Whole-house renovation
Whole-house renovation
Walls move, systems are renewed and the house is made to work for the way you live now, with its character kept.
A whole-house renovation begins with a survey of what the house is, behind the plaster as well as in front of it. The design agreement turns that survey and your brief into a plan of every room, the structure that holds it up and the systems inside it. The build agreement prices that plan.
What the design agreement covers
A measured survey of the house and the site
Plans, elevations and sections of every floor
Structural, mechanical and electrical coordination
Materials, fixtures and finishes, room by room
Drawings for the town and for pricing
What shapes the project
Four things set the shape of the project
The age and condition of the house
What is behind the plaster, how the framing has settled, what the wiring is. We open a few places during design, with your permission, to see.
How much moves
Moving a kitchen, a stair or a bathroom moves plumbing, ductwork and structure with it. We show you the consequence of each move on paper.
Where you live meanwhile
Some houses can be lived in during the work and many can't. We decide it during design, together, not in the first week.
Reviews and permits
Town zoning and building review, and near the water, coastal and wetlands rules. We tell you which apply to your lot.
How it goes
The work, in order
- 01
Step 1: Survey and brief
We measure the house, open the places that matter and write down what you want.
- 02
Step 2: Design and engineering
Concept options, a chosen plan, then full drawings with the engineers.
- 03
Step 3: Permits and pricing
We file the drawings, and price the finished set into a build agreement.
- 04
Step 4: Construction
Protection first, then the work in a written order, with a weekly meeting.
- 05
Step 5: Handover
A walk through every room, the records, and a plain statement of what we repair afterward.
Examples
Sample photographs, scope beside each
Sample photos.
Questions
Questions about this work
Do we have to move out?
It depends on the work. A kitchen or a bath can usually be built with the house lived in, behind dust walls and a protected route. A whole-house renovation often can't. We plan this during design, so the decision is made on paper, not in week one.
Who handles permits?
We prepare the drawings and the application, and we deal with the building department. You sign where the town requires the owner's signature. Near the water, or in a historic district, other reviews can apply, and we tell you which during design.
Our house was built before 1978. Does that change how you work?
Yes. Federal rules for homes built before 1978 require a renovation firm to be EPA certified and to use lead-safe work practices wherever paint will be disturbed. Our certificate is listed on the licenses page, and we give you the EPA's renovation pamphlet before work begins. Minor repairs under 6 square feet inside or 20 square feet outside are exempt, but window replacement and demolition are always covered.
What happens when something changes mid-project?
It is written down before it is built. A change has a page that says what changes, what it does to the schedule and what it does to the price, and work on it starts once you have signed.
Next step
Tell us about the house.
Describe what it is, what's not working and what you hope for. We will tell you what a whole-house project involves.