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Middlesex County
Somerville is the two-family and triple-decker city. In the American Community Survey (2020-2024), 55% of Somerville housing units are in buildings with two to four units, only 10% are detached single-family houses, and about a third of occupied homes are owner-occupied (ACS B25024). The stock is old: 59% of units were built in 1939 or earlier and the median year built is 1938 (ACS B25034).
A Somerville garage is usually a one- or two-bay outbuilding at the end of a driveway shared by the units in the house, sometimes older than the cars it holds. These buildings were framed for swing or slide doors, and many were later fitted with an overhead door. Common problems we're called for anywhere in that kind of building: a header that sags so the door binds near the top, a rotted wood bottom section, and extension springs with no safety cable. Converting to a torsion spring setup, or replacing with a light steel door sized to the real opening, takes load off a tired frame.
With several households sharing one door, we usually recommend an opener with separate remotes or a keypad for each unit, and a smart opener when the owners want to see who opened it. We install and repair all opener brands, including LiftMaster, Chamberlain and Genie.
The Massachusetts Historical Commission inventory lists 28 local historic district areas in Somerville, more than most cities in the state, including Bow Street (1985), Westwood Road (1985), Campbell Park-Meacham Road (1989) and Chester Street (1989) (MHC inventory). Under MGL c.40C, doors open to view from a public street are exterior architectural features, and changing them needs a certificate from the historic district commission first (c.40C §5 and §6). A garage at the back of a lot may not be visible from the street, but the commission makes that call, not the installer.
For building permits, the state's home-improvement chart lists door replacement as a "maybe" and door installation as a yes (mass.gov HIC chart); check with Somerville Inspectional Services for your project.
Where a door has to be replaced, we can source from Clopay, Garaga, Wayne Dalton and Amarr, including carriage-house styles that suit a 1900s outbuilding.
Somerville is part of Middlesex County. Neighbors include Cambridge, Medford, Arlington, Everett and Boston. Call (781) 602-0737 or see garage door repair.
