Updating Ashland's newer homes and condos

Younger houses, different questions

Ashland is home to about 18,600 people across roughly 12 square miles of land, with around half a square mile of water. The census median year built is 1984, about 24 percent of homes date from 2000 or later, and only about 13 percent predate 1940. Most owners here live in houses built with modern framing, drywall and wiring, so the work centers less on fixing old problems and more on reshaping rooms that no longer fit.

About 77 percent of homes are owner-occupied, but only 56 percent are single-family detached. The rest are townhouses, condos and attached units, and those come with an association to answer to before a contractor touches anything shared. Many of those attached homes are also from the 1980s and later, so the interiors are modern while the approval process is not simple.

There is also a slice of town that is genuinely old. About one home in eight predates 1940, and those houses bring plaster, older wiring and lead paint into the plan. We ask the build year on the first call, because the age of the house decides how much of the scope is repair and how much is design.

We read what you send us, ask what approvals the board wants, and schedule work around quiet hours and shared driveways.

Opening up builder-grade layouts

A house from the 1980s or 1990s often has a formal living room nobody uses, a kitchen boxed in by walls, and a basement left raw at closing. Taking down the wall between kitchen and family room is a common request. We confirm if it is bearing, size the beam when it is, and put the change through the building department with a framing inspection before drywall goes back. Many of these houses also have a two-story foyer or family room with a cathedral ceiling that loses heat, and air sealing during a remodel helps more than people expect.

Finishing the lower level is the other big one. We check for water first, because a dry-looking basement can still wick moisture through the slab and walls. Then come framing, insulation to the energy code, egress if the plan calls for a bedroom, and electrical and plumbing by licensed trades. A sump or interior drain line is sometimes the right first step, and we will say so before a wall is framed.

Kitchens of this age usually need cabinets, counters and lighting more than structural work, which keeps the job contained to one room.

Condo and townhouse projects

In attached housing, the master deed and association rules decide what an owner may change. Interior kitchens and baths are usually yours to remodel, while exterior walls, roofs and shared plumbing stacks often belong to the association. We read what you send us, ask what approvals the board wants, and schedule work around quiet hours and shared driveways. If a change needs the board's sign-off, we wait for it in writing before ordering material.

Ashland sits about 31 miles northwest of Raynham, a short run for our crew. On a condo or townhouse, Steve's walkthrough sorts out what the association owns and what you own, so the written scope only covers work you are allowed to approve. If something behind a wall changes the plan, you hear about it before we keep going.

Townhouse owners usually live in the unit during the work, so we protect the path from the door to the work area, set up dust walls, and keep one bath usable when the job allows. Shared walls carry sound, which is why we start and stop at the hours the association sets and tell you a day ahead when the loud work is coming.