Whole-Home Renovations in Pittsburgh.
Gut renovations, complete top-to-bottom remodels, and design-build — one Pittsburgh remodeling contractor taking a tired old house down to the studs and bringing it back as the home you actually want to live in.
A whole-home renovation touches every system in the house.
A whole home renovation in Pittsburgh isn’t a series of room remodels — it’s the whole house at once. We take the home down to the framing (often to the studs and subfloor), replace the systems that don’t survive a hundred Pittsburgh winters, and rebuild the floor plan around how you actually live. A complete home remodel done this way is faster, cheaper per square foot, and far less stressful than renovating one room a year for a decade.
For homes that need it, a gut renovation in Pittsburgh means new wiring, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, and often new windows and roof — the things you never see but always feel. Then the part you do see: kitchen, baths, floors, trim, and finishes. We handle a full home renovation as one continuous job, with one crew and one point of contact.
New systems (MEP)
Full electrical rewire, new plumbing supply and waste, and right-sized HVAC — pulling the house out of the knob-and-tube era for good.
Envelope & structure
Insulation, windows, roof, and any structural fixes — sistered joists, new beams, removed load-bearing walls done right.
Re-planned layout
Walls come down, the kitchen opens up, a primary suite appears — the floor plan rebuilt for a modern family, not 1925.
All-new finishes
Kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, trim, and fixtures throughout — selected with you and installed by our own crews.
When a whole-home remodel is the right choice.
Not every house needs a gut. A whole-home renovation makes sense when too many things need work to fix piecemeal — here’s when Pittsburgh homeowners pull the trigger.
The systems are failing
Knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized pipes, a dying furnace — when the bones need replacing anyway, it’s the moment to do everything.
The layout fights you
Tiny closed-off rooms, no primary suite, a kitchen cut off from the house. A gut lets us re-plan the whole floor plan at once.
You’re renovating room by room
If your five-year plan is a kitchen, then baths, then floors — doing it together saves money and a decade of disruption.
You bought it for the location
A great street, a tired house. A whole-home renovation turns a Pittsburgh fixer-upper into a forever home without leaving the neighborhood.
The whole-home renovation process — one continuous job.
Walk-through & feasibility
We walk the whole house, assess the structure and systems, and tell you honestly what a gut renovation will and won’t solve — before you commit a dollar.
Design & fixed budget
Architect-led plans for the new layout, all selections made early, and a line-item budget with contingency for the surprises old Pittsburgh houses hold. You approve a fixed scope before demo.
Permits & demolition
We pull every permit, then take the house down to its framing — clean, contained demo and haul-off, with the structure exposed for inspection.
Systems & structure
New wiring, plumbing, and HVAC roughed in; structural fixes, insulation, windows, and roof — every stage inspected before the walls close.
Finishes throughout
Drywall, kitchen, baths, flooring, trim, and fixtures — the whole house finished by our crews to one consistent standard.
Punch list & warranty
A full final walk, every punch-list item closed, and a written warranty — with a builder who still answers the phone after you move back in.
From a storm-damaged gut to a finished home.
A Pittsburgh house we took down to the framing — storm damage, dated systems, and a closed-off floor plan — rebuilt with new structure, a re-planned interior, skylit living space, and a walnut kitchen. This is what a whole-home renovation actually looks like.
Living through a gut renovation — the honest version.
For a true gut renovation, almost every client moves out. There’s no kitchen, no working bathroom for stretches, and dust everywhere — a full home renovation is not a live-in project, and pretending otherwise costs you time and money. Moving out lets us run multiple trades at once, which shortens the schedule and lowers the price.
What we promise while you’re out: a contained, secured site, weekly progress updates with photos, a single point of contact, and a realistic schedule we hold ourselves to. If your renovation is lighter than a full gut, we’ll tell you honestly whether you can stay — sometimes a phased home renovation lets you live in part of the house while we work on the rest.
One point of contact
One project lead who knows your job, answers your questions, and owns the schedule — not a rotating cast.
Weekly photo updates
You see progress every week even if you can’t be on site — especially useful for out-of-town owners.
Secured, contained site
Locked up, dust-controlled, and cleaned down — we treat the house like someone’s about to live there, because you are.
Recent whole-home projects across Pittsburgh.
Gut rehabs and historic restorations — explore the full case studies: East End Historic Renovation, North Side Victorian, North Side Foursquare, Lawrenceville Modern, and East Liberty Modern.
Whole-home renovation vs. building new.
It’s the question every Pittsburgh fixer-upper owner asks. Both are honest answers depending on the house and the lot — and we do both, so we’ve no reason to push you one way.
Renovate when…
- The structure and foundation are sound
- You love the home’s character or it’s in a historic district
- The lot or zoning makes a new build hard
- You want to stay in the neighborhood, on the same footprint
Build new when…
- The foundation or structure is beyond saving
- You want a fundamentally different footprint
- The renovation cost approaches the cost to rebuild
- You have (or can find) a buildable lot
Leaning toward a clean slate? See new home construction in Pittsburgh. Not sure? We’ll cost both and let the numbers decide.
Whole-home renovation questions Pittsburgh homeowners actually ask.
How much does a whole-home renovation cost in Pittsburgh?
A whole-home renovation in Pittsburgh generally starts around $200,000 and runs up from there depending on square footage, how deep the gut goes, and your finish level. A light full-house refresh can land lower; a down-to-studs gut renovation with new systems, structure, and high-end finishes runs more. We give you a fixed, line-item price after a walkthrough — not a per-square-foot guess.
How long does a whole-home renovation take?
Most whole-home renovations in Pittsburgh run 6–12 months from demo to move-in, depending on size, how much structure changes, and permit and material lead times. Gut renovations and historic homes sit at the longer end. We give you a realistic schedule before we start and update it weekly.
Do I need to move out for a gut renovation?
For a true gut renovation, yes — almost always. With no kitchen and no working bathroom for stretches, living on site is unsafe and slows the work. Moving out lets us run trades in parallel, which shortens the schedule and lowers the cost. For lighter renovations we can sometimes phase the work so you stay in part of the house.
Is it cheaper to renovate or build new?
It depends on the house. If the foundation and structure are sound and you love the location, a whole-home renovation is usually cheaper than building new — and keeps you in your neighborhood. If the structure is failing or you want a completely different footprint, new construction can pencil out better. We’ll cost both honestly so the numbers, not a sales pitch, make the call.
Can you renovate an older Pittsburgh home or one with original details?
Yes — Pittsburgh’s housing stock includes plenty of homes with original woodwork, plaster details, hardwood floors, and quirky layouts. We work with the bones, addressing systems and structural updates while preserving what’s worth keeping. Original trim restoration, plaster repair, hardwood refinishing, and original-window restoration are routine on our whole-home renovations — see our East End renovation and North Side renovation projects.
Can I do just a kitchen and bath instead?
Absolutely — not every home needs a full gut. If the systems are sound and the layout works, a focused kitchen remodel and bathroom remodel (or a finished basement) may get you most of the way there for far less. Start at the renovations hub and we’ll help you scope the right project.
Get a whole-home renovation estimate.
Tell us about the house — the bones, the dreams, the budget. We’ll walk it, tell you honestly whether to renovate or rebuild, and price the path forward — serving Pittsburgh.
Get a whole-home renovation estimate →