Remodeling · Nashville, TN
The Nashville homeowner's guide to remodeling
What the work involves, what drives the price, what your options are, and what a bad job looks like — written so you can judge any remodeling contractor in Middle Tennessee, including us.
Estimate request
What are you trying to change about the house?
Straight to us, and a reply the same day.
By Michael Blair, owner, Nashville's Remodeling · who we are
Warning signs
How to know you need us
Recognize one? Have it looked at before it grows.
- A layout that fights you every day
- Needing more space but not a different house
- A project that stalled with three trades blaming each other
- A wall you want removed that turns out to be carrying the floor above
- A basement or attic that is square footage you are not allowed to count
- Unpermitted work discovered during a sale or an appraisal
Your options
More than one right answer.
Not every remodel needs walls or plumbing moved. Here are the ways to get the room you want, from the lightest touch to the full gut.
Remodel within the footprint
The cheapest way to change how a house works. No foundation, no roof, no new structure — and frequently enough.
Convert existing space
Basement, attic, garage or porch brought up to conditioned living space. The best value per square foot when the shell already exists.
Bump-out or room addition
Adds square footage on the existing level. Foundation and roof tie-in are the real costs.
Second-story addition
Most expensive per square foot, because the existing structure and foundation have to be verified to carry it.
What it costs
What actually drives the price.
A remodel price depends on what is behind the drywall, so we promise no figure until we have walked the house. These are the line items that swing the number.
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Whether the footprint changes
Working inside the existing walls is a different order of cost from adding square footage. An addition brings foundation, roof, structure and mechanicals; a remodel brings none of those.
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Structural work
Removing load-bearing walls, adding beams or carrying a point load down to the foundation needs engineering and inspection, and it is the line most often missing from a low bid.
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Mechanical capacity
An addition or a finished basement frequently needs more HVAC, more electrical service and sometimes a larger water heater. That is real scope, not an extra.
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What is found once it is open
Older homes hide rot, knob-and-tube, failed plumbing and unpermitted past work. A fair quote names the rate for that rather than pretending it will not happen.
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Finish level
Two identical projects finished to builder grade and to custom grade differ enormously, and the finish decisions are where budgets actually move.
Estimates are free, written and without obligation. Anything found only after starting is priced up front.
What happens
From your call to the finished job.
Design and engineering
Four to twelve weeks including drawings, structural engineering and permit review. The phase people try to compress and should not.
Permit
Two to eight weeks depending on jurisdiction and scope. Metro Nashville is slower than most surrounding counties.
Demolition and rough-in
Structure, then mechanical rough-in, with inspections at each stage before anything is covered.
Finish
Insulation, drywall, trim, cabinetry and final inspection. The longest phase, and where the schedule is either held or lost.
Done badly
What goes wrong, and why it matters.
Shortcuts that cheapen the quote and cost you later. Ask anyone you are considering about them.
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Starting without final drawings
Design changes during construction are the single largest source of cost overrun on any remodel.
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Skipping the structural engineer
A beam sized by eye is a beam nobody can inspect or insure, and not something a future buyer will accept.
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Finishing a basement without addressing water
Framing and drywall over a wall that gets wet is a mold problem with a completion date.
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Converting space without permitting it
Unpermitted square footage does not count at appraisal, which removes most of the value you paid for.
Before you hire anyone
Six questions worth asking any remodeling contractor.
Including us. If a remodeling contractor cannot answer these easily, that is the answer.
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Are the drawings and the selections finished before the price is fixed?
Yes — a remodel priced from a sketch is repriced mid-job. The right answer is a plan, a selections list and one number with allowances stated.
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Who runs the job day to day, and is it one crew?
A named lead and one crew through to the punch list. A job passed between subs nobody coordinates is the one that takes five months.
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Are you licensed at this job’s value, and are your plumber and electrician licensed?
A Tennessee contractor’s license where the value requires it, and licensed trades for the parts that need them. The numbers, not the assurance.
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What happens when the wall opens and there is rot, old wiring or a moved load?
Work stops, a change order with a rate, your signature before it continues. A surprise on the final invoice means that step was skipped.
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Will you pull the permits, and who meets the inspector?
Yes for structural, plumbing and electrical, in the contractor’s name, and the lead meets the inspector. Unpermitted work surfaces when the house is sold.
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What is the schedule, and what happens if you miss it?
A date, a sequence and an honest word about lead times. A remodeler with no schedule has no way to be late.
FAQ
Choosing a remodeling contractor in Nashville
How do I choose a remodeling contractor in Nashville?
Every remodeling crew we run works under the Tennessee contractor’s license at the job’s value, carries liability and workers’ compensation coverage, and uses licensed plumbers and electricians for those trades — all on file with us. Ask the six questions below of anyone, including us.
Should I get more than one quote for remodeling?
Yes — and compare the scope, not the total. A Nashville remodel is priced by the scope drawn — structural changes, plumbing and electrical moved, finishes chosen — and an addition by the square foot plus the foundation and the roof tie-in; the number is fixed when the drawings are, not before.
Is the cheapest remodeling quote usually a bad idea?
Not automatically; a low number is information. Long-lead items — windows, cabinets, stone — on hand before demolition.
Do I need a permit for remodeling in Nashville?
Metro Nashville and the surrounding counties permits a remodel that moves walls, plumbing or electrical, and every addition; the inspections at framing, rough-in and finish are the homeowner’s protection and they are on the record when the house sells.
How far in advance should I book remodeling?
A design visit in Nashville is usually within a couple of weeks; drawings and permits take weeks, and the build is scheduled when the materials with long lead times are on hand.
Free estimate
Planning an addition or a remodel in Nashville?
Send Nashville's Remodeling the rooms, the problem and a rough sense of the budget. We come out, measure, and put a written estimate in your hands, free and without obligation.