We discovered Hawthorn as we were searching for a builder for our renovation. They had been working on another project in our town so we decided to reach out. From the first meeting onward, the level of service and honesty were outstanding. Every member of their team, whether the owners or others on the team, were all fantastic to work with.

They helped us find a best-fit architect for our needs, matched us to designers, and exhibited a ton of patience as we worked through a multitude of decisions, both big and small. Our project manager, Sean, was amazing. Not only was he a strong project coordinator, he was a trusted advisor. His background in carpentry and his experience with builds showed throughout. All of the vendors they brought in were highly coordinated and excellent craftsmen. We were thrilled with the result; they transformed our old coastal colonial into a beautifully crafted traditional home, with attention to detail on historically accurate high-quality elements.

We're super happy with our decision to work with Hawthorn and highly recommend them to others. They're small enough to provide the highly personalized service we were looking for, and big enough to tackle high-end large scale programs.

— Mike D.

We had the pleasure of working with the Hawthorn Builders’ team for the construction of our new home in Wellesley. Our Zero Net Energy project started in June of 2020 and was immediately met with Covid pandemic challenges. We were highly impressed with Hawthorn Builders’ ability to handle those challenges and communicate them in a professional and prompt manner; most often having a solution in their back pocket to help ease the challenge. They worked seamlessly with our architect and designer to insure they brought our vision to life. Hawthorn Builders brought high quality craftsmanship and attention to detail to ensure our intricate project was completed to our satisfaction. You will find Hawthorn Builders’ entire team professional and friendly, allowing for strong collaboration. We were extremely happy working with Hawthorn Builders and highly recommend them to potential customers.

— Bob & Patti

We worked with Hawthorn to build our home and we can’t say enough good things about the process, people and final product. Every member of their staff was professional and friendly. The house is sturdy and beautiful. Their designer very accessible, creative, has great style and is lovely to work with. When issues arose, Ryan handled them fairly and directly.

— Brian & Mindy

We had a wonderful experience with Hawthorn. From the beginning they were professional, organized, and communicative. The end result is amazing and we are happy in our new home. We actually miss the building process because we had so much fun working with the Hawthorn team!

— Jess & Anne

My wife and I have the pleasure of owning a new home built by Hawthorn Builders. We looked at new homes for over 2-years, and none compared to the one built by Hawthorn. Their craftsmanship, high attention to detail and extremely well functioning home stood above dozens of comparably priced homes that we toured. In addition, what I have been most impressed with is Hawthorn’s follow through on their 1-year warranty. New homes are NOT perfect, and that’s to be expected. However, Hawthorn (Mat specifically) was extremely easy to work with; returns my calls/emails in a timely manner, sent workers to fix punch list items immediately. Hawthorn definitely stood by and honored their warranty. In addition, Mat has been helpful in assisting me with other vendors and helping me troubleshoot projects outside of the scope of the warranty. While I have no intentions of moving/building in the near future, I would 100% use Hawthorn on my next construction project.

— Craig & Amy

Our complete master bathroom renovation with Hawthorn Builders was simply perfection. Once down to the “bare bones” Hawthorn’s incredible carpentry team began the framing. Not only was their work impeccable, but the extra bonus was a complete clean up before they left at the end of each day! If needed, their day often ended at 10:00 P.M…meeting their deadline was as important to them as it was to us 

The plumbing, which involved preparing our curbless shower along with all new fixtures, was flawless and also accomplished with great care in order to keep the scheduling in order and on time. Our new shower was beautifully tiled and artfully executed by Hawthorn’s expert tiler, who was also willing to do what was necessary to complete his work, even if that entailed his being here on a Sunday to allow him the time he needed to do the job to his high standard.

Ryan McDonnell was a pleasure to do business with. He is direct, totally dependable, and a man of his word in every way. Hawthorn’s greatest asset is Jessica Williamson, designer, coordinator, and problem solver extroardinaire. Jessica oversaw the project, helped us choose tile design, plumbing fixtures, paint color and everything that went into completing this project so beautifully. Our questions and concerns were always addressed promptly, emails answered immediately, and any glitch that popped up was often handled without us ever being made aware of it. We absolutely loved working with Jessica and her value to the customer is what sets Hawthorn apart from anyone we have ever worked with. Our new bathroom is simply beautiful and the entire project was worry-free…Hawthorn delivers…as promised and beyond.

— Don & Ronni

Hawthorn Builders are amazing. They expertly lead us through a massive, 10-month renovation and addition project…pretty much the only thing remaining intact of our old house was the living room floor!

This was a complicated, difficult project where we were dealing with conservation land issues, septic issues, old-house-meets-new-house issues, and the myriad other issues one can expect during a large renovation/addition project. Hawthorn continually gave excellent advice, supported our decisions and worked hard to resolve each and every new challenge. They are extremely knowledgeable, keep an excellent team of subs at their fingertips and are professional in all aspects.

And on top of all that, their work is outstanding. We very proudly show off our new house. It’s truly a work of craftsmanship and passion. Thank you, Hawthorn Builders!

— Matthew & Rebecca

Our renovation project turned out better than we ever imagined, and we truly enjoyed working with Mat Roth and his team at Hawthorn Builders. Mat was always available, very responsive and kept us informed on the project progress. Mat has a vast knowledge of the construction business and offered many great suggestions as the project moved along. We were extremely satisfied by the quality of the workmanship and impressed with the pride Mat and his team took in their work. In addition, Hawthorn Builder’s designer, Jess Williamson, saved us time and effort and was a huge help in choosing the finishes. It was an asset to have her guidance on the project. Our renovation was right on budget and completed exactly on time.

We took great comfort in the fact that Mat lives in Needham and is a part of the community. We had a fabulous experience working with Hawthorn Builders and highly recommend Mat and his team.

— Marcy & Rich

We have been extremely satisfied with the quality of service and quick responsiveness from the entire Hawthorn team.  We would recommend Ryan McDonnell and Mat Roth to anyone looking to do a custom-built home or major renovation, repair or addition in Needham.  We say the entire team because Ryan and Mat are outstanding individually, but working together they have pulled together an entire team that stands behind them.  Overall, that made Hawthorn a solid partner for us when we moved to Needham from Boston.

To begin with, their architect, Tavis Babbit, helped design a wonderful new home that’s aesthetically appealing while also being functional and practical.  Definitely not cookie cutter!  That something we were looking for, hadn’t found, and recognized the second we first saw it!  Mat’s financial expertise and Hawthorn’s solid relationship with Needham Bank helped us line up a great builder-to-buyer mortgage loan from Needham Bank that made buying new construction in many ways more affordable than a pre-existing home.  Ryan’s eye for detail is evident throughout the entire home, from the wonderful model kitchen to the crown moldings, the beautiful wood floors, and all the punch list items.  It takes a great general contractor to effectively manage all the sub-contractors needed to bring everything together just perfectly—and Ryan’s a master.  The quality of the construction is something that my wife and I also appreciate and value highly. It’s not enough to just have something appear to be nice; it has to be solidly built.  We couldn’t be happier with the quality of the work and craftsmanship of Joe Hackett and the crew.  They did a superb job on the home and then again on the third floor library once we decided to finish the attic.

Finally, we want to thank Mat and Ryan for their responsiveness and patience during a frenzied time for us.  It’s not easy buying and moving to a new home in a new town.  It’s easily one of the biggest—and at times most stressful—financial and personal decisions that a family with young children is likely to make.  We couldn’t have picked a better team to help shepherd us through that phase of our life than Ryan and Mat.  We’ll always have a debt of gratitude for the personal touch and peace of mind that they helped provide.  We highly recommend them to any of our friends and acquaintances.

— Bill & Martine

We loved working with Hawthorn Builders!! We decided to partner with them based off of Mat’s knowledge of the Needham marketplace and his expertise in both the real estate and construction marketplaces. Ultimately we decided to build a custom home with him and we were extremely happy with the end product. During the project he was knowledgeable in every aspect, was very easy to work with and patient when it came to making all the important decisions. We were especially thankful for his excellent communication on a daily basis in regards to where the project stood, what upcoming decisions needed to be made, and multiple recommendations of sources for our needs. We have recommended Mat to friends and family and if we ever decided to build another home we would never use anybody else except for Mat and Hawthorn!!

— Allen & Elana

We could not be happier with completed renovation of our kitchen and bath.  From start to finish, Ryan met all of our expectations in terms of timeline, budget, and quality.  We were always made to feel as if our job was just as important as the next, and that any question, no matter how small, was worthy of a quick response.    Ryan was at the site everyday, and watching him interact with his team as well as with the building department proved to us that he is a true professional.  We would, without a doubt use Hawthorn Builders again, and confidently recommend them to other homeowners.

— Sarah & Steve

We couldn’t be happier with our “new” home.  When we first bought our house we had some ideas of what it would one day look like, but we never dreamed it would be as wonderful as it is.  Ryan did an incredible job maintaining the character of our home and increasing the size to make it an easy and welcoming space for us as a family as well as for entertaining.  The work was done beautifully, right on schedule, and with as little stress as one could hope for.

— Lisa & Karam

What we like best about working with Hawthorn Builders is the responsiveness and level of communication.  It was rare not to hear back within hours if we had a question or a need for a discussion even months after the project was complete.  Their communications were extremely professional and detailed and open – we always felt comfortable that we had all the facts to make the best decisions.  When building a house, you want to have someone working for you that has your best interest in mind and we are confident Hawthorn did and continues to.

— Erik & Emmanuelle

Ryan- We just wanted to drop you a note to thank you and to tell how pleased we are with our project.  Building a home from the ground up is such a daunting task and having you steer us through it from start to finish with such organization, attention to detail, and professionalism, really made this a rewarding experience.  From our very first meeting, until the last punch-list item was completed, your effort and commitment never waned, and we can’t tell you how much we appreciate all the work you put in; the finished product lived up to and surpassed all expectations.  Furthermore, throw in your broker abilities in selling our previous house, we truly feel like we couldn’t have navigated the last year any better.  Hawthorn Investements has certainly set a high standard, not only the way they conduct their business, but in the final product as well, and we feel lucky that you were our builders. Thanks again.

— Dates & Lauren

Hawthorn was there with us throughout the entire process, from identifying and purchasing the property, to designing and planning the home renovation, to construction and finish work, and obtaining the certificate of occupancy.  Hawthorn’s expertise in the Needham real estate market added significant value, by allowing us to find a property before it went on the market and understanding the nuances of the town permitting process.  Mat is an extremely reliable person, always responding to our questions and requests in a timely manner and providing us with honest, accurate information.  We were very satisfied with the quality of the work, and would recommend Hawthorn to anyone looking to purchase, renovate or build a house in Needham.

— Joel & Dawn

Ryan’s knowledge as a contractor was invaluable in helping us make an immediate rough assessment on what needed to be done to bring the house up-to-date. He gave realistic appraisals of each house we considered but never pushed us towards a commitment. He provided the guidance we needed without making us feel rushed or pressured. After deciding to purchase our house, we asked Ryan to be our general contractor and generate a plan that would meet our aggressive timeline. His team worked conscientiously and was available to discuss specifics with us, to ensure our specifications were understood and followed through. We never hesitated in contacting Ryan about any concerns and were always confident that he would attend to the manner. He promptly returned phone calls and emails. In addition to the high level of professionalism he brought to the table, he was also extremely personable. His authenticity and genuine enthusiasm for what he does provides his clients with a sense of trust that is crucial to any successful real estate transaction.

— Matt & Jen

I wanted to say again how happy we are with the house and how much we enjoyed working with everyone at Hawthorn.  Every member of your team is a professional and made building our dream home an enjoyable process.

I am sure you are the first person people call when they have issues and I wanted to make sure you knew how positive our experience was and continues to be.  We have told everyone who has asked how pleased we are with our Hawthorn home, and will continue without hesitation to praise and recommend your company.

— Mark

We are truly thrilled in our new home and so grateful for the incredible work you all did.  You made our dreams into a reality and your team was a pleasure to work with throughout the entire process.  All our gratitude for a job well done!

— Michael & Lindsay