Everett two-families and older homes, done right

Old buildings on a small footprint

Census figures count about 49,000 people and roughly 18,000 homes on less than three and a half square miles of land, which works out to more than 5,000 homes per square mile. The median building dates to 1938, and well over half the homes were standing before 1940.

Fewer than one in five homes is a single-family detached house. Most are two-families, triple-deckers and small apartment buildings, and about two thirds of households rent. Many of the owners who do live here own the building they live in, renting one unit and keeping the other. Ownership that low, with building density that high, means most remodeling calls come from landlords, owner-occupants of multi-family buildings and buyers getting an older property ready.

That shapes the work. An owner-occupant might want their own unit redone while the tenant's unit keeps running. Another might want a vacant unit brought up to date quickly so it can be rented again. Investors buying older buildings often want a clear picture of what the structure needs before they commit to finishes.

In a two-family with a tenant upstairs, that containment protects their household as well as yours.

What a 1930s two-family usually hides

Buildings of this age were often balloon framed, with wall studs running from the foundation to the roof. That matters during a remodel, because open stud bays can carry fire and air from floor to floor, and because cutting into them changes how the wall works. Fire blocking and air sealing get added where walls are open, and inspected along the way.

Plaster over wood lath is standard. Floors slope where joists were notched for pipes decades ago or where a foundation has settled. Fieldstone or early concrete foundations are common. Knob-and-tube wiring still turns up behind walls in some houses, and a licensed electrician evaluates anything we find. Old back stairs and porches also need attention to framing and footings, since a century of freeze and thaw works on them harder than on anything inside.

Nearly every building here predates 1978, so we plan for lead paint and follow EPA lead-safe work practices from the start. In a two-family with a tenant upstairs, that containment protects their household as well as yours.

Running a job close to Boston and close to neighbors

Everett is about 33 miles north of our Raynham base, part of Greater Boston, where lots are small and buildings sit close together. Deliveries are planned for when there is a place to unload, debris leaves without blocking shared entries, and materials are kept inside rather than on a porch or sidewalk. Loud work happens in set hours so tenants and neighbors know what to expect. Neighbors sit only a few feet away on most lots, so how the site looks at the end of the day matters as much as how the work looks at the end of the job.

Permits go through the city building department under 780 CMR, with inspections at rough framing, insulation and final, and plumbing and electrical inspected through their own licensed trades. If water or power has to be shut off on a shared line, we coordinate it so both units get notice. Inspections are scheduled so the tenant in the other unit is not caught off guard.

Steve runs Modern Remodeling on the idea that the people paying for the work deserve to know what is happening. On a rental, that means a written scope you can plan turnover around. On an owner's unit, it means updates while you are living with the work. Either way, the job is done right before his name goes on it.