Whole-Home Remodels — King County
Whole-Home Remodelsin Seattle.
A Seattle whole-home remodel is a new house inside a hundred-year-old shell. The shell is usually worth it; the systems inside it almost never are.
( Seattle )
Whole-Home Remodels for Seattle homes
Most of the Seattle houses we gut were built between 1905 and 1965, and they share a pattern: good lumber, a sound foundation, small closed rooms, and wiring, plumbing and heating that have been patched for decades. A whole-home remodel is the one project where all of that gets replaced at once rather than room by room. The main floor opens, the kitchen moves to where the light is, the basement becomes bedrooms or a legal ADU, and behind the new walls every system is new.
The city shapes the budget in two ways. The older the house, the more that is hiding: knob-and-tube, galvanized supply lines, undersized panels, out-of-level floors, and sometimes a foundation that needs work before anything else. And SDCI review for a project of this size is measured in months, which is why we design, file and then order long-lead materials during the wait, so the permit is approved around the time the house is ready to be emptied.
Permits for Seattle projects run through Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI), and we handle the filing and inspections as part of the job. For the full picture on how we approach this work, see our whole-home remodels page — and for everything we build locally, our Seattle contractor page.
Typical Seattle investment
Broad ranges for orientation — your written estimate is free and itemized.
| Tier | Range | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic whole-house | $100k–$200k | Finishes throughout, kitchen and baths, paint, flooring, lighting — layout unchanged. |
| Comprehensive remodel | $150–$250/sq ft | Layout changes, systems replaced, insulation and windows, full kitchen and baths. |
| Down-to-the-studs gut | $250–$350+/sq ft | Structural reconfiguration, complete systems and envelope, high-end finishes. |
Seattle questions
- What does a whole-home remodel cost in Seattle?
- Roughly $175 to $350 per square foot in 2026, so $350,000 to $700,000 for a 2,000 square foot house. Seattle lands at the upper half of the regional range because of what the older houses need behind the walls. The spread comes from how much structure moves and the finish level.
- Should I remodel or tear down and rebuild in Seattle?
- Remodel, in most cases. You keep the foundation, the shell, the utility connections and the existing setbacks, and Seattle's older houses were framed with lumber you cannot buy today. Rebuilding wins when the foundation has failed or the house is too small for the lot's potential; we say which it is at the first visit.
- How long does a gut renovation take in Seattle?
- Plan on three to six months of design and SDCI permitting, then six to twelve months of construction. We submit early and order materials during review so the permit wait does not become idle site time. For a true gut you will move out for the construction phase.
- Can the basement become an ADU as part of the remodel?
- Often yes, and it is the highest-return piece of a Seattle whole-home remodel. Seattle allows up to two ADUs on most lots. A tall basement with a side entry converts while the rest of the house is open, and the systems for it are sized into the new panel and plumbing from the start.
Let’s talk about
your place.
Free in-home estimates across Everett, Seattle & the Eastside. You talk to Eduard directly, not a call center.