Heritage Design Associates LLC

A new wood roof, front box window treatments, a garage bonnet roof, a cupola and chimney work — that's the kind of exterior architectural detailing a January 2017 review credits to Heritage Design Associates, a Waltham design-build firm listing James F. Crowley Jr. as its manager and working on custom homes and additions for clients around Greater Boston and the South Shore. The written record here is thin and dated — four reviews in all, running from December 2016 to December 2017. A fellow interior and architectural designer who'd worked with the firm's principal for about five years used a January 2017 review to praise his 'detailed eye' and design efficiency, and that same month a homeowner detailed the roof-and-chimney exterior renovation, calling the price affordable and the finish suited to New England house styles. A December 2016 Angi review recommended the firm again but noted its crew, while well liked, worked slowly, and a December 2017 Angi review called a company representative professional and easy to understand while explaining project options. Two things are worth clearing up before booking: how long the company has actually been operating — its BBB profile ties 49 years in business to a 1977 start date, while its Angi listing claims 74 years — and where it's actually based, since BBB and Angi both give a Waltham street address while its Houzz profile lists Hingham. For a homeowner planning a full addition or an exterior renovation who wants one firm carrying the design through to construction, this looks like a reasonable call — just ask for more current references given how old the reviews on file are, and build in some schedule room given the one account of a slow crew.