What does a remodeling project cost in Greater Boston?
Typical Greater Boston range for this kind of work, from regional averages — not a quote from T.M. Sullivan Construction. Use it to sanity-check bids, then get the real number in writing.
General Contractor / Remodelinghome additionscustom home buildingwhole-home renovation
— 25 permitted projects on record, 2016 through 2025
Additions focus — most permits are Hingham and Norwell home additions
Verified licence — Massachusetts home improvement registration is active
On schedule — a 2019 reviewer said the job finished ahead of time
Period detail — a 2024 Reddit account credits facade detail on a rebuild
Thin review record — three written accounts, all from 2015 to 2021
No directory reviews — BuildZoom and BBB carry none at all
Small team — BBB lists two employees for large-scale projects
Limited capacity — the company says it takes only a few projects yearly
Twenty-five permitted projects and only three written reviews — T.M. Sullivan Construction is a builder whose paper trail is far deeper than its review pages.
The firm works out of Norwell and describes itself as a full-service general contractor building custom homes and doing whole-home renovations and additions on Boston's South Shore, on a fixed-cost basis and taking only a few projects a year. Its site says Tom Sullivan founded the company after working at the construction management firms Shawmut Design and Construction and Bond Brothers, and holds a construction management degree from UMass Amherst; BBB records the business as starting in January 2015 with two employees. Its Massachusetts Home Improvement Contractor licence, number 181051, is active, and the state registry lists T.M. Sullivan Construction LLC as the holder of record.
The permit history is where the work shows. BuildZoom counts 25 permitted projects, mostly home additions and kitchen and bathroom remodels in Hingham and Norwell between 2016 and 2025, with a typical permit value around $179,000 — a steady run of mid-to-large residential jobs rather than one-off small work. BuildZoom also scores the firm 108, which it says puts it above 95% of the 139,240 licensed contractors in Massachusetts, and BBB grades it A+ without accrediting it.
The written accounts are few and dated. In a 2019 review a homeowner described a slider and small deck installed by the crew, calling the work outstanding and finished ahead of schedule; a 2015 Houzz reviewer described a third-floor renovation done exactly as requested for the quoted price and called Tom very professional and attentive. On Reddit in 2024, someone whose home the firm essentially rebuilt said it handled a lot of curve balls while keeping true to the period details on the facade and maintaining functionality inside.
What that means practically: the three reviews run 2015 to 2021 across a handful of platforms, so there is not much recent written detail to weigh, and neither BuildZoom nor BBB carries any customer reviews at all. Ask for references from the last two years of the permitted work — the Hingham and Norwell additions are the closest match for most people considering them.
This is a reasonable call for a South Shore homeowner planning an addition, a whole-home renovation or a custom build who wants a small, owner-run outfit and a fixed price up front. Confirm the current licence status yourself, and ask how many projects they are carrying when your job would start, given they say they take only a few a year.
Heard around town
On Reddit
PositiveRecommendations for a contractor for remodel/addition to older home?Oct 24, 2024
“Sullivan construction essentially rebuilt our home and had to deal with a ton of curve balls along the way, all the while keeping true to the period details on the facade and maintaining functionality throughout the interior.”
I recently had a slider and small deck installed by T.M Sullivan, I cannot say enough good things! The crew was friendly and courteous and above all did outstanding work and even finished the job ahead of schedule. Now I can enjoy my new decal all summer.
Tom is very professional. His work is excellent, very attentive to our needs. We renovated our third floor. The job was done exactly as requested for the quoted price.