Remodeling and general contracting in Ladue, Missouri

The housing in Ladue

Architect-designed homes from the 1920s to 1950s, mid-century ranches and new estates on large lots.

A whole-house renovation of an older Ladue home starts with the systems: knob-and-tube or cloth wiring, galvanized pipe, gravity-era ductwork and little insulation. We sequence that work so original floors, trim and plaster survive it.

Basements and foundations

Basements in pre-war homes are utility spaces with low clearances. Newer homes have full lower levels. We give frank advice about which are worth finishing.

Old foundations in Ladue were built to keep a house up, not to keep a room dry. Stone and early concrete walls breathe and weep. Where ceiling height and moisture allow a finish at all, we use assemblies that let the wall dry and keep organic materials away from it. Where they do not, we say so and help you put the money into a better place.

Kitchens, baths and interiors

Plaster repair, matching historic trim profiles, integrating modern kitchens into traditional plans, and rewiring. It is slow, careful work and is priced accordingly.

Kitchens in the older houses of Ladue were service rooms at the back. Bringing one up to date means finding space, often from a pantry, porch or adjacent room, and threading new wiring, plumbing and ventilation through plaster and balloon framing without wrecking the trim and floors that give the house its value.

Decks, additions and exteriors

Wood window and trim restoration, additions designed to be indistinguishable from the original, and terraces and porches. Architectural review is thorough.

A front porch is part of the architecture of an older Ladue house, and rebuilding one means matching column profiles, railing heights and beadboard ceilings, often under historic review. Rear decks and porches have more freedom, but we still design them to suit the house.

Permits in Ladue

The City of Ladue has its own building department and an architectural review board.

We prepare the drawings, submit the application, meet the inspectors and close the permit. If your subdivision has an architectural committee, we put together that package as well. Our permit guide and HOA approval guide explain both processes.

Services in Ladue