Lexington, MA Home Insurance: Historic Colonials, Mid-Century Moderns and High-Value Homes

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

Historic Colonials · Mid-Century Moderns · New Builds · Valuables · Umbrella · Lexington, MA

Most people know Lexington for the Battle Green and April 19, 1775. Homeowners know it for something else too: an unusual mix of houses. Within a few miles you can find eighteenth-century farmhouses and Federal colonials on Massachusetts Avenue, Victorian and early twentieth-century homes near the center, flat-roofed modernist houses tucked into wooded hillsides, and large new colonials on lots where a smaller ranch or split-level once stood. Each of those houses asks a different question of an insurance policy, and a generic quote rarely answers all of them.

Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is a family-owned independent agency, founded in 2005. We are licensed in 10 states, including Massachusetts, and we are New Hampshire’s highest-rated agency on Google, with 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials. Lexington clients work with us by phone and email from our Portsmouth, NH office. We compare 40+ carriers and charge no fees. For statewide basics, see our Massachusetts homeowners insurance guide.

How does Lexington’s historic review affect a homeowners policy?

Lexington has had local historic districts since a special act of the Legislature in 1956. The town’s historic preservation page describes four of them, Battle Green, Hancock-Clarke, Munroe Tavern and East Village, which together follow Massachusetts Avenue from near the Arlington line through the center. Inside those districts, the Historic Districts Commission reviews construction, demolition, exterior renovations, color changes and signs.

Outside the districts, the Historical Commission administers a demolition delay bylaw for buildings on the National Register, in the town’s cultural resources inventory or otherwise found significant. The town lists the delay as 21 months, or 12 months with approved site plan review. None of this changes what a homeowners policy covers, but it can change how a serious loss plays out:

• Rebuilding to match. If exterior work on a district house needs commission approval, restoring clapboards, windows, trim and roofing to an approved look may call for specific materials. A replacement-cost form that pays for materials of like kind and quality fits that better than a functional replacement form.
• Ordinance or law coverage. Standard policies limit the extra cost of meeting current building codes. On an older house that may need new wiring, insulation or structural work during a rebuild, we look at that limit closely.
• Time. Reviews and hearings can add weeks or months to a rebuild. A loss-of-use limit that covers a longer stay elsewhere is worth reviewing for a historic Lexington home.
• Documentation. Photos of the exterior and interior details, and any survey form for your house, help an adjuster and a contractor understand what was there.

Our guide to historic home insurance covers older houses in more depth.

How should a mid-century modern house in Lexington be insured?

Lexington has an unusual concentration of postwar modernist neighborhoods. The town’s survey of Six Moon Hill describes a group of houses designed largely by The Architects Collaborative, the firm that included Walter Gropius, with flat or low-pitched roofs, large expanses of glass, vertical board siding and many houses built into the slope. Five Fields, about sixty contemporary homes, followed in the 1950s, and Peacock Farm was built between 1952 and 1958. In 2018 Town Meeting created the Turning Mill Neighborhood Conservation District, where 113 parcels need a certificate from the district commission before exterior alterations.

These houses are often smaller than a new colonial, but they are not simple to rebuild. Here is what we review:

• Roofs. Flat and low-slope roofs need good drainage and periodic membrane replacement. Underwriters ask about roof age and material, and sudden water damage is treated differently from slow leaks or wear.
• Glass. Window walls, clerestories and sliding doors are expensive and sometimes custom. We make sure the dwelling limit reflects them.
• Original design. Restoring an architect-designed house with matching siding, built-ins and details takes a contractor who knows the style. A true replacement-cost form, rather than functional replacement, protects that.
• Heating and systems. Some houses of this era have radiant heat or original systems that underwriters will ask about. Documented updates help.
• Slopes and lower levels. Houses built into a hillside often have exposed lower levels, so drainage, grading and sump pumps matter. Water backing up through drains needs its own endorsement.

What should you know about building or expanding in Lexington?

Many Lexington lots that held a 1950s ranch now hold a much larger house, and big additions are common. Two things make a construction project in Lexington different. First, the town’s Tree Bylaw applies when a property undergoes demolition or major construction, meaning new construction or a large expansion of the existing footprint. Protected trees in the setbacks that are removed must be mitigated by replanting or a payment to the town, and retained trees need a protection plan. Second, the demolition delay can apply before an older house comes down.

• During construction. A homeowners policy is not built for a house under construction. Builder’s risk insurance covers the structure while it is being built, and someone needs to own that policy, either the builder or you.
• Contractors. Ask every contractor for a certificate of insurance showing their liability coverage before work starts.
• At completion. When the house is finished, set the dwelling limit on the actual finishes and square footage. Our guide to insuring new construction homes walks through the hand-off.
• Renovating while living there. Tell us about major renovations. Some carriers want notice when a project is large or the house will be unoccupied for a stretch.

Which carriers write high-value homes in Lexington?

If the rebuild cost is under about $2 million, almost all of the 40+ carriers we represent can quote it, so the choice comes down to forms, deductibles and service. Openly, appointed with us in Massachusetts, and National General can handle homes up to about $5 million. Cincinnati and Chubb both write homes at any dwelling limit, so we quote both. Chubb, which we place in Massachusetts, focuses on high-value homes. Our Chubb insurance review and Cincinnati Insurance review explain how each works.

Each carrier has strengths, and the fit depends on the house, the family and the coverage you want. When we quote Chubb homeowners, we quote flood with it. If you have a claim, we help you through it until it is resolved.

How do winter storms affect Lexington homes?

Mature trees are everywhere in Lexington, including the woodland settings the modernist neighborhoods were designed around. Wet snow and ice bring down limbs, and long outages raise the risk of frozen pipes. The Massachusetts Division of Insurance says damage from ice dams and the weight of snow and ice is generally covered for the area damaged, but wear and tear is not. Low-slope roofs can hold snow longer, so clearing them after a big storm matters. Our article on snow and ice damage insurance covers the details.

• Low-temperature and leak sensors, plus an automatic water shutoff, help catch problems early.
• A standby generator keeps heat, sump pumps and alarms running during an outage.
• If you heat with oil, ask about oil heat leak coverage. The Division of Insurance says Massachusetts insurers must offer it, but most policies do not include it automatically.

What else should a Lexington household cover?

• Valuables. Art, jewelry, watches and collections have low default limits. Scheduled items get their own coverage, and the Division of Insurance notes scheduled coverage typically has no deductible.
• Liability. Pools, household staff, teen drivers and frequent guests raise exposure. An umbrella policy adds a layer above home and auto.
• Home offices. Many Lexington residents work from home. Business equipment and client visits may need more than a homeowners policy provides, so tell us about them.

Why use an independent agent for a Lexington home?

We do not work for one insurance company. We gather the details once, compare carriers and explain the trade-offs plainly, including which forms handle historic and modernist houses well. If you are looking at towns to the west and south, our Weston, MA home insurance page covers estates and antique colonials, and our Brookline, MA home insurance page covers older homes closer to Boston. To the east, our Winchester, MA home insurance page covers Victorians and Aberjona River flood questions, and to the southeast, our Belmont, MA home insurance page covers Belmont Hill estates. North, past Burlington and Wilmington, our Andover, MA home insurance page covers Shawsheen River homes. Call (603) 431-4020 or use the form below.

Get a Lexington home insurance quote

Tell us about the property and we will compare carriers. Prefer to talk? Call (603) 431-4020.

Frequently asked questions

How much dwelling coverage does a Lexington home need?

Enough to rebuild the house with similar materials and quality after a total loss. The Massachusetts Division of Insurance says not to base it on what you paid, the tax assessment or the mortgage, and land and foundations are not part of the rebuild amount.

Does a Lexington historic district change my insurance?

It does not change what the policy covers, but exterior work in a district goes through the Historic Districts Commission. That can affect materials and timing after a loss, so we review replacement-cost wording, ordinance or law coverage and loss-of-use limits.

Can you insure a mid-century modern house in Six Moon Hill, Five Fields or Peacock Farm?

Yes. We look at roof age and drainage, glass, original design features and systems, and we look for a replacement-cost form that restores the house as designed rather than a functional substitute.

Do I need builder’s risk coverage for a new house in Lexington?

Yes. During construction someone needs builder’s risk coverage, either the builder or the owner. When the house is finished and you move in, it moves to a homeowners policy with a dwelling limit based on the finished house.

Which insurance companies write high-value homes in Lexington?

Under about $2 million in rebuild cost, almost all of our carriers fit. Openly and National General reach about $5 million. Cincinnati and Chubb both write homes at any dwelling limit, so we quote both.

Do you have an office in Lexington?

No. We serve Lexington homeowners by phone and email from our Portsmouth, NH office. We are licensed in Massachusetts.

Do you charge fees?

No. We do not charge fees.

Sources

• Massachusetts Division of Insurance: Frequently Asked Questions about Homeowners Insurance
• Massachusetts Division of Insurance: Understanding Home Insurance
• Town of Lexington: Historic Preservation in Lexington
• Town of Lexington: Historic Districts Commission
• Town of Lexington: Demolition Delay
• Town of Lexington: Six Moon Hill Historic District survey
• Town of Lexington: Area U Summary, Five Fields
• Town of Lexington: Area S Summary, Peacock Farm
• Town of Lexington: Turning Mill NCD Guidelines
• Town of Lexington: Tree Bylaw
• FEMA Flood Map Service Center

This page is general information about homeowners insurance in Lexington, Massachusetts, and is not a coverage guarantee or legal advice. Coverage depends on each carrier’s policy wording, endorsements and underwriting. Local details on this page are general descriptions; confirm specifics for your property with the town. Flood is a separate policy from homeowners. Call (603) 431-4020 with questions about a specific home.