Full Home Remodeling for Older Pasadena Houses
Full remodels of older Pasadena houses: what can stay, what must change, ember-resistant choices where needed, and new systems hidden behind original trim.
Can the house keep its wood windows and still be rewired, repiped and laid out again? It is a fair question to put on the table at the first walk-through of an older Pasadena home, and the answer is yes when the sashes are sound. Some of Pasadena lies inside mapped fire hazard areas, so a lot there may need ember-resistant materials, which shapes which exterior pieces stay and which are rebuilt.
Answering the first questions on site
A walk-through starts with the questions you bring and then turns to what we can see. We check how the panel is fed, whether the plumbing is galvanized, how the floor framing looks from the crawlspace and whether plaster is pulling off its lath. Each answer is written into the scope, room by room, marking what stays, what goes and the phase it belongs to. If a question cannot be answered without opening a wall, the scope says so and names the step where it will be answered.
Fire hazard rules and the exterior
When an address shows up on the fire hazard maps, the City of Pasadena building department may call for ember-resistant vents, noncombustible or ignition-resistant siding near grade, and tempered glazing in new windows. We check the lot before drawings are made, so the plans show which exterior parts change and which can stay as they are. Original wood trim can often remain where the rules allow. For a house near Altadena or San Marino, the agency reviewing it follows the address.
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Rebuildable wood sashes, the front door, plaster in sound condition, built-in cabinetry, fireplace surrounds and old-growth wood floors are good candidates to keep. Exterior pieces may be limited by fire hazard rules where they apply. Each item gets a keep, repair or replace note in the scope, along with the reason for it.
Phasing keeps you in the house while the work moves room by room. The first phase brings in new electrical service and water lines, the next covers the kitchen and baths, and the last handles floors, paint and trim. Work areas are closed off with dust walls. If you would rather move out, we can price that approach next to it.
Asbestos and lead come first. Pieces of flooring, plaster, pipe wrap and paint are sampled, and a positive result goes to a licensed abatement contractor before demolition, shown as its own step in the scope. Beyond that, the drain line gets a camera inspection and the wiring is checked for grounding, since both can change the price.
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Send the details and we will set up a walk-through and a written scope.