A Remodeler Built Around Older Houses
Elmstead Renovations works on houses that were built before modern wiring and plumbing codes, and we treat their original parts as worth a second look.
What we mean by older
We mean houses built before about 1970: lath and plaster, fuses or early breakers, galvanized or cast iron drains, single-pane wood windows and rooms laid out for a different way of living. The same house can hold solid old-growth lumber and wiring that is no longer safe.
Keep, repair or replace
Every part we touch goes into one of three columns. Keep: sound trim, doors, hardware and windows. Repair: plaster with small cracks, sashes with loose glazing, floors that can be refinished. Replace: wiring, supply pipe, drains and anything else that will fail behind a finished wall. The scope you sign shows all three columns.
One contractor for the whole house
A whole-house job touches electrical, plumbing, framing, drywall, finishes and inspections. We run all of it under one Licensed contract, with one schedule and one person you call about it.
Where we work
Our office is in Claremont. We take projects in 103 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, from the San Gabriel Valley to the coast.
Photos on this site are licensed stock images, chosen to show the kind of house and detail we work on.
Questions owners of older houses ask
Not always. If the panel and service are sound, wiring can be replaced floor by floor or room by room. If knob-and-tube is still live, we usually price the full rewire because walls are open anyway.
Often, yes. Wood sashes with sound frames can be repaired, reglazed and weatherstripped. Where the frame has rotted or the opening is out of square, we explain why a replacement is the better call.
Older materials are tested before demolition. If a test comes back positive, a licensed abatement contractor handles it before our work continues, and the scope shows that step and its cost.
For phased work, sometimes. For a full rewire, repipe and layout change, moving out for the rough stage is safer and usually faster. We plan the phases with you at the walk-through.
Talk to us about your house
Book a walk-through and we will tell you what we would keep, what we would replace and why.