Medford's prewar two-families and the homes beside them

Owners and renters under the same roof

Medford has roughly 26,800 homes by census figures, with owners in about 53 percent and single-family detached houses at about a third. Put those two numbers together and a very common Medford household comes into focus: the owner living on one floor of a two-family and renting the other. Many of those houses still carry their original layouts, with a kitchen at the back and small rooms strung along a hallway.

That arrangement changes priorities. An owner-occupant usually wants a kitchen or bath that reflects how they live, while the rental unit needs durable finishes that hold up to turnover. We often price both versions of a scope so you can see the difference and decide unit by unit.

The finish level is one decision. The order is another. Some owners renovate the rental first, while it sits vacant between tenants, and save their own unit for later. Others do both at once to share demolition, permits and trade visits. Neither is right for everyone, and we lay out what each choice means for the schedule before you pick.

When an inspection turns up something to correct, we correct it and tell you what it was.

Older framing that has been worked on before

The median Medford home dates to about 1943, and around 48 percent were built before 1940. Houses of that age have usually been renovated in pieces over the decades. Kitchens get moved, a bath gets squeezed into a former closet, a wall comes out without anyone checking what it held up. Some of that work was done well. Plenty was done without a permit or a second look.

We look for those past decisions during the walkthrough. Sagging floors near a removed wall, a bathroom floor that bounces, or a ceiling crack that keeps returning can all point to framing that needs attention. If something structural needs correcting, it goes in the written scope with a clear explanation, and it is inspected before it is covered.

Lead paint is assumed in homes built before 1978, and our crews work lead-safe, with containment up before demolition and a verified cleanup at the end. Licensed electricians handle any old wiring we uncover, and licensed plumbers handle supply and drain lines. Old cast iron drains and galvanized supply pipe are common at this age, and replacing them while the walls are open usually beats waiting.

Newer homes and what they need

About 12 percent of Medford's housing is newer than 2000, a noticeable share for a city this established. Those homes and condos rarely need structural work. The usual projects are finishing a basement, swapping a dated builder kitchen for one built to the room, or redoing a primary bath with proper waterproofing and tile. Newer framing often uses engineered joists and trusses, which cannot be cut or notched the way old lumber sometimes was, so any layout change gets checked against the framing plan.

Whatever the age of the house, the process holds. Steve walks it with you, the scope is written down, the city building department issues the permit under 780 CMR, and you get updates as the work moves through rough framing, rough trades, insulation and final inspection. When an inspection turns up something to correct, we correct it and tell you what it was.

Exterior work rounds out many jobs on older two-families. Porches take a beating from freeze-thaw, and rotted posts, railings and decking are common. We rebuild them with footings below frost depth and proper flashing where they meet the house, permitted like any other structural work.