Kelso, Washington
Remodeling Contractor in Kelso, WA
Remodeling contractor working Kelso. Whole house remodels, renovations, additions and basement finishes. Licensed, bonded and insured, with the owner on site every day rather than a crew you have never met.
Call (360) 431-9382 or book online for a free estimate.
Kelso sits low against two rivers and climbs into hills, and most of the older housing is on a crawlspace over ground that stays damp a good part of the year. On a whole house remodel that is the first thing worth understanding, because it decides how much of the budget goes into what you can see and how much goes into what is under you.
A floor over a damp crawlspace fails quietly. Soft spots at a toilet flange, along a tub, or in a hallway that has never been opened up mean the subfloor is gone and sometimes the joist under it. Finishing over that is money spent twice. On a whole house job it gets opened, checked and repaired first, and knowing the extent of it before anything is ordered is the difference between a schedule that holds and one that does not.
The layout question comes next. These houses were built as closed rooms with doors and what people want now is space that connects, so the ask is almost always to take a wall out. Whether it is carrying load gets determined before demo rather than discovered during it. If it is bearing, a header and posts take the load and the wall still comes out. It just costs what it costs, and you should hear that number before the work starts.
What is behind the walls is the third question. Older Kelso houses were wired for a light and a radio, and a modern kitchen alone draws more than the original service was built to carry. Supply lines are often galvanized and have closed up from the inside. None of that is visible until a wall is open, which is why an honest bid states what gets checked and what the range is if it needs replacing.
Basements and additions round out the remodel work here. On a hillside lot a daylight basement is often the cheapest square footage you will ever add, because the structure and the roof already exist. What it needs is moisture handled first, then framing, electrical, and a code-compliant way out. An addition is the opposite, with a new foundation that has to tie into a house built decades ago on ground that moves.
Electrical and plumbing go to licensed trades. Tile, framing, finish carpentry and the running of the job are mine. I have been doing this thirty years, I am on the job every day, and on a remodel that matters more than on new work, because an older house will hand you something you did not plan for and somebody has to make the call standing right there.
Save yourself the wait
Send me photos of the rooms and rough dimensions, and tell me what you want changed. If you know of soft spots in any floor, say so. I will come back with a layout and a straight read on what it takes.
Home Remodeling We Have Built
Kitchen remodel in progress in Kelso, WA
Bathroom vanity & tile remodel in Kelso, WA
White shaker kitchen with butcher block in Kelso, WA
Full bathroom remodel with hex tile in Kelso, WA
Custom tile shower installation in Kelso, WA
Recent work in Kelso
Whole exterior renovation in Kelso
Old shake siding stripped to the sheathing, walls repaired and wrapped, new fiber cement siding and trim, and paint. A slider was framed into a bedroom wall while it was open.
Home Remodeling questions in Kelso
How much does a whole house remodel cost in Kelso, WA?
Over a Kelso crawlspace, what is under the floor decides a lot of it. Soft spots mean subfloor and sometimes joists before any finish goes down. Bearing walls and original wiring are the other two. Send photos and dimensions and tell me what you want changed, and I will give you a layout and a range.
Can you remodel a house with a damp crawlspace?
Yes, and it gets handled first. Ground cover, vents and drainage under the house are cheap next to the remodel they protect, and finishing over a damp crawlspace is money spent twice.
Do you finish daylight basements on hillside lots?
Yes. On a Kelso hillside a daylight basement is often the cheapest square footage you will ever add. Moisture first, then framing, electrical and a code-compliant exit.
Are you a house renovation contractor for older homes?
Yes. Most of my remodel work is in houses built before 1960. Closed rooms opened up, wiring and plumbing brought current, floors repaired before finish goes down.
Are you a licensed and insured general contractor in Kelso?
Yes. Washington license JAMESHC764LM, bonded and insured, owner on the job every day.
Home Remodeling in Kelso and Cowlitz County
James Hurula Construction is a licensed Washington general contractor (JAMESHC764LM) based in Kalama, serving Kelso and Cowlitz County on every kind of job on this page. I also work in Longview, Castle Rock, Kalama, Woodland, Cathlamet, Vancouver, Battle Ground, Ridgefield. Thirty years of field experience, owner on site.
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Ready to start your Kelso project?
Call for a free same-day estimate. No pressure, no obligation. (360) 431-9382.