Whole-home remodeling in Frederick

11%⁴ of the county's homes went up before 1940, from farmhouses along the back roads to brick rowhouses near Carroll Creek. Unless a lead-based paint inspection shows otherwise, the EPA says to treat paint in homes built before 1978 as if it contains lead.¹⁷ When every room is being opened, that means lead-safe setup in each one. For homes built before 1978, the EPA advises hiring contractors who use only lead-safe certified renovators.¹⁸

The EPA lists vinyl floor tile, vinyl sheet backing and flooring adhesives among products that may contain asbestos, which is released mainly when the material is disturbed.¹⁹ Layers of old flooring in a farmhouse kitchen or a rowhouse back room are worth sampling before a demolition date is set. The EPA advises having an accredited asbestos professional inspect before a remodel that could disturb suspect materials, and not sanding or power-stripping suspect flooring yourself.²⁰

Where the City of Frederick has applied a Historic Preservation Overlay, it regulates the exterior of the designated building, and the Historic Preservation Commission must approve all exterior work there except minor rehabilitation.²¹ The City of Frederick's Historic Preservation Commission has authorized its staff to review and approve some rehabilitation work, as long as it complies with the guidelines.²¹ Rewiring and new kitchens inside a downtown house are building-permit matters, but new windows, doors, siding or a rear addition bring the commission into a whole-house plan.

19%⁴ of the county's homes date from the 1990s alone, in the subdivisions that spread out from Frederick toward Urbana, Ballenger Creek and Walkersville. In those houses a full renovation tends to be about systems coming due at the same time as the finishes, so get the heat pump, water heater and windows assessed before the design is settled.

When alterations, repairs or additions that need a permit are made, the 2021 International Residential Code requires the home to have smoke alarms where a new house would, including in each bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every story; exterior-only work and plumbing or mechanical work are exempt.²² When branch-circuit wiring is modified, replaced or extended in kitchens, family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, bedrooms, hallways, laundry areas and similar rooms, the 2021 International Residential Code requires arc-fault (AFCI) protection for that circuit, unless the extension is no more than 6 feet long and adds no outlets or devices.²³ Expect alarms and arc-fault protection to be brought up to date in rooms the plan barely touches.

For very dusty work such as demolition, the EPA describes isolating the work area: sealing it off with no direct access to the occupied rooms, with workers using a separate entrance until cleanup is done.¹⁷ A finished lower level or a bonus room over the garage can serve as living space while the main floor is torn out; keep a working bathroom and somewhere to wash dishes on that side of the plastic.

The EPA recommends testing for radon before remodeling a basement, because fixing a radon problem is usually easier and less expensive before the basement is finished.¹⁸ The Maryland Department of Health says Maryland residents may be eligible for a free radon test kit, through the Maryland Department of the Environment.²⁴

More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.²⁵ With walls open on every floor, blocking for grab bars, a wider hall doorway and a full bath on the entry level are easier to add now than as a separate project later. NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.²⁶

Maryland's Independent Living Tax Credit returns up to 50% of the cost of renovations that make a home more accessible, up to $5,000, for work on your own home, a family member's home or a rental property.²⁷ Frederick County's Senior Rehab Grant Program provides grants of up to $15,000 for emergency repairs and accessibility modifications to very low income senior homeowners.²⁸

The number on this page connects you, on a recorded line, with one independent company that handles whole-home remodels in the Frederick area. Which rooms, in what order and at what price are settled between you and that company.

That company pays us for the call. You pay us nothing, and no one from our side will call or text you later. How we make money

Before a deposit changes hands, look the company up yourself. Maryland's Home Improvement Commission licenses home improvement contractors and salespersons, and its License Search shows whether a license is current.²⁹ The City of Frederick doesn't license home improvement contractors; they must be licensed by the State of Maryland.³⁰ Check a Maryland license

Then agree in writing who takes out each permit. In Frederick County, electrical and plumbing permits are separate from the building permit, with separate fees, and the building permit is applied for by the owner or a licensed contractor unless the applicant has a notarized letter of permission.¹² In Frederick County, an electrical or plumbing permit is applied for by the licensed person, or by a property owner who passes the county's Homeowner Electrical or Plumbing Exam, and that person must be the one doing the work.¹²