Framing Contractor North Shore MA: Additions, Beams and Structural Repairs
Looking for a framing contractor on the North Shore, MA? Premium Pro Contractors frames additions, dormers, new openings, load-bearing wall removals and structural repairs, built plumb, level and square to the engineer's design and inspected by your town. We are a licensed, insured general contractor based at 9 Centennial Drive in Peabody, so the same crew can take the job from framing to finished paint.
Updated September 2026 · Reviewed by the Premium Pro Contractors team, led by owner Claudiney Fernandes (MA HIC licensed, insured)
The Skeleton That Holds Everything Else Up.
Framing is the most critical part of any construction project. It determines whether walls are straight, floors are level, and rooflines hold under New England winters. Our framing crews are experienced with both new construction and the quirks of older Massachusetts homes, load-bearing walls, off-square foundations, and everything in between.
We frame additions, new rooms, basement conversions, dormer builds, and structural modifications. We coordinate with your engineer, pull permits, and deliver framing that passes inspection first time.
What We Frame
- Home additions and bump-outs
- Room conversions (attics, basements, garages)
- Dormer additions
- Interior wall framing and layout changes
- Load-bearing wall removal and beam installation
- Deck and porch framing
- New construction rough framing
- Structural repairs and sistering
- Subfloor installation and leveling
- All permits and inspections coordinated
Framing costs depend heavily on scope, a single wall runs $2,000 to $5,000; a full addition or dormer can reach $30,000 to $60,000+ in materials and labor. We provide a detailed, itemized estimate upfront.
Timeline: 1 week to several weeks depending on scope.
How Framing Gets Done Right
Plans & Permits
We review your drawings, coordinate with your engineer or architect if needed, and pull all required permits before breaking ground.
Layout & Foundation Prep
Footings, sill plates, and anchor bolts are set precisely. We check for level and square before a single stud goes up.
Framing & Sheathing
Walls, floors, and roof framing installed to spec. Sheathing applied, openings roughed, everything plumb and square.
Inspection & Handoff
We schedule the framing inspection and coordinate with your plumber and electrician for rough-in. You're ready for the next phase.
What a framing contractor does on a North Shore home
A framing contractor builds and repairs the structure of a house: the sills that sit on the foundation, the floor joists, the wall studs and headers, and the rafters or trusses that carry the roof. Everything you see later, drywall, tile, cabinets, trim and paint, is only as straight and solid as the framing behind it. On the North Shore that work is rarely a blank lot. Most of our framing happens inside or next to houses that are 50 to 300 years old, so the job is as much about reading the existing structure as it is about building new walls.
Premium Pro Contractors frames additions, dormers, new rooms, stair openings, beams and structural repairs from our office at 9 Centennial Drive in Peabody. Because we are a full general contractor, the same crew that frames the space can also insulate, hang drywall, run trim and paint, so there is no gap between the framer leaving and the finish trades showing up.
When you need a framing contractor, not a handyman
A handyman is the right call for a sticking door or a loose stair rail. A licensed framing contractor is the right call whenever the work changes how loads travel through the house: removing or moving a wall, cutting a new window or door into an exterior wall, adding a floor, a dormer or an addition, or repairing rotted sills and joists. Those jobs need a building permit, and in Massachusetts structural work is done under the state building code with inspections by the town.
A simple test: if the work involves a beam, a header, a joist, a rafter or the foundation connection, or if anyone has said the word load-bearing, you want a framing contractor who carries a Massachusetts Home Improvement Contractor registration and real liability insurance. We carry both, plus active workers' compensation, and we send the paperwork before the first nail.
Framing for home additions and bump-outs
Most of the framing we do on the North Shore is for additions: a family room off the back of a Colonial, a primary suite over a garage, a two-foot kitchen bump-out that finally makes room for an island. Addition framing has two jobs. It has to be built plumb, level and square on its own, and it has to tie into an existing house that is almost never plumb, level or square.
We lay out the new floor from the existing floor height so the transition is flush, frame the new walls to line up with the old ones where the finishes will meet, and plan the roof tie-in before the first rafter is cut. That planning is why the drywall and trim on our additions do not show a telltale step where old meets new. See our home additions page for the full addition process.
Dormer framing on Capes and older roofs
Cape Cod style homes are all over Peabody, Danvers, Beverly and Lynn, and a dormer is the classic way to turn a cramped second floor with sloped ceilings into real bedrooms and a full bath. Framing a dormer means opening the roof, carrying the load of the cut rafters to new headers or a structural ridge, and building the dormer walls and roof so they shed water and snow cleanly into the existing roof.
Shed dormers add the most usable floor area; gable dormers keep the look of the house. Either way the existing ceiling joists often need to be checked and sometimes sistered, because they were originally sized for an attic, not for a bedroom floor. We coordinate that review with the engineer so the new rooms feel solid underfoot.
Removing a load-bearing wall and installing a beam
Opening a kitchen to the dining room is one of the most requested projects in older North Shore homes. When the wall carries the floor or roof above, the load has to be picked up by a properly sized beam and carried down to the foundation through posts and footings. The sequence matters: temporary shoring walls go up on both sides first, then the wall comes out, the beam goes in, the posts are set on solid bearing, and only then does the shoring come down.
We never size a beam by eye. The engineer specifies the beam, the post and the bearing, and we build exactly that, then call the town for the framing inspection before anything is closed up.
Flush beams versus dropped beams
A dropped beam hangs below the ceiling and is the simpler, less expensive option. A flush beam sits up inside the ceiling plane, so after drywall you see a clean, flat ceiling from one room to the next. Flush beams take more work: the joists are cut back and hung from the beam with metal hangers, and any wiring, plumbing or ductwork in that ceiling has to be rerouted.
Most homeowners opening a kitchen want the flush look. We walk through both options at the estimate, show you what each means for the ceiling, and let you decide with the real difference in scope in front of you.
Working with a structural engineer
On any structural change we work from an engineer's design. The engineer calculates the loads, sizes beams, headers and footings, and specifies connectors. That drawing goes with the permit application, and it is what the building inspector checks our work against. For additions and dormers an architect or designer may also be involved for the layout and exterior look.
If you already have plans, we build from them and flag anything that does not fit the house once walls are opened. If you do not, we can bring in an engineer we work with. Our About page says it plainly: all structural projects are pulled under licensed engineer review and town permits.
Permits and inspections for structural framing
In Massachusetts the local building department issues the permit and inspects the work under the state building code, 780 CMR. For framing that usually means a building permit application with plans, and a framing or rough inspection after the structure is built but before insulation and drywall cover it. Electrical and plumbing rough-ins are inspected by their own inspectors under separate permits pulled by licensed trades.
We handle the permit paperwork, schedule the inspections and meet the inspector on site. Permitted work protects you twice: the structure is checked by the town, and the project is on record when you refinance or sell.
What the inspector checks at a framing inspection
Inspectors look at the things that decide whether a house stands up and stays dry: beam and header sizes against the plans, post and footing bearing, nailing and connector hardware, fire blocking in walls and floors, stair geometry, guard heights, and how the new work ties to the old. On additions they also confirm the foundation anchoring and the sheathing.
A clean inspection is a sign of a crew that builds to the drawing. When an inspector asks for a change, we make it and call for the reinspection. We would rather fix a detail while the walls are open than leave it behind the drywall.
Sill plates, anchor bolts and the foundation connection
The sill plate is the first piece of wood on top of the foundation, and in a lot of older coastal homes it is also the first piece to rot. New framing starts with a pressure-treated sill, a sill sealer gasket and anchor bolts or straps that tie the house to the concrete. On repairs we jack and support the house in sections, cut out the rotted sill and replace it without letting the walls above settle.
Getting this connection right is not glamorous, but it is what keeps the building tied to its foundation in a nor'easter wind and keeps moisture from wicking up into the frame.
Floor framing, subfloors and stopping the bounce
Bouncy or sagging floors are a common complaint in older North Shore houses. Often the joists were undersized for today's spans, notched for old plumbing, or weakened by past water leaks. New floors we frame use joists sized for the span, with blocking or bridging to stiffen them, and a glued and screwed subfloor so tile and hardwood stay tight.
Before a kitchen or bath with tile goes in, we check the floor for deflection. Tile is unforgiving, and a floor that flexes will crack grout and tile no matter how good the tile setter is. Fixing the framing first is the cheapest insurance on a finish job.
Sistering and repairing old joists and rafters
When a joist or rafter is cracked, sagging or cut too deep, we usually sister it: a new full-length member is fastened alongside the old one so the pair carries the load. It is a proven repair that avoids tearing out a ceiling or roof. Where the damage is at the bearing ends, we add new bearing support or hangers.
The photo of the open floor system from our Gloucester framing project, in the gallery below, shows what this work looks like before anything is covered: every joist visible, every bearing point accessible, and time to fix what the house has been hiding.
Wall framing, headers and new openings
Every new window, door or pass-through in a wall needs a header sized to carry the load above it, with jack and king studs on each side. In exterior walls the new opening also has to be flashed and sealed properly when the window or door goes in, which is why we plan openings with the siding and trim in mind, not just the framing.
Interior partition walls are simpler, but they still need to be straight. We crown and cull studs, check every wall with a level and a string line, and fix a bowed stud before it becomes a bowed wall that every piece of trim has to fight.
Roof framing: rafters, trusses and ceiling joists
Roof framing carries the heaviest loads a New England house sees, from wet snow sitting on the roof for weeks to wind pushing on a gable end. Stick-framed rafters with a ridge beam are common on additions and dormers because they leave room for vaulted ceilings or usable attic space. Engineered trusses make sense for a garage or a simple roof with a flat ceiling below.
Our roof framing follows the engineer's design for rafter size, spacing, ridge and connections. The Gloucester project photo of ceiling and roof framing shows the metal hangers and hardware that keep those members locked together.
Metal connectors, hangers and hurricane ties
Modern framing depends on engineered steel connectors: joist hangers, beam hangers, post bases, straps and rafter ties. They are cheap compared with the lumber they hold, but they only work when they are the specified connector with the specified fasteners. A hanger nailed with the wrong nails is a hanger that can fail.
On the coast, uplift from wind is a real design load, so roof-to-wall ties and continuous load paths matter. We install the connectors the plans call for and leave them visible for the inspector.
Engineered lumber: LVL beams and I-joists
For long spans and heavy loads we often use engineered lumber. LVL beams are stronger and straighter than sawn lumber of the same size, which is why they are the usual choice for a flush beam across an opened kitchen wall. I-joists and engineered rim boards give long, flat floors with less shrinkage and fewer squeaks.
Engineered products have their own installation rules for holes, notches and bearing. We follow the manufacturer's details, because a hole drilled in the wrong spot of an I-joist can cut its strength dramatically.
Framing in older North Shore houses
Salem, Marblehead, Beverly and Lynn have neighborhoods where houses were built before anyone owned a laser level. Walls lean, floors slope toward the chimney, and rooms that look rectangular are a few inches out of square. New framing inside those houses has to split the difference: plumb and level enough to support modern finishes, blended enough that the new room does not look crooked next to the old one.
One of our Google reviewers, Frank Stellato, describes a house over 300 years old where our crew put in a new staircase that other contractors said could not be done. That kind of job is about patience with an old frame, not forcing it.
Balloon framing and fire blocking
Many late 1800s and early 1900s homes on the North Shore are balloon framed, with studs that run continuously from the sill to the roof. That leaves open channels inside the walls from the basement to the attic, which let fire and air move freely. When we open those walls for a remodel, we add fire blocking at each floor level, which also cuts drafts and heat loss.
Balloon framing also means floor joists often hang on a ledger let into the studs rather than sitting on a wall plate, so we check those connections whenever a floor is being loaded with a new bath or kitchen.
Rot and hidden water damage behind walls
Salt air, wet springs and decades of paint over wood mean hidden rot is common in coastal towns. We find it around old windows and doors, under bathrooms with failed tile, at the bottom of exterior walls where soil or mulch touched the siding, and at sills. Soft wood is cut back to sound material and replaced or reinforced, and the water source is fixed so the problem does not return.
We point these conditions out as soon as the wall is open, with photos, and explain the options before any change in scope. No surprises on the bill is a promise that starts with showing you what we found.
Snow, wind and coastal exposure
North Shore framing has to handle heavy, wet snow, freeze and thaw cycles and strong coastal wind, especially in exposed spots near the water in Marblehead, Swampscott and Beverly. The design loads come from the building code and the engineer, and our job is to build to them exactly: correct rafter sizes, solid bearing, proper sheathing nailing and connectors that complete the load path.
Weather also affects the schedule. We plan to get new framing sheathed, papered and dried in quickly so a surprise storm does not soak a floor system.
Ice dams and how framing affects them
Ice dams form when heat from the house melts snow on the roof and the water refreezes at the cold eaves. Colin Kenny, one of our Google reviewers, hired us to repair a townhouse ceiling damaged by exactly that. The lasting fix is not only gutters or heat cables; it is a roof assembly with enough room for insulation and a clear path for ventilation from the soffit to the ridge.
When we frame a new roof or dormer, we plan rafter depth and vent channels so the insulation can reach its full depth without blocking airflow. That is one of the quiet details that separates a good addition from one that leaks every February.
Framing for insulation and energy efficiency
Framing decides how much insulation a wall or roof can hold. Deeper 2x6 exterior walls leave more room than 2x4 walls, and careful framing at corners and around openings leaves space to insulate instead of solid wood that conducts heat. Massachusetts energy code requirements, including the stretch code many towns have adopted, are checked at the insulation inspection that follows framing.
Our Gloucester project photo shows new framing with insulation going in right after the framing inspection. Because the same company handles both, the framing is built with the insulation in mind.
Basement framing and moisture control
Finishing a basement starts with a dry basement. Before framing we look for water entry, efflorescence and high humidity, and address those first. Walls are framed with pressure-treated bottom plates and kept off the concrete where possible, with insulation details that do not trap moisture against the foundation.
A finished basement is framed around the mechanicals, with access panels for shutoffs and cleanouts, and with the egress window requirements in mind if the space will include a bedroom.
Attic conversions and knee walls
Turning an attic into living space is mostly a framing problem. The ceiling joists usually need to become floor joists, which often means adding or sistering joists to carry a real floor load. Knee walls and collar ties define the room, and the roof framing has to leave space for insulation and ventilation.
A new stair is often the hardest part of an attic conversion, because it needs headroom and a framed opening in the floor below. The framed stair opening in our Gloucester photos shows what that looks like before finish carpentry.
Garage conversions and rooms over garages
Garages offer ready-made footprint for new living space. Converting one means raising or insulating the slab floor, framing new walls where the overhead door was, and bringing the space up to code for habitable rooms. Building a room over a garage often requires new roof framing and sometimes beefed-up headers over the garage door opening.
Either way, the fire separation between a garage and living space has specific code requirements, and we frame and finish those assemblies accordingly.
Stair openings and stair framing
A stair is a small structural project on its own: a framed opening with doubled headers and trimmers, stringers cut to consistent rise and run, and landings built to code. Uneven risers are a trip hazard, which is why inspectors measure them.
Our East Main Street staircase in Gloucester went from bare stringers and framing to oak treads, white risers and new balusters. See our finish carpentry page for the trim side of stair work.
Deck and porch framing
Decks and porches are framing projects that live outside year round, which makes the details critical: a flashed ledger that does not let water into the house, pressure-treated lumber rated for ground contact where required, footings below the frost line, and connectors rated for treated wood. A porch roof adds rafters and posts that have to carry snow.
The covered entry porch and steps we built on Lowell Street in Wakefield are a good example of small-scale structural work done right. Our decks and patios page covers outdoor projects in more detail.
Coordinating trades after framing
Once the framing passes inspection, electricians, plumbers and HVAC installers run their rough-ins through the new structure. Good framing leaves room for them, with planned chases for ductwork and drain lines, so nobody has to cut a joist to get a pipe through. Our About page describes how we schedule the licensed subs we trust and run the whole project from start to finish.
After the rough inspections come insulation, drywall and trim, all handled by our crew, which is why the framing stage is planned with the finish in mind.
Why plumb, level and square matter for everything after
Cabinet installers, tile setters, drywall finishers and trim carpenters all inherit the framing. A wall that is out of plumb shows up as a gap behind a cabinet. A floor that is out of level shows up as tapered tile cuts. A corner that is out of square shows up in every piece of crown molding. Straight framing saves money on every trade that follows.
That is why we check our work constantly with levels, lasers and string lines while we frame, instead of trying to hide mistakes later with shims and caulk.
What framing costs on the North Shore
Framing costs depend heavily on scope. As a rough guide from our own estimates, a single wall runs about $2,000 to $5,000, while a full addition or dormer can reach $30,000 to $60,000 or more in materials and labor. Beams, engineering, the condition of the existing structure and access all move the number.
You get a detailed, itemized written estimate, usually within three business days of the site visit, with labor, materials and permits broken out. If we open a wall and find something that changes the scope, we show you before any extra work happens.
How long a framing project takes
Framing for a single wall or a new opening can take a day or two once the permit is in hand. Additions and dormers take longer, typically from one week to several weeks of framing depending on size, weather and inspection timing, and that framing phase sits inside a longer project schedule that includes foundations, rough-ins and finishes.
We give you a written schedule at the start and update it as inspections are booked, so you always know what is happening that week.
How to hire a framing contractor on the North Shore
Ask for the Massachusetts Home Improvement Contractor registration, a certificate of liability insurance and proof of workers' compensation. Ask who will pull the permit and who will meet the inspector. Ask how they handle hidden conditions like rot or undersized joists, and whether the estimate is itemized. And ask to see real photos of framing they have done, not stock images.
- Registration: Massachusetts HIC licensed
- Insurance: general liability $1,000,000 / $2,000,000 and active workers' compensation
- Permits: pulled by us, inspections scheduled by us
- Estimate: written and itemized, with labor, materials and permits broken out
- Follow-up: a check-in one year after the job
Questions to ask before you sign
Who is the engineer, and has the design been reviewed against the actual house? What happens if the inspector requires a change? How will the house be protected from weather while the roof or a wall is open? Where will materials be stored, and how will the site be cleaned each day? Who is your single point of contact?
With Premium Pro, the owner, Claudiney Fernandes, walks every estimate and every final walkthrough. The person who quotes your project is the one who stands behind it.
Why homeowners choose Premium Pro for framing
Framing is not a separate crew passing the job along. We frame, insulate, hang drywall, trim and paint under one company, so the framing is built for the finish. We are a family-run, licensed and insured general contractor with a real office in Peabody, 8+ years of hands-on work on the North Shore and a 4.8 star rating from 47 Google reviews.
Most of our work comes by referral, including from realtors like Matt Munson, whose video is below. That only happens when the structure behind the walls is done right.
Framing contractor for North Shore towns near Peabody
We frame additions, dormers, beams and structural repairs throughout the North Shore from our Peabody office. Distances below are driving miles from 9 Centennial Drive to each town hall, so you can see how close the crew is when an inspector opens a morning slot.
- Peabody: 2.8 miles
- Danvers: 4.7 miles
- Salem: 4.8 miles
- Lynnfield: 5.7 miles
- Lynn: 6.2 miles
- Beverly: 7.3 miles
- Saugus and Swampscott: 7.4 miles
- Wakefield: 7.6 miles
- Middleton: 8.5 miles
- Marblehead: 8.7 miles
- Reading: 9.3 miles
- Stoneham: 9.9 miles
- Topsfield: 10.7 miles
- Revere: 11.2 miles
Every town has its own building department and its own inspection schedule, and the older neighborhoods in Salem, Marblehead and Beverly may also involve historic district review for exterior changes. We plan those steps into the schedule from the start.
Framing we built, before the walls closed
These are real photos from one of our framing projects in Gloucester, taken before insulation and drywall covered the work: the crew walking the new walls, the open floor system, a framed stair opening and insulation going in after the framing inspection.
Framing work by town
Local pages for the towns we serve most, each with its own photos, permits and answers.
Related services: home additions and bump-outs, finish carpentry and trim, drywall, insulation and plaster, kitchen remodeling on the north shore, decks, porches and patios.
Before you book framing work, hear from a North Shore realtor
Realtors see houses right before and right after a sale, so their referrals are earned. Matt Munson runs the Munson Realty Group at Keller Williams in Beverly and sends buyers and sellers to Claudiney's crew for everything from paint touch-ups and small carpentry to full renovations. He calls us Premium Painting and Carpentry, the corporate name you will also see in several of our Google reviews.
Read the video transcript
No matter what size job you're looking at, give Premium Painting and Carpentry a call. My name is Matt Munson. I run the Munson Realty Group at Keller Williams. Our office is based in Beverly. I live here in Essex, Mass. We sell real estate in northeast Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Premium Painting and Carpentry has been a great resource for us. Our clients come to us for everything. For our buyer clients, they're generally buying an older home that needs some updates, maybe needs a fresh coat of paint at the very least. Claudiney is great. His guys get in there, they do a phenomenal job and they get out quickly. For our seller clients, many people have been living in their home for a long time. They have kids, they have pets. Things get kind of worn down over time and they don't always see it. So before we hit the market, we'll have Premium Painting and Carpentry come in and at least do a touch-up. Sometimes the trim is a little worn out. So anything from painting touch-ups and small carpentry to full-on renovations, we've recommended these guys. No matter what size job you're looking at, give Premium Painting and Carpentry a call.
Framing Contractor FAQ
Who is a good framing contractor on the North Shore, MA?
Look for a Massachusetts HIC registered, fully insured contractor who builds from an engineer's design and pulls permits. Premium Pro Contractors is a licensed, insured general contractor based in Peabody that frames additions, dormers, beams and structural repairs across the North Shore and finishes the job in house.
What does a framing contractor do?
A framing contractor builds the structure of the house: sills, floor joists, walls, headers, beams and roof framing. On remodels that also means opening walls, installing beams, repairing rotted or undersized members and tying new work into the existing house.
Do I need a permit for framing work in Massachusetts?
Structural framing such as additions, dormers, new openings in exterior walls and load-bearing wall removal needs a building permit from your town, with a framing inspection before the walls are closed. We handle the permit and schedule the inspections.
Do I need an engineer to remove a load-bearing wall?
Yes. An engineer sizes the beam, posts and footings, and that design goes with the permit. We build exactly what is specified and the building inspector checks it before drywall.
How much does a framing contractor cost on the North Shore?
It depends on scope. A single wall typically runs about $2,000 to $5,000, and a full addition or dormer can reach $30,000 to $60,000 or more in materials and labor. You get a written, itemized estimate after a free site visit.
Which North Shore towns do you frame in?
We work throughout the North Shore, including Peabody, Danvers, Salem, Lynnfield, Lynn, Beverly, Saugus, Swampscott, Wakefield, Middleton, Marblehead, Reading, Stoneham, Topsfield and Revere.
Rated 4.8 Stars by 47 Neighbors on Google
Real, verified reviews from the Premium Pro Contractors Google Business Profile.
Claudiney and his team have completed three projects at my home. He painted it and it came out beautiful. My house is over 300 years old and you really have to know what you're doing. His crew works very hard and are very nice people.
Claudiney repaired a ceiling leak in our townhouse caused by an ice dam. He removed the damaged drywall, replaced it, and repainted the ceiling. Communication was good, the work was done on schedule, and the finished result looks great.
The Premium Painting & Carpentry team worked on my house last summer. They were neat, on time and very friendly. I would gladly recommend them for interior or exterior services.
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