Black Bear Builders

Black Bear Builders renovated our kitchen/downstairs and built an addition for our dining room. They are the best and their attention to detail, budget, and timelines is why we went with them. We were not disappointed. Matt, Rob and Vince were great to work with on this project. They are all about perfection and accept nothing less! In fact, as a result of their great service and craftsmanship, we decided to recently use them to finish our basement. Again, we were so pleased at the professionalism and attention to detail. The basement turned out wonderful and we have already started using it for our children's homeschooling and our entertainment and workout zone. It is now our favorite location in the house, besides the kitchen of course! :)

Black Bear is the most professional outfit I have ever worked with. I would work with them again in a heartbeat. In fact, I'm looking forward to doing so. They did a full ripout, redesign and build of our kitchen from scratch including electrical, plumbing, appliances. They were highly responsive, patient and extremely customer-focused and service-oriented. They were very conscientious also with communication, and with scheduling and timing including working with a very light impact on the rest of our home and family including pets. They showed up like clockwork early every morning ready to go and even handled a major curveball they were dealt by a supplier with grace, empathy and resilience. The price we paid was 100% worth it for the quality that was delivered and their willingness to make us happy even with small details. Can't say enough about them. Great company and a great group of guys.

We hired Matt to take on a significant exterior redesign of our house. It was previously stucco and we changed it to hardie plank - I believe the pictures are in his project photos. Matt's attention to detail is second to none. The best thing about working with Matt is that he won't accept anything other than perfection, so often before I can even comment he wants something redone or fixed and it's refreshing that you don't have to be the one pointing out the issues, he's on it. His crew was very professional and a joy to have around the house. I keep trying to hire him again, but he's very in demand these days, however I'm booking him in for future projects, he's worth the wait. Thanks for a great job.

BBB very successfully and in timely fashion executed a complex in-place renovation of 2 back-to-back bathrooms and an adjacent dressing area for me in 2013-14. The bathrooms were in as-built condition from 1974. The work included gutting the spaces to exterior wall studs, ceiling joists and floor joists and extensively updating plumbing and electrical to current codes. I am an industrial designer with architectural and mechanical design background. I had a firm design concept which I described with detailed sketch drawings covering dimensions, perspective visualizations, construction details, materials, and products like plumbing and electrical fixtures. The visual and functional success of the design required a building process dedicated to faithfully following the design concept and a belief in the importance of details which derive from the design concept. I liked Matt Bonacci’s experience as a project manager for a local builder steeped in Frank Lloyd Wright’s legacy . . . as was my architectural training . . . and his dedication to a top-down design-build process. He brought very high-quality trades professionals into the project, including carpentry, plumbing, stone and glass. We developed a mutual respect which enabled a truly collaborative project --- for example, some of the very successful custom design details were developed as construction proceeded. The end result is true to the design concept, looks and functions as visualized, and appears like brand-new 3+ years later

Matt Bonacci did the design and build for our renovation - we created a large addition to connect our home and garage, which included a new great room, powder room, mud room, loft, and 2 stairwells. We completed our renovation about 15 months ago and we have yet to find something we wish had been designed differently or constructed better. Our renovation was very complicated due to varying elevations and roof lines, and Matt took the time to thoroughly think through the best possible design balanced with our needs. He even built a 3-D model to ensure the design made sense and that we could visualize the finished product. He brought through all of his subs during the design stage to make sure there weren't any surprises during construction and that also helped us to make more informed decisions from a cost perspective. Matt doesn't cut corners on details or materials, and every person who worked on the job was excellent. He struck a perfect and practical balance between design, quality and cost. He takes the time to get to know you and your family's needs and takes those needs into account every step of the way. The job was finished with the highest quality, on time and on budget. We have worked with other architects and contractors in the past, none of whom even came close to Black Bear in terms of quality and fair pricing. We would recommend Matt to anyone without hesitation and look forward to more projects with him in the future.

Black Bear Builders just completed a renovation of the entrance to our Colonial 1970 home in Princeton. The house had been expanded by 5000 sq ft and updated kitchens & bathrooms but still had a dark, narrow, claustrophobic entry way with rustic groomed slate floor. Our architect created a bright entrance with vaulted ceiling opening the space by enlarging the foyer by 300 sq ft and providing a panoramic view into the living room, library and dining room. Black Bear was one of four companies that bid the job and Matt Bonnaci provided the most detailed proposal, committed to a six week completion, most clear details on pricing : materials, hours of labor etc. We have had 3 re-modelings to the house and Black Bear was BY FAR the most profession in every way. Communication with Matt came to inspect or called us with updates nearly every day. There were two problems with the materials providers and Matt negotiated for the providers to provide the required materials or upgrades at his cost and their without coming back to us with higher costs. The quality of the work team from the foreman to the carpenters was excellent. Every detail, joint and seams was finished to perfection. We were consulted about our preferences continuously. The entire crew was meticulous in helping minimize dust and dirt in the house. They sealed the interior doorways tightly with zippers to allow our necessary passage. They vacuumed every afternoon and they kept their vehicles and materials in order in our driveway and out of public view. Everyone was polite, quiet and respectful at all times. Music/radios and conversations kept at civilized levels and outside the house. The project was delivered ACCORDING TO ARCHITECTURAL PLANS, FINISHING AS PROMISED, ON BUDGET and ON TIME. Matt Bonacci and his team are both professionals and artisans. This project was completed beyond our expectations. FABULOUS!

I have known Matt for many years and have always enjoyed working with him on projects. He excels as a contractor and goes the distance for his clients. In addition to his knowledge and experience with construction, Matt also has a very good sense of design and spatial relationships. He is detailed oriented and always delivers quality work and service to his clients. I would recommend Matt for any project that you can dream up!!

We have had the pleasure of working with Matt for over 10 years. I am always impressed by Matt's uncompromising attitude towards accommodating his client's wishes. He often accompanies his clients when they are making tile selections (not very common) so there is no question that all design and application criteria are met. He is fun to work with and brings joy to the process.