What kind of home improvement do we take on?
The remodel and the repair. Full bathroom renovations with shower and tub upgrades, kitchen fixture and lighting updates, drywall, doors and trim, and the punch list of small things every house collects. The photo at the top is a kitchen from our gallery, with a range hood and a shiplap ceiling.
What sets the work apart is what sits behind the wall. Move a vanity and you move a drain, a supply and probably a light. Open a kitchen wall and you find out what the circuits really look like. Here the electrical and plumbing are done in-house, by the same company holding the hammer, and they appear on the same estimate.
Which renovations need a Metro permit?
Metro Codes publishes the list for single-family homes. A permit is needed for drywall repair or replacement over 100 square feet, moving a fixture, switch or outlet, new or relocated plumbing fixtures, a new shower or tub enclosure, removing a wall, and changing a window’s size or style. None is needed for interior painting, tile, a door in the same opening, or vanities and cabinets with no electrical or plumbing work.
Most remodels touch at least one item on the first list. The estimate tells you which, and the permit is a line on it.
Is your house older than 1978?
Then the EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies. Anyone paid to disturb paint in a pre-1978 home has to be certified, because that paint may contain lead. Minor repairs that disturb 6 square feet or less per room inside, or 20 square feet outside, are exempt. Tell us the year the house was built when you call, since it changes how the work is planned.
What license should a remodeler hold in Tennessee?
It depends on the size of the job and the county. In Davidson and the other counties that adopted it, residential remodeling from $3,000 to $24,999 calls for a Home Improvement license, which carries a $10,000 surety bond, general liability and workers’ compensation. From $25,000 up, it takes a full contractor’s license. Either one can be looked up on verify.tn.gov. Ask for the number and search it yourself; it takes a minute, and it’s the one check that tells you who you’re actually hiring.