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Window Replacement, Siding, Doors and Decks in Andover, MA
In Andover, window replacement can be a preservation question: the Preservation Commission's window guidelines favor repair and storm windows over full replacement. Call (978) 788-0374 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- Town and state exterior rules on this page
- Ballardvale to Shawsheen Village
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Exterior work in Andover
What are you replacing or adding?
Siding
Vinyl, fiber cement and wood siding replaced or repaired, with the lead-safe rules older houses bring.
Window Replacement
Replacement and new-construction windows, sized and installed to the energy and egress rules your town uses.
Exterior Doors
Entry, storm, patio and sliding doors, swapped in existing openings or framed into new ones.
Decks & Porches
New decks, rebuilt porches and stairs, with the footings, setbacks and permits they usually need.
Older house with original windows?
(978) 788-0374Tell us where the house is and what the windows are like now, and we'll connect you with a contractor who works with Andover's preservation reviews.
Permits
Permits for siding, windows and decks in Andover
The Building Division. Andover's Building Division "issues permits for all construction regulated by the State Building Codes." Since May 1, 2026, contractors must pick up a printed building card before starting work and keep it, with the approved plans, on site; an inspection without the card counts as failed and brings a reinspection fee (Building Division). The town's forms page lists no specific deck, siding or window form (Fees, Forms & Checklists); permits are filed on OpenGov or ViewPoint.
Siding and the electric service. If a siding job means resecuring the electric service or outdoor lights, an electrical permit comes into it: Andover's residential electrical fee list includes "siding (resecuring service, lights) $50," and work without a permit costs 200% (electrical permit fees).
- Building cards
- Printed card on site since May 1, 2026
- Online filing
- OpenGov and ViewPoint
- Electrical permit for siding
- $50 (resecuring service and lights)
- Historic districts
- Ballardvale and Central Street
- Demolition delay
- Up to 12 months; can cover part of a building
- Energy code
- Specialized Code since July 1, 2026; existing buildings on Stretch
State rules. According to the state's contractor chart, which it calls general guidance, siding and window installation or replacement need a building permit and at least a "Window/Siding" construction supervisor license; decks, exterior stairs and new door installations need a permit and a supervisor license; and a door replacement needs a permit "if an exit door or for public safety concerns" (HIC contractor resources). For an owner-occupied home of one to four units, the contractor must hold Home Improvement Contractor registration (registration lookup). Contracts above $1,000 must be in writing with the registration number, dates, price and payment schedule; deposits are capped at one-third unless special-order materials such as custom windows cost more; and a contract signed at home can be cancelled until midnight of the third business day (c.142A §2). Pulling your own permit gives up the Guaranty Fund, which can pay up to $25,000 (HIC homeowner resources).
Energy code. Andover adopted the Stretch Code effective January 1, 2011 and the Specialized Code effective July 1, 2026 (energy code adoption by municipality). The town's recap of the 2025 Annual Town Meeting says the Specialized Code applies to new buildings over 1,000 square feet, while existing buildings, large additions and historic structures stay on the Stretch Code (2025 Town Meeting recap). Replacement windows must meet the energy code's U-factor for new windows; ask your installer for the NFRC label.
Lead and asbestos. The town's lead page concerns drinking water, so state and federal rules govern renovation. In a pre-1978 home, paid work disturbing more than 20 square feet of exterior paint, and window replacement, require a state-licensed Lead-Safe Renovation Contractor (MA lead-safe renovation); the EPA covers window replacement "regardless of square footage" (EPA RRP). MassDEP treats cement or "transite" siding as suspect asbestos that may not be broken, sanded, sawed or drilled, with notice at least ten working days before removal (MassDEP asbestos FAQ).
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by November 2027. New England Exterior Pros is a referral service; your contractor does the work and pulls the permits.
Historic review
Historic review of exteriors in Andover
Ballardvale Historic District. A Certificate of Appropriateness comes before any work visible from a public way, including fences, walls and outbuildings, and applications can be filed online (Ballardvale Historic District Commission).
Central Street Historic District. Created at the April 30, 2025 Town Meeting for 39 properties on Upper Central Street, the district reviews "new construction, reconstruction, alterations, relocation and demolition of all exterior architectural features" visible from a public way, through certificates of appropriateness, non-applicability or hardship. Ordinary maintenance is exempt only without a substantial change in design or materials. The bylaw exempts storm windows and doors, screens and window air conditioners, "Color and type of paint," "Color of roofing materials and siding," roof-mounted solar, and fences, walkways and driveways at grade (Central Street bylaw, Section 53). The town's design-guidelines explainer says windows and doors are reviewed when seen from the public way, originals are kept whenever possible, wood is often preferred over vinyl or aluminum, and original clapboard, shingle or brick siding is preferred (Central Street design guidelines).
Window guidelines. The Andover Preservation Commission and Ballardvale Historic District Commission's Window Guidelines for Historic Preservation, dated March 2022, state: "Any and all window replacements need to be approved through the Andover Preservation Commission" or the Ballardvale commission. Their order of preference runs from repairing wood windows with storms, to keeping the casings and replacing only the sashes, with full replacement to be avoided, and they say "Windows should be wood or aluminum-clad wood," with exterior storms preferred (Window Guidelines). The guidelines don't define which properties that rule covers; if your house is in a district, on the town's historic survey or you aren't sure, ask the Preservation Commission before ordering windows.
Demolition delay, including part of a building. The Building Division enforces Article 33, Demolition of Historically Significant Buildings and Structures (Building Division). When a demolition permit is sought for a property on the Andover Historic Building Survey, the state inventory or the National Register, the Preservation Commission decides whether "the building or portion of the building to be demolished is historically significant," and a delay of up to twelve months may be imposed (Andover Preservation Commission). Taking off an old porch or ell on a listed house can therefore start a review.
Decks and porches
Decks and porches in Andover
Setbacks. The town's zoning setbacks sheet, revised October 9, 2025, lists front, side and rear setbacks of 35, 20 and 30 feet in SRA, 40, 25 and 30 feet in SRB, and 50, 30 and 30 feet in SRC. Accessory buildings may sit in a minimum yard only in the rear yard, no taller than one and a half stories, covering no more than 30% of that yard and "not located nearer than five feet to any property line" (Zoning Setbacks). The sheet doesn't address porches, so confirm with the Building Division how a deck or porch is measured.
Wetlands and the Shawsheen. Andover's Wetlands Protection Bylaw treats the whole 100-foot buffer as a resource, with an inner 25-foot No-Disturb zone and an inner 50-foot No-Build zone; houses existing or permitted on or before January 1, 1999 may qualify for some exemptions (Wetlands Protection By-law Fact Sheet). The state's Climate Ready Shawsheen page records floods in May 2006 and March 2010, with flood-prone pockets near the Stevens Street bridge and just west of North Main Street (Climate Ready Shawsheen).
Footings. Andover posts no deck guide. The state code sets a 48-inch frost depth and limits exterior stair risers to 8¼ inches with treads of at least 9 inches (780 CMR 51, chapter 3), and Dig Safe must be notified at least 72 hours, excluding weekends and legal holidays, before footing holes are augered (c.82 §40A; call 811).
Andover's homes
Historic villages and mid-century neighborhoods
Andover's 2025 Housing Production Plan says "Over one third of the Town's housing stock was built before 1960," and about 70% of homes are detached single-family houses; it names Ballardvale, Shawsheen Village, downtown and River Road among the town's areas (2025 Housing Production Plan).
On an older house in Ballardvale or along Central Street, a window or siding job can touch district review, the window guidelines and lead-safe rules at once, so start with the address and the house's age.
FAQ
Andover exterior questions
Do I need the Preservation Commission to approve replacement windows?
Possibly. The Window Guidelines for Historic Preservation from the Andover Preservation Commission and the Ballardvale Historic District Commission, dated March 2022, say any and all window replacements need approval through the Preservation Commission or the Ballardvale commission. The guidelines do not define which properties that covers, so ask the Preservation Commission before you order windows.
Can I change the siding color on Central Street?
Yes. The Central Street Historic District bylaw exempts the color of roofing materials and siding, paint color and type, and storm windows and doors. Changing the siding material is a different matter: ordinary maintenance is exempt only without a substantial change in design or materials, so visible material changes are reviewed.
Could removing an old porch set off the demolition delay?
It can on a listed property. For a property on the Andover Historic Building Survey, the state inventory or the National Register, the Preservation Commission decides whether the building or the portion to be demolished is historically significant, and a delay of up to twelve months may be imposed.
Does the Specialized Code change my window replacement?
Andover's Specialized Code took effect July 1, 2026, but the town's 2025 Town Meeting recap says existing buildings, large additions and historic structures stay on the Stretch Code. Replacement windows still have to meet the energy code's U-factor for new windows; ask your installer for the NFRC label.
What does it cost me to use New England Exterior Pros?
Nothing. Asking is free for homeowners; the contractor prices the job, and the price and contract are between you and them.
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