By Joe Guadagnino, Founder and Builder, Maxwell Building Services
Homes built before 1960 in Grosse Pointe, Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills were put together with real plaster, solid wood trim and framing that has had decades to settle. That is a big part of why people buy them. It is also why a kitchen, bath or whole home remodel in one of these houses takes more planning than the same project in a newer home. The same handful of mistakes come up again and again, and almost none of them are about taste. They are about order, planning and who is responsible for what. Here are fifteen to avoid before you start.
1. Starting construction before design and selections are done.
It is tempting to get crews moving while you are still deciding on tile or a range. In an older house, every open decision becomes a pause on site, and pauses stretch the schedule. Finish the design and lock in your selections first, so the build runs from a complete plan instead of a running list of questions.
2. Getting a firm price before the design is finished.
A number given on an unfinished design is a guess with a signature on it. Either it is padded to cover what is unknown, or it leaves things out that come back later as changes. Have an honest budget conversation early, then expect a firm price once layouts, elevations and selections are drawn and agreed.
3. Not planning for what may be behind old plaster walls.
Plaster and lath hide a lot: framing changes from earlier owners, abandoned lines, past repairs and wiring that was added on over the years. You will not know everything until the walls are open, but you can plan for it. Keep a reserve in your own budget, and ask your builder how surprises will be documented and priced before work continues.
4. Assuming walls can come out without an engineer.
Older homes often carry loads in places you would not expect, especially after past additions or renovations. A wall that looks like a simple partition can be holding up the floor above. Have a structural engineer review any wall you plan to remove or open up, and let the design follow what they find.
5. Ignoring old wiring and plumbing capacity when adding appliances.
A new kitchen or primary bath asks much more of a house than the rooms it replaces: a larger range, a second oven, a steam shower, heated floors. Many older homes still have smaller electrical service, ungrounded circuits or undersized supply and drain lines. Have the panel, circuits and plumbing evaluated during design so the upgrades are part of the plan from day one, not found halfway through.
6. Choosing cabinets last when they drive the schedule.
Cabinets set the layout, the appliance openings, the lighting plan and often the longest lead time on the job. Leaving them for the end holds up everything that depends on them. Choose your cabinetry early in design; with a built to order line like Dura Supreme, the order needs to be placed well before demolition starts.
7. Ordering finishes late.
Tile, plumbing fixtures, hardware, lighting and stone all have their own lead times, and those can shift without much notice. When a vanity or faucet shows up late, every trade that follows it waits too. Order finishes as soon as selections are final, and have them on hand or confirmed before the work that needs them begins.
8. Not keeping original character like trim, doors and windows.
Thick casings, solid panel doors, plaster coves and original windows are what make an older house feel the way it does. Once they go in the dumpster, they are very hard to match. Decide early what stays, protect it during the work, and design the new rooms to carry that detail forward instead of starting over.
9. Forcing modern layouts that fight the house.
Not every 1930s Colonial wants to be one big open room. Taking out every wall can leave a house with nowhere to put furniture, poor sound control and rooms that no longer match the rest of the home. Look for changes that open things up where it helps, like a wider cased opening or a better connection to the kitchen, while keeping the proportions the house was built with.
10. Hiring a separate designer and contractor with no one owning the result.
When the design comes from one firm and the build from another, every gap between the drawings and the field turns into a debate over whose problem it is. The homeowner ends up as the go between. Whatever route you choose, make sure one party is clearly responsible for the finished result, not just its half of it.
11. Not putting change orders in writing.
Changes happen on every remodel, and older homes tend to produce more of them. A verbal yes on site becomes a surprise on the next invoice. Agree up front that every change is written up with its scope, cost and schedule impact, and approved before the work happens.
12. Living in the house with no dust plan.
Old plaster makes a fine dust that will travel through the whole house if nothing stops it. If you are staying home during the work, ask for the plan in writing: floor protection, sealed containment, negative air and daily cleanup. Decide ahead of time which rooms, entries and bathrooms are yours and which belong to the crew.
13. Skipping permits.
Permits can feel like paperwork, but inspections are a second set of eyes on the work that ends up behind your walls. Unpermitted work can also come back to you when it is time to sell. A reputable builder pulls the permits for the scope and builds inspection timing into the schedule.
14. Picking the lowest bid on an incomplete scope.
Bids written against a loose scope are not pricing the same project. The lowest number often leaves out what the others included, and that difference returns later as change orders. Make sure every bidder is working from the same drawings, selections and allowances, and ask each one what they exclude.
15. Starting in spring without planning in winter.
Spring and summer are when most homeowners want to be under construction, so design calendars, permit offices and trade schedules fill up. If design does not start until the weather turns, the build can slide well into the year. Use the winter months for design, selections and ordering so you are ready to build when spring arrives.
Start with the house you have
Older homes in Grosse Pointe, Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills reward a careful plan. Most of these mistakes share the same fix: finish the thinking before the work starts, and have one team accountable from the first drawing to the final walkthrough. That is how we work at Maxwell, with design, selections and construction handled under one roof. You can read more about our process, visit our design studio in Hazel Park to see cabinetry and finishes in person, or contact us to set up a walkthrough of your home.