Built From Scratch

Twenty-two ratings on Thumbtack average out to 4.0, and that number hides the real shape: 68% are five stars, 18% are one star, and none of those one-star reviews displays its text. That split is the thing to weigh with Built From Scratch, a carpentry-led shop run by Alex Newman with six employees and 43 hires through the platform. What the written accounts describe, they describe well — though they all date from 2015 to 2019. A customer writing in December 2019 detailed a built-in storage bench with custom trim and cabinets, built with Alex and a carpenter named Bob, plus floating shelves reinforced so they wouldn't come down later. In March 2019 another described an estimate that arrived with video and photographs of the intended result, and honest answers on budget across several projects at once. Earlier accounts, from 2016 and 2015, cover countertop and backsplash removal, a bar-height counter cut down into a breakfast bar, and custom-mounted kitchen cabinets. The owner presents himself on Houzz as a third-generation carpenter, designer and construction manager, and Thumbtack carries a self-reported 38 years in business. Houzz lists licence number 190575 — that is the directory's listing rather than a confirmation, so ask for the number and check it yourself. The two profiles also disagree on where the business sits: Houzz says Boston 02128, Thumbtack says Dorchester Center. Its stated service area covers Greater Boston, Winthrop included. Carpentry is the through-line — built-ins, trim, cabinets, framing, decks and porches — and that is where the specific praise lands. Before booking, ask about the one-star ratings directly, and ask for two or three jobs finished in the last year with homeowners you can call, since the written history on file stops in 2019.