What Essex County's houses ask of a remodel

Older housing along the coast

Census figures put the county's oldest housing along the water. In Nahant, a town of about 3,300 people on roughly a square mile of land, the median home was built in 1938 and more than half predate 1940. Marblehead and Manchester-by-the-Sea each have about 46 percent of their homes built before 1940, Gloucester is close behind at roughly 49 percent with a median year of 1943, and Rockport, also on Cape Ann, sits near 41 percent.

Houses of that age tend to open up the same way. Plaster over wood lath, framing that may run two stories without a break at the floor, and sometimes knob-and-tube wiring behind a wall. Anything built before 1978 is treated as if it has lead paint, so the work follows lead-safe practices, with containment, protection for the rooms around it and careful cleanup at the end of each day. We tell you what we find when we find it, and the written scope says how a surprise gets priced before work keeps going.

Salt air adds its own wear. Siding, trim, decks and roofing on the exposed side of a coastal house take a beating from wind and freeze-thaw, and flashing details and fasteners matter more there than they do inland. If the house sits inside a local historic district, the commission may review exterior changes, so that happens before anything is ordered.

Salem looks similar, with a median year of 1940 and about a quarter of its homes single-family detached.

Two- and three-family houses in the cities

Lynn is the county's largest city at about 100,700 people, and Lawrence, on the Merrimack, has about 88,000. Both have a median build year of 1944, and in both a little under half the housing predates 1940. The bigger difference is ownership. About 30 percent of Lawrence homes are owner-occupied and fewer than one in five is a single-family detached house. In Lynn, just under half are owner-occupied. Salem looks similar, with a median year of 1940 and about a quarter of its homes single-family detached.

That means a lot of two-families, triple-deckers and small apartment buildings, and a lot of landlords and investors. Work there tends to run unit by unit: a kitchen and bath turned over between tenants, a back porch rebuilt, a building brought back after water or fire damage. When tenants are still living upstairs, we plan access, dust control and working hours around them, and the owner gets clear updates without needing to stand on site.

Peabody, Beverly and Danvers sit between the two pictures. Peabody, with about 54,000 people, has a 1966 median and a bit over half its homes single-family detached. Beverly's median is 1958, with about a third of its housing older than 1940. Those cities mix older multi-family buildings with postwar single-family homes, and the requests split the same way.

Inland single-family towns and newer construction

Inland, the numbers turn around. In West Newbury about 93 percent of homes are single-family detached and 94 percent are owner-occupied. Boxford is close behind at about 88 percent single-family, and Hamilton, Wenham and Topsfield all run above 80 percent. In towns like these the requests are kitchens, primary baths, additions, finished basements and decks, usually for owners staying put.

Some of the county is much newer. Middleton has a median year built of 1985, with about 28 percent of its homes built since 2000, and Salisbury, on the coast at the New Hampshire line, has about 31 percent built since 2000. North Andover sits at 1978. A newer house usually means a floor plan the owner wants opened up, a basement ready to finish, or a builder-grade kitchen worth doing properly. Footings for an addition go below frost depth, about four feet here, and if the house is on a septic system an added bedroom brings a Title 5 design-flow review.

Essex County runs about 34 to 64 miles north of Raynham, with Nahant, Saugus and Lynn on the near end and Salisbury and Merrimac the farthest out. Every job here gets the same process: a walkthrough, a written scope, one person to deal with, and permits through the local building department with inspections along the way. Call (781) 974-4263 and Steve will set a time to see the house.