Billerica Capes and Splits, Priced on Site

Billerica houses have usually been added onto. A cape goes up in the fifties, a dormer arrives twenty years later, then a family room off the back, then a slab patio, and every piece was built by different hands out of different material. That shows the moment you paint it. The original clapboard, the newer trim board and the vinyl corner are three separate substrates, and one primer does not cover all three honestly. It shows at the joints too, where the addition meets the original wall and the caulk line has opened wide enough to see daylight through. Up in North Billerica the picture changes: older worker housing near the mill on the Concord River, closer together, wood frame, plaster inside, stone and brick foundations that want pointing at grade where the sill sits. Everywhere in town the entrance takes the beating. Concrete and granite steps heave, a walkway settles back toward the house, and winter salt eats the surface of anything soft. We read all of that on the walkthrough rather than pricing a square footage number over the phone.

The commercial side of Billerica is mostly industrial and light manufacturing. Buildings on the drives near Route 3 and the Middlesex Turnpike run to painted block walls, sealed concrete floors, high bays full of racking, and an office suite bolted onto the front. That work gets priced by area and scheduled around production, which usually means a shutdown week, a second shift window or a Sunday. Painting a warehouse means dealing with whatever is already on the wall, and block that was coated once and never again will not take a fresh coat without prep. Along Boston Road there are plazas, kitchens and small offices that take the early morning or the hours after close. Apartment complexes and condominium associations in town book the hallway and stairwell repaints, the common area cleaning and the exterior masonry as one package, which costs them less than three separate mobilizations. Every crew works licensed and insured, which matters when a general contractor needs the paperwork on file before anybody signs in at the gate.

What we take on in Billerica

• House cleaning, deep cleans and recurring visits
• Move in and move out cleaning for owners and landlords
• Post construction and renovation handover cleaning
• Pre sale cleaning before the photos and the first showing
• Interior and exterior painting, and cabinet refinishing
• Repointing, chimneys, steps, walkways and patios
• Pressure washing for siding, driveways, decks and storefronts
• Offices, retail, practices and restaurants around your hours
• Common areas and unit turnovers for property managers

Getting a price

Every quote for Billerica starts with somebody standing in the actual place. Square footage over the phone is a guess, and on a wall it is worse than a guess, because the failure depth only shows when you put a hand on the joint. You get the scope written out area by area and one number for the job, usually the same business day.