Raynham is home base for Modern Remodeling

A young housing stock for this part of the state

Our home town counts about 15,100 people and roughly 5,800 homes in census figures, with a median year built of 1986. That is newer than most towns around it. About 27 percent of homes were built since 2000, and only about 8 percent predate 1940. About two-thirds are single-family detached, and close to 77 percent are owner-occupied.

That profile shapes what remodeling usually means here. Many Raynham houses are colonials, Capes and ranches built between the 1980s and the 2000s, and some neighborhoods are newer still. The structure is generally sound. What owners want is the builder kitchen replaced, a primary bath brought up to date, a basement turned into usable rooms or a deck that suits how they use the yard. Many were built quickly during busy building years, so trim, tile and cabinet work were often done to a builder's standard rather than the owner's.

The other third of the housing includes condos, attached homes and a smaller set of older houses. Those get their own approach, including lead-safe practice in anything built before 1978. Condo and townhouse work brings an association into the plan, and the older homes can hide plaster, early wiring and framing that a newer house never had.

The permit and its inspection stages are written into the scope, so you never wonder whether a step was skipped.

Working close to the shop

Being local changes the logistics. Walkthroughs are easy to schedule, the drive between the shop and the job is short, and a question that comes up mid-week can be looked at in person instead of through a phone screen. Material runs do not eat half a day. On an inspection morning we are close by instead of an hour away.

It also means our name is in front of neighbors on every job in town. Steve started Modern Remodeling after years of working for guys that lacked communication, and customers sum up his standard this way: if it is not right, Steve will not put his name on it.

Permitted work goes through the Raynham building department under the Massachusetts State Building Code, 780 CMR, with inspections at the stages the work requires. Steve holds an unrestricted Massachusetts Construction Supervisor License. The permit and its inspection stages are written into the scope, so you never wonder whether a step was skipped.

Common projects in newer Raynham homes

Basements are the biggest untapped space in houses of this age. We start with moisture: grading, gutters and any dampness at the foundation get addressed before framing. Then come insulation, framing, wiring by a licensed electrician and finishes. If a bedroom is planned and the house is on septic, Title 5 adds a design-flow review that we raise up front. Egress for a basement bedroom is part of the same plan, since a sleeping room below grade needs a code-compliant way out.

Decks are the other frequent request on single-family lots. Footings go below frost depth, commonly about four feet, and the ledger connection to the house gets flashed so water does not rot the rim joist behind it. Older decks often fail at exactly that spot. Railings and stairs get the same scrutiny, and older wood decks are a common place to find loose rails and footings that never went deep enough.

Kitchens in 1990s and 2000s houses usually keep their footprint and change everything inside it: cabinets, tops, tile, lighting and the flow toward the family room. Opening that flow sometimes takes a structural beam, and we confirm the load before anyone swings a hammer. The finished work gets the same walkthrough at the end that the house got at the start.