We take on additions, whole-home remodels, and combinations of the two, from $100,000. We no longer take single kitchens, bathrooms, or decks, because the planning that makes a project go well costs the same at any size and only pays for itself on large ones. Here is what people ask first.
How much will it cost
Our projects start at $100,000. An addition with living space typically runs well above that, and a whole-home remodel that touches the systems runs higher still. The honest answer is that nobody can tell you the cost of your project until it is designed and priced line by line. That is what our pre-construction phase does, and the number it produces becomes a guaranteed maximum. The one pattern we can offer from experience: most people’s projects cost about twice what they first imagined, because the first imagining leaves out the walls that have to be opened to do the work.
How long will it take
Pre-construction takes one to two months. Construction on a large remodel or addition runs three to eight months depending on scope, permits, and material lead times. Custom cabinets and windows can take eight to twelve weeks to arrive, which is why we order them before demolition rather than after.
Can we live in the house
Often, for additions, because the new structure goes up outside the existing walls before we break through. Rarely, for whole-home remodels, because the kitchen, the baths, and the systems are all out of service at some point. We will tell you honestly during pre-construction, and if the answer is no, the budget should include where you will live.
Old houses are not square
Existing walls are rarely plumb and floors are rarely level. We cannot make a 1950s house perfectly true again, but we can make it read that way, and we will make it safer, drier, and healthier than we found it. The things we find inside old walls, rot under a window, a joist cut for a pipe, wiring that should have been replaced decades ago, are covered by a contingency you can see in the budget rather than a surprise invoice.
How we work in your house
Demolition is careful deconstruction, not destruction. Dust stays behind plastic and the HVAC is shut off so it does not travel. Floors are protected along every path we walk. The work area is cleaned as we go and vacuumed every evening, and the sink is left the way we found it. On a remodel, the same small crew does the majority of the work from start to finish, so you are not meeting a new face every week. Our sixteen working principles are written for exactly this situation.
Choosing materials
You choose your own finishes from any supplier you like. We do not limit you to a contractor’s short list. Where it matters for the long term, we will tell you what lasts: solid wood over composite, real tile over sheet goods, hardware that can be repaired. On a house you plan to stay in, the better material is almost always the cheaper one over twenty years.
How to choose a contractor
Ask for a line-item budget, not a lump sum. Ask who will be on site and whether it is the same people all the way through. Ask what the warranty is and what it excludes. Ask to see a contract before you are asked to sign one. And ask what happens when something unexpected is found inside a wall, because something will be. Our answers: a budget you can read, the same crew, a two-year labor warranty, a contract you see in pre-construction, and a visible contingency.
If your project is in this range, start with the questionnaire.