Fulton Heights Painters — Fulton Street, Osgood Park & the Fells edge

The city's 2010 survey plan places Fulton Heights in Medford's northeast corner, between the Fellsway West, the Malden line and the Middlesex Fells. The southern half climbs a steep hillside from the Fellsway; the northern half sits on an upland plateau. The land had been Charlestown woodlots and stayed mostly wooded into the 20th century.

Two subdivisions were platted in the 1890s. Osgood Park, about 50 acres of serpentine hillside roads, still has what appears to be a surviving Queen Anne cottage from around 1895 on Fells Avenue, but the Craftsman bungalow is its predominant house. In 1915 Samuel C. Lawrence's 55.75-acre parcel between Fulton and Elm streets was laid out with streets named for governors: Russell, Ames, Gaston, Foss. By 1930 more than half of the neighborhood's nearly 2,000 lots held houses, and the survey notes that the rugged terrain discouraged large multi-family buildings.

Lots still open in 1945 gave Fulton Heights the largest amount of post-World War II building in Medford, mostly Cape Cods and Garrisons, often in rows. Census Tract 3401, which includes addresses on Fulton Street, Belle Avenue and Tamar Drive, puts the median year built at 1951. Of its 2,599 units, 34.6% predate 1940, another 34.7% went up in the 1940s and 1950s, and 82.1% are single-family detached houses.

Craftsman bungalows beside postwar Capes

A Craftsman bungalow usually carries more brushwork than its size suggests: exposed rafter tails, brackets, porch posts and multi-pane sash. A postwar Cape usually has plainer casings and less trim per wall. When the two sit side by side, prep time and materials can differ even though the houses are about the same size.

Garrison overhangs and two-story Cape backs

The Garrison's projecting second floor leaves a soffit-like underside that is easy to miss on a walk-around. The survey also pictures local Capes built with two-story rear walls for more upstairs room, so on some houses the back is taller and need longer ladders than the street side suggests.

Hillside lots

On the slope below the plateau, the ground on one side of a house can sit well below the other. Ladder footing, plank height and where a lift can go all get decided on site, which is one reason a written estimate here starts with an in-person look.

Siding and windows already changed

The survey records that many Fulton Heights houses have been covered with synthetic siding and that original wood windows are being replaced. On those homes the painting is concentrated on trim, doors, porch parts and any remaining wood, and the scope should list exactly which pieces are included.