Paul Haggett & Company

Two written reviews in seven years, both five stars, both from repeat clients — that is the whole public paper trail on Paul Haggett & Company, and it says something. This is a small Marblehead outfit that seems to work by referral rather than by review count. Paul Haggett runs it, and by the company's own account he handles the front end himself: the estimate, the design thinking, the permitting, then his own crew on site. The site claims over 30 years of North Shore renovation work, though a separate line on the same site says over 20 — worth a direct question. The stated territory is tight: Marblehead, Swampscott, Salem, Beverly and Danvers. Its Massachusetts home improvement contractor registration is active, held under Paul Haggett's own name. Houzz also lists a construction supervisor number for the firm — the normal second licence for a builder doing structural work, and the kind of thing to ask to see alongside the HIC. The work is whole-room and whole-project rather than piecework: kitchens, bathrooms, additions, decks and porches, basements, attic conversions and historic building conservation, with 14 projects posted on Houzz and a stated job range from about $1,000 to $200,000. Marblehead being what it is, the historic-restoration line is not incidental. As for what customers say — a homeowner writing in 2022 called it the company to bring high-end remodeling ideas to and praised Paul and his crew as knowledgeable. A 2019 Houzz reviewer described working with the firm on many projects over the years and planning to hire again. Both are warm, both are brief, and neither describes a specific job in detail. That is the real caution here, and it is not about the work: there is almost nothing written about this company in the last four years, and nothing at all in the last six months. Two reviews cannot tell you how the crew handles a schedule slip, a change order, or a surprise behind a plaster wall in a 1900s house. So the sensible move is to lean on references rather than stars. If you are planning a kitchen, a bath, a deck or a period-house restoration within a few towns of Marblehead, ask Paul for three recent clients you can call, and ask specifically about jobs finished in the last year or two. Confirm both licences and the insurance certificate before anyone starts demo.