Whole-home remodeling in Montgomery County

25%³ of the county's homes were built from 1950 through 1969, many of them brick colonials, Cape Cods and ramblers with plaster walls. Unless a lead-based paint inspection shows otherwise, the EPA says to treat paint in homes built before 1978 as if it contains lead.¹⁵ A job that sands, cuts or tears out in room after room needs a crew that sets up lead-safe practices in each one. For homes built before 1978, the EPA advises hiring contractors who use only lead-safe certified renovators.¹⁶

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.¹⁷ Old resilient tile hiding under carpet and wrapped pipes in the basement are both worth sampling before the 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.¹⁸

In the county's historic districts, the review covers the outside of the house. In Montgomery County, substantive exterior changes to a historic site, such as replacing windows or doors, need a Historic Area Work Permit, while interior work does not; the permit doesn't replace a county building permit.¹⁹ Ask early whether new windows or doors are part of the plan, since that is what brings the historic review into a whole-house job.

Montgomery County's framing (close-in) inspection checks framing, fire and draft stopping, air sealing of the thermal envelope and sealed trade penetrations, and must be approved before insulation is installed.¹³ County inspectors won't conduct a close-in or final inspection without an approved WSSC Water rough-in or final inspection, and the framing, rough wiring and mechanical inspections are requested together.¹³ On a renovation that moves through the house in phases, each phase waits for both inspectors before drywall can go up, so ask the company to show both on the schedule.

WSSC Water's plumbing and gasfitting regulations require most plumbing projects in Montgomery and Prince George's counties, including interior re-piping and all gas work, to be done by a WSSC Water-licensed plumber or gasfitter.²⁰ WSSC Water says its code requires the plumber or gasfitter to warranty the work for one year inside the building, counted from the date of final inspection approval.²¹ Keep each phase's WSSC Water final with the county's paperwork, because the plumbing warranty clock starts there.

The county's final inspection confirms that attic, basement and crawl-space insulation is installed, smoke detectors work and the street address is posted, and it must be approved before the space is occupied or used.¹³ 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 Expect alarms in rooms the plan never touched.

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.¹⁵ In a two-story colonial the usual answer is to finish one floor while living on the other, which only works if a bathroom and a sink stay in service on the floor you're using.

Montgomery County has been designated a Zone 1 radon area, meaning a predicted average indoor level at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level, and the county says every home in Montgomery County should be tested for radon.²³ If the basement is opening up as part of the job, test it before the framing goes in; a vent pipe is far easier to run through open walls. 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.¹⁶

More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.²⁴ With walls already open on several floors, it costs little extra to add blocking for future grab bars, widen a hall doorway or rough in a full bath on the entry level. NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.²⁵

Montgomery County has a property tax credit program, Design for Life, to help pay for making a home more accessible, with eligible features such as a no-step entrance, 32-inch doorways, accessible bathrooms and properly installed grab bars.²⁶ The credit depends on the features being on the permit drawings, so raise it before plans are submitted, not after the job is built.

The number on this page connects you, on a recorded line, with one independent company that handles whole-home remodels in the Montgomery County 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 phone 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.²⁷ Check a Maryland license

Then agree in writing who holds each permit. Homeowners may apply for an alteration permit in their own name, but when a contractor does the work the county strongly suggests listing the contractor as the responsible party, and a contractor must hold a Maryland Home Improvement Commission license to obtain a permit.¹⁰