Arlington's older two-families, remodeled with care

An older, denser housing stock

Census figures put Arlington at about 46,000 people on just over five square miles of land, close to 9,000 residents per square mile. The median home dates to 1946, about 46 percent were built before 1940, and only around one in twenty went up after 2000. This is a town that filled in long ago.

Detached single-family houses make up only 39 percent of the stock, and about 61 percent of homes are owner-occupied. In Greater Boston that pattern usually means two-families, owner-occupied buildings with a tenant upstairs or down, and condos carved out of older houses. A remodel here often involves one unit while another stays lived in, which shapes how we plan dust control, water and power shutoffs, and access through shared halls. Owner-occupants of a two-family often remodel their own unit first and the rental unit later, and both can be planned in one written scope.

That density also changes the job site itself. Lots are small, driveways are often shared, and a dumpster may need to sit on the street rather than in a yard. We plan deliveries and debris removal around those limits, agree with you on where material will be staged, and leave the sidewalk and the abutting side of the property clear each evening.

If a joist needs sistering or a wall carries more than it looks like, you hear it from us before the scope is signed.

Plaster, old wiring and what demo turns up

A house built before the war tends to have plaster on wood lath, and in many cases balloon framing, where studs run from the sill to the roof with open cavities between floors. Those cavities carry fire and air from basement to attic, so when we open a wall we add fire blocking and air sealing as part of the job. Knob-and-tube wiring and old galvanized supply lines are common finds, and both go to the licensed electrician and plumber to replace. Floors in these houses often slope, and we level the framing before new tile goes down.

Every one of these prewar homes predates 1978, so lead paint on trim, windows and stair parts is expected. We contain the work area, keep dust off the tenant's side of the building, and clean to a standard you can live with at the end of each day.

Where original trim, doors or built-ins are worth saving, we say so before demolition, number each piece and set it aside. Matching a missing profile is possible, but keeping the original is better.

Building up when the lot will not grow

With little land to spare, Arlington projects tend to go up or in rather than out. Finishing an attic, adding a dormer, rebuilding a third-floor bath or finishing a basement under an older foundation are the usual ways to gain space. Each one involves the building department, a structural look at old framing that was never meant to carry a new room, and insulation that has to meet the energy code.

From Raynham it is roughly 34 miles north to Arlington. On a two-family, Steve walks the unit being remodeled and the shared basement, since that is where the plumbing and power for the whole building usually run. If a joist needs sistering or a wall carries more than it looks like, you hear it from us before the scope is signed.

Basements under houses this age can be fieldstone or early poured concrete, often with low ceilings and a damp corner or two. Finishing one starts with water management and sometimes with rerouting a main drain for headroom. We tell you plainly when a basement is better used as dry storage and mechanical space than as a finished room, because not every old foundation is worth that work.