AMEK Design + Build CEO Andrew Schmidt breaks down the five factors — scope, structure, systems, selections, and sequencing — that actually determine what a whole-home remodel costs in the Twin Cities, and why a fast estimate rarely holds up.
-- BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — AMEK Design + Build, a Twin Cities design-build remodeling firm founded in 1996, has published a guide identifying the five factors that actually determine the cost of a whole-home remodel, based on CEO Andrew Schmidt's three decades in the local market.
The guide arrives as the median age of U.S. housing stock reached 44 years in 2023, the oldest on record, according to Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. Homes built before 1980 require 24 percent more improvement spending than homes built after 2010, the same research found, a pattern that shows up regularly in the Twin Cities' older neighborhoods.
Schmidt compares the question to being asked what a bag of groceries costs — the number depends entirely on what's going in the bag, and a fast answer usually leaves that part out.
According to the guide, five factors determine the final number, assessed in a fixed order because each constrains the next. Scope covers which rooms change and whether the footprint grows. Structure covers what the house requires structurally, often invisible until walls open. Systems covers electrical, plumbing and HVAC work, particularly in homes built before modern code. Selections covers cabinetry, countertops, fixtures and finishes. Sequencing — how a family plans to live in the house during construction — is the fifth driver, and the one the guide says gets left out of cost conversations most often.
The guide also addresses a question common in the current market: whether to remodel room by room over several years or complete a project all at once. AMEK's experience shows that consolidating into a single whole-home project typically costs less overall, since design, permitting and mobilization happen once instead of repeatedly.
AMEK presents three design concepts on every whole-home project rather than a single proposal, an approach the company says helps homeowners avoid a compromise made without realizing it.
The full guide, including a breakdown of how different eras of Twin Cities housing stock affect remodel scope, is available at https://amekinc.com/whole-home-remodel-cost/. AMEK's residential remodeling services are outlined at https://amekinc.com/residential-remodeling/, and its approach to additions and expansions is detailed at https://amekinc.com/additions-expansions/.
About AMEK Design + Build: AMEK Design + Build is a design-build remodeling firm based in Bloomington, Minnesota, serving the Twin Cities since 1996. The company provides in-house architectural design, project management and carpentry for kitchen, bathroom, basement, addition and whole-home remodeling projects. Learn more at https://amekinc.com/about/.
Contact Info:
Name: Andrew Schmidt
Email: Send Email
Organization: AMEK Design + Build
Address: 9401 James Ave S, Suite 170, Bloomington, MN 55431, United States
Website: https://amekinc.com
Source: NewsNetwork
Release ID: 89202197
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