Historic Home Renovation in New Orleans, LA

If your property sits in a local historic district, exterior work requires a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic District Landmarks Commission before Safety and Permits will issue a building permit. French Quarter properties go through the Vieux Carre Commission instead. Interior only work generally falls outside their jurisdiction. We prepare and submit the application as part of the project.

Whole home historic renovations in New Orleans generally run $180 to $400+ per square foot. The spread comes down to structural condition. Settled piers, termite damage and failed sills routinely add cost that is not visible at walkthrough. We build a contingency into every historic proposal so the number you approve holds. Room scale projects typically start near $45,000.

HDLC strongly favours repair over replacement for original wood sash, and outright replacement is often denied. We restore original cypress sash, re-glaze, and rebuild jambs where the frames are sound. Where replacement is genuinely warranted, we specify matching profiles and submit them for review.

Whole home projects generally run 6 to 12 months of construction. Add 4 to 8 weeks upfront for HDLC or Vieux Carre Commission review and permitting. Hurricane season between June and November can push exterior milestones, which we sequence for at the schedule stage.

Formosan termite damage in concealed framing, rotted sill plates from ground moisture, settled piers from soil subsidence, and knob and tube or aluminium wiring. We open selective inspection points during pre-construction so these surface in the proposal rather than as change orders mid project.

Yes. Re-shimming and pier replacement on pier and beam homes is standard scope on Uptown, Irish Channel and Bywater projects. Orleans Parish soil settles continuously, so leveling is usually sequenced before any finishes go in.

Louisiana offers state historic rehabilitation tax credits, and federal credits apply to certain income producing certified historic structures. Eligibility depends on district designation and scope of work. We coordinate with your accountant and the state office on documentation.

We work across the Garden District, Irish Channel, Uptown, Carrollton, Mid-City, Esplanade Ridge, Treme, Marigny, Bywater, Holy Cross and Algiers Point, plus Old Metairie and the Northshore. Our office is on Washington Avenue in New Orleans.

For single area projects, usually yes. Whole home historic renovations generally need temporary relocation, because leveling, rewiring and plaster work rarely stay contained to one room. We tell you which category your project falls into during planning rather than halfway through construction. Where you do stay, we set dust containment, defined site hours and protected walking paths, and keep a working bathroom and kitchen available as long as the schedule allows.

Renovating is usually cheaper per square foot, but the gap narrows once structural condition enters the picture. A home with settled piers, termite damage and failed sills can approach new build cost by the time it is sound. In most New Orleans historic districts the question is settled for you anyway, since HDLC rarely permits demolition and replacement. We give you both numbers at the consultation, and can point you toward local architects experienced with historic and flood zone work if you want a design comparison first.