Carpentry in Salem, MA: trim, built-ins, mantels, window seats and porch repair matched to the city's older woodwork.
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In the McIntire, Derby Street, Lafayette Street and Washington Square districts, exterior changes visible from a public way need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Salem Historical Commission before work starts. Applications go through the city's online permit system, due 16 days before a meeting.
[1][2][3]The guidelines steer modern additions like decks to the less important sides of a house. A porch addition needs full elevation drawings showing railings, balusters, materials and paint color, and period porches shouldn't be left unpainted.
[1]Salem's Inspectional Services takes building, plumbing and gas permit applications through an online system, with card or check payment built in. You need an email address to use it.
[1]One statewide building code. Massachusetts uses a single building code for every town: 780 CMR, now in its tenth edition. Your local building department enforces it and issues the permits. source
Dig Safe before digging. State law requires notice to Dig Safe at least 72 hours before digging, not counting weekends and legal holidays. That includes holes for deck footings. Call 811. source
Samuel McIntire's carved woodwork survives in many Salem interiors, the city's preservation plan notes. When trim on an older house needs patching, we copy the profile instead of swapping in whatever the lumberyard stocks, and built-ins get drawn to sit comfortably next to the original work.
Porches count as carpentry, and in the historic districts they're reviewed. The guidelines ask that worn porch parts be repaired with materials that match the original. Replacing railings in the same design and color is maintenance; changing the design means a Certificate of Appropriateness.
Yes, and a matching repair is the simple route. Same design, material and color is ordinary maintenance under the guidelines. A new design needs a Certificate of Appropriateness.
Our work around Boston and the North Shore.
Local rules change. We link the official pages so you can check the current version, and we confirm what your job needs when we come look.
Send a request or give us a ring. We'll come to Salem, look at the job and give you a written price. Free.
