Preserve Services

Old houses around Newton, Brookline and Cambridge are Preserve Services' bread and butter: rotted porch wood, railings that don't meet code, clapboards that need sanding before anyone opens a paint can. The Newton branch is run by Matt Nicholson, the name reviewers mention most often; the company's site names Sean O'Connor as its owner and describes branches in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey and North Carolina, with Newton and Boston as this location's stated service area. On Google the company averages 5 stars across 48 ratings, and the written reviews run from 2023 through this past June. In a June 2026 review, a customer on their second project had the old wood of a front porch replaced with composite decking. A May 2026 review covers a Cambridge triple decker — painting, carpentry and new front decks — at what that customer called a fair price for Cambridge. The carpentry goes past cosmetics. A December 2024 review describes bringing a porch railing up to code, with Matt talking the options through on site first. In a 2023 review, a homeowner wrote that a gutter problem which had flooded the house was fixed on the spot once he saw the repair was minor. The painting side takes on big jobs: a 2023 review covers a three-story Brookline Victorian done in four colors, balusters and all, and a 2024 review a roughly 4,000-square-foot Newton exterior that also meant replacing decaying wood panels on the windows and garage and closing up an old wall air-conditioner opening. A 2024 customer had them repaint an eight-unit condo building. Interior work shows up too — a 2025 whole-house interior repaint, and two bedrooms with wall repair in 2023. Several reviewers are on their second or third job here, and the crews get named as often as the office does: Nathan and Rafael leading painters, Marcio coordinating schedules. This is a sensible call for exterior work on an older home — porch and deck repair, trim and door replacement, a full repaint. Before signing, pin the scope and price down in writing and ask this branch directly how long it has worked the Newton and Boston area: the company's own site says over 30 years of experience on one page and over 25 on another. Confirm the Massachusetts home improvement contractor registration and insurance the same way you would with any contractor.