G.B Coke and Sons, Inc.

Twenty-three permits sit on G.B Coke and Sons' BuildZoom profile, and most of the work is bathroom and interior remodelling in the $12,000 to $29,000 range. Gary Coke is the owner and president, running the corporation out of Peabody; BBB has it incorporated in 2006 with four employees, and grades it A+. Where the crews actually work is worth knowing. The permits are filed mostly in inner-metro Boston — Newton, Newton Center, Chestnut Hill, Cambridge, Arlington, Somerville and Dracut — with a couple in Peabody itself, while the company gives its territory as the North Shore and Greater Boston. If your house is north of Boston, ask how that affects scheduling and who will be on site day to day. On Houzz the company describes itself as family-owned and takes on everything "from large additions to small handyman jobs" — decks, kitchens, bathrooms, finished basements and painting — and posts three projects there, with kitchen, basement and deck photos. BBB's listing adds siding and windows to that span. BuildZoom lists a Massachusetts home improvement contractor registration, #141938, in the company's own name; check it against the state register before you sign anything. This is a sensible call for a bathroom, a basement or an addition at a mid-size budget, handled by one small outfit rather than a string of subs. Confirm the registration with the state, get the schedule and the payment terms in writing, and ask to see two recent jobs the size of yours.