Full Home Remodeling for Older Altadena Houses
Full remodels of older Altadena houses where hidden wiring, pipe and framing are found early and written into the scope, with original trim and plaster kept.
Knob-and-tube conductors buried under later attic insulation change an Altadena remodel the moment they turn up. That wiring was meant to shed heat into open air, so it cannot stay under a blanket of fill. Finding it pulls rewiring to the front of the schedule, adds a new panel to the scope and holds the insulation work until the new circuits pass their rough inspection.
Other things hiding behind the plaster
Each hidden condition shifts the plan in its own way. A cripple wall with no bolts into the foundation means anchor bolts and plywood shear panels go in before the floor above is touched. Galvanized supply pipe that has narrowed inside is replaced with copper or PEX through the same openings cut for the new wiring. A cast iron drain with a cracked hub may need a new line out to the sewer connection. Every finding is photographed and written up as a change order, and nothing is closed over until it is repaired and inspected.
County plan check and ember rules
The Los Angeles County building department reviews plans for Altadena, an unincorporated community, and sends the inspectors. Portions of Altadena lie within mapped fire hazard areas, and a house on one of those lots can be held to ember-resistant standards for vents, roof covering, eaves and any new window. We check the address at the start so those products are priced correctly. Original wood casings, a brick fireplace surround and built-in cabinets are protected in place. A house in Pasadena, Sierra Madre or La Canada Flintridge is handled the same way.
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Fir or redwood casings, panel doors with their hardware, a brick or tile fireplace surround and plaster still keyed to its lath are good candidates. Where ember rules apply, an original wood window can sometimes stay with tempered glass set into the sash. Every kept part is named in the written scope with its reason.
A single section of the house is under work while you use the rest. Plastic walls and a zippered entry close that section off, a small fan pulls its air outdoors, and a bathroom stays usable throughout. Structure and rough systems come first and finishes follow. We can also price the job with you living elsewhere, which shortens it.
Plaster, old floor tile, glue, duct wrap and painted trim go to a testing lab, and if asbestos or lead shows up, a licensed abatement contractor deals with it before demolition. The electrical panel is opened and checked, the main drain is filmed with a camera, and the address is looked up on the county fire hazard maps.
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Talk to us about your house in Altadena
Send the details and we will set up a walk-through and a written scope.