The Boston Shadow Law: What Changes Mean for Developers
When you live in a city as old as Boston (established in 1630, thank you very much), there's bound to be a bunch of old laws on the books that don't make much sense to modern people. The Puritans who founded Boston were well known for their view about fun — no singing...
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Harnessing the Power of Community for Your Boston Development Project
It's hard to miss the old Boston Edison building in Southie — you can see its twin painted smokestacks from just about anywhere in the neighborhood, and the pink behemoth has been part of the landscape here since coming online as a power plant in 1892. It's located in...
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Remodeling your Boston Home? Structural Changes that Require a Permit
A general rule of thumb for remodeling is that it's better to ask beforehand rather than to do something that may have to be undone or redone later. As that rule pertains to work you want to do around the house, it can become a little more complicated. Remember that...
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5 Strategies to Close the Boston Construction Labor Shortage Gap
There's an old saying that it's easy to find workers, but difficult to keep good ones. While the second half of the statement may still be true, it's now harder than ever before to find those new employees. In the building trades, that labor shortage is worrisome for...
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4 New Provisions in CGP Are Wins for Boston Builders
Massachusetts is one of several states in which builders and developers must pull a Construction General Permit (CGP) any time their work affects over an acre of land — or less than an acre when working on a portion of a larger development site. The authorizing body...
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5 Popular Boston Kitchen Upgrades that Bring You Best ROI
If you're a Boston homeowner, odds are pretty good that you live in an older home. After all, Beantown is one of the oldest cities in the country, and we've got more than our fair share of historic homes, from Federal-style manors to brownstones to triple deckers. An...
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6 Creative Ways You Can Improve Your Triple Decker Condo Conversion
Yet another thing to file under "Only in Boston": the venerable old triple decker. These uniquely designed homes were hugely popular at the turn of the 20th century to house a booming immigrant population. Hard working families were looking for greener pastures,...
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Pros and Cons of a Parking Garage for Your Boston Condo Development
It's no secret that parking in Boston is ... difficult. That's not surprising, given that the city was famously laid out by cows meandering around the Common. Whether or not this is true, or if the city just sprang up randomly since settlers were too busy surviving...
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How a Pre-Finished Siding Extends the Life of Your Boston House Exterior
If you’re new to the world of pre-finished siding, then you may not be aware of the options that are available to you. Two popular finishes include flood coatings and Diamond Kote. What is the difference between these two finishes for your Boston house exterior? Let’s...
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3 Design Trends That Boston Homeowners Want in 2017
It's no secret that Boston homeowners are a trendy bunch. After all, the city is packed with young people who have come here for a great education, and lots of them are sticking around to make their mark in medical and tech careers. Their tastes have begun to drive...
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These 5 Amenities Will Attract Young Professionals to Your Condo Development
It would be hard to miss Boston's building boom over the past several years — especially if you've been around for a while. When even the Fenway is seeing snazzy new high rises, you know that a fundamental change is going on in the way that Bostonians are looking at...
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Why Accessible Home Design Should Be Part of a Residential Renovation Project
If you're a builder -- or a homeowner -- you might wonder why some things are done a certain way. Just because. It's tradition. That's what is standard; everybody knows it. Those aren't the best reasons for doing anything. Everybody knows that! But have you ever...
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Hire a Professional Remodeler vs DIY? 4 Questions to Ask
If you've ever thought, "I can do that," when confronted with a home improvement idea, you might also know the resulting dilemma if you bite off more than you can chew. Is there an easy way to decide in advance how much is too much? Maybe not totally, but here are...
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5 Construction Contract Clauses for Your Next Building Project
Doing great work with your hands? No problem. You're a pro. Drafting a contract that allows you to do that great work while protecting your interests? That's a whole lot trickier. If you haven't taken a good look at your standard contract in a while, now is the...
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How WELL Certified Could Change Building Standards of the Future
Just as there is an expanded awareness in medicine, allowing best practices of Eastern, alternative healing and even faith-based traditions to complement the science of surgery and pharmaceuticals, there is a growing tendency to address the built environment in a more...
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Building Single-Family “Starter Homes” in Boston Just Got Easier
If you're a Boston builder who's staked your reputation on building quality homes for the good people of Massachusetts, you might have begun to despair of ever building another house in the city. As housing costs have skyrocketed, ordinary families have been pushed...
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2 Ways to Increase Energy Efficiency by Weatherizing Your Home
We all know that the best way to dress for cool, damp and windy days is to layer on the clothing, right? In addition to wearing a shirt and sweater, most of us add a windbreaker to help keep away drafts. Even if temperatures don't drop into the frigid zone, it's a...
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Why Going Keyless is a Smart Idea for Multi-Family Door Locks
Most of us have "been there and done that" at one time or another -- been locked out of home or car, that is. Every time it happens, we resolve to be more careful, to hide an extra key somewhere, to leave a window slightly cracked. And then, the next time -- well, you...
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