Second-floor additions — 2020 client describes a 600 sq ft master suite
Custom built-ins — 2018 clients praise cabinetry and crown moulding
Design input — 2018-2019 clients credit planning ideas and adaptability
Came back for callbacks — 2018 deck facade fixed as promised
Registration revoked
What does a remodeling project cost in Greater Boston?
Typical Greater Boston range for this kind of work, from regional averages — not a quote from L.S. Winston Building Corp.. Use it to sanity-check bids, then get the real number in writing.
Project abandoned — two 2021 reviewers say work stopped after payment
Permit not filed — 2021 reviewer says none was applied for
Unpaid subcontractors — 2021 accounts allege subs left unpaid
Praise all predates 2020 — nothing written since December 2021
Massachusetts has revoked L.S. Winston Building Corp.'s home improvement contractor registration. Checked against the state registry, HIC #188934 — held in the company's own name — comes back revoked, which is the state cancelling a registration rather than a business letting one run out. On a Houzz page still averaging 4.4 stars, that is the fact a homeowner most needs to see first.
For several years the reviews were as good as they get. Between December 2017 and January 2020, a run of five-star accounts on Houzz named owner Luke Winston and described work in real detail: a 600 square foot second-floor master suite added just after a family's fourth child, with bathroom and HVAC updates alongside it; a kitchen renovation and den addition finished on time; custom built-ins, a fireplace surround and two-piece crown moulding through an open-plan living room and kitchen; a total down-to-the-studs kitchen remodel with a half bath and a 12x16 family room. A kitchen designer writing in November 2018 said she had worked with the crew several times. A November 2018 client whose deck facade shifted over the winter said Winston agreed to come back when the weather warmed and did. Another that month said he spoke to seven companies, took three quotes, and picked Winston on knowledge and price.
Then the record turns hard. In September 2021 a client who had hired the company for a major renovation and two-story addition wrote that they paid a substantial sum for milestones that were started but never completed and never received the stamped plans that were part of the design package. In December 2021 a second client wrote that a permit was never applied for, that the project was abandoned before completion leaving the house and yard in disarray, that it cost them a lot of money, and that Winston had disappeared entirely; the Houzz page records that these accounts also allege subcontractors went unpaid, and the second reviewer urged readers to check the owner's construction supervisor licence status with the state.
Nothing has been written about the company since December 2021. BBB lists it at 306 Main St in Walpole, incorporated 3 December 2015 with one employee and Luke Winston as owner, and grades it A+ while noting it is not accredited and publishing no reviews or complaints.
The pattern here is a well-reviewed builder whose record ends in two abandonment complaints and a revoked state registration. The praise is genuine but all of it predates 2020. Do not put money down against the older reviews: confirm the current registration with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, verify any construction supervisor licence directly with the state, and require permits to be pulled and shown before work starts.
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Most recent comments
1.0Dec 15, 2021
Our experience was very similar to Sebastien H’s. Luke failed to apply for a permit and abandoned our project before completion, leaving our house and yard in complete disarray. This has cost us a lot of money, and Luke has completely disappeared. Do your research – and check the status of his CS license (https://madpl.mylicense.com/Verification/) – before letting him anywhere near your home.
We hired LS Winston Building Corp for a major renovation and 2-story addition on our home. We paid a substantial amount of money for this project for "milestones" that were initiated but not completed. We never received the stamped plans for the project that were part of the design contract. After about 3 months, with our kitchen and a bedroom demolished and the framing of the addition only partially complete, the project was completely abandoned with: the foundations for the addition not having been laid; the windows, doors and cabinets that we had paid for were never delivered; a very large pile of construction debris left in our backyard; and, our basement regularly flooding due to holes that were drilled in the cement floor for new supports that were never installed. We spent over a month sending texts/emails and leaving voice mails but never received a response from the business owner. The owner has not responded to any communication from our lawyer either. During this period we also received visits from some of the subcontractors that performed work at our home on behalf of LS Winston Building Corp who were never paid for the project. At that point we also learned that no permits had been filed for the work completed. The project was supposed to have been complete two months ago but we essentially had to start from scratch. We are now 6 months without a kitchen or running water on the first floor and still have 3-4 months to go. I would strongly advise looking elsewhere for design or construction services.
Luke & his team did an absolutely gorgeous addition for us just after the birth of our 4th child 2 years ago. They added a new 600 sf master suite to the second floor of our home, along with some much-needed updates to our existing upstairs bathroom and HVAC. Well, we just had our home appraised for a refinance and, despite the fact that we only spent $175,000 on the addition, our home is now worth over $280,000 what we paid for it. Thank you and well-done, LS Winston Construction!
Luke and his team did a great job on our kitchen renovation and Den addition. He has a great eye for design and our project finished on time. We are loving the new spaces
I first reached out to Luke a year and a half ago to get an estimate for some odd projects at my house - custom built-ins in the living room and dining room, tile work, reframing a closet, electrical work, painting and a few other odd jobs. I was a bit traumatized from a horrible experience with another contractor but felt great after my first meeting with Luke. After about a year of back and forth design and scope changes, I was finally ready to go. Luke was patient with me through the whole process, was very accessible and was always prompt for meetings. The guys on site each day were also delightful. As with most construction projects, there were a few hiccups, but Luke was quick to resolve any issues. I'm thrilled with how it all came together and wish I hadn't waited so long to start the project.