A whole-home remodel is where everything comes together. Instead of chasing one-off fixes, you decide to solve the root problems in your house: layout, light, storage, finishes, and how every room works together. For many of our clients in Seattle and on the Eastside, this is the project that finally brings their home up to the standard of their life.
Cornell's Quality Construction has spent more than 30 years delivering whole-home remodels for discerning homeowners across Greater Seattle and the Eastside. We specialize in complete interior renovations that respect the structure of the house while rethinking how it functions. Our team combines high-quality construction with a disciplined process so a complex remodel stays controlled and predictable.
Whether you own a classic Craftsman in Capitol Hill, a mid century in Shoreline or Lake Forest Park, or a larger home in Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, or Sammamish, we help you transform the entire home in one coordinated effort instead of piecing it together over a decade.
Who We Work With
Most whole-home remodeling clients fall into a few clear profiles:
- Seattle homeowners who love their neighborhood but are tired of living around awkward layouts, dark rooms, and small kitchens that never worked.
- Eastside families who bought a solid house in Bellevue, Kirkland, or Redmond and now want to elevate it to match their taste and lifestyle.
- Owners of older homes that need serious updates to electrical, plumbing, and insulation at the same time as cosmetic upgrades.
- Empty nesters who plan to stay long term and want to reconfigure the home for how they live now instead of how it worked when kids were small.
- Buyers of dated but well located properties who know from day one that they will remodel the entire house before moving in.
These clients are usually detail oriented, time constrained, and unwilling to gamble a major investment on low quality work. They look for a whole-home remodeling contractor who can manage complexity, coordinate trades, and still deliver high end finishes.
What a Cornell's Whole-Home Remodel Includes
Every project is different, but a typical Seattle or Eastside whole house remodel touches several major systems and rooms at once:
Overall Layout and Flow
- Reworking circulation so rooms connect logically and the home feels cohesive instead of chopped up.
- Opening or partially opening walls between kitchen, dining, and living areas where structure allows.
- Creating clearer sightlines, better natural light, and more intuitive room use.
Kitchen and Bathrooms
- Full kitchen remodels with new cabinetry, surfaces, lighting, and appliance layouts.
- Primary suite bathrooms, hall baths, and powder rooms upgraded in one coordinated plan so finishes align.
- Consistent plumbing fixture and hardware choices so the house feels unified.
Bedrooms, Offices, and Living Spaces
- Updating bedrooms with new flooring, trim, and storage solutions.
- Creating real home offices instead of improvised corners.
- Reworking living and family rooms so they support how you actually use them, not how the original floorplan guessed you might.
Systems and Structure
- Upgrading electrical panels, circuits, and lighting to support modern loads.
- Correcting old framing issues, sagging floors, and prior "creative" work by past owners.
- Improving insulation, windows, and HVAC where the scope allows so the home is more comfortable and efficient.
Finishes and Details
- New flooring throughout to replace a patchwork of surfaces from different eras.
- Updated doors, trim, and millwork that tie rooms together and fit the style of the home.
- Coordinated paint schemes and material palettes that make the entire house feel intentional.
A whole-home remodel is not just "lots of rooms at once." It is a single, comprehensive scope that treats the home as one system. That is how you get a result that feels cohesive instead of like a sequence of mismatched updates.
Types of Whole-Home Projects We Handle
We work on a wide range of whole house remodels across Greater Seattle and the Eastside:
Classic Seattle Homes
Older Craftsman, Tudor, and mid century houses in neighborhoods like Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, Green Lake, Madison Park, and West Seattle. These often require structural corrections, careful work with original details, and thoughtful integration of new elements.
Eastside Family Homes
Larger homes in Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, Issaquah, Mercer Island, Medina, Clyde Hill, and Newcastle where the structure is solid but the interior feels stuck in the 1990s or early 2000s. Layout updates, kitchen and bath upgrades, and finish overhauls are common.
North and South King County Homes
Suburban homes in Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Renton, Kent, Auburn, and Federal Way where owners prefer to invest in a full remodel rather than moving further out. These often focus on improving function, storage, and durability.
Move in Ready Transformations
whole-home remodels completed before a client moves in, which is often the cleanest path when schedule and logistics allow. We coordinate tightly to hit move in dates and reduce the need for temporary housing extensions.
High-Quality Construction at Whole-house Scale
Cornell's reputation for high-quality construction matters even more on a whole-home remodel. When you touch every room, small inconsistencies stand out. We focus on:
- Straight, consistent lines in all trim, door casings, stair details, and built ins.
- Flooring transitions that are clean and flush across rooms and levels.
- Tile and stone work in kitchens and baths that aligns with cabinetry and fixtures.
- Careful scribing and adjustments in older homes where nothing is perfectly plumb or level.
Our field teams are experienced in sequencing high-end work across multiple rooms without letting quality slip as the project moves along.
Whole-Home Remodeling Across Our Service Area
We approach layout and scope with a clear understanding of local housing stock:
- In Seattle, whole-home remodels often mean dealing with basements, steep lots, and older framing. We integrate necessary structural upgrades with cosmetic work so you are not stuck revisiting issues later.
- On the Eastside, whole house renovations may involve reworking large great rooms, updating oversized tubs and small showers in original primary suites, and bringing finishes up to the standard of the neighborhood.
- In North and South King County, we often focus on adding functionality and warmth to homes that were built to a more basic specification, while keeping an eye on value and resale.
Because we also do kitchen and bathroom remodeling, we know how to coordinate these areas within a whole-home scope instead of treating them as isolated jobs.
Our Whole-Home Remodeling Process
A whole house remodel is a serious commitment. Our process is built to keep it organized and manageable.
- Discovery and site visit
- We walk the entire home with you and listen to what works, what does not, and how you want to live in the space.
- We discuss priorities, sequencing, budget range, and whether you plan to live in the home during construction or move out temporarily.
- Master plan and phasing
- Working with your architect or designer, or with our design partners, we create an overall plan that addresses layout, major systems, and finishes.
- We determine whether the project will be completed in one phase or broken into logical stages, and what that means for cost and timeline.
- Detailed scope and pricing
- We translate the master plan into a detailed scope of work and line item pricing.
- We identify decisions that materially affect budget and help you choose where to invest and where to simplify without compromising long term quality.
- Permitting and preparation
- We handle all required permits for structural changes, additions, and system upgrades with Seattle, Bellevue, or your local jurisdiction.
- We develop a clear schedule and logistics plan, including protection of finished areas, material staging, and site access.
- Construction and coordination
- Our team manages demolition, framing, mechanical trades, insulation, drywall, finishes, and final details as one coherent sequence.
- You receive regular updates from your project manager, including what is happening this week, what is coming next, and what decisions are due.
- We maintain clean, organized sites and enforce standards with every trade working in your home.
- Completion, handoff, and support
- We walk the finished home with you, develop a punch list if needed, and close out every item.
- You receive documentation on warranties, finishes, and systems so you know how to maintain what we have built.
- If questions or issues arise after move in, you know exactly who to call and you can expect a response.
Budget, Timeline, and Realistic Tradeoffs
whole-home remodeling in the Seattle area has real cost and schedule drivers. We address them directly instead of hiding them in fine print.
- Scope is the main lever. Moving walls, stairs, and plumbing stacks costs more than updating within the existing layout. We walk you through options and tradeoffs.
- Systems matter. If your electrical, plumbing, or HVAC is outdated, it often makes more sense to address it while everything is open. We will be honest about where you get the most return from those upgrades.
- Living in place versus moving out changes the plan. We will tell you what each approach means for timeline, logistics, and stress level.
Our clients are not looking for the cheapest whole-home remodeling contractor. They want a team that will tell the truth about what it will take, then execute the plan without games.
Why Homeowners Choose Cornell's for Whole-Home Remodeling
Homeowners across Seattle and the Eastside trust Cornell's with whole house remodels because we:
- Have more than three decades of experience on complex, multi room projects.
- Combine careful planning with high level craftsmanship, rather than letting one trade dictate the outcome.
- Understand local codes, inspectors, and housing types, which keeps surprises to a minimum.
- Are comfortable working with architects and designers as part of a professional team.
- Treat a whole-home remodel as a serious, once in a decade level investment and act accordingly.
Start Planning Your Whole-Home Remodel
If you are considering a whole-home remodel in Seattle, on the Eastside, or in North or South King County, you need more than a contractor who only installs finishes. You need a partner who can help you rethink the house, coordinate the details, and deliver a result that feels like a new home in a location you already love.
Contact Cornell's Quality Construction to discuss your whole-home remodeling plans. We will walk the property with you, talk through options and constraints, and give you a clear view of what it will take to bring your entire home up to the level it should be.