Whole-home remodeling in Columbus
There is no published price for redoing a whole Columbus house, but the 2025 Cost vs. Value report lists a major midrange kitchen here at $76,8461, a midrange bath at $24,4481 and a midrange bathroom addition at $56,3841, which together give a floor for a multi-room plan. The bigger local factor is what's behind the walls and who has to sign off: 51%2 of Franklin County homes were built before 1980, and in German Village, the Brewery District and the city's other commission areas the outside of the house needs its own approval before work begins.
Calls are recorded. One independent company that handles whole-home remodels in the Columbus area answers.
Updated October 12, 2026
What the anchor rooms cost in Columbus
Cost vs. Value prices one project at a time, not whole houses. These four Columbus jobs from its 2025 edition are the ones a whole-house plan is usually built around.
| Measure | Columbus | U.S. average |
|---|---|---|
| Major kitchen remodel, midrange, job cost | $76,8461 | $82,7933 |
| Midrange bathroom remodel, job cost | $24,4481 | $26,1383 |
| Bathroom addition, midrange, job cost | $56,3841 | $60,6454 |
| Primary suite addition, midrange, job cost | $157,1761 | $170,5171 |
Each Columbus figure sits under its national match. None of them covers the work that ties rooms together, such as a bigger electrical service, new supply and drain lines or rerouted ductwork, so ask for those as their own lines in the estimate.
When the houses were built
Shares of homes by decade built, from the Census Bureau, inside Columbus and countywide:
| Measure | City of Columbus | Franklin County |
|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1940 | 12%2 | 11%2 |
| Homes built 1950–1969 | 20%2 | 22%2 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 50%2 | 51%2 |
Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies found that in 2023, average per-owner improvement spending on homes built before 1980 was 24 percent higher than on homes built since 2010.5 About half the houses here fall in that older group, so write a contingency into the contract before the plaster or paneling comes off.
How many bedrooms the houses have
The Census Bureau's bedroom counts show how many homes are on the small side, which is often what a whole-house plan sets out to fix.
| Measure | City of Columbus | Franklin County |
|---|---|---|
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 54%6 | 47%6 |
| Homes with four or more bedrooms | 13%6 | 19%6 |
Inside the city, more than half of homes have two bedrooms or fewer. A plan that adds a bedroom or a primary suite, rather than redoing the rooms already there, changes the floor plan, and plan review will look at the whole layout.
What heats the house now
Census heating-fuel counts for occupied homes across Franklin County:
| Measure | Franklin County |
|---|---|
| Occupied homes heated with utility gas | 67%7 |
| Occupied homes heated with electricity | 31%7 |
A gut renovation is the time to decide whether the house stays on gas or moves to a heat pump, because new ducts and a bigger panel are far easier to plan with the walls open than after the drywall goes back.
Budget against what the house is worth
A whole-house job can come close to the value of the house, so it helps to see the two side by side.
| Measure | City of Columbus | Franklin County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $252,9008 | $288,4008 |
A major midrange kitchen and a bathroom addition at the Columbus prices above already add up to a big share of the city's median home value of $252,9008. If you might sell within a few years, ask an appraiser what the finished house would likely be worth before you commit to every room.
What the whole-house trades earn here
Carpenters are on a whole-house job longest, with electricians and plumbers coming back at each stage. BLS medians for the Columbus metro:
| Measure | Columbus metro | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Carpenters, median hourly wage | $31.96/hr9 | $29.12/hr9 |
| Electricians, median hourly wage | $31.11/hr9 | $30.38/hr9 |
| Plumbers, median hourly wage | $30.41/hr9 | $30.67/hr9 |
Columbus carpenters and electricians earn more than the national median, so on a months-long job the sequencing matters as much as the rate. Ask how many crews the company runs and how the trades hand off from one floor to the next.
Permits
A whole-house renovation in Columbus goes through Building and Zoning Services with plan review, because it changes walls, wiring and plumbing in many rooms at once. Paint, flooring, cabinets and counters need no permit on their own, but most of the rest of a gut job does. If the house is in a historic district or a commission area, the exterior work needs a Certificate of Appropriateness as well. An owner can pull permits only for work they do themselves on the single-family home they live in. The city doesn't post review times on these pages, so ask the company how long plan review has been taking.
- Under the Residential Code of Ohio, anyone who plans to alter or repair a home, or to install, alter, convert or replace its electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, must first apply to a certified residential building department and get approval.10
- Columbus requires a building permit with plan review for planned work that alters an existing building or space, and issues permits to property owners or to contractors licensed or registered with the city.11
- Columbus's guide to typical residential projects lists a kitchen or bath remodel, replacing more than 32 square feet of drywall, and finishing a basement or attic as work that needs both a permit and plan review.12
- In Ohio, minor repairs can be made without notifying the building official, but that doesn't cover cutting away walls, removing structural supports, or adding, altering or relocating water, drain, gas or vent piping or electric wiring.10
- In Columbus, a property in a special zoning district, area commission area or historic district, such as German Village, may need additional approvals before work begins.12
- Inside the area of a Columbus historic or design review commission, such as the German Village, Italian Village or Victorian Village commissions, exterior alterations to a building or site, a change of use, a rezoning or a variance may require a Certificate of Appropriateness or Approval.13
- A Columbus property owner can get structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits for work they do themselves on an existing single-family home they live in, but can't buy permits for work they'll hire a contractor to do.11
Checked October 12, 2026
Before you hire
Ohio doesn't license residential remodelers statewide, so ask which city license or registration the company holds where you live, confirm it with that building department, and check any electrician, plumber or HVAC contractor on the state's OCILB lookup.
Talk to a pro who handles whole-home remodels in Columbus
Calls are recorded. You'll be connected to one independent company that handles whole-home remodels in your area. We never call or text you. Privacy Policy ·Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
Opening up an older Columbus house
12%2 of homes in the city went up before 1940, many of them foursquares, doubles and cottages in the older neighborhoods around downtown. In a house that age, a whole-house job tends to mean new wiring and supply lines throughout, not only in the rooms you can see.
Unless a lead-based paint inspection shows otherwise, the EPA says to treat paint in homes built before 1978 as if it contains lead.14 For homes built before 1978, the EPA advises hiring contractors who use only lead-safe certified renovators.15 With trim, plaster and windows coming out on every floor, ask how the company keeps dust sealed between rooms and how it cleans up at the end of each day.
Beyond flooring, the EPA lists vermiculite attic and wall insulation, roofing and siding shingles, textured paint and patching compounds on walls and ceilings, and hot water and steam pipes wrapped in asbestos blanket or tape among the places asbestos may be found in a home.16 The EPA notes that lead can collect inside galvanized pipe and later reach drinking water, and that solder made before 1986 contained high levels of lead.17 If testing turns something up, it costs less to deal with it while the walls are open than to come back for it later.
Historic districts and commission areas
Much of the central city sits under a design review body. The German Village Commission, set up by the city in 1960, reviews applications and issues Certificates of Appropriateness for exterior alterations to properties inside the German Village Historic District.18 Columbus's Historic Resources Commission issues Certificates of Appropriateness for exterior alterations to properties in Columbus Register districts and to individually listed properties, and has also covered the Brewery District since February 1, 2024.19
Inside the area of a Columbus historic or design review commission, such as the German Village, Italian Village or Victorian Village commissions, exterior alterations to a building or site, a change of use, a rezoning or a variance may require a Certificate of Appropriateness or Approval.13 Interior rooms aren't what these bodies look at, but a whole-house job often reaches the outside: new windows, a rear addition, a rebuilt porch or a changed roofline.
Ask whether the company has taken projects through the commission for your street, and build its hearing calendar into the schedule, since that approval has to be in hand before work starts.
Living in the house while it is rebuilt
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.14 The EPA advises keeping occupants, especially children, away from the work area during a remodel and cleaning up the site before they return.14
In a one-bath bungalow or a ranch with a single hall bath, staying home through demolition is hard. Ask for a schedule that keeps one toilet, one shower and a kitchen sink working until their replacements pass inspection, or plan to stay elsewhere for the loudest, dustiest weeks.
Planning ahead for aging in place
More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.20 With walls and floors already open, a whole-house renovation is the least expensive moment to plan for that.
Ask for solid blocking in the bathroom walls for future grab bars, a wider bath door, switches at the top and bottom of every stair, and, in a two-story house, space on the first floor for a bathroom later. NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.21
What happens when you call
When you call the number on this page, the recorded call goes to one independent company that handles whole-home remodels in the Columbus area. You talk through the rooms, the order of the work and the price with them directly.
We are paid for the call. You pay us nothing, and we never call or text you. How we make money
After you're connected
Check the company yourself before you sign a contract this size. Columbus requires every contractor working in the city to hold the right city license or registration before applying for permits, and contractors in the five OCILB trades must hold the State of Ohio license first.22 Check an Ohio license
Questions people ask
How much does a whole-home remodel cost in Columbus?
There's no single published figure, so add up the rooms. Cost vs. Value's 2025 Columbus page priced a major midrange kitchen at $76,8461, a midrange bath at $24,4481 and a midrange primary suite addition at $157,1761. Then add the wiring, plumbing and heating work that runs between rooms.
Do I need a permit and plan review for a whole-house renovation?
Yes. Columbus requires a building permit with plan review for planned work that alters an existing building or space, and issues permits to property owners or to contractors licensed or registered with the city.11 Columbus's guide to typical residential projects lists a kitchen or bath remodel, replacing more than 32 square feet of drywall, and finishing a basement or attic as work that needs both a permit and plan review.12
My house is in German Village. What changes?
The German Village Commission, set up by the city in 1960, reviews applications and issues Certificates of Appropriateness for exterior alterations to properties inside the German Village Historic District.18 Exterior changes such as windows, porches and additions need that approval before work begins, so file with the commission early.
Who will I be talking to when I call?
A single independent company doing whole-house renovations around Columbus picks up. We build nothing ourselves, and the state doesn't license home remodelers: Ohio's Department of Commerce says residential contractors are not required to be licensed in Ohio, and advises homeowners to ask their local building department whether a contractor is licensed or registered to work in their city, county or township.23
Sources
Page updated October 12, 2026. How we source our numbers
- Zonda / Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value 2025, Columbus, OH. Released 2025. Columbus, OH (Cost vs. Value market). Industry source.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25034. Released January 29, 2026. Franklin County, Ohio, Columbus city, Ohio.
- Zonda / Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value 2025, national. Released 2025. United States. Industry source.
- Zonda / Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value Report 2025, Virginia Beach, VA. Released 2025. United States. Industry source.
- Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, Improving America's Housing 2025. Released 2025. View source. Industry source.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25041. Released January 29, 2026. Columbus city, Ohio, Franklin County, Ohio.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25040. Released January 29, 2026. Franklin County, Ohio.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25077. Released January 29, 2026. Columbus city, Ohio, Franklin County, Ohio.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Released May 15, 2026. Columbus, OH metro, Carpenters, United States, Electricians, United States, Plumbers, United States.
- Ohio Board of Building Standards, Ohio Administrative Code rule 4101:8-1-01 (Residential Code of Ohio, administration). Released July 1, 2019. View source.
- City of Columbus Building and Zoning Services, BZS Frequently Asked Questions. No publication date. View source.
- City of Columbus Building and Zoning Services, Typical Residential Projects. Released March 2026. View source.
- City of Columbus Building and Zoning Services, Historic Preservation & Design Review: Boards, Commissions, & Panels. No publication date. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Best Practices for Indoor Air Quality when Remodeling Your Home. Released June 23, 2026. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Remodeling Your Home and Indoor Air Quality. Released February 17, 2026. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Learn About Asbestos. Released July 13, 2026. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sources of Lead in Drinking Water. Released August 2017. View source.
- City of Columbus Building and Zoning Services, German Village Commission. No publication date. View source.
- City of Columbus Building and Zoning Services, Historic Resources Commission. No publication date. View source.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Facts About Older Adult Falls. Released September 4, 2026. View source.
- National Association of Home Builders, Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS). No publication date. View source. Industry source.
- City of Columbus Building and Zoning Services, Contractor Licenses. No publication date. View source.
- Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance, OCILB: Verifying Licensed Contractors. No publication date. View source.