Notes on Remodeling Older Homes
What we explain at walk-throughs, written down: what moves the cost, how to pay for the work and how to choose who does it.
Notes on Remodeling Older Homes
How to Choose a Home Remodeling Contractor in Los Angeles
A practical checklist for hiring a home remodeling contractor in Los Angeles, with the questions that matter most when the house is an older one.Read the post
Paying for a Remodel: Renovation Loans, HELOCs and Cash-Out Compared
The way you pay for a remodel shapes the paperwork, the schedule and how the contractor gets paid. A comparison of the four common routes, from the builder's side.Read the post
What It Costs to Remodel an Older House in LA County
An older house costs more to open up than a newer one, for reasons you can name in advance. Here is what moves the number and how to keep it from moving later.Read the post
Window Replacement in Los Angeles: Retrofit or Full Frame in an Older Home
In an older house, the right window choice depends on the frame, the wall and the style of the house. How to decide between repair, retrofit and full-frame replacement.Read the post
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.
Let us see the house
Tell us about the house and what bothers you about it now. We will set a time to walk through it and follow with a written scope.