Tom Dowd Co.

Tom Dowd Co. has left a paper trail most two-person shops never do: 13 pulled building permits in Methuen, covering strip-and-reroofs, replacement windows and siding, decks, gutted bathrooms, a detached garage, a pair of additions and one commercial day-spa buildout. That permit history is the clearest picture of what this outfit actually does. BBB puts the business at 24 years, started in February 2002, run by Thomas Dowd as a sole proprietorship with two employees, and grades the profile A+ without accreditation. Current standing is the sticking point. Its Massachusetts home improvement contractor registration, number 146294, is expired in the state registry, and BuildZoom shows the same number as inactive with a 2015 expiration, noting the status was at one point cancelled. That registration is what backs a homeowner's protections on residential remodeling work in Massachusetts, so ask for a current certificate and proof of insurance before any deposit changes hands, and settle who is pulling the permit. There is little from customers to weigh either way — Google shows 3.5 stars from two ratings. Where this shop makes sense is the smaller, well-understood job its permit history is full of: a reroof, a bathroom gut, a deck, a garage, hired by someone willing to check credentials themselves. Get scope and price in writing, confirm the registration status directly with the state before signing, and ask for two or three of those Methuen addresses so you can look at the work.