Verified record
Grain Wood Shop is Brandon's Boston-based custom woodworking studio — the kind of shop people turn to for a built piece rather than a full renovation: cabinets, bars, tables, mantels, built-ins. The Architectural Woodworking Institute has certified the shop's work, and Houzz has given it two design awards. Most of the written record backs that up with real specifics. In a 2017 review, a client had Brandon build custom teak fronts for IKEA kitchen cabinets and turn salvaged old-growth pine floor joists into a feature wall in their master bathroom — 'he can do anything,' they wrote. Another 2017 review describes a wrap-around kitchen bar and a matching custom wood mirror frame built to the client's exact request, down to shop visits with three kids in tow. A 2016 review details a rustic-modern dining table, designed around a request for a non-toxic, kid-durable finish, that came out exactly as pictured. But the record isn't uniform. In a 2018 review, a Beacon Hill-area client described a galley-kitchen job that went the other way: mismatched wall and cabinet paint that was never corrected, repeatedly mis-measured pull-out drawers, unfinished woodwork left as-is, and a finish date two months late. That range — precise custom work on one end, an unresolved punch list on the other — is the honest picture the written record gives. For a defined piece (a table, a bar, built-in cabinetry) the specifics lean strongly positive; for a fuller kitchen job, it's worth being explicit up front about finish quality and timeline before signing.
Typical Greater Boston range for this kind of work, from regional averages — not a quote from Grain Wood Shop. Use it to sanity-check bids, then get the real number in writing.
A typical single-level deck is 12×16 — about 200 sq ft.
Estimated range
$7,750 – $14,500
Typical carpentry project around $11,100
Hired Brandon from Grain to complete renovation of small galley kitchen after receiving a free quote. Initially seemed like he would do a good job, however everything went wrong possible on the job. Grain had painted the walls and cabinets different colors so they did not match (was not fixed). He had mis-measured pull out drawers several times. Did not finish the wood on new pull out drawers installed and never fixed. Brandon always cut corners and used inferior material to build a product that was finished over 2 months late. Was always late responding to phone calls and appointments, but had no problem being on time to collect his final payment. Promised lifetime warranty, did show up a week later when the cabinet fell out to secure, but in December has not responded and the kitchen is falling apart. Would not use.
Grain Wood Shop exceeded our best expectations! I cannot praise Brandon's work enough. We found him to be highly-professional, talented and insightful. He has a singular eye for good design and made some very sound, lovely recommendations for our cabinets (without being pushy or making me feel pressured - which seems to be a rarity these days!). Looking back, I can't imagine our home without the updated cabinets. Through both the design and color (which I would have never considered without Brandon) the cabinets tie together the different open spaces in our small Beacon Hill home, while still looking historically-accurate. It's with pleasure that I highly recommend Grain and look forward to hiring them in the future.
We hired Brandon to create a wrap around bar for our kitchen as well as a custom wood mirror frame. To say Brandon's work was excellent is an understatement. He worked with us closely to ensure we got exactly what we wanted (even if it meant visiting his shop with our 3 rambunctious boys). The work he created for us is beautiful - we get SO many compliments on the bar and frame from visitors. We would HIGHLY recommend Brandon to anyone looking for wood work!
When putting our job to bid we were looking for a craftsman who fit two criteria - quality of work and character. Brandon's proposal showed the attention to detail, eye for design, and trusting partner that we were looking for and we haven't looked back since.
Brandon can do anything!! We came to him first to make custom teak fronts for IKEA kitchen cabinets, which came out gorgeous. In addition, he helped our contractor salvage our old-growth pine floor joists and turned them into a beautiful feature wall in the master bathroom. He is great at communicating and has a knack for "getting" your vision, however fully or partially formed it might be. I would hire him for anything.
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1 change recorded — last scanned Aug 1, 2026.
Takes on repairs others declined5.0
Shed craftsmanship5.0
Works with crooked houses5.0
Rescues stalled projects5.0