Testimonials
Testimonials
To Whom It May Concern,
While at his position at Rocky Neck Associates, Sheldon Knowles was responsible for the general contracting and management of our home at 30 Folly Point Road in Gloucester, Massachusetts. In 2012 I began a two year renovation of my home, a ninety year old, 5500 square foot stone house on Ipswich Bay. The building needed extensive work throughout - including a complete overhaul of the HVAC systems as well as renovations to the interior, restoration of historic elements and construction of new additions. The work needed to be handled in a way sensitive to the original design of the home, including sourcing of stone and white oak beams that were consistent with the original construction materials. Sheldon worked closely with our architect in order to achieve these goals and made a major design contribution to the finished product.
The job was done in an orderly manner, on time, and within the budget he had estimated at the beginning of the project. His communication of the status of the work was timely and detailed. The atmosphere on the job, even after two years, was a positive one, in large measure due to Sheldon's expert managing of his crew as well as the fifteen or so subcontractors involved in the project.
Sheldon has continued to maintain the property for me since the end of the restoration. The issues that have come up have included security issues, landscape design and maintenance, and small repairs that invariably pop up in an older building situated on the ocean. He has always responded swiftly and always has innovative solutions to the thorniest of problems.
I cannot recommend him highly enough! If you have any questions regarding Sheldon
Sincerely yours,
Judy G.
Construction Services Recommendation
To whom it may concern,
I have known Sheldon Knowles professionally since the autumn of 2012. I had the opportunity of working very closely with Sheldon on a substantial residential renovation project in Gloucester from September 2012 to December 2014.This was an atypical renovation project in which the project design and construction documentation was being developed concurrently with the construction activities. Sheldon’s supervisory work on this project was exemplary in the highly professional way he managed this project including his construction employees, the project sub-contractors and material suppliers, his consistent level of coordination with the owners, and complete preparation for my weekly site visit and meetings week in and week out.This project involved an 84 year old, 6,500 +SF architecturally significant residence that had experienced a variety of minor, mostly interior renovations and some neglect that was compounded with multiple owners over the years. The project was extremely involved with 24” exterior stone walls, a sequential and systematic “gutting” of almost the entire interior, the complete rebuilding of some floor systems, the addition of interior perimeter walls and insulation, replacement and expansion of all building infrastructure with state of the art systems, and the careful restoration and replacement of interior and exterior original material and detail. The work involved significant stone work, stone tile, a variety wood species, specialty surface finishes, custom fixtures and fittings, and including the exact matching in repairs and extension of the original slate roof.As this project evolved over a 24 month construction period, the entire interior was renovated to varying degrees and the exterior was substantially restored and repaired with some minor building extension and alteration work being added as well. The immediate perimeter grounds, driveways, terraces, landscape, and perimeter stonewalls were also impacted and seamlessly addressed during the construction work. Mr. Knowles introduced to the construction effort top notch technicians, craftspeople for every aspect of the project, making this one of the most enjoyable projects I have worked on, largely due to his direct daily involvement.
I have been practicing architecture for 37 years and have worked on more than 125 projects where I have been involved in a very hands on role. I would place Mr. Knowles at the top of my builder list with perhaps two or three other contractors that I have worked with during my career. Mr. Knowles consistency of service from start of project to substantial completion was excellent, his communication and construction organization skills are very strong, and perhaps most importantly his project follow up addressing issues after substantial completion was handled in a very proactive and positive manner clearly doing whatever it took to properly address the matter at hand. I would highly recommend Mr. Knowles for joining your construction / construction management team without reservation.Please do not hesitate to contact me by telephone or email with any questions you may have in this regard, my cell number is 203-645-9183 and is typically the best way to reach me, my email is red@aya.yale.edu.
Sincerely,
Robert E. Day, RA