House Demolition
We take whole houses down to the ground across Weymouth and the South Shore. Garages and barns come down too, and we clear the debris off the site.
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Most of Newton's homes are well past 50 years old. Census estimates show nearly half were built before 1940, and two-thirds before 1960. Before one of them comes down, in whole or in part, it goes through the city's demolition review. If the Historical Commission finds a building preferably preserved, the permit waits a year or more.
MJ Masonry is a demolition and masonry contractor, and Newton is part of our service area around Weymouth. In Newton, we take on house demolition for owners who plan to tear down and rebuild. We also lay brick and concrete block (CMU) and pour the concrete that goes with them. Call or text (617) 838-0280, and we will look at the job and put the quote in writing.
Tell us about the demolition or masonry work and where it is. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.
Newton's demolition delay ordinance covers any building or structure 50 or more years old, in whole or in part. Partial demolition counts too, such as removing more than half of an outside wall. Interior demolition is left out of it.
The owner files a review application with photos of each side and a site plan or assessor's map. Within 15 days, the commission or its staff decides whether the building is historically significant. If it is not, the Commissioner of Inspectional Services can issue the demolition permit.
If it is significant, a public hearing follows within 45 days. The commission then decides if the building is preferably preserved, which means its loss would harm the city's heritage. That finding holds the permit for one year. For a building on or eligible for the National Register, the wait is 18 months.
Newton is made up of thirteen villages, among them Newton Corner, Nonantum, Waban and Oak Hill. The Mass Pike (Interstate 90) crosses the northern villages, and Route 9 runs through the south. Census estimates show about 55 percent of the city's homes are detached single-family houses. The 1950s alone added about one in eight of the homes standing today.
Teardown and rebuild projects have a long record in Newton. In 2024, the city permitted 52 new single-family houses, by Census Bureau counts. Our house demolition covers the full teardown, and we clear the debris from the site. When the quote includes it, the foundation comes out too.
Other owners keep the house and gut it for a remodel. Our interior demolition takes out non-structural walls, ceilings, finishes and fixtures, and we carry the debris out. The state building code calls for a permit for the substantial cutting away of any wall or partition. In Newton, the Inspectional Services Department issues it.
The federal soil survey maps a large share of Newton as Merrimac soils mixed with urban land. Merrimac soils formed in glacial outwash, the sand and gravel left by melting ice. They run very deep and drain fast. What sits under a given lot shows up in test pits or borings.
Other parts of the city rest on rocky glacial till. There, Hollis soils sit just 10 to 20 inches above bedrock, and ledge breaks the surface in places. The Massachusetts residential code puts the frost line at 48 inches, and footings go below it. Ledge and loose outwash both shape the work and the price of footings and foundation walls.
Newton Upper Falls and Newton Lower Falls are villages on the Charles River, and both are former industrial sites. Work near the river or a wetland can need approval from Newton's Conservation Commission.
Census Bureau permit counts show larger projects in Newton too. In 2024, the city permitted 355 units in five buildings of five or more units each.
Multi-unit buildings may need concrete block walls and elevator shafts. That is our commercial masonry, done for general contractors and much of it through bids. Brick veneer goes on where the plans call for it.
Redevelopment of an older site starts with taking down what stands on it. Our building demolition covers whole-building knockdowns of commercial and multi-unit buildings. Older commercial buildings go through the same 50-year demolition review. The debris leaves the site as part of the job.
Communities and areas we serve around Newton: Newton Centre, Newtonville, West Newton, Auburndale, Waban, Newton Highlands, Newton Upper Falls, Newton Lower Falls, Chestnut Hill, Oak Hill, Nonantum, Newton Corner.
Newton ZIP codes served: 02458, 02459, 02460, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02465, 02466, 02467, 02468.
Newton is part of our service area. We look at the job first, then put the quote in writing.
(617) 838-0280 We take whole houses down to the ground across Weymouth and the South Shore. Garages and barns come down too, and we clear the debris off the site.
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We knock down commercial and industrial buildings, warehouses and apartment buildings around Weymouth and Greater Boston. The debris leaves the site as part of the job.
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Interior demolition for houses and commercial spaces around Weymouth and Greater Boston. We handle gut-outs and selective demolition ahead of a renovation and carry the debris out.
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We lay concrete block (CMU) buildings and the elevator and stair shafts inside them. Brick and brick veneer go up on the same commercial jobs, priced in writing from the plans.
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We lay new brick walls for homes and commercial buildings, both structural brick and brick on concrete block. Brick steps and landings come with the building work, and we put the quote in writing.
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Concrete block (CMU) walls for commercial buildings and foundations, reinforced and grouted to the drawings. We pour the footings under the block walls we build, and we lay elevator and stair shafts in block.
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We lay brick veneer over wood-frame walls on homes and additions, and over concrete block (CMU) on commercial buildings. Metal ties hold it to the wall, and flashing and weep holes let water back out.
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Footings, foundations, slabs, pads, steps and landings for homes and commercial buildings. We pour the concrete that goes with our masonry work.
Learn MoreA few of the questions we hear most around Newton. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Use the form to tell us about the work and the town it is in. You can also call or text (617) 838-0280 and send photos or plans.
Tell us about the demolition or masonry work and where it is. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.