Boston – Bilt-Rite Construction recently completed more than $16 million in renovations on two major residential and mixed use properties in Boston. This included new construction and rehabilitation to create 52 dwelling units and retail and office space in three buildings, with accessory garage and surface parking and site work located at 353-365 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain, and renovation of a three-story lodging house to provide 17 affordable single room occupancy units at 23-25 Alaska St. in Roxbury.
An established leader in building affordable housing in Boston, Bilt-Rite Construction specializes in construction management, preconstruction planning, value engineering and general contracting services.
The $14.4 Jamaica Plain project was an excellent match for Bilt-Rite because it involved many different types of construction and the owners were serious about their commitment to local businesses and local/minority hiring.
The objective was to create 52 units of housing and five street level retail spaces on the grounds of a former church campus.
One of the challenges was to retain the existing historic rectory which had to be relocated in order to construct the underground parking for the new complex and then moved to a new location on top of the garage that worked into the layout of the other new structures.
The rectory was completely gut renovated while salvaging and refurbishing the ornate interior/exterior trim and fireplace. The project was unique in that it required historic restoration, building relocation, underground parking, steel construction for the retail area, a four story structure with 36 apartments and 16 wood frame condominiums.
Bilt-Rite’s flexibility in continuing the work when funds were delayed played a major role in the overall success of the project. Due to major changes in the economic climate, the owner was required to seek alternate funding sources which required us to work closely with the owner and complete the work as the financing became available. The redevelopment of this vacant campus has become the cornerstone in the revitalization of the neighborhood and fits into its surroundings like it has always been there.
The $1.8 million Roxbury project involved the complete gut renovation and reconfiguration of an existing historic rooming house into high efficiency single room occupancy units complete with their own bathrooms. The private bathrooms with three color random patterns at all the ceramic tile bathroom floors separate this SRO from many other existing units available. The interior of the building is entirely new except for the restored fireplace mantels, main stair rails and detailed wood trim in some of the rooms which add to the character of the building. The entire exterior envelope was restored to its original character retaining the ornate trim at the front which speaks volumes about the historic value of the property. The project is a true restoration because all of the systems were replaced with high efficiency products designed for the long term while maintaining the historic value of the property. Restorations of this type ensures the property will remain a viable rooming house for many years to come.
