Clinton's multi-family homes and older blocks

Old houses on a small footprint

By census measure, Clinton has around 7,100 housing units on about 5.7 square miles of land, which makes it a compact town by any Worcester County standard. The median year built is 1955 and about 40 percent of homes predate 1940. Fewer than one in ten went up after 2000. Most buildings here have already been through several owners and several rounds of work.

Older housing packed this closely means near neighbors, small lots and buildings that have been divided, added onto and divided again over their lives. Plaster walls, balloon framing, tired electrical service and lead in the painted trim are all expected rather than surprising. We set up lead-safe containment from the first day and plan around what the building is likely to hide. With buildings this close together, exterior work also means protecting the house next door from debris and dust.

When an old building has been altered several times, the first job is working out what is original and what was added. That tells us where the loads really go before anything is removed. A wall that looks like a partition may be holding up a kitchen someone stacked on top of it decades ago. Old cast iron drain stacks and galvanized supply lines are common in buildings this age, and a licensed plumber decides what stays.

If you own the building from out of town, you get photos and updates as work progresses so you know what is being done.

Two-families, three-families and landlords

Only about 40 percent of Clinton homes are single-family detached, and about 56 percent are owner-occupied. The rest is multi-family housing and rentals, which is where much of the remodeling here comes from: unit turnovers, kitchen and bath replacements between tenants, and repairs that cannot wait for a slow season. Investors buying older buildings often want a clear picture of the work before closing, and a walkthrough with a written scope gives them one.

For landlords and investors we write the scope around durability and turnover time, and we are clear about what the building department will need. Work that touches the separation between units, egress or structure gets permitted and inspected like any other job, because a closed-out permit matters when the building changes hands. We would rather finish a turnover right than fast, and we tell you plainly when those two goals pull against each other.

For an owner who lives in one unit and rents the other, the plan protects both households. Noisy days, water shutoffs and dust control are scheduled and announced so the tenant is never caught off guard, and stacked baths get extra attention because a leak upstairs becomes a ceiling downstairs. Sound between floors is something tenants notice, and insulating a ceiling while it is open is a simple way to help.

Small lots, careful logistics

Clinton is about 47 miles northwest of Raynham. On small lots, parking, dumpster placement and deliveries become part of the plan, so we sort them out before the start date rather than on it. Material storage is planned the same way, so nothing ends up blocking a tenant's door or a neighbor's driveway.

Steve walks the building, writes the scope and stays your contact for the life of the job. Changes are agreed in writing before they are built, and each day ends with the work area clean and secured. If you own the building from out of town, you get photos and updates as work progresses so you know what is being done.

In an occupied building, the common hallways and stairs are protected too. Tenants and neighbors should be able to get in and out cleanly every day the work is going on. When the job is done, the hall is cleaned as carefully as the unit.