Whole-home
Whole-home remodeling in Louisville, KY
Complete renovations that keep an older home's character and rebuild everything inside it: layout, systems, kitchens, baths and finishes.
- ★ 5.017 Google reviews
- Design-buildOne firm, one contract
- East EndTen communities
- Major projectsKitchens to whole homes
Whole-home renovation
One plan for the entire house
Sometimes the problem isn't one room. The kitchen is closed off, the baths are original, the wiring is decades old, the layout fights how you live and the basement is unusable. Fixing those one at a time over ten years means tearing into the same walls again and again, and never getting a house that works as a whole.
A whole-home remodel solves it in one plan. Keystone designs the entire house together (layout, structure, mechanical systems, kitchens, baths and finishes) and builds it in one coordinated project. It's especially well suited to Louisville's older housing stock, where updating the bones is the only way to make modern living work.
What we build
Everything, coordinated
Whole-home projects combine many trades and decisions. We design and sequence them as one.
Floor-plan redesign
Open or reorganize rooms, rethink circulation, and create the kitchen-family connection older homes lack.
Structural work
Beams, posts and footings for opened walls, reinforced floors and corrected sags in older framing.
Electrical replacement
Knob-and-tube and outdated wiring replaced, new service panels and modern circuits throughout.
Plumbing replacement
Cast-iron and galvanized lines replaced with modern supply and drain systems.
Heating & cooling
New high-efficiency systems, ductwork redesigned for the new layout and zoning for comfort.
Insulation & windows
Insulation and air sealing while walls are open, and windows restored or replaced to suit the house.
Kitchens & baths
Every kitchen and bath designed to the same standard, as part of the whole.
Character restoration
Trim, doors, built-ins, fireplaces and hardwood floors saved, repaired or recreated.
Lead-safe practices
For homes built before 1978, work that disturbs painted surfaces follows EPA lead-safe practices.
Signature looks
Three ways a whole-home project comes together
Opening the plan
Taking out walls between the kitchen, dining and living rooms to make one connected space, with the structure engineered properly.
Restoring character
Keeping the trim, floors and details that make an older home special, and rebuilding the systems behind them.
Rethinking the house
A new layout, new kitchen and baths, and often an addition, planned together so the whole house works for how you live now.
Inspiration
Older homes, made new inside
Photography shown is representative of the finish level we build. Keystone project photos are being added.
Louisville homes
Louisville's older homes, era by era
Our office is in Crescent Hill, among the city's largest concentrations of Craftsman-era houses. These are the homes where whole-home renovations make the most sense.
Victorian & Craftsman (1890s–1920s)
Crescent Hill's foursquares, Queen Annes and bungalows, plus early St. Matthews and Anchorage homes. Expect plaster and lath, knob-and-tube wiring, minimal insulation and beautiful millwork worth keeping.
Period revival (1920s–1940s)
Tudors and Colonials in Indian Hills, St. Matthews and Crescent Hill. Solid construction, small kitchens and baths, and often steam or gravity heat that needs rethinking.
Postwar (1945–1970)
Ranches, Capes and split-levels in Lyndon, Jeffersontown and St. Matthews. Good bones, compartmentalized plans and dated systems, ideal for opening up and modernizing top to bottom.
Design decisions
Doing a whole-home renovation well
- Assess before you design. We investigate wiring, plumbing, framing, foundation and HVAC early, so the plan and budget account for what's really there.
- Decide what to keep. Original floors, trim, doors and built-ins are often better than anything you can buy new. We protect and reuse them.
- Plan the systems with the layout. Ductwork, plumbing stacks and beams are designed together, not discovered during construction.
- Phase the work. We sequence demolition, rough-ins, inspections and finishes to keep the schedule tight.
- Living arrangements. Many families move out for the heaviest phase. We'll help you plan timing during design.
- Historic districts. In local preservation districts such as Clifton or Cherokee Triangle, or Anchorage's and Middletown's districts, exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness. Interiors generally aren't reviewed.
Planning your budget
What shapes the investment
- Scope. How many rooms, whether walls move, and whether systems (wiring, plumbing, HVAC) are replaced throughout.
- Living arrangements. Whether you stay in the house during construction affects phasing and the schedule. Most clients move out.
- Age of the house. Pre-war homes can need structural repairs, new wiring and lead-safe practices. All of it is priced before work begins.
- Finish level. Cabinetry, stone, flooring and fixtures across every room add up quickly. We set allowances room by room.
- Exterior work. Windows, roofing, siding and porches are often part of the job and are priced separately.
We don't publish prices because every house is different. You get a fixed price at the end of design, before construction starts. Read the cost guide
Typical timeline
How long a whole-home renovation takes
Typical ranges for our projects in the East End. Your actual schedule is set in your contract once the design is final.
- 2–4 months
Design & pricing
As-built drawings, design, engineering, selections, fixed price.
- 6–12 weeks
Permits & ordering
Permits and long-lead materials ordered together.
- 5–9 months
Construction
Phased by floor or zone, with inspections at each stage.
- 3–4 weeks
Finish & walkthrough
Room-by-room punch list, cleaning, move-in.
Permits & approvals
Permits for a whole-home renovation
A whole-home remodel typically involves building, electrical, mechanical and state plumbing permits, with framing, rough-in and final inspections at each stage. Exterior changes in a local historic district need a Certificate of Appropriateness before Metro will issue a permit. Crescent Hill itself is on the National Register but isn't a local preservation district, so interior and most exterior work there doesn't need Landmarks review; neighboring Clifton does. We confirm the rules for your address at the start.
The Keystone process
Six phases, no surprises
Each phase closes with your approval before the next begins, so the schedule, budget and selections are settled before construction starts.
Consultation
A walk through your home to understand how you live, what isn't working and what you want to change.
Design
Measured drawings and renderings, refined with you until the plan, the budget and the details agree.
Selections
Cabinetry, stone, tile, plumbing fixtures and lighting chosen with our designer, before anything is ordered.
Pre-construction
Permits, approvals, ordering and a firm schedule, all settled before the first wall comes down.
Construction
A dedicated project manager, protected floors and a clean, orderly site at the end of every day.
Walkthrough
A final review together, every punch-list item closed, and a home that's ready to live in.
Where we work
Across Louisville's East End
Whole-home renovations are most common in our older neighborhoods, but we do them across the East End.
Louisville, KY 40206Crescent HillCraftsman and Victorian homes rebuilt inside, character kept
Louisville, KY 40207St. Matthews1920s–50s homes updated top to bottom
Louisville, KY 40207Indian Hills1920s–50s estate homes renovated with their stone and detail
Louisville, KY 40223AnchorageHistoric and 1970s–90s homes renovated under city review
Louisville, KY 40222LyndonPostwar ranches opened up and modernized
Louisville, KY 40222Hurstbourne1960s–80s homes reworked for today
Louisville, KY 40243MiddletownHistoric Main Street homes and older subdivisions
Louisville, KY 40299JeffersontownRanches and split-levels renovated end to end
Louisville, KY 40245Lake Forest1980s–90s homes fully updated
Prospect · 40059Hunting Creek1970s Prospect homes renovated, including storm repairs
5.0 from 17 Google reviews
★★★★★
“They found every problem the old house had been hiding and fixed it the right way. It still feels like our 1915 house, only better.”Whole-home renovation, Crescent Hill Sample text Read our Google reviews
Questions
Whole-home remodeling questions
Is a whole-home remodel better than doing rooms one at a time?
If several rooms and systems need work, yes. Doing it together avoids reopening walls, lets systems be designed once, and usually costs less overall than a series of separate projects.
What if my house has knob-and-tube wiring?
We replace it. Many insurers won't cover homes with active knob-and-tube, and a whole-home remodel, with walls open, is the most efficient time to rewire.
Can you keep original woodwork and floors?
Yes. We protect trim, doors, built-ins and hardwood during construction, and repair or recreate missing pieces to match.
Do we need to move out?
For most whole-home remodels, it's easier and faster if you do for the heaviest phases. We'll plan the timing with you during design.
Is my house in a historic district?
Louisville Metro has eight local preservation districts, and some small cities such as Anchorage and Middletown have their own. National Register listing alone, as in Crescent Hill, doesn't trigger design review. We check your address. See our permits and zoning guide.
What about lead paint?
Homes built before 1978 may contain lead paint. Renovation work that disturbs painted surfaces follows the EPA's lead-safe work practices, with containment and cleanup.
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