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 Somerville's homes are old enough to fall under the city's demolition review. Census estimates say about 64 percent were built before 1950, so they are past the review's 75-year mark. More than half of all homes sit in two-family houses or in buildings with three or four units. So a teardown here starts with city paperwork long before a machine shows up.
MJ Masonry is a demolition and masonry contractor, and Somerville is part of our service area around Weymouth. Here we take on house demolition and building demolition, and we lay brick and concrete block (CMU). We look at the job and put the quote in writing. Call or text (617) 838-0280 to set up a visit.
Tell us about the demolition or masonry work and where it is. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.
Somerville's Historic Preservation Commission enforces the city's Demolition Review Ordinance. The city says a building over 75 years old must go through demolition review before it comes down. You apply for a Historic Permit in CitizenServe, the city's online permit portal. Taking down half or more of a building's outside walls and roof also counts as demolition.
In most cases, the commission first decides at a public hearing whether the building is significant. A significant building then gets a second hearing on whether it is preferably preserved. If it is, the demolition review period can last up to 18 months. During that time, the ordinance encourages the owner and the commission to look for a buyer or another option.
The ordinance exempts several districts, including Assembly Square, Brickbottom, the Inner Belt, Boynton Yards and the Union Square D Blocks. Buildings in a local historic district go through the commission's historic district review instead. The city posts a map of the exempt areas. Check it, and the building's age, before you set a demolition date.
Demolition and building permits come from the Building Division of Somerville's Inspectional Services Department (ISD). Applications go through CitizenServe. The city says a total teardown needs a demolition permit. Interior gutting needs a building permit, not a demolition permit.
A full teardown, or the removal of more than a quarter of a building, triggers the city code's notice rule. At least seven days before the permit, the applicant mails notices with a return receipt. They go to abutting residents and the ward councilor, and to owners of property within 300 feet. For a small structure, up to 500 square feet and 15 feet tall, that circle shrinks to 100 feet.
A notice must also stay posted on the property for at least seven days. Within 30 feet of another structure, the city code adds a fire detail and a dust control plan. The permit checklist also calls for rodent control and hazardous materials testing. An asbestos survey comes first, and an asbestos abatement contractor removes any asbestos before we start.
The 2020 Census counted 81,045 people in Somerville, on about 4.1 square miles of land. Census estimates show only about one home in ten is a detached single-family house. Two-family houses hold 28 percent of homes, and buildings with three or four units hold 27 percent. About two in three occupied homes are rented.
When the plan is a remodel, the building stays and the inside comes out. Our interior demolition takes out non-structural walls and ceilings, and we carry the debris out. The demolition review ordinance does not count interior work that leaves the structure intact. A building permit still applies, and the city's permit checklists ask for a pest control plan.
When the whole building comes down, the notice rule applies, and so does the review for an older building. Our house demolition covers the full teardown, and we clear the debris from the site. A garage counts as a building under the review ordinance. The ordinance allows staff review for some concrete block garages and sheds.
The federal soil survey maps about 40 percent of Somerville as urban land. Nearly half of that sits on a wet substratum. Wet ground and old fill can change what new footings need. The plans for the new building set that, and our concrete footings and foundation walls follow them.
Lots near the Mystic River or Alewife Brook can need Conservation Commission review. The city says most of its protected wetlands and riverfront areas sit near those two waters. The commission's list covers work within 25 feet of a river or 100 feet of a wetland.
Green Line stations opened in 2022 at Union Square, East Somerville, Gilman Square, Magoun Square and Ball Square. When a new building follows a knockdown, our commercial masonry covers concrete block walls and elevator shafts for general contractors. ISD's commercial checklist adds a construction management plan for site access and street use.
Communities and areas we serve around Somerville: Union Square, Davis Square, Assembly Square, East Somerville, Winter Hill, Ten Hills, Spring Hill, Prospect Hill, Magoun Square, Ball Square, Teele Square, Boynton Yards.
Somerville ZIP codes served: 02143, 02144, 02145.
Somerville 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 Somerville. 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.