ST. Joseph's Handyman & Maint

ST. Joseph's Handyman & Maint trades from 230 Sladen St in Dracut, with its headquarters address listed across the state line at Sullivan, New Hampshire — worth knowing before you call, because it shapes how far they travel and who you chase if something goes wrong. The name undersells the scope. Thirteen permitted jobs in Dracut and Methuen between 2010 and 2017 cover a detached garage, a building addition, decks, replacement roofing, replacement siding and several interior renovations, topped by a $72,950 fire-and-smoke restoration running through seven rooms plus a stripped and re-roofed porch. That is remodeling work, not honey-do work. The customer side is where this gets uncomfortable. Exactly one person has reviewed the company anywhere, and it is a one-star account, detailed and first-hand, describing a repair that was charged above the estimate and did not hold, followed by unreturned calls. One review is a thin basis for judging anyone — but there is nothing else on file pulling the other way, and no permit has been filed since 2017. Licensing is the second thing to settle. BuildZoom lists two different Massachusetts home improvement contractor registrations against this one company, #190986 and #130067, both marked inactive and described as having been cancelled at some point, and it names no holder for either. None of that has been confirmed with the state, and directories routinely attach the wrong number to a business, so treat it as a question rather than a finding. The scope of work above is not the kind Massachusetts exempts from registration, so the answer matters: ask for the current registration number and check it yourself with Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. If you call them, get the price in writing before work starts, agree what happens if the repair does not hold, and confirm the registration and insurance first.