Stow, MA general contractor for additions and renovations
Stow stayed orchards and farmland until the 1950s, so many homes here are mid-century houses that the family has outgrown, or lake places around Lake Boon that were never meant for year-round living. You want the house to work for the way you live now, and to look like it was always built that way.
Gamache Construction and Stow
Gamache Construction, a family-owned general contractor in Northborough, Massachusetts, serves homeowners in Stow as part of its MetroWest and Worcester County area. Since 2006 the company has built home additions, including sunrooms, in-law suites and second stories, and has remodeled kitchens, bathrooms and basements. Owner Chris Gamache leads three construction crews and coordinates the plumbing, electrical and tile trades on each project. Gamache Construction is licensed and insured, files permits with the Stow Building Department, gives free written estimates with scope, options and pricing, and stands behind its labor with a warranty.
Facts that matter before you build in Stow
- Incorporated
- 1683, once about 40 square miles, now 18.1
- Housing
- Mostly built after the 1950s, when farmland gave way to homes
- Water and waste
- Board of Health has its own private well and septic regulations
- Building Department
- Town Building, 380 Great Road
What Stow homes ask of a remodel
Apart from the mill settlements at Assabet Village and Rock Bottom, Stow was thinly settled farm and orchard land until the 1950s, and orchards still bring visitors every fall. That history explains most of what we find in Stow houses.
Lake Boon and seasonal houses
Lake Boon, on the Hudson line, was a vacation spot before cars were common and is now mostly a residential neighborhood. A house that started as a seasonal place can need insulation, heating and foundation work before a remodel or addition makes sense.
Gleasondale and Lower Village
Gleasondale, first called Rock Bottom and renamed in 1898, is a mill village shared with Hudson. Lower Village, a mile east of the center, is where Stow first developed. Stow also has several houses on the National Register of Historic Places, among them the Hapgood House and the Tenney Homestead.
Wells and septic
The Stow Board of Health publishes its own private well and septic regulations. When an addition adds a bedroom, the septic system and the Title 5 rules are part of the plan from the start.
Sources: Stow, Massachusetts on Wikipedia; Town of Stow Board of Health.
Hired again years after a sunroom addition
Gamache Construction holds a 5.0 rating from 34 Google reviews, and repeat customers come up again and again in those reviews.
“Gamache did an excellent job on some flooring and painting for us! … A few years ago, Gamache also did a sunroom addition for us, as well as replacing all of our windows and replacing a bathtub with a walk in shower. We were very happy with that work, also!”
Work we take on in Stow
Every service on our site is available to Stow homeowners. The links go to the details for each one. For roofing or siding, see our roofing division, Roofing by Gamache.
- Home additions: sunrooms, in-law suites, primary suites, second stories
- Whole-home renovation, including converting a seasonal house for year-round use
- Kitchen remodeling
- Bathroom remodeling
- Basement remodeling
- Interior painting
- Specialty construction, including garages and porches
Can you turn a Lake Boon cottage into a year-round home?
Yes. Converting a seasonal house falls under our whole-home renovation work. It means insulation, heating, updated plumbing and electrical, and sometimes foundation work, and the written estimate spells out each part so you can decide the order.
Where do permits come from in Stow?
From the Stow Building Department in the Town Building at 380 Great Road. We prepare the application and handle the inspections the project needs.
Does a septic system limit an addition in Stow?
It can. A bedroom addition needs the Board of Health to confirm the septic system is sized for the new bedroom count under Title 5, and Stow has its own septic regulations on top of that, so we look at the system early.
Do I need an architect for a sunroom or small addition?
Not a separate one. Design and construction are handled under one roof, and our in-house architect plans the project with you. Whether the building department asks for stamped plans depends on the scope, and that gets settled during planning.
How long has Gamache Construction been in business?
Since 2006. The company is family-owned and run by Chris Gamache, and it is licensed and insured in Massachusetts.
Four steps from first call to final walkthrough
Visit
Chris or the team comes out to see the house, the lot and the space you want to change.
Estimate
You get scope, options and pricing on paper, free, before anything is scheduled.
Build
Permits are filed, our crew does the work, and plumbing, electrical and tile trades come in when the job is ready for them.
Close-out
A final walkthrough with you, then the labor warranty and the manufacturer warranties carry on.
Other towns near Stow
Our Northborough team works across MetroWest and Worcester County. Towns shown on this site are examples, not a complete boundary for project inquiries. Share your location and the work you are considering so we can confirm coverage for your project.
Ready to make a Stow house fit your family?
Start with a visit. We look at the house, the septic and the space you have to work with, and the written estimate follows from there.