Jan-Michaels Construction

Jan-Michaels Construction is Janet and Michael — a married couple in Worcester who say they are still the only two people running the company. Their own telling of the start: Janet suggested a remodeling company, Michael proposed marriage instead. They design and build custom homes, whole-home remodels and custom decks around Worcester and Brookfield, and are building now in their own Molasses Hill Estates subdivision in Brookfield — which is the rare case where you can go look at a builder's houses in one place. How far back the company goes depends on the source: its Better Business Bureau file records a business start date of 1984 and 42 years in business, while the site's own line is "Since 1993" and it reports 33 years. For a custom build or a gut remodel in Worcester County, hiring them means hiring the two owners directly. Ask which houses in Molasses Hill Estates you can walk through, pin down which start date is the real one, and get licensing, insurance and a written schedule settled before signing.