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Avatar for North East Development LLC

North East Development LLC

3.77(
13
)

North East Development LLC

3.77(
13
)
Customers say: Terrific value
36 years of experience

**We do not remove oil tanks*** 25 Years Experience with Gunite Built in Pools, Excavation, Drainage, Foundations, demo, grading, sewer, and water installation. Licensed and insured. Quality work with great prices. Call Joe today for a free assessment and proposal of the work you need done!

"After 2 1/2 years of not being able to secure a contractor willing to excavate or property we found Joe who told us, "No problem when do you want to start?" After receiving Joes quote we asked if he could build us a wall also. Joe stuck with us even after we were satisfied with the excavation. He encouraged to order gravel late on a Friday to finish up the site."

Victor B on September 2025

**We do not remove oil tanks*** 25 Years Experience with Gunite Built in Pools, Excavation, Drainage, Foundations, demo, grading, sewer, and water installation. Licensed and insured. Quality work with great prices. Call Joe today for a free assessment and proposal of the work you need done!

"After 2 1/2 years of not being able to secure a contractor willing to excavate or property we found Joe who told us, "No problem when do you want to start?" After receiving Joes quote we asked if he could build us a wall also. Joe stuck with us even after we were satisfied with the excavation. He encouraged to order gravel late on a Friday to finish up the site."

Victor B on September 2025

Avatar for Ivan Filev

Ivan Filev

No reviews yet

Ivan Filev

No reviews yet
39 years of experience

Structural Engineer based in Boston, providing consulting services to architects, developers, contractors, builders, institutions, and property owners throughout New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida and California.

Structural Engineer based in Boston, providing consulting services to architects, developers, contractors, builders, institutions, and property owners throughout New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida and California.

Avatar for SSG Pools

SSG Pools

4.00(
20
)

SSG Pools

4.00(
20
)
Customers say: Quality work
50 years of experience

SSG, or South Shore Gunite Pools, is New England's largest pool builder. We offer building, renovation and maintenance services to residential and commercial clients throughout New England. Headquartered in North Billerica MA, we have been setting the standard for gunite construction and quality swimming pools since 1975. We are shockingly unique in the way that we build, eliminating the uncertainty of relying upon subcontractors and operating with fully in-house employees. This strategy allows us to take full responsibility for our client's projects.

"I moved into my current home in late 2016 and discovered that Southshore Gunite built the pool and spa back in 1986 when they were located in Hanover, MA, so I got in touch with them when I needed help with the pool in the summer of 2017. We discussed a pool cover, which I ordered, and resurfacing the pool, which I didn't order right away. While waiting for the cover, I realized that I had a sizeable leak (300 gal/day) in the underground pool plumbing and arranged for SSG to come find the leak and fix it. After they didn't confirm I called and was told that they just had too many pools to close, and they couldn't fix my leak this year. They did eventually come and close the pool and install the cover. The cover seems to work; see attached photo. This spring (2018) I wanted to avoid the pool-opening rush, so I called SSG to see when would be the best time to open the pool and find the leaks. The kind woman who spoke to me got back later that afternoon, having talked to her boss, to tell me that (1) they had not built my pool (according to the building permit, Southshore Gunite did build the pool, but probably before records were computerized) (2) they only closed my pool because they expected me to resurface my pool (I guess the $6500 cover does not make me a valuable customer), and (3) they would neither open my pool this year nor help find and fix the leaks. So, I'm looking on Angie's list for pool services. I can only conclude that SSG really only wants to build new pools or resurface old ones and that anything else is a distraction. I'm guessing that they service pools they build because the owners expect it after spending several 10's of thousands of dollars. I may resurface my pool this year or next, but it won't be done by SSG."

GERHARD S on March 2018

SSG, or South Shore Gunite Pools, is New England's largest pool builder. We offer building, renovation and maintenance services to residential and commercial clients throughout New England. Headquartered in North Billerica MA, we have been setting the standard for gunite construction and quality swimming pools since 1975. We are shockingly unique in the way that we build, eliminating the uncertainty of relying upon subcontractors and operating with fully in-house employees. This strategy allows us to take full responsibility for our client's projects.

"I moved into my current home in late 2016 and discovered that Southshore Gunite built the pool and spa back in 1986 when they were located in Hanover, MA, so I got in touch with them when I needed help with the pool in the summer of 2017. We discussed a pool cover, which I ordered, and resurfacing the pool, which I didn't order right away. While waiting for the cover, I realized that I had a sizeable leak (300 gal/day) in the underground pool plumbing and arranged for SSG to come find the leak and fix it. After they didn't confirm I called and was told that they just had too many pools to close, and they couldn't fix my leak this year. They did eventually come and close the pool and install the cover. The cover seems to work; see attached photo. This spring (2018) I wanted to avoid the pool-opening rush, so I called SSG to see when would be the best time to open the pool and find the leaks. The kind woman who spoke to me got back later that afternoon, having talked to her boss, to tell me that (1) they had not built my pool (according to the building permit, Southshore Gunite did build the pool, but probably before records were computerized) (2) they only closed my pool because they expected me to resurface my pool (I guess the $6500 cover does not make me a valuable customer), and (3) they would neither open my pool this year nor help find and fix the leaks. So, I'm looking on Angie's list for pool services. I can only conclude that SSG really only wants to build new pools or resurface old ones and that anything else is a distraction. I'm guessing that they service pools they build because the owners expect it after spending several 10's of thousands of dollars. I may resurface my pool this year or next, but it won't be done by SSG."

GERHARD S on March 2018

Earthquake Retrofitting questions, answered by experts

According to the Earthquake Country Alliance—a public and private alliance in California that works to improve earthquake and tsunami readiness—reports that unreinforced masonry, such as stone, bricks, and hollow clay tiles, is more susceptible to earthquake damage. The mortar between bricks isn’t as stable as other building materials and methods.

A home with proper earthquake retrofitting can sustain minimal damage in earthquakes of up to 7.0 magnitude, although risks are higher based on how close and deep the earthquake is. A home closer to the earthquake epicenter will sustain greater damage, especially if the earthquake is closer to the surface of the Earth, but retrofitting can help minimize the risk of injuries.

Earthquake gas shut-off valves, or seismic gas shut-off valves, are safety devices that attach to your natural gas line. When an earthquake hits, the valve automatically turns off the flow of gas. Earthquake gas shut-off valves can prevent gas leaks, which are especially dangerous after a quake due to the risk of fire and explosion.

Grounding is a great first step to prevent electrical shock, but you can take it further with GFCI outlets and AFCIs (arc fault circuit interrupters). In particular, AFCIs help protect against the type of electrical arcs that cause fires, like if a mouse chews on a wire or your laptop starts overheating at the wall. These are required in some areas of your home.

First, you can expect the project to be loud. If you have pets, you might want to take them to a friend's house during the day so they are not disturbed by any of the loud noises. In addition, you’ll need to provide the retrofit team access to areas of the house that will need to be worked on, meaning you’ll need to relocate personal items, clear clutter, and make pathways for the crew. Once the project is complete, a local building inspector will conduct a final inspection to ensure that the retrofitting is up to code.

The Hopkinton, RI homeowners’ guide to earthquake retrofitting services

From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.

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