1 / 33
Verified record
License not state-verified. We could not confirm a current registration in the state registry. Insurance is self-reported. Look up in the official Massachusetts registry ↗
Highlights
- Whole-property additions — reviews cite additions and full layout transformations
- Basement finishing — reviews cite playrooms, wet bars, and wine storage build-outs
- Kitchen and bathroom remodels — reviews cite work finished on budget and schedule
- Repeat clients — reviewers cite hiring the crew for multiple projects at one home
- Strong communication — reviewers repeatedly cite prompt updates and clean job sites
J. Kenneway / Awl Carpentry is a South Shore-based home remodeling and addition contractor led by Jim Kenneway, a third-generation carpenter, South Shore native, and U.S. Army veteran who, by the company's own account, has delivered remodels and additions for more than 20 years. The company works across Duxbury, Hanover, Hingham, Scituate, Marshfield, Norwell, and Cohasset, specializing in kitchens, additions, basements, bathrooms, outdoor living spaces, and bedroom and closet remodels. The review base is exceptionally deep and consistent: a 4.9★ average from 34 Google ratings, with 24 individual written reviews on file spanning 2022 through 2025, every single one five stars. Additions and whole-property transformations are a recurring theme — one 2025 review described Jim's team converting a former rental into the homeowner's own house, adding an addition and decks and reworking the layout, and a 2023 review described an addition project with a detailed, fair budget. Basement work draws its own praise: reviews describe finished basements built out with a playroom, powder room, and gym, and separately with a wet bar and wine storage area. Kitchen and bathroom work is just as well represented. One 2024 review described a kitchen and pantry renovation as the fourth project the same homeowner had hired AWL for; other reviews describe full bathroom remodels and a two-bathroom renovation, both finished on budget and within the agreed timeframe. Windows, a two-car garage, and smaller projects round out the range of work described. What repeats across nearly every review, regardless of the year or project size, is organization and communication — Jim and project manager Emily are named repeatedly for keeping homeowners informed on scheduling and budget, answering every call and text promptly, and leaving job sites so clean that, as one reviewer put it, you'd never know contractors had been there. Nothing among the 24 reviews raises a concern — the record is uniformly five stars across additions, kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and smaller projects alike, spanning several years and repeat clients. For a home addition, kitchen or bathroom remodel, basement finish, or any carpentry-driven remodeling project on the South Shore, Awl Carpentry has an unusually deep and consistent track record behind it.
What does carpentry work cost in Greater Boston?
Typical Greater Boston range for this kind of work, from regional averages — not a quote from J. Kenneway / Awl Carpentry. 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
Is this your business?Claim this page →
