BLB Design / Build team of home remodelers at their office in Amesbury, MA

2024: Year In Review

2024 was a fantastic year for BLB Design / Build. We completed more projects than ever before, continued to grow our team, and were recognized nationally and regionally for our outstanding work. We’re incredibly proud of all BLB has accomplished this year. Read on to see how 2024 has been one for the books!

The Projects

Of our 29 active projects, we completed 22, including the Federalist Remodel, one of our kitchen and bath projects recently featured in Northshore Home Magazine. The ability to complete several projects while continuing work on active job sites was only possible with our fantastic in-field crew. Working through rain and shine, our highly skilled production team put in over 13,969 hours of labor and helped us achieve our project goals.

This year’s top completed project category was kitchen and bath remodels, averaging 24.1% of our total work. Whole home remodels came in second with an average of 20.7%, followed by additions with an average of 17.2%. Exterior, multi-room remodels, and miscellaneous projects each averaged 10.3%, with commercial remodels rounding out the rest of our total projects at 6.9%.

BLB Design / Build 20223 End of Year Completion Statistics

In the Community

This year, we also had the opportunity to work closely with several local businesses and community organizations. In the fall, we were honored to be a part of PRO New England‘s Youth Remodeling Career Day for the third year. Over 600 students from trade schools across the state attended and participated in hands-on, interactive, and experiential activities relating to the residential trades. This year, we focused on teaching students how to properly lay out walls when framing using essential tools and materials. Our exhibit consisted of three stations with several 2x4s on saw horses, allowing students to mark where studs should go. In addition to the wall layout activity, we added an educational station teaching students about thermal bridging in a typical wall assembly.

BLB Design / Build team members teaching students how to properly lay out walls at PRO New England's Youth in Remodeling Career Day

Our carpenters, Josh B., Mikhail, and Josh W., advise carpentry students on how to properly lay out walls when framing at Pro New England’s 2024 Youth in Remodeling Career Day.

Our team members also happily volunteered their time to the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce‘s Block Party and joined the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center‘s Annual Walk Against Domestic Violence. In addition to these causes, we sponsored and donated to Our Neighbor’s Table, the Newburyport Education Foundation, the Newburyport PTO Kitchen Tour, the Holiday House Tour for the Anna Jaques Hospital Aid Association, the Firehouse Center for the Arts, Merrohawke Nature School, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Sweet Paws Rescue, Theater in the Open, Pan-Mass Challenge, AHS Boosters, Amesbury Middle School, Amesbury Carriage Museum, and Toys for Tots. We were also fortunate to be able to donate materials to Boston Building Resources.

BLB Design / Build team members at the 2023 Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center's Annual Walk Against Domestic Violence in Newburyport, MA

Some of our team at the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center‘s Annual Walk Against Domestic Violence in downtown Newburyport.

The Recognitions

This year, we were honored to have the Federalist Remodel featured in the fall issue of Northshore Home Magazine. This European-inspired kitchen and bath remodel brought a 1990s downtown Newburyport home into the 21st century. Our client’s Federalist-style house was in the perfect location but needed more functionality and a style upgrade. Following our client’s vision, we gutted the kitchen and primary bathroom, updating the layouts of both spaces for optimal flow with a contemporary, aesthetically pleasing design. We’re ecstatic to have one of our favorite projects to date published for all to enjoy.

In addition to this press acknowledgment, our team humbly accepted a record eight awards from five different organizations this year, including:

Paired with the magazine feature, the Federalist Remodel won three awards, including a Bronze Award from Qualified Remodeler’s Master Design Awards for Best Kitchen and two Builders & Remodelers Association of Greater Boston (BRAGB) PRISM Gold Awards for Best Bathroom and Best Kitchen. At the PRISM Awards, we also won the Gold Award for Best Print Brochure. The Modern Kitchen, a high-end chef-inspired, contemporary kitchen expansion and remodel, was honored with a Gold Award from the PRO New England Awards. Our Cape Ann Refresh, which transformed an outdated, eclectic-style house into a sleek, contemporary home, won a Chrysalis Regional Award for the project’s primary bathroom. Lastly, we were awarded Best of Northshore Editors’ Choice for Best Design / Build Firm by Northshore Home Magazine for the third year in a row!

Photography by Freebird Photography and AM Creative.

The highlight of our 2024 recognitions was Josh White winning the BRAGB MA PRISM Gold Award for Rising Star of the Year. Josh joined BLB in late 2022 as a supporting carpenter and quickly proved his craftsmanship and dedication. Within a year, he was promoted to lead carpenter. During this period, Josh took the reins on a particular project without a lead. While catching up to speed mid-project was challenging, Josh quickly adapted and hit the ground running. Ultimately, Josh executed the scope of work and subcontractor coordination flawlessly – bringing the project well under budget. The clients were so fond of the team that they hired us for another project, requesting Josh to lead the future job. Since his first job, he has led five others, all of which wrapped up under budget. 

Josh White, Rising Star of the Year, with his award at the 2024 PRISM Awards in Boston.

Aside from budgetary successes, Josh is also a star performer in and out of the field. While onsite at a project, Josh respects each client’s investment and treats the property as his own. If a client is unhappy with a particular detail, Josh will go above and beyond to ensure the client ends the day happier. We’re incredibly proud of his accomplishments and this recognition.
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Our purpose is to go Beyond the Build, which Josh emulates perfectly. We are so lucky and thankful to have Josh, a skilled, personable, and dynamic leader, on our team. We cannot wait to see how he will continue to grow and mold the next generation of carpenters.

    SHELBY GOUDREAU, PROJECT MANAGER

The Team

In 2024, our team saw incredible growth. In addition to some new highly skilled carpenters who have seamlessly fit into our crew, we also added two new roles. Allison Fraser joined us in July as our Assistant Project Manager. In college, Allison studied finance and worked as an analyst at a software firm after graduating. However, she has always loved architecture and design. In 2023, she gained her MBA in Managerial Leadership with the intent to combine her skills with her passions as a construction project manager. Since joining the team, she has assisted our lead project manager, Shelby, on numerous jobs and just successfully finished her first solo project effectively and confidently.

In November, we also welcomed Tyler Orlansky as our Senior Designer. With more than fifteen years of experience in the design and construction industry, Tyler has successfully designed and completed residential, commercial, corporate, and institutional projects all over New England. We’re very excited to have Tyler join us and take our design game to the next level.

Allison Fraser, Assisstant Project Manager

Tyler Orlansky, Senior Designer

On behalf of the entire BLB Design / Build team, we thank everyone who has supported us this year. We are looking forward to a fantastic 2025, and we cannot wait to get started on new projects.

Looking to make your dream home a reality in the new year? Connect with us today to see how we can help!