A complete home remodel in St. Petersburg typically runs $75,000 to $150,000 for a selective renovation and $150,000 to $300,000 for a full gut, with projects taking 3 to 9 months. CraftLine Remodeling is a licensed and insured Florida design build contractor handling whole-home renovations across St. Pete, from the historic bungalow districts to the waterfront.
St. Petersburg Whole-Home Remodel Costs
| Whole-Home Scope | Typical Cost | Construction Time |
|---|---|---|
| Selective remodel (kitchen, baths, flooring, paint) | $75,000 to $150,000 | 3 to 5 months |
| Complete renovation (full gut, layout changes, systems) | $150,000 to $300,000 | 5 to 9 months |
For room-level numbers that feed into a whole-home budget, see our kitchen cost guide and bathroom cost guide, or start with the free cost calculator. You can also explore our St. Petersburg remodeling services.
Renovating St. Pete’s Distinct Housing Stock
St. Petersburg rewards a contractor who knows the neighborhood. Historic Kenwood and the Old Northeast are full of 1920s craftsman bungalows with original heart-pine floors, plaster walls, and systems that predate modern code, so a whole-home renovation there means careful structural and electrical work alongside preserving the character that makes those homes valuable. Crescent Lake and the Grand Central and Arts District blocks mix bungalows with mid-century homes and newer infill. Closer to the water and across much of the peninsula, flood zones drive real decisions: elevation requirements, FEMA-compliant work, and the 50 percent substantial-improvement rule that can reshape a project’s scope. Historic districts add design review on top of permitting. We handle all of it through the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, sequencing a whole-home job so you can often stay in part of the house or plan a clean move-out window.
What a Complete Remodel Includes
- Full design, space planning, and 3D renderings
- Kitchen, all bathrooms, flooring, and interior finishes
- Structural changes, electrical, and plumbing brought to code
- Historic-district and flood-zone compliance where required
- One licensed team, one schedule, and one point of accountability
What Goes Into a St. Petersburg Whole-Home Remodel Budget
On a whole-home project the kitchen and bathrooms carry the largest share of the budget, followed by flooring that runs continuously through the house, interior paint and trim, and any structural work to open up the layout.
Systems are where older homes surprise people: electrical panels, rewiring, repiping, and HVAC updates can be necessary once walls are open, which is exactly why we assess them during design rather than mid-construction. Permitting and any required engineering complete the picture. In St. Pete’s historic districts and flood zones, design review and FEMA compliance can add weeks to the front end, which is why we handle those approvals before demolition begins.
How Your St. Petersburg Whole-Home Remodel Runs
A St. Petersburg whole-home project runs about four to eight weeks of design, selections, permitting, and any historic or flood-zone review, then three to nine months of construction. We phase the work so you can often stay in part of the house.
How a St. Pete Whole Home Budget Splits by Room
A whole home number is really six or seven projects stacked together. Here is how a $175,000 St. Petersburg renovation typically allocates, built from the same room level figures in our bathroom cost guide and kitchen budget guide.
| Scope | Typical Allocation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | $35,000 to $60,000 | Semi custom cabinetry, quartz, new appliances, layout change |
| Primary bathroom | $25,000 to $40,000 | Mid range for an 8 by 10 primary |
| Second and third bathrooms | $18,000 to $28,000 each | Guest full bath, mid range |
| Flooring throughout | $12,000 to $25,000 | Continuous run, or refinishing original heart pine |
| Interior paint, trim and doors | $8,000 to $16,000 | Plaster prep pushes this up in older homes |
| Electrical service and rewiring | $8,000 to $20,000 | Only when the existing service will not carry the load |
| Repiping | $6,000 to $15,000 | Galvanized or cast iron replacement |
| Structural and engineering | $5,000 to $20,000 | Beams for wall removal, sealed plans |
| Permits and review | $2,000 to $6,000 | Higher with historic or flood review |
Add those up and you land in the $150,000 to $300,000 full gut band rather than the $75,000 to $150,000 selective band. The fastest way to move between the two is deciding which rooms actually get rebuilt versus refreshed. Start with the free cost calculator and bring the output to the design meeting.
What a 1920s Bungalow Costs That a 1975 Ranch Does Not
The bungalows in Historic Kenwood, Roser Park and the Old Northeast are wonderful houses with a specific set of expenses attached. They are typically 1,200 to 1,800 square feet on pier and beam, with a galley kitchen sitting behind a load bearing wall, original heart pine floors, plaster over lath, cast iron drains and an electrical service that was adequate when the house had four outlets.
Opening that galley kitchen to the dining room needs an engineered beam and sealed plans. Cast iron drain lines that are eighty years old are usually at the end of their service life and worth replacing while the floor is open. Panel and service upgrades come up on nearly every one of these projects. None of that shows in a photo of the finished kitchen, and all of it is in the budget.
Compare that to a 1970s block ranch in Shore Acres or Meadowlawn. Slab foundation, drywall, copper supply, larger original footprint, no historic review. The same finish level costs meaningfully less because the hidden work is smaller. Two houses ten minutes apart, two different projects.
Flood Zone Is the Question to Answer First
St. Petersburg is a peninsula and flood zone determines what is possible before design starts. If a home sits in a special flood hazard area and the improvement cost reaches 50 percent of the structure’s market value, FEMA’s substantial improvement rule can require the entire building to meet current flood standards, which usually means elevation. That is not a line item, it is a different project.
The practical effect is that two nearly identical scopes, one at $140,000 and one at $165,000, can land on opposite sides of that threshold on a waterfront Shore Acres or Riviera Bay house. Higher ground neighborhoods inland, including much of Kenwood, sit outside the special flood hazard area and never face the question. We pull the flood zone and the assessed structure value in week one so the scope gets designed around the line rather than into it. Our Tampa Bay permit guide covers how that interacts with review timelines.
Sequencing So You Can Stay in the House
| Stage | Time | Can You Live There |
|---|---|---|
| Design, selections, engineering | 4 to 8 weeks | Yes, no work on site |
| Permit, historic or flood review | 3 to 8 weeks | Yes |
| Demolition and structural | 2 to 4 weeks | Usually no on a full gut |
| Rough trades and inspections | 3 to 6 weeks | No if plumbing and power are off |
| Drywall, flooring, cabinetry | 6 to 10 weeks | Possible when phased by zone |
| Finishes, punch list, closeout | 3 to 5 weeks | Usually yes |
A selective renovation runs 3 to 5 months and can often be phased so you keep a working kitchen or bathroom throughout. A full gut runs 5 to 9 months and almost always needs a move out window during the rough trades, when water and power are off. We plan that window with you at design rather than announcing it three weeks out.
What Homeowners Say
CraftLine holds a 5.0 rating across 93 Google reviews. We are a licensed and insured Florida contractor and an active member of NARI Tampa Bay. You can see recent kitchen, bath, and whole-home projects across the area in our project portfolio.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does flood zone affect a St. Pete whole-home remodel?
If your home is in a flood zone and improvements exceed 50 percent of its value, FEMA’s substantial-improvement rule can require elevation and compliance upgrades. We assess this early so it does not surprise your budget.
Can you renovate a historic Kenwood or Old Northeast bungalow?
Yes. We preserve original character like heart-pine floors and trim while bringing wiring, plumbing, and structure up to code, and we manage any historic-district design review.
How long does a complete St. Petersburg home remodel take?
A selective renovation runs 3 to 5 months; a full gut runs 5 to 9 months depending on structural scope and review requirements.
Do I have to move out during a whole-home renovation?
Not always. For selective remodels we can often phase the work so you stay in part of the house. Full guts usually need a move-out window, which we plan with you up front.
How much does it cost to rewire and repipe an older St. Pete home?
Budget $8,000 to $20,000 for electrical service and rewiring and $6,000 to $15,000 for repiping, depending on size and access. Both are far cheaper while walls and floors are already open, which is the main argument for doing systems work inside a whole home project rather than one room at a time.
Do I need historic district approval in Kenwood or the Old Northeast?
For interior work, generally no. Exterior changes visible from the street, including windows, doors, porches, siding and roof materials, typically require design review in a local historic district. We identify which district a property sits in during design and submit early, because that review runs on its own clock alongside the building permit.
Is it cheaper to remodel one room at a time?
Almost never. Doing the whole house at once means one permit cycle, one mobilization for each trade, one design language and one set of material orders. Splitting the same work across four years means paying setup costs repeatedly and living with a house that never quite matches itself.
What surprises come up most often in St. Petersburg whole home projects?
Cast iron drain lines that have rusted through, undersized electrical service, and subfloor damage under bathrooms in pier and beam homes. All three are common enough in pre 1970 St. Pete housing that we look for them during design rather than treating them as surprises, and we carry a contingency of 15 to 20 percent on those homes.
Get Your Free In-Home Estimate
Schedule a free quote or call (813) 522-4359. We will walk your space, talk through your budget, and give you a real number, not a guess.