Somerville in brief
Most associations are converted two- and three-family wood-frame houses. Three owners sharing one roof and one set of porches is exactly where a written plan heads off arguments later.
Triple-deckers and two-families
A three-unit association has no economies of scale. The roof, the clapboard or vinyl, the rear porches and the foundation are all shared, and the bill for each lands on three households. Massachusetts still requires the association to keep an adequate replacement reserve in a separate account, however small it is.
For buildings like these a firm can often work from a short site visit and a simple component list. Ask for a plan that sets a monthly reserve figure each owner can see, and that names the year each big item is expected.
Newer buildings
Development around Assembly Square and the newer Green Line stations has added elevator buildings with garages and flat roofs. Those need the fuller treatment: membrane roofs, elevator modernization, garage sealing and mechanical plant. Somerville is on the specialized energy code list too.
What a Somerville study usually has to price
- Rear porches and egress stairs
- Roofs and chimneys
- Siding and paint cycles
- Foundations and basement drainage
- Elevators and garages in newer buildings
The state rule, wherever you are
Chapter 183A, section 10(i) applies here as it does across Massachusetts: an adequate replacement reserve, collected with the common charges and held apart from operating money. No statute requires a study or sets its interval, so the decision sits with the board and the documents. The rule in full.
Fees
Fees in Somerville follow the statewide pattern below. Travel and building height move the price more than the town does.
| Study | Typical fee |
|---|---|
| Full study, under 50 unitsSite visit, full component list, 30-year plan | $1,500 to $5,000 |
| Full study, 50 to 150 unitsMore buildings, more components to measure | $2,000 to $8,000 |
| Full study, 150 to 300 unitsLarge or amenity-heavy communities | $5,000 to $20,000 |
| Mid-rise or high-rise buildingElevators, facades, garages, mechanical plant | $7,000 to $15,000+ |
| Update with a site visitRe-inspection and a refreshed plan | Roughly 50 to 80 percent of the full-study fee |
| Update without a site visitDesk review of costs, balances and timing | Often under $1,000 |
Typical ranges, rounded. No trade body or state agency publishes fee figures, so treat these as a guide, not a quote.