General Contractor in Back Bay, Boston MA
Carpentry comes before coating on Back Bay exteriors. Back Bay is built on fill. Interior plaster cracks along predictable lines as buildings settle, and bridging them without addressing the substrate just reopens them. We repair or replace it first, because paint over soft wood buys a season.
General Contractor Services in Back Bay
Carpentry Repair in Back Bay
Trim, doors, porches and structural wood — We repair the wood before we paint it. Painting over a rotted board is a one-season fix.. If you want the detail, here's how we handle carpentry repair in Back Bay.
Wood Rot Repair in Back Bay
Fascia, sills, casings and corner boards — Cut out the rot, treat with epoxy consolidant where the piece is salvageable, replace it where it isn't.. If you want the detail, here's how we handle wood rot repair in Back Bay.
Siding Repair in Back Bay
Clapboard, shingle and fiber cement — Damaged courses replaced and profile-matched, then primed on all sides before they go up.. If you want the detail, here's how we handle siding repair in Back Bay.
Trim Installation in Back Bay
Baseboard, casing, crown and millwork — Installed, caulked and painted as one job so the finish lines up with the walls.. If you want the detail, here's how we handle trim installation in Back Bay.
Looking at other work in the area? Start from the Back Bay overview.
More on this trade generally: General Contracting across our service area.
What General Contracting Work Here Actually Involves
1860s–1890s brownstone and brick rowhouses with bay windows, ornate cornices, iron railings and original interior plaster and millwork.
Most of our general contracting work here is for owners and condo associations in the rowhouses, most of them working within the commission process already.
Back Bay Architectural District
One of Boston's strictest. Exterior changes visible from a public way require Architectural Commission approval, including paint colours on trim, doors and window sash.
Filled land settling
Back Bay is built on fill. Interior plaster cracks along predictable lines as buildings settle, and bridging them without addressing the substrate just reopens them.
Alley-only access
Front elevations sit on the street with no setback. Most staging happens off the alley, which limits what equipment can get in.
What a Contracting Quote Has to Account For
What drives the price
Carpentry pricing is mostly about what is behind the surface, which nobody knows until it is open. We price the known scope firmly and carry the unknowns as a written allowance rather than a vague contingency, so a rot repair that turns out to run further than the visible damage does not become an argument halfway through. In Back Bay, Boston specifically, the work is mostly Victorian brownstones, and Back Bay Architectural District review shapes how we schedule and stage it.
How the work is sequenced
Repairs come before finishes, always. There is no point painting trim that is going to be replaced, and no point replacing trim while the flashing above it is still letting water in. We work from the water source down: flashing and drainage first, then the substrate, then the carpentry, then the coating.
Where it usually goes wrong
The common failure is cosmetic work done over an unresolved cause. Filler over rot that still has a moisture path behind it will fail again in a season, and the second repair costs more than the first because the damage has spread. If we find a source we cannot fix, we tell you before we coat over it rather than after.
How long it takes
Carpentry runs on material availability as much as labour. Stock trim and standard dimensional lumber are immediate. Matched profiles for older houses can take weeks to source or mill, and we flag that at the estimate rather than discovering it mid-job.
Recent Work
Before & After
Drag the handle to compare
Colonial exterior, full repaintClapboard had failed down to bare wood across the elevation. Washed, scraped back, feathered, wood repaired, primed and finished in two coats.
Licensed, Insured, and Based in Allston
Family-owned contractor working out of Allston. Massachusetts Home Improvement Contractor licence #193121, general liability and workers' compensation carried on every job.
Estimates in Back Bay
Free written estimate, normally inside 24 hours.
(617) 777-7700 Call Now Request OnlineQuestions We Get Asked
Do you fix the wood before painting it in Back Bay?
Can you match old trim profiles?
Is carpentry quoted separately?
Ready for Your General Contractor Estimate in Back Bay, Boston?
We walk the property, measure it, and send a written itemised quote — normally inside 24 hours. No pressure, no obligation.
Licensed #193121 · Fully insured · 2-year workmanship warranty