13 Gables Inc

The name that keeps surfacing in reviews of this Oxford builder isn't the company's — it's David Gemme's. Homeowners describe him running the job himself: picking the subs, answering the questions, showing up when something goes sideways. 13 Gables Inc says it has been building across Central Massachusetts and the Metro West since 1986, 38 years by its own count, and the work described runs from full custom homes to basements, additions and commercial fit-outs. Google shows a 5★ average across 13 ratings, and the written accounts back that up with unusual specificity for a company this size. A January 2026 review describes a finished basement remodel and singles out the subcontractor crew. In a December 2024 account, a couple who had Gemme build their house said he handled it from beginning to end and educated them through the process; another December 2024 reviewer described a custom kitchen built exactly to spec, down to a cabinet mixer lift for a husband who bakes and counters raised for a tall family. A November 2024 review covers a hair-salon renovation finished on schedule. The oldest account, posted to BuildZoom in 2015, recalls a home built in Auburn in 1999 with better materials than the neighbors got for the same money. The licensing picture is the thing to sort out before signing. The only licence records here come from BuildZoom, and that page does not agree with itself: it lists Construction Supervisor CS-061317 as active when checked in July 2026, lists the same number elsewhere as having been cancelled, and shows Home Improvement Contractor registration 160827 as cancelled. None of that has been confirmed against the state registry. In Massachusetts the HIC registration is what covers non-structural residential home improvement work — and it is what backs the Guaranty Fund — so ask to see both the current HIC registration and the CSL card, and check them yourself with the state. The awards the company points to (Builder of the Year, a Builders Association of Central Massachusetts President's Award, a board seat) are its own statements, not third-party confirmations. Worth knowing too: the praise clusters in 2024 and 2025, with one account so far in 2026 — a good history, but not a heavy stream of current write-ups. Best fit is a homeowner planning a whole house, a large addition or a gut renovation who wants one experienced person coordinating the trades rather than juggling them. Confirm the registrations, get the scope and allowances in writing, and ask which subs will actually be on site — that crew is the part reviewers keep crediting.