Steveworks llc

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United States
Newton, MA
Steveworks llc

Residential Construction including Renovations, Additions, Energy Efficiency Upgrades, Custom Woodwo The link is below

At Steveworks, we expect all our jobs to exemplify craftsmanship, durability, and value. These principles are important to the customers who frequently come back to us or pass us along to new clients, and they are the pillars of sustainable building. Being sustainable requires us to take into account energy performance, the sources and quantity of materials and resources, and how often those mater

ials or other parts of your home will last. We believe quality craftsmanship, durability, value, and sustainability can all be implemented with a practical approach that will fit in any budget. Please visit our website to see our project portfolio of jobs, learn more about us, and check out Stevewords, our blog.

09/01/2026

Work Smarter, Not Harder

If you ask our crew what they'd rather not do, the list is pretty simple: dig holes, mix concrete, and especially lug buckets of concrete into a basement.

So, we found a smarter way.

At our Cambridge “Add a 3rd Floor” project, we needed to reinforce the four corners of the basement. Daniel and Cal built reinforced forms using leftover Perfect Block from another Steveworks project, scrap plywood, braced everything in place, and then we rented a MudMixer. The machine mixes dry bags of concrete with water on the fly and sends the mix down a delivery tube—right where we need it.

Daniel loaded and poured the bags while Cal “vibrated” the forms to make sure we didn't end up with voids in the concrete. Cal's technique involved what we're calling “the double hammer.”

We're not sure it's an officially recognized construction technique yet, but we're putting in an application for the 2028 Olympics.

Work smarter, not harder. And if you can make it a little more fun at the same time, even better.

08/30/2026

Creative Problem Solving Makes the Day-to-Day Fun

Sometimes the piece of hardware you need just doesn’t exist on the shelf. That’s when a little creative problem solving makes the day-to-day work fun.

We needed a heavy piece of threaded rod bent to a specific shape, so Daniel got creative. He rigged up a MAPP torch to heat the rod, then slipped a length of black iron pipe over it for a little extra leverage and bent it into exactly what we needed.

Cal supervised. Every complicated operation needs management.

The vise held on just long enough to finish the bend—and then snapped.

Apparently, we got the leverage part right.

Creative problem solving is one of the things that keeps the day-to-day work at Steveworks interesting—and fun.

08/27/2026

A Step in the Right Direction

Brick front steps are pretty common on older homes around here, but eventually water, snow, and ice find their way into the porous brick. Mortar joints fail, bricks loosen, and before you know it, the steps start falling apart.

As part of our renovation at our Brahms Street project, we demolished the failing brick steps, removed the rotted front door and sidelights, and rebuilt the entry using granite treads with fieldstone risers and sides. While we were at it, we replaced the old cement-capped retaining walls too.

Next up are the new sidelights and some work on the front columns. The good news is that the existing wood columns are worth saving, so we'll do a little restoration work and put them back into service.

Sometimes the most sustainable material is the one you don't throw away.

# Rolsindale

08/22/2026

Prepping for Our AeroBarrier Air Sealing

One of the reasons we chose Lord Building Solutions () to work with us on the air sealing at our Roslindale whole-house renovation was their attention to prep. AeroBarrier can make quite a mess if everything isn’t properly protected before the process begins.

The Steveworks crew handled most of the initial prep, including sealing the larger openings. Then LBS came in and finished things up. They’re the AeroBarrier experts and knew exactly what to look for—and, more importantly, what needed to be covered!

All that careful prep paid off. We started this house at 10 ACH, brought it down to 4.5 ACH through our own air-sealing work, and after the AeroBarrier application hit 0.67 ACH—a more than 93% reduction in air leakage from where we started.

A very professional process and a very satisfying result. Sometimes watching the numbers go down is a lot of fun.

08/20/2026

Verify!

Our South Street Roslindale kitchen is moving right along.

After insulating the rim joists and blowing cellulose into the walls, George came in with the blower door to verify that all of our air-sealing work was actually doing its job. Because doing the work is one thing—testing it is how we know it worked.

We found a few tiny leaks, and George zapped them with a little foam and caulk. Much easier to find and fix them now than after the walls are closed up.

With the air sealing verified, we’re ready for board and plaster!

08/18/2026

Good Use for Old Pickle Jars

Our Roslindale kitchen is moving along, and it’s time to stain and refinish the floors.

This one is a bit of a challenge. We’re blending new white oak in the kitchen with older oak in the living and dining rooms—and the existing floors already have plenty of variation in color and grain.

Enter Steve, our resident “stain whisperer.” Armed with a collection of old pickle jars, he mixed up variations of a two-color stain recipe, changing the percentages until we had a lineup of samples for our homeowners to choose from.

Who knew pickle jars could be an important part of the remodeling process?

Stay tuned to see which one they picked—and how the finished floors turn out.

08/16/2026

The Trifecta – Kitchen #3 in Roslindale!

That's right—this is our third kitchen project in Roslindale! We must be doing something right.

Our South Street kitchen is moving right along and is ready for insulation. We pulled up the perimeter floorboards so we could properly insulate and air seal the rim joists—one of those details you'll never see, but you'll definitely feel on a cold winter day.

We also relocated the air conditioning ductwork and sealed all the duct joints. There's no sense in heating and cooling the spaces inside your walls and ceiling! We'd much rather keep that conditioned air where it belongs—in the kitchen. The original cast-iron radiators will also be reinstalled, which is a good thing because they're incredibly heavy. Moving them to the recycling yard would have been a whole lot of lifting we'd rather avoid!

Next up: insulation, drywall, and then this kitchen will really start taking shape.

08/12/2026

Tile Time!

Our Beech Street project is coming along, and we're moving into the finishes!

Our talented tile setters from are showing off their craftsmanship as they install a beautiful herringbone pattern in the second-floor bathroom. Before setting the tile on the wall, they laid part of the pattern out on the floor to work through the layout and cuts. It's a lot easier to solve a puzzle before you're fighting gravity!

You'll also notice the Schluter waterproof backer board on the walls, along with additional waterproofing patches—a little "belt and suspenders" approach that helps ensure a durable, watertight shower for years to come.

Up on the third floor, the common bathroom is getting a classic brick bond tile pattern and will be ready for grout soon. We even tiled the ceiling to help prevent moisture from condensing overhead and to make the entire shower easier to maintain.

It's always fun to see a project start looking like a home!

08/11/2026

All Tucked In for a Nap!

Our Beech Street kitchen cabinets are all installed and tucked safely under moving blankets while they wait for their tile backsplash. The countertops are hiding under there, too!

We keep everything covered throughout construction to protect those beautiful new finishes until the job is complete. It takes a little extra effort, but it's well worth it.

Next up, our flooring crew will weave new oak flooring into the existing floor, then sand, stain, and refinish everything so it looks like it's always been there.

This is going to be a fantastic working kitchen with plenty of room for helpers...and, of course, the usual crowd of "supervisors" who always seem to gather in the kitchen.

08/09/2026

How to Hide the Fur

For those of us who already have pets, this isn't a decorating tip—it's survival.

For future fur baby parents, here's how to choose your paint and fabric colors: match the dog (or cat). You'll spend a lot less time vacuuming the sofa.

And if you need a little more help, Tova will be happy to help you choose colors that work beautifully for both your home and your furry family members!

Address

108 Cabot Street
Newton, MA
02458

Website

http://steveworks.com/contact-us/

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