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Woodhouse Builders LLC
Full Home Renovations: One Contractor, Start to Finish

Portland Local

Full Home Renovations: One Contractor, Start to Finish

Scotty Woodhouse manages every phase of your renovation so nothing falls through the cracks.

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What a Real Renovation Actually Covers

A renovation and a remodel are not the same thing, and the difference matters before you hire anyone. A renovation restores, updates, or improves what's already there, reworking a layout, replacing worn finishes, bringing an older home up to where it should be. A remodel changes the structure. Both can live in the same project, and most whole-home jobs involve a little of each. Woodhouse Builders LLC handles the full scope either way. Scotty works the job directly, which means no communication gap between who signed the contract and who shows up on day one. Call (207) 544-3126 to talk through what your project actually involves.

What drives the cost of a renovation up or down is rarely the list of finished materials. It's what you find once the walls open. Older homes in the Greater Cumberland County area carry surprises: outdated wiring, plaster over lathe, joists that weren't sized for modern loads, insulation that was adequate in 1965 and nowhere close now. A contractor who quotes you a firm number before seeing inside those walls is quoting you a number they plan to revise. Scotty looks first, then prices. The scope can touch a single room or run through the entire house, from kitchen remodeling and basement remodeling to exterior siding and flooring installation. Every job is different, contact Woodhouse Builders LLC for an accurate estimate.

Scope of Work

Renovation Work We Handle Under One Roof

You don't need four different contractors. Scotty coordinates every trade from demo to final walkthrough.

01

Kitchen Remodeling

Full gut or targeted update, cabinet layout, countertops, tile backsplash, flooring. The kitchen is usually the job that reveals the most surprises inside the walls, and we plan for that from day one.

02

Bathroom Remodeling

Tile work, fixtures, vanity, shower surrounds, and waterproofing done correctly so you're not ripping it apart in three years. Small bathrooms and full master suites both qualify.

03

Basement Remodeling

Maine's older housing stock has a lot of unfinished or badly finished basements. Converting one to livable space involves moisture management first, everything else is secondary to getting that right.

04

Carpentry and Finish Work

Custom built-ins, trim, stair railings, and detail work that sets a finished renovation apart from a rough one. Most volume builders skip this or rush it. We don't.

05

Flooring and Tile

Hardwood, engineered, tile, installed over a properly prepped subfloor. A beautiful floor installed over a bad substrate fails. Substrate condition gets checked before anything goes down.

06

Exterior and Siding

Clapboard and cedar shake both confirmed. Maine winters are not forgiving on siding that wasn't installed with proper flashing and backing. We do it right the first time rather than patch it later.

How a Woodhouse Renovation Actually Runs

  1. 01

    Walkthrough and Honest Scope

    Scotty sees the space before quoting it. What's behind the walls, what condition the substrate is in, what permits the local municipality will require, all of it factors into a real number, not a placeholder.

  2. 02

    Sequenced Demo and Build

    Demolition follows a specific order that protects structural elements and keeps the job moving. Rough work, framing, mechanical rough-ins, insulation, gets inspected before anything closes up. This is where shortcuts become expensive problems.

  3. 03

    Finish Work and Walkthrough

    Trim, tile, flooring, paint, fixtures, installed in the right sequence so each trade's work doesn't undo the previous one. Final walkthrough with Scotty directly, not a project manager you've never met.

What to Watch For

What Separates a Good Renovation From a Bad One

Here's the honest version: most renovation failures aren't visible on completion day. They show up two winters later when the tile grout cracks because the substrate moved, or when the new floor buckles because moisture wasn't addressed before installation. The work that matters is what happens before the finish materials go in. Proper subfloor prep. Correct waterproofing membrane in wet areas. Flashing detailed around every penetration in the exterior. Vapor barrier positioned on the correct side of the insulation for Maine's climate. None of that is glamorous, and none of it shows in a photo. It's the reason a Woodhouse renovation holds up and a cheaper one doesn't. We're also direct about scope: if Scotty walks a job and sees something that will cost more than the original estimate, you hear about it before the demo starts, not after. That's not how every contractor operates. We think it should be.
Home renovations

Questions to Ask Before You Hire Any Contractor

These aren't trick questions. Any contractor who does this work regularly should answer all of them without hesitation.

  1. 01

    Who physically does the work?

    Are you the company that shows up, or do you broker it to a sub? Subcontracting isn't inherently bad, but you should know before you sign.

  2. 02

    How do you handle surprises inside the walls?

    Every renovation in an older home finds something unexpected. Ask how change orders are documented, approved, and priced. Get the answer in writing.

  3. 03

    What permits are required, and who pulls them?

    A contractor who skips permits is leaving you holding legal and insurance liability when you sell. Woodhouse Builders LLC handles permit coordination as part of the project.

  4. 04

    What does the payment schedule look like?

    Never pay in full upfront. A reasonable schedule ties payments to project milestones. Any contractor demanding full payment before work starts is a flag.

Greater Cumberland County Service Area

Woodhouse Builders LLC takes renovation projects throughout the greater service area. City-specific project pages are available for several of these communities, including South Portland, Falmouth, Scarborough, and Cape Elizabeth.

Renovation Questions, Answered Straight

What's the difference between a remodel and a renovation?
A renovation updates or restores existing elements, new flooring over existing subfloor, tile replacement, fresh trim. A remodel changes the layout or structure, like moving a wall to open up a kitchen. Most whole-home projects involve both. The distinction matters for permitting and budget planning, but it doesn't change who does the work. Scotty handles both under one contract.
Do I need permits for an interior renovation in Maine?
It depends on scope. Cosmetic updates like painting or replacing flooring generally don't require permits. Structural changes, electrical work, plumbing modifications, and anything that affects load-bearing elements typically do. Maine municipalities vary on specifics. Woodhouse Builders LLC evaluates permit requirements as part of the initial walkthrough and coordinates filing when permits are needed.
How do you price a whole-home renovation before opening the walls?
Honestly, you can't give a firm number you'll actually honor without seeing what's inside. Scotty walks the space, asks about the home's age and known history, identifies areas of likely concern, and builds a realistic estimate with a noted contingency for unknowns. That's more useful than a low number that doubles after demo. Every job is different, contact Woodhouse Builders LLC for an accurate estimate.
What's the right order to renovate rooms in a house?
Structural and systems work first: anything touching the roof, foundation, framing, or mechanical rough-ins. Then wet areas like bathrooms and kitchens, because their sequencing affects everything downstream. Flooring and finish carpentry come last so they don't get damaged during earlier phases. Doing it out of order usually means redoing work, which is where renovation budgets go sideways.
How long does a full home renovation take?
A single-room renovation like a kitchen or bathroom runs four to eight weeks in most cases. Whole-home projects vary widely depending on scope, permit timelines, and what's found during demo. Maine's older housing stock, lots of homes built pre-1950 with original plaster, cast iron, and knob-and-tube, tends toward the longer end. Scotty sets a realistic timeline at the outset and communicates when anything changes it.
Can I stay in my home during a renovation?
For partial renovations hitting one room or one floor, usually yes, with some logistics adjustments. Full whole-home gut projects are genuinely difficult to live through, dust, disconnected utilities, and safety considerations around demo make temporary relocation worth discussing. Scotty will give you a straight answer about what's realistic for your specific project scope before work begins.

Ready to Talk Through Your Renovation?

Scotty Woodhouse picks up. Not a dispatcher, not a call center.

Call now (207) 544-3126 Call Scotty Now, (207) 544-3126

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