Remodeling and general contracting in St. Charles, Missouri

The housing in St. Charles

Nineteenth-century brick in the historic core, early twentieth-century bungalows and four-squares in midtown, postwar ranches, 1980s to 2000s subdivisions to the west and south, and New Town's neo-traditional homes.

A whole-house renovation of an older St. Charles 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

Older St. Charles homes have stone or early concrete foundations with low ceilings that are better suited to dry storage than living space, and we will tell you so. Newer subdivisions have full-height poured basements that finish well. River-adjacent areas deserve extra thought about sump capacity and backup power.

Old foundations in St. Charles 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

In pre-war houses, kitchens and baths are small and the walls hide plaster, old wiring and cast iron drains. We update the systems while preserving trim, doors and floors that give the house its value. In the newer subdivisions the work mirrors the rest of the county.

Kitchens in the older houses of St. Charles 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

Historic district properties need approval for exterior changes, including windows, siding, porches and sometimes paint colors. Wood porch restoration is common. Elsewhere, decks, patio covers and siding replacement are the routine exterior jobs.

A front porch is part of the architecture of an older St. Charles 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 St. Charles

The City of St. Charles issues permits. Properties in the historic districts also go through the city's landmarks or historic preservation review for exterior work.

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 St. Charles