Home services in Boston, MA

Getting to know Boston

Triple-deckers, three-family wood houses with stacked porches, are a signature of Dorchester, Roslindale and South Boston. Back Bay and the South End are lined with 19th-century brick and brownstone row houses, many of them split into condos. Much of Back Bay sits on filled land, and the wood pilings under its buildings need groundwater to stay wet.

Charlestown and Beacon Hill have narrow streets and older homes where parking a service truck takes planning. West Roxbury and Hyde Park have more single-family houses on larger lots than the inner neighborhoods. East Boston, next to Logan Airport, mixes triple-deckers with newer waterfront buildings.

Many older homes heat with gas or oil boilers feeding radiators, while newer condos often use forced air or heat pumps. The state's Mass Save program offers rebates and no-cost home energy assessments through the utilities.

Utilities and permits

The Boston Water and Sewer Commission runs the local pipes, and the water itself comes from the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs through the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. Wastewater goes to the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, with treatment at the MWRA's Deer Island plant. Eversource supplies electricity, and natural gas comes from National Grid in most neighborhoods. Building permits are handled by the Inspectional Services Department.