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Andover, Massachusetts

Additions and renovations in Andover, along the Shawsheen

Downtown (Main Street)
Academy Hill
Central Street
Shawsheen Village
Ballardvale
West Parish

Andover grew along the Shawsheen River as a handful of separate centers, and more than a third of its houses were built before 1960. Since July 1, 2026 new houses here fall under the Specialized energy code, while additions and renovations stay on the Stretch code. With two local historic districts and a demolition-delay bylaw that reaches 200 feet beyond any district, we check a house's history before we price the work.

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Key planEssex County · MA

Mass. BayAndoverPenney HQ

≈ 14 mi from Penney HQ in Peabody (straight line)

About 14.3 miles from Peabody to Andover. Straight-line distance to our Peabody base

Houses here

The houses of Andover, era by era

The town grew as several centers: downtown on Main Street; Academy Hill around Phillips Academy; Ballardvale, a mill village on the upper Shawsheen; and Shawsheen Village, which the American Woolen Company built around its mills in the 1920s. Commuter rail stops at Andover and Ballardvale, and most public water comes from Haggetts Pond. Away from the centers it is single-family neighborhoods, with minimum lots running from 15,000 sq ft near downtown to an acre at the edges of town.

From 1778
Academy Hill and Central Street, from 1778
The town's 1982 National Register nomination split its historic stock into seven districts. Academy Hill takes in Phillips Academy, founded in 1778, the former Abbot Academy and the old Andover Theological Seminary. Central Street, the old civic and church center, has substantial houses and three churches. In 2025 its upper end, 39 properties, became a local historic district after residents worked to save a historic house there from demolition. Its commission reviews new construction, demolition, additions and exterior changes such as roofing, siding, trim, windows and doors; paint color, fences and solar panels are exempt. Main Street/Locke Street, just south of downtown, mixes fine houses in many styles.
19th century
Ballardvale, a 19th-century mill village
Andover's first planned mill community, on the upper Shawsheen, and a local historic district since 1995. Any work visible from a public way, including additions, outbuildings, pools, fences and retaining walls, needs a Certificate of Appropriateness filed through the town's online portal. A replacement bylaw passed in 2026 exempts items such as paint and roofing color, storm doors and windows, and roof-mounted solar once the Attorney General approves it. Lots around the Ballardvale station can be as small as 15,000 sq ft, which limits room to build out.
1920s
Shawsheen Village, 1920s
Built under William M. Wood for American Woolen Company managers, in groups known as the white houses and the brick houses. It is a National Register district (1979) rather than a local one, so the Preservation Commission's demolition review is the main check. The houses were designed as a set, which is a good reason to match original exterior details on any addition.
1960–2010
Late-20th-century neighborhoods, 1960–2010
The 2026–2031 Housing Production Plan says building ran steadily through the late 20th century into the early 2000s, and only about 8 percent of units date from after 2010. Much of central Andover is Single Residence B, with 30,000 sq ft lots, and the outlying SRC district requires an acre. On these lots a primary suite, a kitchen or a finished lower level is mostly a matter of setbacks and the energy code, though houses in the state historic inventory still fall under demolition review.

Before you build

Before you build in Andover

What local rules, the ground and the energy code ask of a project here, each with the source we checked. Rules change and some depend on the parcel, so we confirm them with the building department before anything is drawn.

Historic district
Demolition review reaches 200 ft past a district
The Preservation Commission can delay demolition up to 12 months for a building it rules preferably preserved. The bylaw covers buildings on or pending for the National or State Register, buildings in the state historic inventory, and any building within 200 ft of a historic district. Its definition of demolition includes significantly altering a structure, though ordinary alterations are not covered unless the Building Inspector treats them as equivalent. Check MACRIS and the district maps before scheduling a major gut or partial teardown.
Guide: Historic district renovation on the North Shore: what needs approval and what doesn't Source : Andover General Bylaws Art. XII Sec. 33, Demolition of historically significant buildings
Energy code
Specialized code for new houses, Stretch for additions
Andover adopted the Specialized code at the April 2025 Town Meeting, effective July 1, 2026, for new construction. Additions, renovations and historic buildings stay on the Stretch code the town has used since 2011. A knock-down rebuild is new construction, and under the state Specialized code a new house over 4,000 sq ft must take the Zero Energy or All-Electric pathway. Confirm with the Building Division which permit date controls.
Guide: Massachusetts stretch code requirements for additions, ADUs and renovations Source : Town of Andover, Building Energy Codes
Coastal & wetlands
A wetlands bylaw with a 1999 exemption
Andover's local bylaw covers work within 100 ft of banks, wetlands, vernal pools, ponds and streams and within 200 ft of rivers, and the Commission can require an undisturbed buffer of up to 25 ft, or 50 ft at vernal pools and in the Fish Brook/Haggetts Pond watershed. Houses that existed or had a building permit by January 1, 1999 are exempt from the local permit for additions, decks, sheds, patios and pools, though not for freestanding structures over 500 sq ft. The state Wetlands Protection Act still applies near resource areas.
Guide: The FEMA 50 percent rule in Massachusetts: renovating a house in a flood zone Source : Andover General Bylaws Art. XIV, Wetlands Protection By-Law
Permits
Certificates come before permits
In the Ballardvale and Central Street districts, the Certificate of Appropriateness comes before the building permit. Both commissions meet monthly, with filing deadlines about five weeks ahead of a hearing, and some meetings get canceled, so exterior design has to be settled early.
Guide: Hiring a contractor in Massachusetts: what the law requires and what to check Source : Ballardvale Historic District Commission
ADU rules
ADUs wherever single-family homes are allowed
Since the April 2025 Town Meeting, one ADU per lot is allowed by right in every district that allows single-family homes, up to 900 sq ft or half the house's gross floor area, whichever is smaller, within the district's setbacks and height limits. Applications go to the ZBA or its designee for site plan review through the online portal. No short-term rentals or condo conversions. A 2026 amendment lets an ADU be built at the same time as the main house. More on planning an ADU in Massachusetts.
Guide: Massachusetts ADU law (2025): what homeowners can build Source : Andover Zoning Bylaw Section 7 (7.9 Accessory Dwelling Units)
Sewer
Sewer or septic, depending on the street
Andover has municipal sewer, treated at the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District, but parts of town still rely on septic. On an unsewered lot, Title 5 sizes the system at 110 gallons per day per bedroom, so an added bedroom or ADU starts with the septic file.
Source : Andover Housing Production Plan 2026-2031 (sewer and water)

Penney in Andover

Our nearest work to Andover

There is no Andover project on our current job list. These are the closest ones, from the same list. Client names and addresses stay private.

Nearby: North Andover

CompleteTwo second-floor bathrooms reworked: wall moved, primary shower expanded, vanities relocated

Nearby: Middleton

CompleteLarge bathroom conversion, a second full bath, cabinetry and built-ins, floors refinished

As of September 2026

What we build here

What we build in Andover

Home additions
Additions stay on the Stretch code even now that Andover has adopted the Specialized code for new houses. More than 1,000 sq ft of new conditioned space, or more than doubling the house, brings a whole-house HERS rating. In Ballardvale and on Central Street, the addition's exterior needs a Certificate of Appropriateness first.
Kitchens
A kitchen inside an existing house is a renovation, so it stays on the Stretch code and outside the historic commissions unless the exterior changes. A new window or door visible from the street in Ballardvale or on Central Street would bring the district commission in.
Basements & lower levels
Finishing a basement without changing the footprint needs no HERS rating. A basement with code ceiling height also counts toward the house's gross floor area, finished or not, and that area sets the size cap for an ADU.
ADUs and in-law suites
Near downtown and the Ballardvale station, 15,000 sq ft lots leave little room for a detached unit, so an in-house or over-garage ADU is often the practical route. Within half a mile of a commuter rail or bus station, no extra parking space is required.

Questions

Questions we hear in Andover

Can I build an ADU on my lot in Andover?

Yes. Since the April 2025 Town Meeting, one ADU of up to 900 sq ft, or half the main house's floor area if smaller, is allowed by right wherever single-family homes are allowed. It must meet the district's setbacks and height limits, cannot be a short-term rental or a condo, and needs one extra parking space unless the lot is within half a mile of a train or bus station. Applications go through site plan review with the ZBA or its designee. The Building Division can confirm current requirements.

Does the Specialized energy code apply to my addition or renovation?

No. The Specialized code took effect July 1, 2026 and applies to new construction. Additions and renovations to existing homes stay under the Stretch code, which Andover has used since 2011. A brand-new house, teardown and rebuild included, should be planned for the Specialized code. Confirm the details with the Building Division.

I live near Central Street or in Ballardvale. What extra approvals does exterior work need?

Inside the Ballardvale or Central Street districts, exterior work visible from a public way needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from that district's commission before the building permit, though some items, such as paint color, are exempt. A house outside a local district can still face the Preservation Commission's demolition review if it is within 200 ft of a district or in the state historic inventory, and that review can treat a major alteration as demolition and impose a delay of up to 12 months.

Do I need a wetlands permit for an addition in Andover?

Often not a local one, if the house existed or had a building permit by January 1, 1999: the town bylaw exempts additions, decks, sheds, patios and pools at those homes, but not freestanding structures over 500 sq ft. Work near wetlands, streams or ponds still needs a filing under the state Wetlands Protection Act, so check with the Conservation Commission before design.

Sources

Facts checked September 30, 2026Job list as of September 2026

Town rules change, and some depend on the parcel. We use these as a starting point and confirm with the building department, planning office or conservation commission before design.

Additions and renovations in Andover, along the Shawsheen

Academy Hill and Central Street, from 1778

Ballardvale, a 19th-century mill village

Shawsheen Village, 1920s

Late-20th-century neighborhoods, 1960–2010

Demolition review reaches 200 ft past a district

Specialized code for new houses, Stretch for additions

A wetlands bylaw with a 1999 exemption

Certificates come before permits

ADUs wherever single-family homes are allowed

Sewer or septic, depending on the street

Home additions

Kitchens

Basements & lower levels

ADUs and in-law suites

Sources

Tell us about your house in Andover.