Waterbury, Vermont

General Contracting + Preservation Carpentry

About Us

Alex Tolstoi – Founder

Alex has worked as a carpenter since his early twenties and is a builder by both trade and passion. He began his career constructing high-performance homes before combining his love of carpentry with an appreciation for historic buildings by earning a master’s degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Vermont.

In 2022, Alex founded Hunger Valley Construction to bring that expertise to the work he loves—preserving historic buildings while making them more efficient, durable, and comfortable for the people who live and work in them.

Alex, his crew, and their trusted subcontractors understand that every project is a significant investment. They take pride in delivering exceptional craftsmanship, clear communication, and thoughtful attention to detail from start to finish, treating each building with the care and respect it deserves.

"Alex was a breeze to work with despite the scope of our build project changing quite drastically from beginning to end. Very responsive and had great ideas for some changes we decided to incorporate. He was nearly spot on with the estimate and timeline. I would not hesitate to hire him again!"

K. d'Angelo

"Alex was a breeze to work with despite the scope of our build project changing quite drastically from beginning to end. Very responsive and had great ideas for some changes we decided to incorporate. He was nearly spot on with the estimate and timeline. I would not hesitate to hire him again!"K. d'Angelo

"From arranging for a new roof, new insulation, installation of new HVAC, electrical updates, and plumbing to installing an upstairs bathroom and completing a beautiful makeover of kitchen and pantry, Alex Tolstoi has done a great job in organizing and sequentially planning every step so that the entire project ended on time and within budget. We also benefitted from Alex's expertise in historic buildings. Surprisingly, though we had given Alex a very small footprint for the upstairs bath it feels amazingly roomy. He and his team were great to work with and we are going to miss seeing them on a near daily basis!."

A. Ursprung, Waitsfield, VT

"From arranging for a new roof, new insulation, installation of new HVAC, electrical updates, and plumbing to installing an upstairs bathroom and completing a beautiful makeover of kitchen and pantry, Alex Tolstoi has done a great job in organizing and sequentially planning every step so that the entire project ended on time and within budget. We also benefitted from Alex's expertise in historic buildings. Surprisingly, though we had given Alex a very small footprint for the upstairs bath it feels amazingly roomy. He and his team were great to work with and we are going to miss seeing them on a near daily basis!."A. Ursprung, Waitsfield, VT

"In an age where good help is hard to come by, deadlines are aspirational, and communication is an afterthought, Alex and the folks at Hunger Valley have reset the bar for me when working with contractors. Alex and his team did great work and completed it on time. They are great communicators, show up when they say they will, and complete their work on schedule. We remodeled nearly our entire home using Alex and his team and would recommend them for any project big or small."

J. Birmingham, Waterbury, VT

"In an age where good help is hard to come by, deadlines are aspirational, and communication is an afterthought, Alex and the folks at Hunger Valley have reset the bar for me when working with contractors. Alex and his team did great work and completed it on time. They are great communicators, show up when they say they will, and complete their work on schedule. We remodeled nearly our entire home using Alex and his team and would recommend them for any project big or small."J. Birmingham, Waterbury, VT