In 1973, Richard Connolly and his wife built their dream house in Weymouth, MA, and The Boston Globe chronicled their difficult story in a thirteen-part series lasting six months.
His experience and insight as a consumer, general/subcontractor, home building and remodeling consultant, author, public speaker, high tech manager, and teacher made him empathic to all sides of the construction industry and uniquely suited to developing a solution that benefits everyone.
He has published in The Boston Sunday Globe, Boston Magazine, and the Patriot Ledger many articles on construction and writes with the insight of a general or subcontractor, consumer, do-it-yourselfer, consultant, and consumer advocate.
For his book, How To Avoid Building Or Remodeling Hell, Connolly relied on his unique experiences as a general contractor, consultant, project manager, teacher, cable TV host and producer, and writer to provide a highly unusual package with an emphasis on self-reliance.
Connolly also published in 2001, The Independent Contractor, a mystery about the residential building and remodeling industry and has made numerous past appearances on Boston talk radio and television programs.
He served on the Weymouth School Committee from 1995 – 2001 and taught English and Journalism at Plymouth North High School (2001-2005) and writing at Massasoit Community College, Brockton and Canton.
His latest educational effort is “Planning Your Remodeling Project,” a six-week course offered through the school district adult education programs in Milton, Braintree, and Weymouth. Participating building inspectors in those communities have called the course the single, most important, missing link in the homeowner – industry dynamic.
In 2011, Connolly resurrected Cornerstone Consulting, Inc. as iCornerstone with the intention of developing it as an online solution available nationally.
Connolly lives in Weymouth with his wife in the same house where the story began.