04.2 Services · Renovations
Old houses get a vote. We open the walls before we price the work, then keep every promise the discovery lets us make.
The work
A serious renovation is a new house built inside an old one, with the old one voting on every decision. Our renovations begin with a paid discovery phase. We open walls, check structure and systems, and price what is actually there. The contract you sign reflects the house you own, not the house we hoped you owned.
We are just as honest about where you will live. For whole-house work, you should move out, and the budget we write will say so. Nobody should cook breakfast behind a dust wall for eleven months.
For owners of houses worth the trouble (heritage character, good bones, great streets), starting at about $400K of construction.
The money, plainly
Discovery comes first: a fixed-fee investigation (usually $9,500 to $18,000, depending on scope) that produces priced findings instead of surprises.
Renovation budgets carry a 10 to 15% contingency, set by the age of the house and what discovery found. Fenwick Lane set 12% and spent 9%.
Heritage drawings, structural scoping and temporary-housing costs are all in the budget on day one, because they are all real costs.
Change orders are priced and signed before the work proceeds. Always. No exceptions in twenty-two years.
Every figure here is part of a fictional demo, set to be realistic for a high-end regional builder in 2026. Read the cost talk
How it runs
Phase 02 becomes paid discovery: we open walls and check structure before anything is priced.
01 · 90 minutes · no fee
02 · 4 to 6 weeks · fixed fee
03 · 4 to 9 months
04 · 3 to 5 weeks
05 · 10 to 20 months
06 · Move-in + 12 months
The proof
2024
Classical & heritage · Renovation & addition
Fenwick Lane, Old Alder Bay
A 1928 Tudor rebuilt from the studs while keeping every bit of its character: clinker brick, half-timbered gables and a kitchen that finally works.
2025
Modern · Renovation & addition
Larkin Terrace, Alder Bay heights
A 1961 hillside modern, opened up and restored in cedar and mahogany. The addition reads as if the original architect simply kept drawing.
For a single-floor project, sometimes. For whole-house work, no, and we will tell you so at the first meeting. Dust, shut-off utilities and open walls make it unsafe and slow. We help you plan and budget for somewhere else to live.
Usually some mix of old wiring, undersized beams, past repairs that were not done well, and moisture. Finding it on paper lets us price it calmly instead of stopping the job to argue about it.
Yes, often. We prepare drawings for the heritage board and price restoring original windows, plaster and brick next to replacing them, so you can decide with real numbers.
Custom homes
One team, one contract and one accountable number, from the first sketch to the keys.
Architect partnerships
Bring your architect. We'll be the builder who prices the drawings honestly, then builds them as drawn.
Interiors & millwork
Selections made calmly and on time, and the cabinetry, stairs and paneling built by our own carpenters.
Begin
The first meeting costs nothing and commits you to nothing: your brief, real per-square-foot numbers said out loud, and a frank answer about fit in both directions. We take on 8 homes a year, so the conversation is the whole first step.
The studio: studio@hartwellhomes.example · +1 (555) 019-2400