Frequently Asked Questions

Here's a couple of reasons why you should install new flooring: - Your current flooring has cracks in it - It's been a while since you've updated your flooring - The current flooring no longer goes with the rest of the room

When choosing flooring, it's important to think about the purpose of the flooring. For rooms that often have to deal with water, like kitchens and bathrooms, choosing a water proof option like luxury vinyl plank (LVP) or moisture-resistant option like porcelain tile is a good idea. In other rooms, like a bedroom or living room, hardwood can give a more classic and timeless look.

If you're just swapping your old flooring for new flooring, and aren't making any structural changes, you don't typically need to apply for a permit, since this is considered a cosmetic update in Massachusetts building code.

To maximize the return on investment on your flooring, prioritize re-finishing your flooring before replacing it. If you do need to replace your flooring, choose an affordable but durable material like luxury vinyl plank (LVP). It's also a good idea to keep the flooring neutral in color and style. If you're trying to figure out what areas of your home to prioritize for flooring replacement, do the high traffic areas first.

You should choose SJ Carpentry as your flooring installer because we're highly rated by your friends and neighbors! We provide excellent service, free estimates, and we handle all aspects of the project, working with you from the initial design to project completion.

With a bathroom remodel, major upgrades are often completed, such as changing around plumbing and electrical, adding in new plumbing fixtures to replace the old ones, and potentially knocking down walls or making the space bigger. To ensure that your build is compliant with building codes, and is completed properly, it's always best to consult a professional contractor.

When remodeling a bathroom, you want to choose moisture-resistant materials. For areas like a shower, porcelain and ceramic tile, natural stone, and fiberglass panels are good options. Porcelain and ceramic are the most versatile options. Natural stone gives a high-end look but requires sealing often to prevent moisture buildup. Fiberglass panels are the most budget friendly and DIY friendly option. For flooring, porcelain tile, luxury vinyl plank, or engineered wood are all good options. When choosing paint, choose something with a semi-gloss finish because it resists moisture well.

For a countertop, engineered quartz and granite are both good, moisture-resistant options. For fixtures, brushed nickel chrome, brass, and copper are all durable options.

Per Massachusetts building code, you need a building permit if you're doing the following: Making structural changes Moving or removing walls Altering the room footprint Widening doors or windows Plumbing permits are required if you're making any changes to the water supply, waste, or vent lines. If you're making changes to any of these things, you must hire a Master or Journeyman Plumber with the proper credentials to pull this permit. If you're planning on doing any sort of electrical work, you'll more than likely need an electrical permit as well. We recommend always checking in with your local town or municipality before beginning work to ensure you apply for the proper permits.

Adding two vanities is more expensive, but it has it's advantages, especially if multiple people are using the bathroom at the same time everyday, such as families getting ready on a busy morning. However, a single vanity might work better if the available space is less than 60 inches, or if you want more counter space and storage.

The highest ROI projects you can do in your bathroom are painting the walls and cabinets, upgrading the fixtures, and adding new mirrors. Mostly cosmetic updates. Avoid over-customizing your bathroom, especially if you plan on selling your house soon. If you're looking to keep costs lower, don't move the location of any plumbing fixtures or do any electrical work unless absolutely necessary.

We do partial bathroom remodels and cosmetic updates.

You should choose SJ Carpentry as your bathroom remodel contractor because we're highly rated by your friends and neighbors! We provide excellent service, free estimates, and we handle all aspects of the project, working with you from the initial design to project completion.

Composite decking costs significantly more than regular wood decking. The advantages of using composite decking are that the maintenance is little to none, and it can last multiple decades before needing to be replaced. However, wood decking gives a more traditional design, and is more cost-effective. However, you need to be mindful of splinters and cracks that may appear over time due to weather damage, and wood decking needs to be stained frequently to keep it's color.

You will definitely need a building permit for a deck in Massachusetts if your deck: Will be attached to your home Will serve as a main entry or exit point for your home Will be larger than 200 square feet Will be more than 30 inches off of the ground Even then, you may still need a building permit, depending on the regulations of your town or municipality. It's always best to check in with your town before building a deck to ensure you're building up to code.

There are several different types of decks that you can build. These include wrap around decks, multi-level decks, floating decks, and attached decks. Wrap around decks cover multiple sides, or even the entirety, of the exterior of your home. Multi-level decks are good for houses with a large slope in the backyard, or uneven ground. Multi-level decks can provide extra opportunities for entertaining or having extra space to store things under the deck. Floating decks exist entirely separate from your home. Attached decks are attached to your home, typically extending from a door to the inside.

The best thing that you can do to maximize the value you'll add to your home when building a deck is by ensuring the size and blueprint of the deck are proportional to your home and yard.

You should choose SJ Carpentry as your deck builder because we're highly rated by your friends and neighbors! We provide excellent service, free estimates, and we handle all aspects of the project, working with you from the initial design to project completion.

A shed is an often small, enclosed space whose main purpose is for storage. Sheds are highly customizable, allowing you to fully control how you want to store your things. You can add more shelving if you’re a gardener, or make it larger if you have a tractor or snowblower.

To build a shed, you'll need several types of materials. In order to create a stable base, you'll need a concrete foundation, as well as floor joists and flooring. The concrete base gives you a level and structurally sound surface to build your shed on. For the frame, you can use 2x4s for the walls and roof. Some places also sell framing kits. For the exterior siding and trim, you have a couple of options. Wood siding is durable and protects well against decay. Vinyl siding is low maintenance, but you'll need an OSB layer underneath it to ensure it's secured properly. Lastly, trim helps prevent against rot, seals corners, and holds paint well. For a roof, you'll need an asphalt underlayment, and shingles are typically used for the roofing itself.

If your shed is under 200 square feet, you generally don't need a building permit in Massachusetts. If you're adding electrical or plumbing, you may need separate permits. We recommend checking with your local town or municipality to be sure before building.

There are many different types of sheds that you can build, both by style and by purpose. For styles, you could build a lean-to shed, which has a roof going in one direction. You could build a gable shed, which has a typical triangle frame roof. You could also choose to build a shed with a flat roof as well. When thinking about the functionality of a shed, you can build a shed to store tools, a mower or snowblower, or even for a studio or home office. There's lots of different use cases for a shed!

You should choose SJ Carpentry as your shed builder because we're highly rated by your friends and neighbors! We provide excellent service, free estimates, and we handle all aspects of the project, working with you from the initial design to project completion.

What is a pavilion? Pavilions provide shade in outdoor spaces without making you feel closed off. They are freestanding structures, often with open sides. They also have a solid roof, unlike their counterpart, pergolas.

Pavilions are great for gatherings and events. It can also be used for more low-key activities like housing a garden, or just being a nice addition to the aesthetics of your backyard.

For the foundation, you'll want to use concrete footings or a concrete pad, as that will be the sturdiest foundation. For the frame, you have several options, including douglas fir, pressure-treated pine, or metal. Douglas fir has beautful grain and is very sturdy, however it needs to be stained and sealed in order to prevent it from rotting. Pressure-treated pine is one of the most cost-effective and readily available materials, however it requires frequent staining to prevent cracking and weather damage. Metal can last for decades, but gets hotter during the summer. Lastly, you can use a metal roof for durability, or asphalt shingles for the roof if you want a more cost-effective option.

At the very least, you will need a building permit from your local town of municipality in order to build a pavilion, since they have a roof and are often permanently anchored. If you plan on adding lights, electrical outlets, or plumbing of any kind, you may need additional permits. If you plan on encroaching on any property boundaries, you may also need zoning approval as well. Check with your local town hall for more information.

There are many different types of pavilions you can build. You could build a gable roof pavilion, which forms a triangular roof overhead. There's also a lean-to roof pavilion, which has a roof sloping in only one direction. You'd typically find these attached to the side of an existing structure, but they can also exist on their own too. There's also the pergola-style pavilion, which combines the design of a pergola with the roof of a pavilion.

There are many use cases for a pavilion. You could use a pavilion as an entertainment area, an outdoor kitchen, or a carport, though there are many other functionalities too.

You should choose SJ Carpentry as your pavilion builder because we're highly rated by your friends and neighbors! We provide excellent service, free estimates, and we handle all aspects of the project, working with you from the initial design to project completion.

A pergola is an outdoor garden, with the purpose of forming a shaded area for people to walk through. There’s also the option of adding a seating area to a pergola for outdoor entertainment at home as well. It has a unique design from a pavilion, with vertical pillars that support beams in a grid shape across the top.

A pergola is a great way to create a semi-covered space in your backyard or garden. It offers a mixture of both sun and shade, since they have an open roof, unlike a gazebo or patio cover.

There are many different materials that you can use to build a pergola. You could use wood, metal, or a synthetic material. Using wood will give you a classic and timeless look, however it will require more maintenance over time and if you decide to stain the wood, it may need to be stained agan in the future. Metal is the most durable material, however it doesn't look as visually appealing and can get very hot to touch during the summer. Synthetic materials Synthetic materials like PVC and fiberglass are more expensive upfront, but are a great low-maintenance alternative to wood.

While a pergola itself does need to be flat to remain structurally sound, the land you build it on does not need to be flat. You can create a structurally sound pergola on uneven ground by using custom-cut wooden beams on all four corners to create a level surface on which you will build the roof.

Under Massachusetts buildng code 780 CMR, most attached and detatched pergola builds need a local building permit. Though you must consult your local town or municipality to determine the exact building code, you will generally need to obtain a building permit from your town in order to move on with the project. You may also need electrical or plumbing permits if you plan on adding lights, electrical outlets, or any sort of kitchen area to the pergola. Lastly, you may need a zoning approval if your pergola will encroach on any property lines or violate the height requirement of your local town or municipality.

You should choose SJ Carpentry as your pergola builder because we're highly rated by your friends and neighbors! We provide excellent service, free estimates, and we handle all aspects of the project, working with you from the initial design to project completion.

We serve the following counties in Massachusetts: Barnstable County Berkshire County Bristol County Dukes County Essex County Franklin County Hampden County Hampshire County Middlesex County Nantucket County Norfolk County Plymouth County Suffolk County Worcester County

Yes, we are a fully licensed contractor.

Yes, we are a fully insured contractor.

Yes, we offer free quotes. You can contact us via our contact form, call us, text us, or email us and we will send you a free quote based on the information you provide to us.

SJ Carpentry builds decks, sheds, pergolas, and pavilions. We also do bathroom remodels and flooring updates.