Harry A. Starr & Son

!  VICKI MITCHELL

With all the time spent at home recently, and with the possibility of entertaining again on the horizon, many of us have been thinking about sprucing up our home’s exterior. Are you longing to update your home with new siding, expand a deck or add a porch, or replace drafty windows and doors? You obviously want to work with someone who has the experience, skills, and commitment to quality that will bring your plans to fruition and make you proud to be the king or queen of your castle. Is a small, family owned business with a reputation for excellence and say…100 years of experience…one that you would consider for the job? Then look no further than Harry A. Starr and Son, celebrating their 100th year in business!

Back in 1920, Harry founded the company, which was eventually taken over by his son, Robert, who passed away in 2000. Robert’s son, Jeff, is the current owner, and he is grooming his daughter and son-in-law, Ashley Starr and Patrick Frechette, to take over the company when he decides to retire. That would bring the company into its 4th generation of being family owned and operated. Ashley handles the marketing and social media side of

the business, and is also instrumental in “growing” the company, as she and Patrick are expecting a baby boy this month!

“Other than the family aspect,” Ashley says, “we have been extremely lucky to have amazingly talented and dedicated employees over our 100 years in business. We have always been, and continue to be, an extremely small company. Currently, Steve Lindman and Arron Wrann have worked for us the longest, and we are very thankful for their hard work and commitment to Harry A. Starr & Son.”

The company specializes in all things exterior, including siding, roofing, gutters, doors, windows, porches, railings, hatchways, and awnings. “Harry always took pride in high quality work that was done a certain way. He taught this to his son Robert who in turn taught this to Jeff, who is now teaching Pat. So it has always been the “Harry A.” way of doing things. At pretty much any job, you would, and still will, find one of the Starr family members making sure that each job is getting individual attention and taking the time to get things right,” says Ashley.

When asked if everyone “learned on the job,” the answer was yes. The family

added that “we do attend manufacturer trainings and seminars when we begin working with a new product to learn the proper installation techniques. We like to think that our commitment to quality work and attention to detail has been passed down from generation to generation. We always strive to ensure that our work is high quality just like everything was done in the old days. We have been extremely lucky to have many extremely talented carpenters and tradespeople over the years who have brought their own talents to the table…All of our carpenters are very wellrounded and can work on any of our projects. When a certain job comes up, there may be one person that has extensive experience with a certain aspect, so we try to draw on the combined skills and knowledge. Our best solutions always come when we approach things as a team.”

Ashley added, “Harry, Robert and Jeff were, and are, all known for their extreme honesty when it comes to any exterior home repair project. We have been in business for 100 years now because we are lucky enough to have amazing customers who come back, time and time again. People seem to really value our honest opinion on all types of exterior home repair projects. Jeff can offer so many years of advice on projects of every type because he has seen them, worked on them, and knows pretty much every product out there. We can give advice on not only the project that the client might have in mind, but our firsthand experience with the companies making the windows, doors, shingles, and so on. We have dealt with them all and seen which ones hold up best over time. The nice thing about our company is that we have been around for so long that

clients can trust that we are going to be there for them if any questions come up. Jeff has never been one for sales pitches or upsells, he just likes to give his honest opinion of the products, how products hold up over time, and really tries to go above and beyond to meet the clients’ needs/vision.”

When asked some job specific questions about siding and decks, the response was “we definitely do mostly vinyl siding. It seems to be the most popular in this area and is also the most affordable and cost effective option. Plygem (Mastic) siding is one that we use the most often. People seem to really like their color choices and how they hold up over time. There are about 3 dozen great color options that people can consider when they are thinking about updating the look of their home. With regards to decks, Trex and other composite decking are definitely the most popular choices, but we did do a lot of pressure treated decks this year, as well. Composite decking options seem to be the favorite, when budget allows, because of the color options, the fact that they hold up incredibly well over time, and require no maintenance by the homeowner. We always make sure to work with the customer on whatever works best for their budget and vision.”

A typical work day at Harry A. Starr & Son, according to the family, is “get up bright and early to get materials and meet with the crews to get the day started. As the crews work on their projects, Jeff will be answering phone calls from customers, vendors and the crews, grabbing needed material and troubleshooting. When the job is done, crews will get the job site cleaned up, head back to the shop to unload and pack up for the next day. When the typical work day ends, and on weekends, Jeff does estimates, speaks with customers, works with distributors and does many of the office aspects of owning your own business. We love what we do and our loyal customers make it all worth it. We would like to think that Harry and Bob would be very proud to know that we are now celebrating 100 years of Harry A. Starr & Son. We love serving our local community and look forward to continuing this family tradition for years to come.”

HARRY A. STARR AND SON 80 Billings Road, Somers, Connecticut www.hastarr.com 860-749-8533