Remodeling services

Remodeling services explained

Forty-four remodeling projects, grouped by what you are trying to fix, with what each involves and what every proposal should say.

Updated August 16, 2026

Plan Your Remodel What it costs

Written by HyreRemodel Research Desk Primary-source research and fact checking

The short answer

Remodeling services fall into a few broad groups homeowners hire contractors for: kitchens and cabinets, bathrooms, floors and walls, single rooms, more space, and whole-home renovation.

Start from the problem you are solving, not the room you dislike. What moves (a sink, a drain, a wall, the panel) decides the budget more than what you choose.

HyreRemodel does no remodeling work. These pages help you judge a proposal.

1978 homes built before this year fall under the EPA lead-safe renovation rule EPA Lead RRP rule, 40 CFR Part 745, Subpart E

$523 billion projected yearly spending on improving and repairing owner-occupied homes, early 2027 Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, LIRA, May 2026

112.9% of cost recouped at resale for a midrange minor kitchen remodel, as estimated by surveyed agents Zonda Cost vs. Value 2025

Settle these before any remodel

Built before 1978? Work that disturbs paint past the EPA's thresholds needs a Lead-Safe Certified firm. Old flooring, ceilings or pipe insulation? Have them tested for asbestos before demolition. A wall coming out? Get a structural answer and a permit before anyone cuts it.

Which remodeling project do I need?

Find what you are trying to fix. Where the honest answer is a smaller project than the one you had in mind, the table says so.

What you are trying to fix	Where to start
We need more storage	Kitchen remodeling: cabinets before square footage
The cabinets are sound but dated	Cabinet refacing or cabinet painting
The tub is hard to step over	Tub to shower conversion or a walk-in shower
The shower leaks or the grout keeps failing	Shower replacement
The kitchen layout does not work	Kitchen remodeling
The bathroom leaks or feels unsafe	Bathroom remodeling
We need another bathroom	Basement finishing or an addition
We are running out of room	Basement finishing before adding on
The attic or garage sits unused	Attic conversion or garage conversion
We need a quiet room to work	Home office remodel
A parent is moving in with us	An in-law suite, or an ADU
We live in a condo	Condo remodel: the association approves first
We want rental income from the lot	Accessory dwelling units
The wiring or plumbing keeps failing	Whole-home renovation: systems first
We are deciding whether to move instead	Remodel vs move calculator
We do not know what we can afford	What drives a remodeling budget

Kitchens and cabinets

The price in a kitchen turns on what moves: a sink, a wall, the panel. Cabinets and counters can often be renewed without moving anything.

The layout fights you Kitchen remodeling The three scopes, the order of work, and why moving the sink or a wall changes the budget. Read the guide Keep the footprint or not Small kitchen remodel Galley and L layouts, storage that fits, appliance sizes, and what opening a wall involves. Read the guide New boxes, set level Kitchen cabinet installation Why level and wall fastening decide how the countertop fits, and what a bid should cover. Read the guide Power or water underfoot Kitchen island installation Walkway clearance, anchoring, and running power, water or a drain through the floor. Read the guide Template, seams, overhang Countertop installation Templating, seam placement, overhang support and sink cutouts, and comparing installer bids. Read the guide Edges and outlets Backsplash installation Wall prep, outlets and edges, and where the tile stops, so two bids price the same job. Read the guide Boxes sound, doors dated Cabinet refacing New doors, drawer fronts and veneer on the boxes you keep, and when the boxes are worth it. Read the guide Keep the wood Cabinet refinishing Recoating versus stripping and restaining, which cabinets can take it, and stripper rules. Read the guide A new color, same boxes Cabinet painting Why prep and primer decide whether paint lasts, spraying versus brushing, and lead paint rules. Read the guide Cooking outside Outdoor kitchen Gas, power and water runs, the base and slab, grill clearances and weather-rated parts. Read the guide

Bathrooms, showers and tubs

Waterproofing and the drain decide most bathroom jobs. Swapping a fixture in place is a smaller project than moving one.

Tile failing or dated Bathroom remodeling The waterproofing behind the tile, a fan ducted outside, and why moving the toilet costs more. Read the guide Every inch counts Small bathroom remodel The clearances that decide what fits and the fixtures that free floor space. Read the guide The plan sets the scope Master bathroom remodel How the layout sets the scope, and the code lines for showers, toilets and fans. Read the guide A powder room Half bath remodel What a powder room job includes, and why adding a new half bath is a different project. Read the guide Swap the tub out Tub to shower conversion Why the drain and the floor drive the job, and the code rules that apply. Read the guide Curb or curbless Walk-in shower installation Entry, drains, glass and waterproofing, and the codes a walk-in shower must meet. Read the guide Leaks or worn surround Shower replacement How deep the job goes, signs water got behind the old shower, and the valve and glass rules. Read the guide Glass on a true opening Shower door installation Safety glass rules, framed versus frameless, out-of-plumb walls and anchoring. Read the guide Getting the old tub out Bathtub replacement Removing the old tub, why wall tile comes off, tub types and floor loads. Read the guide Stepping in safely Walk-in tub installation Fill and drain time, hot water supply, the circuits, and how to judge a sales quote. Read the guide Jetted tub in or out Jacuzzi bath remodel Installing or removing a jetted tub, pump access and the dedicated circuit it needs. Read the guide The floor is the shower Wet room A whole-room membrane, a floor sloped to one drain, and recessing the subfloor. Read the guide Sink and cabinet swap Bathroom vanity installation Matching the drain and supply rough-in, single to double sinks, and the wall behind. Read the guide

Floors, walls and tile

Trade jobs that run through every room. What is under the finish decides whether it lasts.

Under the tile decides Tile installation Substrate flatness, backer board and waterproofing, and large-format tile rules. Read the guide Subfloor first Flooring installation Subfloor prep, moisture testing, expansion gaps and transitions by floor type. Read the guide Name the finish level Drywall installation Hanging versus finishing, the five finish levels, inspections before cover and fire-rated board. Read the guide

Other rooms in the house

Smaller rooms with their own rules: a bedroom must have a way out, a dryer must vent outside.

A sleeping room has rules Bedroom remodel The escape window, smoke alarm and wiring rules a sleeping room carries. Read the guide System or construction Closet remodel When a closet is a storage-system install and when it is construction, plus the lighting rules. Read the guide Power, quiet and light Home office remodel Circuits and data wiring, sound control, lighting and built-ins. Read the guide Vent, drain and power Laundry room remodel How the dryer vent, washer drain and circuits set the layout, and moving laundry upstairs. Read the guide Inside or built on Mudroom remodel Building one inside the house versus an addition, and the floor and door details that matter. Read the guide

More space from the house you have

Check the space you already own before building new: basements, attics and garages come first, then additions.

Space you already own Basement finishing Water first, then ceiling height, an escape window for any bedroom and room around the furnace. Read the guide Which way the waste flows Basement bathroom Gravity drain or ejector pump, cutting the slab, venting, exhaust and moisture. Read the guide Floor, height, stair Attic conversion Floor strength, sloped-ceiling height, stairs and egress under the IRC. Read the guide Car space to living space Garage conversion Habitable-space rules, ceiling height and egress, the slab and door opening, and parking. Read the guide Out, up or over the garage Home additions Setbacks and height limits first, then the roof and foundation tie-in where additions fail. Read the guide Part of the house In-law suite A bedroom, bath and sitting room inside the house, and where a kitchen makes it a second unit. Read the guide A second home on the lot Accessory dwelling units Planning rules, sewer or septic, meters and fire separation, and building versus renting permission. Read the guide

The whole house, and who runs it

Construction rather than refinishing: systems, permits and every trade. The first decision is who manages it.

Systems at end of life Whole-home renovation Wiring, plumbing and heating first, living in it or moving out, and phasing. Read the guide Down to the studs Gut renovation What stripping to the studs exposes, and the hazardous-material and code rules it triggers. Read the guide Repair before replace Historic home renovation When a local commission must approve the work, the Secretary of the Interior Standards and lead paint. Read the guide The board approves first Condo remodel What your association controls, alteration agreements, and the rules contractors must follow. Read the guide One firm, design to build Design-build remodeling How design-build works, the design agreement you sign first, and how to check a firm. Read the guide Who runs the job Residential general contractor What a GC is responsible for, and the license, insurance and lien checks to run yourself. Read the guide

What does every remodeling proposal need?

The projects differ; the way you buy them does not. Four lines make two proposals comparable.

Allowances with real numbers

Every item not yet chosen carries a dollar allowance. Ask what each one buys in a showroom before you sign.

A rule for surprises behind the walls

Rot, old wiring, a notched joist: how each is reported, priced and approved before work carries on.

Permits and inspections named

Which permits, who pulls them, whether the fees are in the price. Your building department sets the rules.

Change orders in writing

Every change signed, with its price and its effect on the schedule, before the work is done.

Your inquiry

Tell us about the remodel

Nothing goes to a remodeling contractor unless you agree.

Free, with no obligation: a person at HyreRemodel reads your request and replies by email. Matching with remodeling contractors is not live yet, so this is not a quote, and nothing goes to a contractor unless you agree.

Plan Your Remodel

One short form: your address and how to reach you. A person at HyreRemodel reads it and replies.

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What you need (optional)

We reply to every inquiry. Nothing is passed on to anyone you have not asked us to contact.

Questions

Does HyreRemodel do any of this work?

No. HyreRemodel explains remodeling work, and matching homeowners with remodeling contractors is not live yet. We do not design, build or manage projects, and we warrant no one who does. These pages help you write a scope, read a proposal and judge the contractor who wrote it.

Which project do I need?

Start from the problem, not the room. "More storage" can be a cabinet and layout job rather than an addition, and "we need another bathroom" can be a basement rather than new construction. The table near the top of this page matches each goal to the page to read first.

What single decision changes the cost most?

Whether anything moves. Keeping plumbing, gas, load-bearing walls and the electrical panel where they are keeps a remodel a finishes job. Moving a sink, a drain stack, a bearing wall or the panel turns it into construction, with drawings, permits, inspections and more trades.

Why is there no price on these pages?

Because a national average would mislead. Size, finish level, what moves, the age of the house and regional labor rates move remodeling prices too far for one figure to help. The cost guide shows the lines a proposal is built from, and our calculators multiply your own numbers.

How do I compare proposals across contractors?

Give every contractor the same drawings, allowances and exclusions, then compare line by line rather than total against total. Three proposals built from three readings of the job are prices for three different projects. The quote comparison worksheet lays them side by side.

Is remodeling work licensed?

It depends on the state. Some license residential general contractors, some license only the trades, and some, Texas among them, have no statewide residential general contractor license. Check the state board's lookup, and see our research on states without contractor licensing.

Written and audited by

HyreRemodel Research Desk

Primary-source research, data analysis and fact checking

We are a research desk, not a remodeling contractor and not a sales floor.

We read the statute, the licensing register or the municipal fee schedule ourselves, and we publish the figure with the document it came from and the date we retrieved it.

Where a number cannot be traced to a primary source, we publish the shorter page and say what we could not verify.

This program is new, and the counts below are small: they are what we have actually published, not what we intend to.

7: studies published
7: states in the contractor store we measure against
264: source documents linked from these pages, 101 of them on .gov domains
22,183: license records measured September 5, 2026

How this desk works

Primary sources only. Licensing facts come from the issuing board or the statute that creates the credential. Permit-fee facts come from the municipality that publishes the schedule. We do not cite an article that cites a source; we open the source and record the date.
Our own store is titled to the states it covers. We hold verified contractor records for seven states. An asset that rests on those records is titled to those states. National claims rest on federal or state-agency data (Census, BLS, EPA), never on our counts.
Absence of a record is not a finding about the company. A board that does not publish disciplinary history in a form we retrieved is excluded from any “clean record” claim. Unable to verify is not unlicensed. Not required is not not carried.
Fact, calculation, analysis and recommendation stay labelled. A statute is a source fact. A count we derived from our store is a HyreRemodel calculation. What that count means is analysis. What a homeowner should do next is a recommendation.
We do not remodel homes, and we take no payment for placement, ranking or a favorable mention. Nobody buys a position on this site.

Authorship on this site is organizational: the analysis belongs to the desk rather than to a named individual, and we do not publish credentials we do not hold. Our editorial policy sets out how we source, date and correct what we publish.

Sources & retrieval dates

Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 40 CFR Part 745, Subpart E. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (May 2026), Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, Remodeling Futures Program. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Cost vs. Value Report 2025, Zonda (resale values are surveyed agent estimates, not sale prices). Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Information on these pages is general and varies by location, building code, zoning, the condition of your house and your own circumstances. It is not legal, design or engineering advice. HyreRemodel is not a remodeling contractor: we do not design, build or manage remodeling work, and we do not supervise or warrant it.