Painters and Remodelers in Somerville, MA
Somerville fits about 81,000 people into roughly 4.1 square miles, and 80.2% of its housing was built before 1970. We come over from Malden for that kind of work.
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Seven hills, old pipes, and a lot of neighbors.
Somerville's hazard plan calls topography a defining trait: seven hills split the drainage and set the street pattern, while lowlands and filled marsh shaped where building went. Most of the city's land use is housing, and multi-family homes take up far more ground than single-family ones.
That density changes how a job runs. Neighbors are close, so the city sets clear limits on construction noise, loading and dumpsters. We plan staging, haul-outs and loud work around those rules from the first walkthrough.
It also changes what's behind the walls. With most homes built before 1970, we expect old plaster, older framing and floors that aren't quite level.
Somerville rules that shape a home project.
From the Somerville Code of Ordinances and the city's permit pages. We check the current wording before each job.
Construction hours: 7 to 7, Saturdays 9 to 7
Somerville bars noisy construction tools and equipment before 7 a.m. and after 7 p.m. on weekdays, and before 9 a.m. and after 7 p.m. on Saturdays and the days after Thanksgiving and Christmas. Noisy construction isn't allowed on Sundays or Massachusetts legal holidays. [1]
No noisy loading after 7 p.m.
Handling building materials, crates or dumpsters between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. in a way that causes a noise disturbance is banned under the same ordinance. [1]
Local historic district certificates
Somerville's local historic district properties are listed address by address in the city code. Changing an exterior feature visible from a public way on one of them needs a Historic Preservation Commission certificate first. Paint color, storm windows and storm doors are excluded, and applications go through Citizenserve. [1][2]
Demolition review at 75 years
Outside the local districts, tearing down a building that is 75 or more years old, or on the National Register, goes through the Historic Preservation Commission. Starting to remove half or more of the exterior walls and roof counts as demolition. Side and rear decks, fences and stairs aren't counted as buildings. [1]
Dumpster permit from Inspectional Services
A construction dumpster can't go on any Somerville street, public or private, without a permit from the superintendent of inspectional services. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense. [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
Somerville neighborhoods, from a contractor's view.
East Somerville
The most paved-over part of the city with the worst drainage, per the hazard plan. Part of the reason: the filled-in Millers River.
Ten Hills and Assembly Square
Along the Mystic. The plan warns big coastal storms could flank the Amelia Earhart Dam as early as 2035 and flood this shorefront.
Union Square
On the hazard plan's list of new development sites under the Union Square Revitalization.
Along Alewife Brook
The western edge. Its open channel can silt up or catch fallen branches, which backs up drainage.
How we help Somerville homeowners.
Painting, kitchens and baths, built-ins and trim, basements and floors, and decks. One crew, one point of contact.
Why water is a Somerville question.
The city's 2022 hazard plan says most of Somerville's flooding comes from the drainage system and from streams that were filled in or channeled. Most sewers are over 125 years old, and nearly half are combined, carrying both rain and household waste.
The 'Main Drain,' built in 1873, still handles flow from two-thirds of the city's land. In a heavy storm, water has few places to go.
So before a basement gets finished or a floor goes down over a slab, we look for water lines, efflorescence and patched cracks. It's cheaper to find them first.
Somerville questions, answered.
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, for noisy tools and equipment. Sundays and Massachusetts legal holidays are off-limits for noisy construction.
Look up your address in Section 7-18 of the city code, which lists every local historic district property by street and number. If it's there, exterior changes visible from a public way need a certificate.
Yes. The ordinance covers construction dumpsters on any street in the city, public or private, and the permit comes from Inspectional Services.
Online, through the city's Citizenserve portal. That covers building permits and, since July 5, 2023, historic district and demolition review applications too. Inspectional Services is at 1 Franey Road for in-person help.
Near Somerville.
Area not listed? Call 781-866-6546. We travel for the right job.
Where this information comes from.
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.
- 1.Licenses & Permits (Citizenserve), City of Somerville
- 2.Somerville Code of Ordinances Ch. 9, Sec. 9-116, Noise disturbances
- 3.Somerville Code of Ordinances Ch. 7, Art. II, Historic Districts (Secs. 7-16 to 7-28)
- 4.Somerville Code of Ordinances Ch. 12, Sec. 12-77, Construction dumpsters
- 5.Somerville Hazard Mitigation Plan 2022 Update (MAPC) (Census-era figures (2019 ACS, 2020 census); land use is MassGIS 2016 as quoted in the plan.)
- MATenth edition of the MA State Building Code (780 CMR), Mass.gov
- MAM.G.L. c. 82, § 40A (excavation notice)
Need work done in Somerville?
Send a request or give us a ring. We'll come out to Somerville, look at the job and give you a written price. Free.
