Rebuilding what water, fire or a storm took
Restoration work at Modern Remodeling covers rebuilding after water, fire and storm damage, bringing older and historic homes back, and renovating properties for owners, landlords and investors. What matters most is finding what is behind the damage before the work starts, and telling you about it.
How a restoration job starts with us
Every restoration job starts with a walkthrough. Steve or someone from our team goes through the house or building with you, looks at what is damaged or worn, and opens what needs opening to see what sits behind it. Older Massachusetts buildings hide a lot: plaster over balloon framing, fieldstone foundations, wiring nobody has touched in decades. We would rather find it before the proposal than halfway through the job.
After the walkthrough you get a written scope. It says what we will repair, what we will replace, what we will try to save, and what we cannot know until the walls are open. If something turns up once they are, you hear about it from us that day, with the reason and your options, before any change is made.
Structural work is permitted through the local building department under 780 CMR, with inspections along the way. Electrical and plumbing go to licensed electricians and plumbers, as Massachusetts requires. In a house built before 1978 we follow lead-safe work practices, and the site is cleaned and closed up at the end of every day.
Damage reconstruction and restoration are different jobs
Three pages in this category deal with rebuilding after something went wrong: water damage reconstruction, fire damage reconstruction and storm damage reconstruction. That work starts from a single event. The goal is to put back what was there, sound and to code, and to deal with whatever let the damage in. A ceiling stain from an ice dam gets the roof edge and the attic looked at before anyone reaches for patch and paint.
The restoration pages start from age instead. Home restoration is about repairing and keeping the original parts of an older house that are worn but worth saving. Historic home restoration goes further, matching period details and working through a local historic district commission review when the house sits in a district. Commercial restoration brings a business building back to good working order, usually while the business stays open around the work.
Renovation pages for owners, landlords and investors
The last four pages treat the building as an asset. Property renovation covers bringing a whole property back to sound condition after you buy it, inherit it or take it over. Rental property renovations are built around tenants: finishes that hold up, unit turns between leases, and work in buildings where people still live. Investment property remodeling is for owners buying to resell or reposition, where the scope follows what the property needs to compete.
Turnkey renovations are for owners who do not want to manage the job at all. We carry it through the scope, the permit, the trades, the inspections and the final cleaning, and you hear from us at each step. If you are not sure which page fits, call (781) 974-4263 and describe the situation. We will tell you plainly what kind of job it is.
Every service under Restoration
Home Restoration
Repairing the plaster, trim, floors, windows and porches an older house already has, instead of tearing them out and replacing them.
Historic Home Restoration
Returning a historic house toward its original look with matched moldings, windows and siding, including work a historic district commission reviews.
Commercial Restoration
Restoring worn or damaged storefronts, offices and mixed-use buildings to sound condition, phased so the business can stay open where possible.
Water Damage Reconstruction
Rebuilding framing, subfloor, insulation, walls and finishes after a burst pipe, slow leak or ice dam, and fixing the source.
Fire Damage Reconstruction
Rebuilding a house after fire and smoke: structural repair, permits, odor sealing and finished rooms put back to code.
Storm Damage Reconstruction
Getting a storm-damaged house weathertight first, then rebuilding the roof, siding, windows, porch or framing properly.
Property Renovation
Ranking and rebuilding a dated or neglected property for its new owner, roof and systems first, rooms and finishes last.
Rental Property Renovations
Durable unit renovations and lease-gap turns for landlords, done in occupied buildings with the other tenants kept in mind.
Investment Property Remodeling
Remodeling a house for resale or repositioning, scoped to its market and run against your holding period.
Turnkey Renovations
We run the whole renovation, permits through final cleaning, and hand back a finished house, with updates at every stage.
Restoration questions
Do you handle the water extraction and drying after a leak?
Our part is the reconstruction. Extraction and drying is its own trade, and that work needs to be finished before anything gets closed up. If the space is still wet when you call, we will tell you so and plan the rebuild for once it is dry.
Can you work with my insurance adjuster?
Yes. We can walk the damage with your adjuster and write our scope so it lines up item by item with what has to be rebuilt. The claim itself stays between you and your insurer, and we keep you informed on anything that changes once the walls are open.
What is the difference between historic home restoration and historic home renovation?
Restoration works toward the house's original appearance, matching period trim, windows and materials. Renovation, which sits in our remodeling pages, updates an old house for how you live now. Many jobs mix the two, and the written scope says which parts of the house get which treatment.
Will my restoration job need a permit?
Structural repairs, framing, and new electrical or plumbing work generally do, and they are permitted through your town or city building department with inspections along the way. Some cosmetic repair work does not. The building department makes that call, and we tell you which parts of your job need it before we start.
My house was built before 1978. Does that change the work?
It can. Houses that age may have lead paint, so renovation follows lead-safe work practices under the EPA RRP rule, with containment and careful cleanup. It adds steps to the job, and we explain them in the written scope instead of surprising you later.
Can my business stay open during a commercial restoration?
Often it can. We plan the work in phases around your hours where the job allows it, keep work areas separated from customers, and clean up at the end of each day. If a phase truly requires a closure, you hear that at the start, not the week it happens.
Show Steve the room
Monday to Friday 7 to 5, Saturday 8 to noon. Based in Raynham and working within about a hundred miles of it. See finished rooms in the gallery.