General Contractor in Watertown, MAfor Two-Families, Porches and Full Remodels

Walk the side streets off Mount Auburn Street in Coolidge Square and East Watertown and you will see block after block of two-family houses, many with stacked porches out back. The same pattern runs through the streets around Watertown Square and into the West End. Bemis, along the Charles River, and the streets near Perkins School are a bit quieter, with more single-family homes, but two-families are part of almost every neighborhood.

A lot of this housing went up as streetcar lines and local industry grew around the turn of the 20th century. That means balloon framing, plaster walls, original wood siding under later vinyl or aluminum, and mechanical systems that have been patched more than once.

Many Watertown projects are really unit renovations. An owner who lives on one floor and rents the other, or a family that bought the house to share with parents, often wants a full update of one unit: kitchen, bath, floors, trim and paint, all coordinated so it finishes on one schedule.

We sequence those jobs around the people living in the building. Water and power shutoffs are planned and announced, shared halls and stairs stay clear, and the work area is closed off from the rest of the house. If the basement is part of the plan, Watertown has seen growing interest in accessory dwelling units, and we can talk through what the space would need before you commit to drawings.

For single-family owners in Bemis or the West End, the usual requests look more like the rest of the suburbs: a bigger kitchen, a second bath, a finished attic or basement, and better flow between rooms.

Rear porches are one of the most common exterior jobs in Watertown. Two- and three-story porches on older two-families take years of snow, rain and freeze-thaw, and the ledgers, posts and stair stringers are often the first to go. When a porch feels soft or starts to lean, it is a safety issue for both units, not a cosmetic one.

We rebuild porches and stairs with proper footings and framing and pull the building permit that this kind of work normally requires. Siding and roofing round out the exterior list: we strip and replace worn siding, deal with what we find underneath, and replace roofs with the ice barrier and flashing older houses never had.

Watertown has one local historic district, the Mt. Auburn Street Historic District, which runs along Mount Auburn Street between Summer Street and Lincoln Street. The Historic District Commission reviews work on structures in that district, so a house there needs approval before exterior changes go ahead.

Outside the district, the Historical Commission runs a demolition delay ordinance for buildings 50 years old or older. A building found to be significant can be delayed for up to 24 months, which can affect large rebuilds as well as teardowns.

Watertown was also one of the first communities in Massachusetts to adopt the Specialized Energy Code. It mostly affects new construction and major projects, so a large addition or gut renovation may face stricter energy rules than a typical remodel. Structural work, roofs, porches and most decks normally need a building permit, with separate plumbing and electrical permits. We review all of this at the first visit and help handle the permit process.

We are based in Woburn and take on projects across Watertown. Nathan, the owner, does the walkthrough, writes the estimate and is on the job during the work, so you have one point of contact and you always know who to call.

Parking and dumpster space are tight on many Watertown streets, so we plan that before the first day. Floors and stairs get protected, dust stays contained and the site is cleaned daily. If opening a wall turns up rot, old wiring or a past repair that was not done right, we stop, show you and put any change in writing before moving on. The estimate is free.