Steveworks llc

10/31/2026

We're working on refurbishing some columns for a front entry. We had to remake some of the rotten pieces, which took some creative router work.

Since these parts will be exposed to New England weather, we used mahogany for the new pieces for better longevity. We also added some details that were not included in the original design to help with ventilation and drainage for when water does find its way in. We hope these small changes will help these columns last even longer.

Follow and like to see the results when they are installed back in their original home.

10/29/2026

We’re looking for the right fit. Now hiring: Senior Design Professional. Join our worker-owned design-build team and design beautiful, high-performance homes from first sketch to finished build. 30-40 hrs/week, $90-120K, great benefits. Details and how to apply:

Are you passionate about sustainability, the craft of building, and contributing to a thriving organization that aligns with your values? We want to talk with you!

10/21/2026

No More Drafts Around Here

We replaced 20 windows in this beautiful old Cambridge home. After our initial blower-door test and infrared scan, we were surprised to find little to no air sealing or insulation around many of the window openings.

We can fix that.

Andre had some fun repairing rotted sills and framing, adding insulation, installing the new windows, and taping everything with a v***r-open air-sealing tape. It keeps air from sneaking through while still allowing water v***r to dry to the outside. Basically, building-science magic.

The windows were also installed and flashed so any water that does manage to get in has a way back out.

No more rot. No more unintended air infiltration. Just a much tighter, better-performing wall.

10/20/2026

A Beautiful Day to Install a Skylight

The interior framing is nearly complete, and with the roofers on their way, it's time to install the skylight. So Daniel put on his harness, and up he went.

After all the careful air sealing and R-60 insulation, slapping in just any old skylight isn’t exactly Steveworks style.

We purchased a FAKRO triple-pane skylight from our go-to high-performance building supplier, 475 High Performance Building Supply, @475.supply. The skylight features excellent U-values and a thermally broken frame, which helps reduce thermal bridging and heat loss.

The skylight sits above a framed light well that brings daylight down to the third floor. We also framed an opening into the floor below so some of that light can make its way into the kitchen too.

A bright idea—literally.

10/16/2026

The Weave

The original tile floor in this home ran past a small galley kitchen that we were enlarging and opening up by removing a few walls.
Once those walls came out, we knew we’d need to weave new wood flooring into the old where the partitions had been. At the same time, we wanted to keep some of the existing tile at the entry to help protect the wood flooring from wet shoes, dirt, and everything else that comes in through the front door.
Tova came up with a cool solution: keep the tile, then weave the wood flooring around it so it feels intentional instead of like a patch.

We’re big fans of reuse when it makes sense.
Reuse is even better when it looks like you meant to do it all along.

10/14/2026

Turning Whoops Into Wow

Our client wanted something a little different for their bathroom vanity, and Tova pulled this one from her “unique” file.
The countertop is made from “whoops” shower glass—pieces of safety glass that didn’t make the cut for their original use, pun intended. Instead of sending it to the landfill, they break up the glass and put it in a kiln, where it’s heated just enough to fuse into a new slab.

It’s a little trickier than melting down bottles or regular plate glass because shower glass is tempered safety glass and behaves differently when reheated. Once the new slab is annealed and cooled, it’s cut to the vanity template, the sink opening is added, and all the edges are polished.

We love materials like this because they turn what would normally be waste into something useful—and, in this case, really beautiful.
Our client loved it too.
It’s a little trickier than melting down bottles or regular plate glass because shower glass is tempered safety glass and behaves differently when reheated. Once the new slab is annealed and cooled, we cut it to the vanity template, add the sink opening, and polish all the edges. And yes, we can use the same process to make larger kitchen countertops.

10/08/2026

Oil, Gas, or Heat Pump?
Running the Numbers for a Massachusetts Winter
A Stevewords look at winter heating cost, carbon output, and three common heating options
We spend a lot of time talking about insulation, air sealing, heat pumps, and electrification. But sooner or later someone asks the very reasonable question: What is this actually going to cost me?
So, we ran the numbers. This comparison looks at three ways to heat a Massachusetts home and make domestic hot water: oil heat with gas hot water, an all-electric heat-pump setup, and an all-natural-gas setup. The model uses a five-month winter heating window and average Massachusetts utility rates. The projected 2026-27 costs are based on the same energy-use assumptions as the 2025-26 heating season, then repriced using the rates shown for the upcoming season. In other words, we are holding the basic usage constant so we can compare the three systems on reasonably equal footing. ......Check out the rest of the blog post here: https://steveworks.com/2026/10/oil-gas-or-heat-pumprunning-the-numbers-for-a-massachusetts-winter/

10/06/2026

Where’s Norm?
When people ask Steve where he learned carpentry and woodworking, his answer is usually: watching This Old House.
He learned plenty from his dad, and he spent summers working as a framing carpenter, but This Old House was a huge influence too.
“My love of woodworking came from watching Norm Abram. I learned a lot of technique, but more importantly, I learned to love the craft. Norm clearly loved what he was doing, and that came through. I owe a lot of my career to Norm and Tommy.”

So, where’s Norm now? Check out this YouTube video and see:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/sv3kwi7cvuj5igcfgdjae/Screenshot-2026-10-05-at-12.42.46-PM.png?rlkey=xxquny18c7ti2aoipb0x1sghh&dl=0
And This Old House is still at it—building beautiful renovations, incorporating building science and sustainability, and encouraging the next generation to get involved in the trades.
Not a bad legacy.

10/04/2026

And These Were the “Easy” Stairs

One sign of a great countertop company is the pride they take in getting the stone into the house in as few pieces as possible, instead of adding seams just because it makes the install easier.

The crew from Onyx Marble & Granite () earned their lunch on this one. They grunted the slabs up a narrow, winding set of stairs and into the kitchen in one piece.

Once we got there, though, we discovered the stone was fabricated to such a tight fit that we couldn’t quite make the turn past the refrigerator cabinet. So out came the cabinet, the slab slid into place, and then everything went back together. Remodeling: sometimes the shortest path between two points involves taking something apart first.

Once the stone was in, it looked fantastic.

Take a look at the cool gizmo Edmilson used to connect the L-shaped return to the main countertop run. Yes, I know—I just said they pride themselves on bringing the stone in one piece. There are limits.

The tool uses vacuum suction to grab both slabs and then pulls them together into a tight butt joint. A color-matched epoxy goes between the pieces, and once the jig comes off, the seam is pretty darn hard to find.

Our clients were right there in the kitchen watching the installation and were amazed by the Onyx crew's coordination, patience, and skill.

Sometimes the finished countertop gets all the attention. We like watching the people who know how to get it there.

09/30/2026

Wrapping It Up

No, we’re not done yet—but we're almost finished installing our Intello smart, humidity-variable v***r-control membrane. That’s a mouthful, but this magical wrap helps control how much v***r moves into and out of the exterior wall and ceiling assemblies.

In the winter, the membrane becomes more v***r-resistant, helping keep indoor moisture from moving into the colder wall and roof cavities where it could condense. In the warmer months, it becomes more v***r-open, allowing trapped moisture to dry back toward the interior. That helps reduce the chance of mold, mildew, and moisture damage inside the assembly.

You can also see the care we take to keep the interior air barrier continuous and airtight. Take a look at the old Tyvek folded under the new framing at the plates. That’s the existing exterior air-control layer from the second floor, now tied into the new interior membrane on the third floor. Andre does know that even though he can’t see us, we can still see him.

We call this red-lining. We literally draw a red line on the plans—from the peak of the roof all the way down to the foundation—to make sure the air barrier connects continuously from one part of the house to the next. In this case, the new third-floor interior membrane connects to the existing second-floor exterior membrane.

Not much chance for a draft to sneak through there.

You can also see the partially installed horizontal 2x4 strapping on the interior side of the Intello. That creates a utility chase around all four exterior walls and the ceiling, giving the electrician a place to run wiring and install boxes without poking holes through our new air and v***r-control layer.

A lot of work for something you’ll never see once the drywall goes up—but that’s usually where the important stuff is hiding.