James Goudreault

James Goudreault Construction is a one-owner Haverhill outfit whose whole visible record is permits — and they are not small ones. The permit trail runs to second-floor additions, dormers, deck rebuilds, window replacement and siding across Newburyport, Newbury and Merrimac, with valuations from about $11,750 up to roughly $141,000. That is structural work, not punch-list work. The credential checks out. Its Massachusetts home improvement contractor registration, #191732, is active in the state registry. BuildZoom separately scores the business 96, which it places above 80% of the 139,240 licensed contractors it tracks in Massachusetts — a directory's own ranking, not a homeowner's verdict. What's missing is anyone's account of the work. BuildZoom has collected no reviews at all, so there is nothing here from the people who actually hired them — no read on scheduling, cleanliness, change orders, or how the job ended. Permit records also show only three projects in the past two years, so this is a low-volume shop rather than a crew running several jobs at once. If you're planning an addition, a second floor or a deck rebuild in the Merrimack Valley, the license and the permit history are real starting points. Ask for addresses and homeowner references from those recent jobs, and get the scope and payment schedule in writing before work begins — with no public reviews to lean on, references are the check you'll have to do yourself.