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Sleeping Dog Properties is a Boston design-build firm that goes after the hard renovations — old houses, gut jobs, the projects other contractors walk away from. The company's own history says Chris Rapczynski founded it in 1993 after years working as a carpenter in the Back Bay, and 33 years later he's still President. The written record on Houzz, though dated, tells a consistent story. A 2016 review described a gut rehab of a 1930s Tudor in Newton where the work ran smoothly despite the surprises that come with an old house. Another, also from 2016, described a gut renovation of a historic Cambridge kitchen after a previous contractor on a different project had left the homeowners without a schedule. In 2018, a Boston condo owner said the full renovation finished on time with a project manager who stayed on top of communication throughout. One more 2016 review came from an interior design firm that has partnered with Sleeping Dog on multiple projects, praising the management team and the finished work rather than speaking as a homeowner client. That Houzz history is worth reading with its dates in mind: the ten reviews run from 2016 to 2020, and several landed in the same week of early 2016, which points to a batch of past clients being asked for reviews at once rather than anything written since. Massachusetts' state registry lists the company's home improvement contractor license, number 127765, as active. Houzz has also given the company six Houzz Awards and three badges. One thing worth asking about: Porch aggregates a 4.4-star rating from roughly 75 reviews collected from elsewhere on the web — a wider and less flattering number than the 5.0 from 10 visible on Houzz, with no bodies retrievable to check where the difference comes from. It's worth asking Sleeping Dog directly for recent references given how much of its written record predates 2020. For a large-scale renovation or a historic property that needs someone comfortable with the unexpected, Sleeping Dog's reviews point to a firm built for exactly that work; for anything smaller, its typical job size — self-reported by Houzz in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars — suggests confirming upfront whether your project fits their scale.
I needed a new contractor as the contractor who was doing my renovation was a DISASTER. A friend told me to contact Sleeping Dog Properties. Chris, the owner called back immediately. He came to see the apartment and took the job understanding that a lot of the work would be "fixing" things the previous contractor did wrong as well as finishing the renovation. It was a hard position for them to come into but they did an amazing job. I love the apartment and everything they "fixed", restored and built. The staff who work there are not just there just to do a days work, they care about the quality of their work and really try to give you exactly what you want. I lived in the apartment during the project. Everyone who worked on my job was respectful, professional and took care to leave the house in the best condition they could after working in the apartment all day long. You will not be disappointed if you use them!!!
We hired Sleeping Dog to do a complete renovation of our condo in Boston. They were hands down the best contractors we have ever used. Communication was excellent, everything completed on time, and extremely easy to deal with. We had a great Project manager, Derrick, who oversaw every aspect of the design and implementation. We also had Sixto who managed all of the day to day activities in our house and made sure things moved along smoothly. Everyone at Sleeping Dog made the process easy and we love being in our "new" home.
My husband and I look for detail-oriented professionals who are prompt with responses and updates, who can strictly and respectfully adhere to building rules, and who can produce efficient and high quality work. We were pleasantly surprised that Sleeping Dog's team was able to tackle our project in the most professional manner, not only with their attention to detail and their responsiveness but most importantly with their ability to ultimately deliver a product that exceeded our expectations. From the very first meeting, we were impressed at how well the Sleeping Dog Team (project manager Derrick and designer Cameron) were able to create a plan that integrated all the design elements and overall feel that we were hoping to achieve. Their documentation process was also impressive in its procedural clarity and accuracy. The paperwork trail was immaculately detailed. Every design and technical change to our proposed renovation plan as well as material choices and purchasing submittals would be signed off by both parties. Our site manager Esvin had great control over his team. Responding to emergency items even after hours, he made sure that all the subcontractors were on schedule, doing the right work, being careful not to damage anything, and following building regulations. We would highly recommend Sleeping Dog for both residential and commercial projects.
We used SDP for a gut renovation of our kitchen in a historic house in Cambridge. In the past, we had worked with a well-regarded contractor for a bathroom project and had been disappointed with the lack of a schedule and a lack of professionalism in general. Going into this major project (with a baby on the way), we had a very firm timeline and were nervous about things getting out of hand. Not only did SDP complete the job on time, but Chris was meticulous about the timeline, the budget, and the actual work. He paid extremely close to attention to every detail of the construction; he minutely reviewed every piece of work with the utmost care. The finished product is more beautiful and well done than we could have imagined. Chris is an absolute perfectionist; he runs the tightest ship we have ever seen. We would never dream of using any other company for future work, and we rave about our experience to anyone who asks for a recommendation.
We have used Sleeping Dog Properties on Many of our projects and find them to be first rate in every way. What Chris Rapcinski brings to the table is, a management team that is very easy to work with, tradesmen who produce wonderful workmanship and an end result of perfection. The Sleeping Dog team is always a pleasure to work with, and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a general contractor. Tony Cappoli
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1 change recorded — last scanned Sep 19, 2026.
Typical Greater Boston range for this kind of work, from regional averages — not a quote from Sleeping Dog Properties, Inc.. Use it to sanity-check bids, then get the real number in writing.
Estimated range
$23,000 – $35,000
Typical remodeling project around $29,000
Decks and porches5.0
Clients returning for 10 and 20 years5.0
Detailed craftsmanship5.0
Renovates century-old structures5.0
Whole-room renovations3.8
