of its historic addition and renovation projects over twenty years. Endorsement from architects and subs says something real about how a builder runs a site, but it is not a client describing their own house. This is a builder for the architect-led project — the addition that has to meet a turn-of-the-century house, the historic restoration, the ground-up custom home — not the quick repair. If that is your project, ask for references from work finished in the last two or three years, since the detailed write-ups on file are close to a decade old, and ask which project manager would run your site: the reviews that praise them most name a specific person.
“this waterfront property was built by the well-known construction firm, Kistler and Knapp Builders, and designed by Machado Silvetti”
“this waterfront property was built by the well-known construction firm, Kistler and Knapp Builders, and designed by Machado Silvetti”
“Builder: Kistler and Knapp Builders.”
“Renovation builder: Kistler & Knapp Builders”
“A wildly unique renovation in Manchester-by-the-Sea gets the nod from Kistler & Knapp Builders as one of the most complex and detailed projects the firm has done.”
We’ve had a truly outstanding experience working with Kistler & Knapp Builders who built our home and continues to handle all of our ongoing maintenance. From the very beginning, Gary Longo and the team at Kistler & Knapp demonstrated a high level of professionalism, attention to detail, and genuine care for the quality of work. During the construction phase, Gary was communicative, transparent, and incredibly organized. He took the time to walk us through each step of the process, answered all of our questions, and made sure we felt confident in every decision. The craftsmanship in our home is excellent, and it’s clear that the whole team takes pride in doing things the right way rather than cutting corners. What really sets Gary apart, though, is his continued support after the build was complete. It’s rare to find a builder who remains so responsive and reliable long after the project is finished. Whether it’s routine maintenance or addressing small issues that come up over time, Gary is always quick to respond and ensures everything is handled properly. We feel very fortunate to have worked with Kistler & Knapp and would highly recommend Gary and the team to anyone looking for a builder or ongoing maintenance who is not only skilled and dependable, but also committed to long-term customer satisfaction.
Kistler & Knapp lined up a collection of outstanding subcontractors to tackle several pressing home projects for us. I was impressed with the prompt, professional and friendly communication with Doug and then with each of the subs he brought on board. The subs collaborated well with each other, did beautiful work and paid impressive attention to small details along the way!
Kistler & Knapp is one of the best builders in this area. They are able to maintain the highest quality workmanship while always being respectful of the clients needs and budgets. They do a wonderful job helping their clients navigate the confusing and sometimes overwhelming process of home remodel and construction. Working with K&K is alway a good experience as they work hard to have all the correct information and the site ready for us to be productive and efficient. I would highly recommend them for all range of projects.
Utterly fantastic. Unparalleled quality, cost control and practical advise. Kistler & Knapp has now built two luxury homes for me. The first (2010) was a beach house in Truro, designed by Hutker, but KKB was instrumental in making the design work on a practical level, suggesting improvements and worked hard to find cost efficient ways of doing some seriously complicated custom work. My second project (2017) was for them to build out a 3500 sq ft condo in raw space I purchased in a new condo/church development in Boston. There were few right angles, so again, a large amount of difficult design and build features to deal with, all while coordinating with the building developer, Boston city regs and demanding (i.e. very tight) tolerances. Throughout both projects, we never doubted that they had our interest in mind, and there was never a "good enough" attitude. They always wanted it done right, whether it was their work or a subcontractor's work. Their post-construction followup and availability on both projects has been as top notch as their work along the way. If I could go higher than 5 stars I would.
I am the owner at Argento Electric, LLC and we are fortunate to have worked with Kistler & Knapp builders for 10+ years. Over the past 10 years, we have been part of an exceptional team of contractors that KKB has put together. The level of quality and customer satisfaction is second to none. From their inside office staff, to carpenters, site crew, Home services department and project managers, they have a well oiled machine that continues to produce top level results. Look forward to many more years with KKB.
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