Pierce County · Washington
General Contractor in Tacoma, WA
Tacoma has some of the best early-century housing stock in Washington and one genuinely local complication most contractors will not mention: much of the city sits inside the Tacoma Smelter Plume, where disturbing soil can require sampling.
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Professional Home Remodeling Services in Tacoma
Tacoma rewards renovation more than almost any city we work in. The housing is older, larger and better built than the regional average — full-dimension old-growth framing, real millwork, proportions that modern production building does not attempt — and it is still affordable enough that investing in it makes sense. The work is keeping that character while replacing the century-old systems underneath it.
North End, Proctor and the Stadium District
This is the Tacoma people picture: 1890s through 1920s Craftsman, Foursquare and Victorian homes on a tight grid above Commencement Bay. Typical conditions are knob-and- tube branch circuits, a 60- or 100-amp panel, galvanized supply lines at end of life, an unlined and unreinforced brick chimney, minimal wall insulation and a basement with low headroom. The projects people want — open the kitchen, add a bathroom upstairs, make the basement livable — all collide with those conditions. Lowering a basement slab here is an underpinning job, not a flooring job.
Hilltop, Central and South Tacoma
Smaller early-century workers’ cottages and bungalows, often on narrow lots, with 1940s wartime infill mixed in. These respond very well to sensible investment: the bones are good, the footprints are efficient, and system upgrades deliver more than finishes do. Foundations vary from decent poured concrete to post-and-pier that has been quietly settling for eighty years, so we look at that before promising anything about level floors.
Northeast Tacoma and the newer edges
North of the Tideflats the stock shifts to 1960s through 1990s subdivisions on the bluff above the bay. Simpler structures and easier permitting, with the usual mid-century issues — aluminum wiring in a narrow band, asbestos-era materials, aging envelopes — plus slope considerations close to the bluff edge.
The Tacoma Smelter Plume, which genuinely matters
The ASARCO copper smelter operated in Ruston for most of a century and deposited arsenic and lead across a wide area of Tacoma and the surrounding county. That legacy is mapped, it is regulated, and it means any project that meaningfully disturbs soil — foundations, excavation, drainage, a new detached structure — may require soil sampling and, in places, specific handling of excavated material. We check the plume mapping for your parcel before we quote. It is the single most common reason a Tacoma estimate from someone unfamiliar with the city turns out to be wrong.
What We Build in Tacoma
Six core services cover most of what Tacoma homeowners ask us for. Every one is handled in-house, on one permit, by one project manager.
Kitchen Remodeling
Custom cabinetry, counters, lighting and full layout changes, permitted and built to code.
Bathroom Remodeling
Wet-room waterproofing, tile, vanities and fixture upgrades on older plumbing.
Home Renovation
Whole-house remodels that update systems, layout and finishes in one coordinated build.
Custom Homes
Ground-up design-build on infill lots and view parcels, from feasibility to final permit.
Room Additions & ADU
Bump-outs, second stories, attached ADUs and detached DADUs for added living space.
Patio Building & Remodeling
Covered patios, decks and outdoor living that stand up to Puget Sound winters.
Ready to Start Your Tacoma Home Project?
Whether it’s a single bathroom or a whole-house remodel, the first step is the same — a walkthrough, an honest scope and a number you can plan around. We’ll tell you what your Tacoma home actually needs, not what’s easiest to sell.
Remodeling in Tacoma: What the Area Demands
Tacoma sits on a series of bluffs and gulches around Commencement Bay at the south end of Puget Sound, with Mount Rainier close enough to dominate the skyline on a clear day. The terrain and the city’s industrial history shape almost every remodel here.
Geography and how it affects a build
The bluffs above the bay are steep and in places unstable, so foundation, drainage and retaining work on north-facing lots needs engineering rather than assumption. The Tideflats at the mouth of the Puyallup River are filled ground with liquefaction potential, which matters for any structural work down there. Between them the city is cut by gulches that create sudden grade changes mid-block. Add the region’s rainfall and drainage design becomes a real line item, not an afterthought.
Neighborhood character
The North End and Proctor are historically minded and organized about it, with active neighborhood identity and a strong preference for period-appropriate exteriors. The North Slope is a designated historic district where exterior changes get real scrutiny. The Stadium District mixes grand older houses with dense multi-family. Hilltop is changing quickly and has both restoration and investment work. South Tacoma is practical and value-driven. Northeast Tacoma feels suburban and semi-detached from the rest of the city.
Construction considerations specific to Tacoma
On any pre-1940 house we look early at three things that reshape more Tacoma budgets than anything cosmetic: the chimney, the electrical service and the side sewer. Unreinforced masonry chimneys are a genuine seismic issue in this region and are frequently braced or removed during a remodel. Historic district and design review applies in specific areas. Buried heating-oil tanks are common on older properties and need proper decommissioning. And soil disturbance brings the smelter plume into scope.
Nearby areas we also serve
About Tacoma, WA
Tacoma exists because of a railroad decision. In 1873 the Northern Pacific chose Commencement Bay over Seattle as its western terminus, and the settlement that had been a sawmill on the shore became “the City of Destiny.” The wealth that arrived with the railroad built the housing we now renovate: the Stadium District mansions, the Craftsman streets of the North End, the cottages that housed mill and smelter workers.
Industry defined the next century. The ASARCO smelter in Ruston, the lumber mills, the shipyards and the port made Tacoma a working city, and the Second World War brought another wave of housing for workers at the yards and at Boeing. The smelter closed in 1985 and its stack came down in 1993, leaving both a cleaner skyline and the soil legacy that still affects construction here.
Modern Tacoma is roughly 220,000 people and has spent three decades turning its downtown around — the museum district, the restored Union Station, the light rail line, the university campus in the old warehouse buildings. For homeowners the effect is that renovation now clearly pays here. People are restoring North End Craftsman houses and converting Hilltop cottages with a long horizon in mind, which is exactly the kind of work these buildings deserve.
Remodeling in Tacoma — Common Questions
What is the Tacoma Smelter Plume and does it affect my remodel?
The ASARCO smelter in Ruston deposited arsenic and lead across a wide area of Tacoma and Pierce County over decades of operation. The affected area is mapped and regulated, and projects that disturb soil — foundations, excavation, drainage, a detached structure — can require soil sampling and specific handling of excavated material.
We check the mapping for your parcel before quoting. It is the most common reason an unfamiliar contractor’s Tacoma estimate turns out to be wrong.
My North End house has knob-and-tube wiring and a brick chimney. What is urgent?
The chimney usually comes first. Unreinforced masonry chimneys on pre-1940 houses are a real seismic hazard and are commonly braced or removed during a remodel. Knob-and-tube is next: any circuit you open, extend or add load to has to be brought current, and it increasingly affects insurability.
Both are dramatically cheaper to handle while walls are already open for other work.
Can I finish my basement in an older Tacoma home?
Often, but headroom is the constraint. Many pre-1930 Tacoma basements have six and a half feet or less, and gaining height means lowering the slab — which is an underpinning project with engineering, not a flooring upgrade.
We measure and price that honestly up front rather than discovering it mid-build.
Does living in a historic district limit what I can do?
It limits exterior changes, not interiors. The North Slope and Stadium-Seminary areas have design review that looks at street-facing elevations, windows and materials. Interior work is generally unaffected.
We have found that period-appropriate exteriors with fully modern interiors is both what review wants and what holds value best here.
Do you handle oil tanks and side sewers?
Yes, and both come up constantly on older Tacoma properties. Buried heating-oil tanks need proper decommissioning, and side-sewer condition on century-old lines can be flagged during permitting.
We scope both on any pre-1970 house rather than letting them arrive as change orders.
Our house is in the North End. What is typical for that area?
The North End holds some of Tacoma’s best housing: Craftsman, Tudor and Colonial Revival homes largely from the 1900s through the 1930s, with real dimensional lumber, plaster over lath, box beams, leaded glass and built-ins that would be prohibitively expensive to reproduce. They are worth doing properly.
What they consistently need is systems and envelope: knob-and-tube or early cloth-wrapped wiring, galvanized supply lines, an undersized panel, no wall insulation and original windows that should be restored rather than replaced wherever they are still sound. Basements are usually full but often damp. Where these projects go wrong is spending on kitchens and baths first and discovering the wiring afterward. Some North End properties also carry historic designation, which we confirm before any exterior change is designed.
Proudly Serving Tacoma, WA and Surrounding Areas
We work throughout Tacoma — the North End, Proctor, Stadium District, North Slope, Hilltop, Central, South Tacoma, Northeast Tacoma and the Eastside — along with the surrounding Pierce County communities of University Place, Fircrest, Lakewood, Fife, Puyallup and Gig Harbor.
Licensed, bonded and insured in Washington, with one project manager from walkthrough to final inspection.
| Zip Code | Area Code | City | County | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98402 | 253 | Tacoma | Pierce County | Washington |
| 98403 | 253 | Tacoma | Pierce County | Washington |
| 98404 | 253 | Tacoma | Pierce County | Washington |
| 98405 | 253 | Tacoma | Pierce County | Washington |
| 98406 | 253 | Tacoma | Pierce County | Washington |
| 98407 | 253 | Tacoma | Pierce County | Washington |