Home › Massachusetts › Andover
Landscapers in Andover, MA
Andover publishes wetland setbacks for each kind of yard project, so the right plan starts with where the water is. Call (000) 000-0000 or send the form for a free estimate. We'll review your request and help you with the next step.
- Free for homeowners
- Credentials checked before referral
- Ballardvale to Shawsheen Village
Request a Free Landscaping Estimate
Tell us about the project. We'll review it and help you with the next step.
Please add your name, a 10-digit phone number and a valid email.
Sorry, we couldn't save your request just now. Please call (000) 000-0000 so it isn't lost.
We've received several requests from this connection in a short time. Please call (000) 000-0000 and we'll take it from there.
Landscaping services in Andover
What are you planning in Andover?
Patios & Walkways
Pavers, bluestone and natural stone, set on a compacted base that survives frost.
Retaining Walls
Block and stone walls that hold a slope, with drainage behind them.
Landscape Design & Plantings
A plan for the whole yard, then beds, shrubs and trees that suit the site.
Yard Drainage
Grading, drains and dry wells for wet lawns and water near the foundation.
Outdoor Living
Fire pits, outdoor kitchens, pergolas and seating walls.
Andover, village by village
Mill villages, estates and drumlin country
The state's historical survey of Andover sums the town up as the mill, the hill and the till. Mill villages grew along the Shawsheen River, estates lined Main Street and Academy Hill, and farms spread across the uplands, where drumlins like Holt Hill rise past 400 feet. The ground under them changes too: sandy outwash along the Merrimack and southeast of I-495, compact glacial till in the middle of town.
Andover Center
The town's civic and commercial core, with Phillips Academy on Academy Hill and larger houses along Main Street. Older, bigger lots suit formal front walks, granite steps and established plantings.
Ballardvale
Andover's first planned mill village, on the Shawsheen, with Greek Revival worker houses on Dale Street and Gothic and Italianate homes nearby. Lots are small, and the village is a local historic district, so fences and raised hardscape visible from the street go to its commission.
Shawsheen Village
Built from 1918 to 1925 by the American Woolen Company as a Colonial Revival model community, absorbing the older Frye Village, with brick houses for executives and white clapboard for managers. Plantings and walkways that follow the original design suit these streets best.
West Andover
Once the farming parish centered on Lowell and Beacon Streets, with Federal and Greek Revival farmhouses still standing. Haggetts Pond, the town reservoir, is here, and parts of the area fall within the town's watershed protection overlay.
Abbot and Marland Villages
Smaller mill settlements with boarding houses on Red Spring Road and mill housing on Stevens Street and North Main Street. Mill-era houses sit close together, so patios here tend to be compact and drainage near the foundation matters.
Wetland setbacks
Andover measures the distance for each kind of work
Most towns tell you that work within 100 feet of a wetland needs review. Andover's wetlands bylaw goes further and publishes setbacks by type of project. Its fact sheet lists these minimum distances from a wetland or waterway:
- On-grade patios and driveways: 30 feet
- Retaining walls: 30 feet
- Fences under seven feet, landscape walls and planting: 25 feet
- Pools and pool decks: 35 feet
Inside the Watershed Protection Overlay District (the Haggetts Pond/Fish Brook watershed), each of those grows by 25 feet, and next to a vernal pool they grow further, to 100 feet for a retaining wall. The bylaw also treats the inner 25 feet of the buffer as a no-disturb area and the inner 50 feet as no-build, and it protects vernal pools and isolated wetlands the state law doesn't.
The practical upshot: before a contractor draws a patio, someone should locate the wetland edge. On many Andover lots that decides where the patio can go.
Permits and local rules
Permits and approvals in Andover
Building permit. The Building Division at 36 Bartlet Street issues permits and asks for a certified plot plan with most applications. Under the state building code, retaining walls over four feet from the bottom of the footing, or walls supporting a load above, need a permit and a licensed construction supervisor. Zoning lets accessory buildings sit in the rear yard if they're at least five feet from any property line.
Conservation. The Conservation Division reviews work within 100 feet of wetlands or 200 feet of a perennial stream, including the Shawsheen River, Fish Brook and Rogers Brook.
Watershed overlay. Parts of town fall within the Watershed Protection Overlay District, which protects the Haggetts Pond/Fish Brook watershed. The wetland setbacks above are 25 feet larger there, and the zoning bylaw adds further limits on land disturbance; check with the Planning Division before grading or clearing.
Ballardvale Historic District. Fences and retaining walls or hardscape above grade, if visible from a public way, need commission approval. At-grade walks, terraces and driveways, and plantings, are exempt.
Licensing. We verify the credentials a job requires before we send a contractor any calls.
New England Landscapers is a referral service. We don't pull permits or do landscaping work. The contractor who does the job handles the permit.
FAQ
Andover questions
How close to a wetland can I put a patio in Andover?
Andover's wetlands bylaw sets distances by type of work. Its fact sheet lists 30 feet from a wetland or waterway for on-grade patios and retaining walls, and 25 feet for fences under seven feet, landscape walls and planting. The distances are larger inside the town's Watershed Protection Overlay District (the Haggetts Pond/Fish Brook watershed) and near vernal pools. Talk to the Conservation Division before you design.
Do I need Historic District approval for yard work in Ballardvale?
Some of it. In the Ballardvale Historic District, work visible from a public way goes to the district commission, and that includes fences and retaining walls or hardscape above grade. At-grade terraces, walks and driveways, and plantings of trees and shrubs, are exempt.
What is the Watershed Protection Overlay District?
A zoning district that protects the Haggetts Pond/Fish Brook watershed, the town's water supply. Inside it, the wetlands bylaw's setbacks are 25 feet larger, and the zoning bylaw adds its own limits on land disturbance. If your lot is in west Andover, ask the Planning Division whether it's in the district before you plan grading.
Are there watering restrictions in Andover?
Andover can restrict outdoor watering under its water-use bylaw. Check with the DPW for the current rules before scheduling a big planting.
Is there a charge to use New England Landscapers?
No. The call and the referral are free to homeowners. Your estimate and any work are agreed directly between you and the contractor.
Nearby