Drywall, Plaster & Stucco in Somerville, MA

Triple-deckers and two-families from Davis Square to Union Square

Somerville is one of the most densely built cities in New England, and most of its housing is two-families and triple-deckers built between the 1890s and the 1920s. You see them on every block, from Winter Hill and Spring Hill to Ball Square, Magoun Square, Teele Square and East Somerville.

Those buildings still carry a lot of original plaster and lath. Ceilings crack where the floors above flex, stairwells show years of patching and walls between units take damage from leaks. With so many units changing hands or becoming condos, owners often want every room brought back to smooth, flat walls at once.

We repair plaster where it's sound, skim the rooms that have been patched too many times and hang new board where a wall has to be opened for wiring or plumbing. Stairwells and hallways get the same care as the living spaces, since they're the first thing a buyer or tenant sees.

Opening plaster walls in a triple-decker makes a lot of dust, and the neighbors in the other units notice. We close off the work area, cover what stays in the room and clean as we go, so the rest of the building isn't living in a construction site. In many units we can repair and skim instead of opening walls at all, which keeps the mess down.