Scott Harris Custom Carpentry & General Contractor

Scott Harris Custom Carpentry & General Contractor is a Needham-based carpenter whose written record splits sharply in two: skilled, well-reviewed craftsmanship on one side, and a recurring pattern of abandoned or incomplete jobs on the other — both real, both documented, running from 2011 through 2015. The positive side of the ledger is specific and detailed. A Realtor who says she's worked with many contractors on her own and clients' properties, in a 2013 review, called Scott's work "TOP for professionalism, reasonable pricing, finishing on time and quality," describing a custom porch-height solution that blended seamlessly with existing trim. Other 2012–2013 reviews describe demolishing a large rotted deck down to the old concrete footings and rebuilding it through a blizzard, reinforcing a barn's structure while diagnosing a tricky ice-damming roof configuration, and building stairs redesigned on the spot per a customer's request — reviewers repeatedly mention punctuality, clear communication, and a clean site at the end of each day. Set against that is a cluster of serious, specific complaints spanning several different years and customers. A 2014 review describes a home inspector finding the work defective — Gorilla Glue used in place of a proper bonding agent, which ruined the gutters — and says it cost over $15,000 to redo. Another 2014 review describes a job abandoned mid-way, a permit that was never secured, work built out of code, and a refund that was never issued. A 2012 review describes paying a deposit toward a 2009 roof replacement that never started, followed by excuses, a story about family trouble in Florida, and then no contact at all — and says other customers lost deposits the same way. A 2011 review describes a porch job still unfinished nine months in, with out-of-code railings and a roofline the homeowner says began to dip after the work started; a separate 2012 review describes a crew that stopped showing up after being paid for half a job and never returned, despite an attorney's formal demand letter that went unanswered. These aren't vague one-off complaints — several different customers, in different years, describe the same basic shape: a deposit or partial payment, incomplete or defective work, then silence. Given that pattern, anyone considering a larger project should ask hard questions about payment schedules, get a permit and completion timeline in writing, and check recent references rather than relying on the older glowing reviews alone.