Renovating in Brookline, MA: A Planning Guide for Condo and House Owners

If you own a condo, your association is a second decision maker. Most master deeds and bylaws say what an owner can change without approval, and anything touching plumbing stacks, structural walls, windows or floors over another unit usually needs the board to sign off. Many associations also ask for the contractor information, a written scope and a plan for protecting common areas before work begins.

Get a copy of the rules early and read them with your contractor. Look for allowed work hours, elevator or stair protection requirements, where debris can go, flooring and sound control rules, and how much notice neighbors need. A condo kitchen that is ready to start can sit for weeks waiting on a board meeting, so build that into your schedule.

If you own the whole house, you have more freedom inside but more town rules can apply outside, especially in the historic districts and on the larger lots where additions are common. The next sections cover those.

Brookline has nine local historic districts created by Town Meeting and administered by the Brookline Preservation Commission: Cottage Farm, Pill Hill, Graffam-McKay, Chestnut Hill North, Harvard Avenue, Lawrence, Wild-Sargent, Crowninshield and Olmsted-Richardson. Inside them, exterior changes that can be seen from a public way generally need approval from the Commission before the work moves forward.

That can include windows, doors, porches, roofing material, siding, fences and additions. Interior remodels are generally outside the Commission review. If you are not sure whether your house is in a district, the Preservation Commission staff can tell you, and it is much better to ask before the design is finished than after.

Even outside the districts, the demolition delay bylaw can matter. Demolishing all or a significant part of a building the Commission finds historically or architecturally significant can bring a delay of a year or more. If your plan removes a large section of an older house to make room for an addition, raise this question early.

In Massachusetts, structural changes, additions, roofing and most decks normally need a building permit, and plumbing, gas and electrical work carry their own permits. In Brookline, applications go through the Building Department online permit portal.

Brookline opted into the Massachusetts Specialized Opt-in Energy Code, effective in 2023. It mainly targets new construction and major projects. A typical kitchen or bath remodel inside an existing house or condo is affected much less, but a large addition or a gut renovation can carry stricter energy requirements than the same work in a town on the base code. Ask about it at the design stage, not after the plans are drawn.

Permit review time depends on the scope and the workload at Town Hall. Do not schedule demolition for the week after you apply.

Much of Brookline was built between the late 1800s and the 1930s, and age shows once walls open. In the Victorian and Colonial Revival houses on Aspinwall Hill, Corey Hill and around Brookline Village, expect plaster and lath, balloon framing with open cavities between floors, knob-and-tube wiring in some walls, and floor joists notched decades ago for plumbing.

In older condo buildings, the surprises are often in the bathroom. Original tile set in a thick mortar bed, cast iron drains and galvanized supply lines are common. Opening a bathroom floor in a stacked building also means thinking about the unit below: the shower pan, the drain connection and the waterproofing have to be right, because a leak becomes your neighbor's ceiling problem.

Any home built before 1978 likely has lead paint somewhere, and work that disturbs it must follow lead-safe practices. Older materials like some floor tiles, pipe insulation and plaster can contain asbestos and should be tested before demolition.

Logistics are a bigger part of a Brookline project than in most suburbs. Streets are tight, parking is limited and many buildings have shared driveways or no driveway at all. Ask your contractor where the truck parks, where the dumpster or debris bags go and how materials reach an upper floor.

Putting a dumpster or storage container on a public street generally requires a street occupancy permit from the town. In a condo building, plan how hallways and stairs are protected and how dust is kept out of the shared spaces. Talking to neighbors before work starts prevents most complaints.

Roofing, siding, porch repair, decks and stone walls go best from late spring through fall. Masonry needs mild temperatures for mortar to cure, and exterior paint and sealants need dry weather.

Interior work, including most condo projects, runs year round. Many Brookline owners design in the fall, collect approvals from the board or the Preservation Commission over the winter and start in spring. If your house is in a historic district, add the review time to your calendar before you pick a start date.

Brookline sits at the high end of the Greater Boston market for labor and finishes. Published ranges vary a lot, but for rough planning, many midrange kitchen remodels in the area typically land well into five figures, and full bathroom remodels often run in the tens of thousands. Condo work can add cost through protection, restricted hours and access. Treat any number you read as a starting point, then get written estimates for your actual scope.

Keep a contingency. Around 10 percent is common for newer construction, while many owners of pre-war Brookline homes and buildings plan for 15 to 20 percent. Ask for an estimate that lists scope and materials line by line, so two contractors can be compared fairly.

NC Construction is a general contractor based in Woburn that takes on projects in Brookline: kitchens and baths, tile and mud-set shower pans, floors, finish carpentry, porches, decks, siding, roofing and stone walls. Nathan, the owner, does the walkthrough, writes the estimate and is on the job while work is underway.

We read the condo rules or check the historic district question with you at the first visit, explain the permit process and help handle it. Request a free estimate when you are ready to plan.