Walnut Hill Carpentry

"I think ours could double as a bomb shelter." That is how a customer in October 2019 described the deck Walnut Hill Carpentry built for her, after learning that the company over-builds its decks on purpose, for safety and longevity. Decks and porches are most of the work customers describe. Robert deDiego — Bobby, to his customers — runs the Orange, Massachusetts company, which the Better Business Bureau lists at 16 years in business, also trading as Dediego Carpentry, accredited and graded A+. Both state credentials hold up: the home improvement contractor registration, 123507, and the construction supervisor licence, CS-106738, are active on the state registry under his name. HomeAdvisor and Angi list the business as veteran-owned and say it offers free estimates and warranties. The jobs go beyond plain decks. In September 2021 a customer had a flat deck replaced with a 4x8 front porch with solid railings, a rotted and mouldy front door swapped for one with sidelights, and the siding redone in brick. In May 2019 a homeowner had a deck torn down and rebuilt on a tight budget with a carpenter-ant infestation in the middle of it, and wrote that Bobby and his crew were neat and always showed up when expected. Finishing early comes up more than once: a porch built ahead of schedule in June 2023, and an October 2019 job that ran the same way, starting with a formal written proposal and a crew the customer called clean and thorough. Two things to weigh. The written history is dated — the most recent account is from November 2023 — and the platform averages differ a little: Google sits at 4.5 across 8 ratings, while Angi and HomeAdvisor, which mirror one another, both show 4.7 across 9. For a deck, a porch, structural carpentry or a barn repair around Orange and north-central Massachusetts, this is a strong call, and the over-building is the point of hiring them. Ask what the warranty covers, and get the written proposal customers describe before anyone starts.