T.A. Lawlor Construction

T.A. Lawlor Construction is a one-man general contractor in Westwood, MA, run by Tom Lawlor, whose bread and butter is wood fence repair and installation, gazebo and dock repair, and handyman carpentry around Metropolitan Boston. The company says it has been at it for about 40 years; the Better Business Bureau, which has accredited it since 2020 and gives it an A+ with no complaints, dates the business to 1982. BuildZoom shows an active Massachusetts Home Improvement Contractor registration (#194719) alongside two older inactive Massachusetts licenses and eight permitted projects back to 2005 in Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, Brookline, Somerville and elsewhere. Angi and HomeAdvisor show a 4.5-star average across 27 ratings, Thumbtack 4.4 across 10. Homeowners who hired Tom between 2012 and 2024 mostly called him about storm-damaged fences, and they describe a prompt, fair-priced fix. In a March 2017 review, a family that lost a section of stockade fence in a blizzard said he offered help quickly, priced it reasonably and worked around their schedule and the weather. A May 2016 customer had a picket fence wrecked by severe weather and called the workmanship outstanding. In December 2021 a homeowner said he fixed the gate attached to their fence at no charge to make the job right. A September 2014 reviewer had a wooden fence replaced, and a December 2012 customer praised a practical, sensible repair plan. Beyond fences, an October 2016 reviewer had him build a wooden cellar bulkhead, cleaned up and fairly priced, and a November 2016 customer said he split a project into two phases to fit their budget. The 2012 reviews, from customers who had used contractors for decades, single out his timeliness, courtesy, follow-through and clearly itemized pricing, and note he takes small jobs as readily as larger ones. Reviewers through 2023 mention on-time arrival and cleanup afterward; the newest, from April 2024, simply says excellent. The one note of caution comes from April 2018, when a customer said Tom underestimated the materials for a back-fence repair, replaced one post and gave the second a quick fix rather than a full replacement. Several other reviews are four stars without complaint. Before hiring, confirm the current HIC registration number with the state, since older ones under his name are inactive, and for anything bigger than a fence ask which of the remodeling services the listings advertise he still takes on. For a homeowner south and west of Boston with a storm-damaged fence, a sagging gate, a bulkhead or a small carpentry list, Tom is a long-tenured, well-regarded call. Agree on the materials and scope up front so the repair is the full one.