# Howell Custom Building Group

**Trade:** General Contractor / Remodeling · **Address:** 370 Merrimack St Ste 405, Lawrence, MA 01843, USA · **Phone:** (978) 989-9440 · **Website:** http://www.howellcustombuild.com/ · **Languages:** English

**Rating: 4.0/5** (low confidence) — from 1 reviews across 6 sources.

## The honest read

Howell Custom Building Group is a Lawrence, Massachusetts design-build firm working the North Shore, run by husband-and-wife team Steve and Susan Howell — the company says it was founded in 1997 and has completed more than 800 projects, working on custom homes, additions, whole-home and kitchen/bath renovations, basement finishing and barn or timber-frame restoration. Both Steve Howell's Massachusetts Construction Supervisor license and the company's home improvement contractor registration are verified active.

The written record here is thin on Google — just one review from 2024, in which a client called Garrett (the company's Director of Preconstruction) fantastic to work with and said the team cares about its customers — but the broader trail is substantial. On Houzz, the company holds a 5.0-star average across 38 ratings with Work Quality, Communication and Value each scored 5.0, alongside 17 Houzz Awards, including 2021 and 2022 Gold awards for whole-house projects over $500,000 and a run of 'Best of Northshore Home' Editor's Choice recognitions from 2016 through 2022. BBB gives the business an A+ grade, and permit records show 16 permitted projects — several six-figure North Shore additions, barn renovations, and a $937,000 accessory building among them.

Worth confirming directly: the company's website describes itself as a Certified Lead-Safe firm, but a federal EPA renovation-safety record tied to the business shows as inactive — worth a quick question given the firm's work on older North Shore homes and barns. Typical projects here run large — Houzz lists a typical job cost between $500,000 and $5 million — so this isn't a fit for a small repair.

This is a fit for a serious custom-build or whole-house renovation on the North Shore, backed by verified licensing and a deep industry-award record — worth confirming lead-safety certification status before any work on an older home.

**Strengths:**
- 5.0★ on Houzz — 38 ratings, Work Quality/Communication/Value all perfect
- 17 Houzz Awards — including Gold for $500k+ whole-house projects
- A+ BBB rating
- Verified licenses — active CSL and HIC registration

**Concerns:**
- Lead-safe cert unclear — EPA renovation-safety record shows inactive

**Where sources disagree:**
- The website describes itself as a Certified Lead-Safe firm while BuildZoom's federal EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting record for the business shows inactive

## Claims & citations

Every claim below is backed by real evidence rows — uncited claims are dropped in code before publication.

- Its Massachusetts Construction Supervisor license (CS-068232) is verified active _(confidence: high)_
  - [State License Registry](https://madpl.mylicense.com/Verification/) — “MA csl license CS-068232 registry-verified active”
- Its Massachusetts home improvement contractor registration (175166) is verified active _(confidence: high)_
  - [State License Registry](https://contractorhub.mass.gov/s/hic-contractor-search) — “MA hic license 175166 registry-verified active”
- Holds a 5.0-star average across 38 Houzz ratings, with Work Quality, Communication and Value each rated 5.0 _(confidence: high)_
  - [Houzz](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/general-contractors/howell-custom-building-group-pfvwus-pf~1325406688) — “Houzz: 5.0★ from 38 ratings”
  - [Houzz](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/general-contractors/howell-custom-building-group-pfvwus-pf~1325406688) — “Genuine Houzz profile for Howell Custom Building Group — exact name, address (370 Merrimack Street, Suite 405, Lawrence MA 01843), phone 978…”
- Has received 17 Houzz Awards, including Gold awards for whole-house projects over $500,000 in 2021 and 2022 _(confidence: high)_
  - [Houzz](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/general-contractors/howell-custom-building-group-pfvwus-pf~1325406688) — “Listed certification: 17 Houzz Awards”
  - [Houzz](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/general-contractors/howell-custom-building-group-pfvwus-pf~1325406688) — “Listed certification: 2022 & 2021 PRO New England GOLD Award for Entire House $500k and over”
- BBB gives the business an A+ rating _(confidence: high)_
  - [Better Business Bureau](https://www.bbb.org/us/ma/lawrence/profile/home-builders/howell-custom-building-group-0021-264603) — “Better Business Bureau grade: A+”
- A 2024 review calls the Director of Preconstruction, Garrett, fantastic to work with and says the team cares about its customers _(confidence: high)_
  - [Google Reviews](https://www.google.com/maps/reviews/data=!4m8!14m7!1m6!2m5!1sChZDSUhNMG9nS0VJQ0FnSURINTdQRlZnEAE!2m1!1s0x0:0xeaabd57bb9dcb3fa!3m1!1s2@1:CIHM0ogKEICAgIDH57PFVg%7C%7C?hl=en) — “5★ Garrett was fantastic to work with.  The team at Howell really care about their customers!”
- Permit records show 16 permitted projects including several six-figure North Shore additions, barn renovations, and a $937,000 accessory building _(confidence: high)_
  - [BuildZoom](https://www.buildzoom.com/contractor/howell-custom-building-group-ma) — “Permit-history profile for Howell Custom Building Group (360 Merrimack St Bldg 5, Lawrence MA; owners Stephen D Howell and Susan Howell; pho…”
- The company's website describes itself as a Certified Lead-Safe firm, but a federal EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting record for the business shows as inactive _(confidence: medium)_
  - [Official Website](http://www.howellcustombuild.com) — “Stated certification/affiliation: Certified Lead-Safe firm”
  - [BuildZoom](https://www.buildzoom.com/contractor/howell-custom-building-group-ma) — “Licence listed on BuildZoom: License #NAT-53043-2 Status Inactive Nation Environmental Protection Agency Type Renovation (page states status…”
- Moved above the anchor: a 5.0-star, 38-review Houzz average with 17 industry awards and a substantial permitted-project history sit outside what the thin, single-review text pool can price _(confidence: high)_
  - [BuildZoom](https://www.buildzoom.com/contractor/howell-custom-building-group-ma) — “Permit-history profile for Howell Custom Building Group (360 Merrimack St Bldg 5, Lawrence MA; owners Stephen D Howell and Susan Howell; pho…”
  - [Houzz](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/general-contractors/howell-custom-building-group-pfvwus-pf~1325406688) — “Houzz: 5.0★ from 38 ratings”
  - [Houzz](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/general-contractors/howell-custom-building-group-pfvwus-pf~1325406688) — “Listed certification: 17 Houzz Awards”
  - [Houzz](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/general-contractors/howell-custom-building-group-pfvwus-pf~1325406688) — “Genuine Houzz profile for Howell Custom Building Group — exact name, address (370 Merrimack Street, Suite 405, Lawrence MA 01843), phone 978…”
- Specializes in General Contractor / Remodeling _(confidence: high)_
  - [Official Website](http://www.howellcustombuild.com) — “Howell Custom Building Group is a Lawrence, MA design-build custom home builder and remodeler working the North Shore of Massachusetts, doin…”
  - [Google Reviews](https://www.google.com/maps/reviews/data=!4m8!14m7!1m6!2m5!1sChZDSUhNMG9nS0VJQ0FnSURINTdQRlZnEAE!2m1!1s0x0:0xeaabd57bb9dcb3fa!3m1!1s2@1:CIHM0ogKEICAgIDH57PFVg%7C%7C?hl=en) — “5★ Garrett was fantastic to work with.  The team at Howell really care about their customers!”
- Also offers Kitchen Remodel _(confidence: medium)_
  - [Official Website](http://www.howellcustombuild.com) — “Howell Custom Building Group is a Lawrence, MA design-build custom home builder and remodeler working the North Shore of Massachusetts, doin…”
  - [Houzz](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/general-contractors/howell-custom-building-group-pfvwus-pf~1325406688) — “Listed certification: 2021 PRISM Gold for Best Kitchen Remodel”
- Also offers Bathroom Remodel _(confidence: medium)_
  - [Official Website](http://www.howellcustombuild.com) — “Howell Custom Building Group is a Lawrence, MA design-build custom home builder and remodeler working the North Shore of Massachusetts, doin…”

## Ownership

- Identifies as family-owned — the business's own statement, not independently verified.

## License

Status: **active** (#CS-068232, csl) — verified against the official MA state registry on 2026-07-30, never self-reported.
Re-check at the official registry: https://madpl.mylicense.com/Verification/

## Sources

- [Google](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Howell%20Custom%20Building%20Group&query_place_id=ChIJE3mWzTIB44kR-rPcuXvVq-o): 4.3★ from 3 ratings
- [Houzz](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/general-contractors/howell-custom-building-group-pfvwus-pf~1325406688): 5.0★ from 38 ratings
- [Official Website](http://www.howellcustombuild.com): Self-reported profile and service details
- [BuildZoom](https://www.buildzoom.com/contractor/howell-custom-building-group-ma): Listed on this source
- [Google Reviews](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Howell%20Custom%20Building%20Group&query_place_id=ChIJE3mWzTIB44kR-rPcuXvVq-o): Listed on this source
- [Better Business Bureau](https://www.bbb.org/us/ma/lawrence/profile/home-builders/howell-custom-building-group-0021-264603): Listed on this source

## Recent reviews

- **5/5 · Google Reviews · nate maybon · 2024-09-20**: Garrett was fantastic to work with.  The team at Howell really care about their customers!

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Data freshness: last scanned 2026-07-30T13:13:26.577Z.
Cite as: Howell Custom Building Group — Tavlee (https://tavlee.com/contractor/howell-custom-building-group-lawrence)
Source: https://tavlee.com/contractor/howell-custom-building-group-lawrence