City Lifestyle

Want to start a publication?

Learn More
Featured Image

Featured Article

Our Guide to Remodeling in St. Louis

YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO STL REMODEL + RESTORATION COMPANIES

Article by City Lifestyle

Photography by Shutterstock

The diverse St. Louis metropolitan area consists of many areas undergoing renovation, including Maplewood, Central West End, Mark Twain, and many others. The new residents of these neighborhoods revamp the housing, remodeling and renovating the interiors and exteriors to update form and function. Businesses do this, too, especially in the Botanical Heights neighborhood and Maplewood with its retail street and brew pub that encourages neighborhood gatherings.

Finding Talented Remodeling Companies in St. Louis

All of this remodeling and renovation has caused many remodeling companies to spring up in the city. You will have a plethora of companies from which to choose, and we want to help with the research. The choice of who to handle the remodeling job determines what the results will look like.

Many specialties exist within these St. Louis remodeling companies, and you need to find the company that specializes in the type of remodel or renovation you need.

Some home owners want to restore their house to its original nature, while others want to refurbish to improve the look and function of the home.

Whole Home Remodeling

A whole home remodel or renovation requires both a St. Louis designer and remodeler. When you remodel an entire home, your designer not only ensures continuity between the original architectural style and the changes, but also ensures that no structural problems get introduced to the home from the alterations.

While the majority of St. Louis remodeling firms specialize in specific rooms, Reliable Remodeling handles whole home remodeling including exteriors, deck design and building.

The firm maintains a membership in Dun & Bradstreet as well as having earned accredited business status with the Better Business Bureau.

Considering a Bathroom Remodel: Vanity, Sink or Tub

One of the easiest ways to raise the value of your home remains adding a bathroom or remodeling a half bath to become a full bath.

The number of St. Louis bathroom remodeling contractors abound, but you might start your search with Roeser Home Remodeling, which specializes in bathroom design and remodeling. While Roeser also remodels kitchens and builds additions, the company's extensive portfolio provides many examples of its bathroom remodeling prowess.

STL Experts in Kitchen Remodeling

Your search for a kitchen remodeling contractor St. Louis trusts will also turn up many results. The kitchen has earned a reputation as the heart of a home and often serves as the family center. Many kitchens open into the dining room and the living room.

That makes the remodeling of the kitchen elevate in importance since it influences so many other areas in the home.

The remodeling company Dana King has become known for its kitchen remodeling and interior design. Named for its lead designer, Dana King, the company completes projects in universal design, interior design, exteriors, and outdoor living spaces, including design and build of patios and outdoor kitchens.

Specialists in Basement Remodeling

Finding someone savvy to complete a basement remodel in St. Louis presents a challenge, but a surmountable one. Remodeling or renovating a basement takes special talent and training, especially if you want to add a bathroom or laundry room to it. The same is true of remodeling attic spaces since neither typically begins with water lines. Start your quest at the local firm J.T. McDermott Remodeling, which specializes in remodeling basements.

Historical Preservation Remodeling

Remodeling St. Louis homes can require a specialty architect and construction crew, such as with historical preservation projects.

Few remodeling firms in the city specialize in this area, but 1 Remodel STL Construction conducts residential and historical preservation and restoration projects in St. Louis. This firm also specializes in strategic planning for large construction projects.

Choosing a Residential Remodeling Company Around the STL Metro

The process of examining these firms to determine which to use begins with viewing their portfolios. This provides an idea of if you like their work and if the company designs in the style you like. Some remodelers specialize in modern or rustic or another design style. You need to find a firm that designs and remodels in the style you want.

If you enjoy the portfolio, contact the company to see their before-and-after photos. Most portfolios only show the finished work. You will need to see how the home looked before work began to determine the impact their design and renovation made.

When you find a firm whose work you like, the next step is contacting references for whom they conducted work. Ask for the references of the work you like best from the before-and-after photos. When you choose the references to contact, you often obtain a better picture of what the company is really like to work with over when they provide the same two or three contacts each time. Choose at least one reference that worked with the company at least one year before, so that if shoddy materials were used, it will have had time to come to light.

Phone each reference. Ask with whom at the company they had regular contact. Inquire about how responsive the company was when you contacted them. Also, ask about how amenable to the client’s ideas the firm was and how creative they were about implementing the design aspects they definitely wanted. Also, ask about how well they adhered to the budget and whether they completed the work in a timely manner. Finally, ask how good they were about cleaning up after themselves.

While every remodeling company in St. Louis will have pluses and minuses, in general, each firm whose references you contact should help you decide on the right company. The clients should respond that they were easy to work with, stayed on budget and completed the work on time.

Once a company passes the references test, you need to check their licenses. They should have a valid business license and construction licenses.

Most locations have different licenses for different types of work. At a minimum, the company you use should have a general construction license.

If you hire them to do any type of masonry work, plumbing, or electrical, the company should also have licensed employees who specifically conduct that work. Those individuals will hold a masonry license or a plumbing license, etc.

Once you have confirmed that the business you want to hire has all the appropriate licenses, you are ready to hire them.

At this point, you make an appointment to discuss the work you would like and obtain a quote. The remodeling company should throw a few ideas out there during this meeting, but unless you already have an architectural plan for what you want or photographs, there should be nothing set in stone until they have had a chance take measurements and to draw sketches.

The STL has a bevy of choices in remodeling companies. Choose the one that meets your needs best.

Businesses featured in this article