Stephen D. Howell, President, holds a B.S. in Engineering from Cornell University. He has a Massachusetts Construction Supervisor's License, Massachusetts Home Improvement Contractor's license, and is a member of the Timberframer's guild. Prior to forming Howell Design & Build, Stephen had a 12-year career with Hewlett Packard as a project manager/lead engineer, designing and building custom automated test systems for Hewlett Packard customers.

Stephen's life long passion for architecture and building began in high school when he worked, during vacations and summers, on framing and finish carpentry crews, building custom homes. His interest in timber-framing began while renovating an antique family summer home. Stephen enjoys studying the works of the great 19th and 20th century residential architects including Frank Lloyd Wright; H.H. Richardson; Stanford White; McKim, Mead & White; and Greene & Greene.

Susan S. Howell, Sales & Marketing Director, holds a B.S. in Psychology from Cornell University. Prior to joining Steve at Howell Design & Build, Susan had a ten year career in Educational Publishing as a Marketing Manager.

HDB offers the highest degree of technical firepower available --
enabling us to handle even the most complicated details with precision.

Production Team

  • THE PROJECT MANAGER is your key contact for communications on the business end of your project. He manages weekly jobsite meetings with you and the design/build team; manages building permits, the construction schedule, budget, and invoicing; orders long lead-time materials and handles scheduling of subcontractors. The Project Managers work closely with the Lead Carpenters to ensure timely project completion and a high quality outcome.
  • THE LEAD CARPENTER is the on-site day-to-day manager of your project – supervising and managing all personnel working on your home. Each of our Lead Carpenters have over 20 years carpentry experience. Our Lead Carpenters are committed to only one project at a time, so you can rely on them for daily communication.
  • THE PRODUCTION CARPENTERS work with the Lead Carpenter on all framing and finish carpentry. They are able to handle complicated details with precision, doing things the right way, not always the “easy” way.
  • THE SUBCONTRACTORS are all experienced specialists who meet our standards of quality and professionalism. Subcontractors perform the following functions: excavation, foundations, plumbing, electrical, plaster, painting, etc. Your Project Manager and Lead Carpenter supervise and manage all subcontractors working on your home.