Bathroom Remodeling
in Belmont, MA

Town Highlights and Property Values

We love taking on projects in Belmont, where homes in beautiful settings really get a chance to shine after a little update! We also love having a chance to stop by some of our favorite spots like Quebrada and Belmont Books.

Belmont has some of the most stately homes in the greater Boston area, with a broad range of architectural styles. With charming town centers and access to top-notch public and private schools, it is one of the most desirable places to live in the metro area.

As such an attractive town, home values have always been at a premium and continue to grow consistently. The median single-family home in Belmont is worth $1.695M, while condos are similarly expensive with a median of $940K. It’s an incredibly competitive dynamic, where the price of getting a foothold in the market is often a financial stretch or pursuing homes requiring meaningful renovation, or both.

For those lucky enough to be homeowners, Belmont boasts an average 5.2% annual appreciation over the last decade. With premium prices like these, there is usually a strong market for updated interiors. Whether you are considering an investment in remodeling for your family to enjoy or for resale value, you have a win-win where you get to benefit on both fronts.

Design Considerations in Belmont

Given the variety of home styles, it’s particularly important to work with a contractor who is able to seamlessly blend a customer’s personal style preferences with existing neighborhood architecture. These results require remodeling specialists like Cove Bath who understand the local market, provide extraordinary attention to detail, and can advise on bathroom design and material selections that maintain the home’s original character and charm.

Bathroom Remodeling in Belmont

Bathroom remodels in Belmont can be challenging, which is why you’ll want an experienced specialist like Cove Bath in your corner throughout the project. Belmont housing stock is old, which can drive up costs substantially. In fact, most homes were built before 1940, featuring Colonial Revival and Victorian styles. Here are some of the most common issues we see in Belmont:

1. Walls with plaster and lath: This can cause adjacent walls to crack during demolition.
2. Cast-iron waste stacks: Building code requires 2” but Belmont bathrooms often have 1.5” stacks. 
3. Outdated electrical: Knob-and-tube wiring is common, as are 2-wire circuits without grounding. These are safety hazards and we remediate them by having our electrician install GFCI outlets.
4. Asbestos: We test for asbestos before demoing to ensure customers’ safety and our compliance with building code.
5. Insufficient structural support: 100+ year-old framing is undersized relative to today’s standards. Installing a modern bathroom on top of undersized joists may require that we sister these joists to reinforce them.

Although these potential issues can sound intimidating, they are all solvable problems and having an experienced partner on your team goes a long way towards making the experience a smooth one. Additionally, our clients regularly tell us that once they see the beautiful result they feel it was well worth the bumps along the way.

Belmont Permitting Process

Permits in Belmont are straightforward, with transparent fees. They require that contractors have a Construction Supervisor License and a Home Improvement Contractor License. We have both, including the most advanced construction license granted in Massachusetts.

You might think the Belmont Historic District Commission could pose issues given the age of most homes in the area. In our experience, they don’t! This commission does have stringent rules about exterior renovations for “Significant Buildings”, but gut bathroom remodels are exempt. The one exception is if you would like to add a window, enlarge one, or expose a new dryer-style vent through to a street-facing wall. We cover all of this in detail for our Belmont clients!  

Belmont Street Logistics: Debris Removal and Parking

Belmont is strict about debris removal, requiring dumpsters to have a Department of Public Works permit. Further, because many Belmont homes feature smaller lots or narrow driveways, traditional 20 yard dumpsters may not fit. As a result, we often need to use smaller dumpsters and make more trips to dispose of material. This setup surprises homeowners sometimes, so we make sure to let them know about this as soon as possible. Belmont doesn’t allow for on-street parking between 1am-7am, so this is particularly important!

The Cove Bath Approach

As you can see, there’s substantial complexity involved in a Belmont bathroom remodel. We’ve worked closely and regularly with Belmont homeowners, ensuring our customers a smooth experience throughout. Our fixed price approach ensures that customers don’t take the financial risk associated with a potentially complex bathroom remodel. If that sounds appealing, please request a quote or set up a consultation with us at the link below.