Nantucket Custom Home Builder
Stephens & Company builds and restores fine homes on Nantucket, with the craft to honor the island's past and the building science to last a hundred years.
STEPHENS & COMPANY, NANTUCKET, MASSACHUSETTS
Or call us at: 508-325-5736
2026 Award Winning Pool House, Nantucket, Massachusetts
A custom home builder rooted in Nantucket
Will Stephens came to Nantucket in 1998 and has been building here ever since. That matters, because building a custom home on this island is unlike building anywhere else. Designs pass through the Historic District Commission. Materials and crews arrive by boat. Salt air, wind and winter storms test every joint and every finish.
We build with those realities in mind from the first conversation. Our team works alongside your architect to plan a home that belongs on its street, performs far better than code requires, and can be handed down to the next generation.
What we build on Nantucket
New Custom Homes Built To Last Generations
Ground-up homes built to your architect's drawings, from the first site meeting to the final coat of finish.
See Custom Home Projects
Historic Renovation & Restoration
Historically sensitive work on older island homes, keeping what gives the house its character while renewing what is behind the walls.
How we approach a renovation
Pool Houses & Guest Houses
Smaller buildings held to the same standard, including Saltglass, our award winning pool house with Hutker Architects.
See recent award winning pool house
Energy Code Services:
HERS ratings and REScheck
Every building project on Nantucket has to show that it meets the Massachusetts energy code, and the path depends on the project. We handle both paths, for the homes we build and for architects, builders and homeowners who need the documentation alone.
New homes and large additions
HERS ratings
Our certified HERS rater models the design, inspects during construction, tests the finished house and delivers the rating your permit requires.
HERS ratings on Nantucket
REScheck reports
High Performance Homes, Verified in house
Nantucket follows the Massachusetts stretch energy code, which requires a HERS rating for every new home. Most builders hire that out. We have a certified HERS rater on our own team.
That means energy performance is designed in with your architect from the first drawings, checked during construction and proven with testing before you move in. The result is a quieter, more comfortable home that costs less to own.
For projects that follow the prescriptive path, we prepare the REScheck report and permit ready documentation from your drawings and specifications.
Request a REScheck report
Small additions & alterations
HERS or REScheck?
Tell us about the project. We will point you to the right path and what your permit application needs, usually in one conversation.
Ask us which you need?
Not sure which applies?
"When I think of Stephens & Company, four words
come to mind: craft, sincerity, expertise, and integrity."
— Carol Durrand, Lee Real Estate
How a custom home comes together on Nantucket
1
We start with a conversation
How you live, what you want to keep, and the home you hope to pass down.
2
We join your design team early
The right time to bring in a builder is earlier than you think, while cost and buildability can still shape the drawings.
3
We build it right the first time
Our own carpenters and trusted island trades, with performance tested along the way.
4
We stay for the long run
Caretaking and maintenance from the team that built the house.
Crafted By People Who Care
My first boss told me something that has stayed with me through the years:
“The difference between a carpenter and a contractor is team building. Always surround yourself with the
smartest people you can find.”
It turns out he was right. And it’s one reason I feel so proud of this company: a close team of people who have a passion for craft and never get tired of figuring out what goes into a truly fine home.
— Will Stephens
Ross Goodwin
Katelyn Zieff
Will Stephens
Ana Maria Ribeiro
Chuck Esker
Katelyn Zieff
Elizabeth Sanfelippo
Questions about building a custom home on Nantucket
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Earlier than most people expect. The best time is while your architect is still shaping the design, so budget, schedule and buildability inform the drawings instead of forcing changes later.Earlier than most people expect. The best time is while your architect is still shaping the design, so budget, schedule and buildability inform the drawings instead of forcing changes later.
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Yes. We build from architects' drawings and work with firms on and off the island, including Hutker Architects on Saltglass. If you have not chosen an architect yet, we are glad to talk through who might fit your project.
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[YOUR TYPICAL RANGE] from permit to move in. The schedule depends on Historic District Commission review, the season, and the logistics of bringing materials and trades to the island. You will have a realistic schedule from us before construction begins.
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Every home is priced from its own drawings and specifications. [OPTIONAL: YOUR TYPICAL RANGE]. We prepare a detailed estimate during preconstruction so you make decisions with real numbers.
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A HERS rating scores a home's energy performance. Under the Massachusetts stretch energy code that Nantucket follows, new homes need one. Our in-house certified HERS rater handles the modeling, testing and paperwork.
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Yes. Historically sensitive renovation and restoration is a core part of our work, and we plan each project around Historic District Commission review.
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Many clients keep us on as caretakers. We inspect the property weekly, check it after storms, and open and close the house each season.
Let's build something enduring together.
Rooted in craft, steeped in tradition, and optimized by science: our project here at Stephens & Company is crafting the state-of-the-art home worthy of our client and this island we love. Let's have a conversation.