General Contractor Serving Hamilton and Wenham, Massachusetts
Kitchen remodeling, whole-home renovations, additions, ADUs and decks for homeowners across the Hamilton-Wenham community. Dave Clarke runs every project himself, from the first walkthrough to the last punch-list item.
Why do Hamilton and Wenham homeowners call Clarke?
Because you get Dave. Not a salesperson who hands you off, not a project manager you meet in week three. Dave Clarke walks your house, prices the work, and stays on the job until it is finished.
Hamilton and Wenham share a school district, a train station, a rec department and a good deal of the same housing stock, which is why so many people here say Hamilton-Wenham as one word. Both towns are full of Colonial and Federal houses on generous lots, farm properties around the Myopia and Appleton land, and mid-century homes that have been added onto more than once. The work these houses need is rarely cosmetic.
Clarke Building Company is based at 51 Pleasant St. in West Newbury, about twenty minutes up Route 1A. Close enough that Dave can stop by a Hamilton job on his way home. Far enough that he is not bidding against every contractor in town on price alone.
One more thing worth saying plainly. Clarke is a builder, not a design firm. If you already have an architect, Dave builds what they drew and works alongside them. If you do not have one, he will point you toward people he has worked with. What he will not do is sell you a design package you did not ask for.
Planning a kitchen?
In a Hamilton or Wenham Colonial farmhouse, a kitchen comes with its own set of problems: a center chimney where you want the island, wiring behind the plaster, and floors that no longer sit level.
Our Hamilton kitchen page covers how we handle each of those, what the work involves, and how a kitchen project runs from the first walkthrough to the final punch list.
See how we handle kitchens in older Hamilton and Wenham homes.
See Hamilton MA kitchen remodelingMore on our approach: kitchen remodeling services across the North Shore, or Hamilton MA home renovations for projects beyond one room.
What can Clarke build in Hamilton-Wenham?
Residential work only, and only the trades Dave can stand behind. Every job is run by the same person who quoted it.
Kitchen Remodeling
Full kitchen renovations in Colonial farmhouses, capes and newer builds. Layout changes, structural work, cabinetry and finish carpentry.
Hamilton MA kitchen remodeling →Home Renovations
Room-level and whole-home renovations. Structural updates, layout changes, and the finish work that decides whether it reads as new or as patched.
Hamilton MA home renovations →Home Additions
Bigger lots give an addition room to sit properly. We plan around the existing roofline and the way the house meets the yard, not just the square footage.
Home additions →ADUs and In-Law Suites
Massachusetts now protects accessory dwelling units by right in nearly every town. Hamilton and Wenham lot sizes suit them well. We build them and manage the permitting.
ADU construction →Deck Construction
Decks and porches built for New England weather, framed to code and detailed to match the house. Our crew back-jigs the framing, which you never see and always feel.
Deck construction →Siding and Cedar Shake
James Hardie fiber cement and Western red cedar shake, installed by Clarke's own exterior crew, along with the trim, soffit and porch carpentry that finishes the exterior.
Siding and cedar shake →New Construction
Ground-up residential builds on Hamilton and Wenham lots, with Dave on site through every phase from site work to final walkthrough.
New construction →What happens after you call?
Five steps, same on every job. You always know where things stand and who to call.
The first walkthrough
Dave comes out, looks at the house, and listens to what you want. No pressure and no pitch.
Options and costs
Every choice, what it costs, and how it changes the timeline. You see the whole picture before anything starts.
Permits and scheduling
We file with the town building department and line up inspections so the schedule holds.
Build and updates
Same crew start to finish. You hear from Dave regularly, including when something changes.
Final walkthrough
We go through it together and fix the details before anyone calls the job done.
Building in the Hamilton-Wenham community
Hamilton was settled in 1638 and incorporated as its own town in 1793. It has stayed rural on purpose. No industrial zoning, stone walls along the back roads, and the open land around Appleton Farms and the Myopia Hunt Club that gives the town its horse-country character.
Wenham sits directly south and the two towns run most things together. Neighborhoods like Asbury Grove, with its tight cluster of small nineteenth-century cottages from the old camp meeting grounds, sit a few minutes from farm properties on twenty acres. That range is the reason no two projects here scope the same way.
Practically, it means we plan around larger setbacks, longer driveways for material deliveries, private wells and septic on many properties, and houses that have been altered by three or four generations of owners. None of that is unusual to us. It is most of what we do.
Exteriors are part of the same picture. A lot of these houses are still in cedar, and on an open lot with wind coming across the fields, cedar shake and fiber cement siding set over a proper drainage plane is what keeps the wall dry through a New England winter.
Hamilton Town Hall, Hamilton, Massachusetts. Photo by Fletcher6, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Reviews from homeowners and trade partners
Every review below is a real Google review. Nothing here is written by us.
Dave and his team did an outstanding job on our addition. The quality of work was excellent, and you can tell they take real pride in what they do. Dave was also great about working around our schedule, which made the entire process smooth and stress free. Everything was completed on time and came out exactly how we envisioned. I would highly recommend his company to anyone looking for high-quality, reliable construction work.Chris L. Google Review
I've been in the industry most of my life. I've worked with and for 100's of contractors. Dave and his team are top notch and a main referral source for our kitchen and bath design company. Professional, clear communication and beautiful work at a great price every time.Frank L. Google Review
Excellent contractor and work done a fair rate and always top notch end result!Curt D. Google Review
See finished work from around the North Shore.
View our projectsCommon questions from Hamilton homeowners
We do. Clarke files with the town building department, schedules the inspections, and meets the inspector on site. Massachusetts requires a licensed Construction Supervisor to pull a building permit for structural work, and that is Dave. You should never be the one applying for a permit on your own house for work a contractor is doing.
Yes. Clarke Building Company is licensed and insured in Massachusetts and carries both liability and workers' compensation coverage. Massachusetts keeps two public databases, one for Home Improvement Contractor registration and one for Construction Supervisor Licenses, and we would encourage you to look up any contractor you are considering, including us.
No, and that is deliberate. Clarke is a builder. If you have an architect or a kitchen designer, Dave works alongside them and builds what they draw. If you do not have one yet, he can point you toward people he has worked with on the North Shore. Keeping design and construction separate means you get a second set of eyes on the plans instead of one company checking its own work.
Yes. Clarke works in James Hardie fiber cement and Western red cedar shake, installed by our own ten-person exterior crew rather than a subcontracted siding outfit. We also handle the trim, soffit, fascia and porch carpentry that goes with it. What we do not do is market vinyl. You can read how we approach the work on our siding and cedar shake page.
Yes. We work throughout the Hamilton-Wenham area and across Essex County, including West Newbury, Newburyport, Ipswich, Topsfield, Amesbury, Newbury, Boxford, Rowley and Salisbury.
We do not publish prices, because a number without your house attached to it is not useful. What we will do is walk you through what drives the cost on your specific project, which options change it, and by roughly how much, before you commit to anything. Most people tell us that conversation was the most useful part of getting a quote.
Also serving these North Shore towns
Clarke Building Company works with homeowners throughout Essex County and the North Shore of Massachusetts.
Ready to talk about your Hamilton project?
Kitchen, addition, ADU or a whole-house renovation. Dave will walk the house with you, go over the options honestly, and tell you what it takes to do it right.