Updating Franklin's 1980s and newer homes

A larger town with newer housing stock

With about 32,800 people on nearly 27 square miles and around 12,600 housing units by census count, Franklin is a sizable place. The median home was built around 1985, later than in most Massachusetts towns, and close to one in five went up after 2000. That later median shapes nearly every job here: the structure is usually sound, and the conversation turns quickly to layout and finish.

Older housing exists, about one in eight homes predates 1940, but it is the minority. Houses from the 1980s and 1990s in eastern Massachusetts tend to be colonials, capes and raised ranches, typically with their original kitchen layout, builder-grade baths and an unfinished basement. Many have reached the age where the original oak cabinets and carpeted baths are ready to go.

About 64 percent of units are detached single-family homes and close to 80 percent are owner-occupied. The remaining third or so includes condos, townhouses and apartments, so some renovation in town happens inside attached units where association rules apply. For those, the association's approval and its rules on working hours come first, and we build them into the schedule.

Changes are priced and agreed in writing before anyone acts on them, and you hear about inspections as they are booked and passed.

Opening up layouts from the eighties

Houses of this age were often built with a formal living room, a formal dining room and a closed kitchen. Plenty of owners now want those rooms to work together. Taking out a wall can be simple, or it can mean a new beam with posts carried down to the foundation, and the difference comes down to whether the wall carries load. You often cannot tell from the room itself. The attic framing above and the basement below usually give the answer.

We check before anything gets drawn. If a beam is needed, it is sized, the posts get proper bearing, and the framing is inspected before drywall goes up. You will know the answer before you commit to a layout, and the proposal lists the structural work separately from the finish work so you can see what each part involves. Lighting, outlets and any new circuits are planned with the licensed electrician at the same stage, so the ceiling only gets opened once.

Kitchens and baths from this era also share a couple of habits worth fixing while things are open: subfloors that flex under tile, and bath fans that vent into the attic rather than outside. Those get corrected during the remodel instead of being covered over. Small corrections like those decide whether a new bath still looks right ten years from now.

Basements, insulation and the next twenty years

A house built in the 1980s or later usually has a poured concrete foundation and a basement with usable height, which makes it a good candidate for finished space: a family room, an office, a guest room with a bath. Moisture, egress for any sleeping room, ceiling height and insulation all get settled before framing starts. If a basement bath is part of the plan and the main drain sits above the floor, it may need a pump, and we explain that before the layout is final.

Insulation and air sealing follow the Massachusetts energy code the town has in force, which may be the stretch code, and the inspector checks them before walls close. Getting that right in a basement or an addition shows up in comfort every New England winter. Rim joists, attic hatches and old recessed lights are the usual air leaks in houses of this age, and they are easy to seal while things are open.

Franklin sits about 21 miles northwest of Raynham. Steve runs each job on the same terms: a clear scope, fast answers and a clean site at the end of the day. Changes are priced and agreed in writing before anyone acts on them, and you hear about inspections as they are booked and passed.