Carpenter in Somerville, MA

Rough Carpentry

Somerville homes are mostly older wood-frame buildings, and renovations frequently uncover tired joists, rotted sills and porch framing that needs replacement. We install beams, sister joists, frame new layouts in condo conversions and renovations and replace rotted framing. Permits from the city are required for structural work, and we plan around inspections.

Attic and basement conversions are common in Somerville as owners look for more space, and both need new framing, stairs and ceilings that fit into an older building. We plan the work with your designer and the city so inspections go smoothly. Work areas are sealed to limit dust for neighbors.

• Home Framing & Additions
• Structural Remodeling & Modifications
• Roof & Ceiling Framing
• Sub-Flooring

Finish Carpentry

We install crown, baseboards, wainscoting, panel molding and casing, match original trim in older homes, and rebuild stairs and railings in shared stairways and private units. Accent walls with panel molding, like the one in our photos, add character to condo living rooms and bedrooms.

Many Somerville units lost their original trim in past renovations. We can put back character with taller baseboards, wider casings, crown molding and wainscoting, or match the original profiles that remain elsewhere in the building. Shared stairways get new treads, tightened railings and balusters spaced to code. All trim is primed and ready for your painter.

• Interior Trim & Molding
• Doors & Window Casing
• Staircases & Railings

Cabinetry & Storage

Small Somerville kitchens and bedrooms need smart storage. We install kitchen and bath cabinets, build built-in bookshelves, window seats and wardrobes, and add storage under stairs and in eaves. Built-ins can give a room without a closet the storage it needs.

Kitchens in two-family and triple-decker units are often narrow, so cabinet layouts and installation have to be precise. We set cabinets level on floors that slope and scribe fillers to uneven walls. In bedrooms without closets, built-in wardrobes give real storage without taking much floor space. Window seats with drawers add storage in small living rooms without using closet space.

• Kitchen & Bath Cabinetry
• Built-Ins & Bookshelves
• Closets & Storage

Exterior Carpentry

Front and back porches define Somerville's triple-deckers and two-families. We rebuild porch framing, decking, stairs and railings to code, replace rotted trim, soffits and fascia, and build fences and small decks for tight backyards.

Stacked rear porches on Somerville triple-deckers are often the second way out of each unit, so they have to be built solidly. We rebuild posts, beams, joists, decking, stairs and railings, and use pressure-treated framing and corrosion-resistant hardware. We also replace rotted trim, soffits and fascia before water reaches the framing behind them. On tight lots, we plan material staging and deliveries so neighbors are not blocked in.

• Deck & Porch Framing
• Backyard Structures

Doors & Windows

We hang interior doors, install entry and back doors with proper flashing and secure hardware, and repair rotted window sills and jambs. Older Somerville buildings often need doors scribed to fit openings that have shifted over time.

In multi-family homes, unit entry doors and back porch doors take heavy use. We install solid doors with good locks, repair rotted thresholds and frames, and rehang interior doors that no longer close because the building has shifted. New windows get extension jambs and interior trim so they look finished inside. Exterior doors get sill pans and flashing so thresholds stay dry year-round.

Flooring

We install solid and engineered hardwood flooring, level old subfloors and weave new boards into original floors. Engineered hardwood is a practical choice for condo units.

Many Somerville homes have old strip oak that has been patched over the years. When new flooring goes in, we refasten and level the subfloor, replace damaged sections and install solid or engineered hardwood. Condo buildings may have rules for sound-control underlayment, which we follow. We finish thresholds and stair nosing so each unit looks complete. Stair treads and nosing are matched to new floors, and thresholds are installed where hardwood meets tile in kitchens and baths.