Remodels for Hudson's older and newer homes

Pre-1940 and post-2000 in one compact town

Census figures count about 8,560 homes in Hudson, with a median year built of 1972. That median hides two very different ends. Around 22 percent of the stock is older than 1940, and close to 20 percent is newer than 2000, so a crew there can open a plaster wall on Monday and a drywall one on Tuesday.

The old end brings the usual New England surprises. Balloon framing with open cavities, plaster over wood lath, fieldstone foundations, and now and then knob-and-tube wiring that a licensed electrician has to deal with before walls close. Lead paint is assumed on anything older than 1978, and the work is set up for it: containment, dust control, careful cleanup. Old foundations also tend to let in water, and we check the basement walls and grading before anyone suggests finishing space below grade.

The new end is about layout and finish: kitchens that need more storage, baths that need better ventilation and basements waiting to be finished. Different problems, the same written scope and the same inspections. With roughly 740 homes per square mile of land, lots are tighter than in the towns around it. Dumpster placement, parking and material storage get planned with the neighbors in mind.

If the plan shifts, the paperwork shifts with it, and you sign off on the new number first.

Two-families, condos and rental units

Detached single-family houses account for only about 56 percent of the homes in Hudson, and about 73 percent are lived in by their owners. That leaves a sizable share of two-families, condos and rentals, and many owners live in one unit while renting another. A two-family with an owner upstairs often wants the rental unit done first, so it earns while the owner's side waits, and we can sequence the job that way.

Work in a multi-family building has its own requirements. Walls and floors between units have to keep the fire separation the code calls for, each unit needs proper egress, and shared plumbing means coordinating shutoffs with the people downstairs. We plan those steps in the scope so they are not discovered on the day.

For landlords we price unit by unit, so turnovers can be phased around leases. Finishes are chosen to hold up to tenants, and occupied neighbors get protected halls and a clean site at the end of each day. If a unit has to stay rented during the work, we agree on hours, access and which areas are off limits before the first day.

About forty-one miles, planned ahead

Hudson is around 41 miles northwest of Raynham. Jobs at that distance get materials ordered and staged before demolition, and inspection dates set early, so a missing part does not stop a day of work. The town is compact enough that a well-run day covers a lot of ground, so we plan the trades in a sequence that keeps someone working on the house every scheduled day.

Steve keeps the client in the loop throughout. He went into business after years of watching jobs go sideways for lack of communication, so updates are regular and any change to the plan comes to you in writing before it is built. Nothing gets built on a handshake change made in the driveway. If the plan shifts, the paperwork shifts with it, and you sign off on the new number first.

For an owner who lives upstairs and rents downstairs, that means two sets of updates: what affects your unit, and what you need to tell your tenant. We keep both straight.