Complete Home Transformations by Experienced Renovation Experts
You love your neighborhood, your lot, and your location — but your house hasn't kept up with your family's needs or modern standards. A whole home renovation or gut rehab lets you keep everything you love about where you live while creating the home you actually want to live in. At Mimar Construction, we specialize in comprehensive renovations throughout Ridgewood, Montclair, Greenwich, and communities across Northern NJ and CT.
With 30 years of renovation experience, we've transformed hundreds of outdated homes into modern, functional living spaces. From opening up cramped floor plans and reconfiguring awkward layouts to replacing every mechanical system, updating kitchens and bathrooms, and refinishing every surface — we handle the full scope of work under one roof. Our project managers coordinate every trade, manage every detail, and keep your renovation on schedule.
Whether your home needs a strategic remodel that updates key areas or a complete gut renovation that strips the house down to the studs, Mimar Construction has the experience and resources to deliver a finished product that feels like a brand-new home — with the character and location you already love.
Types of Whole Home Renovations We Perform
Every home and every homeowner is different, so we tailor our renovation approach to your specific goals and budget:
- Complete Gut Renovations — Strip the home down to the studs and rebuild from the inside out. New electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, walls, floors, and finishes throughout. This is ideal for homes with outdated systems, poor layouts, or extensive damage.
- Open Floor Plan Conversions — Remove walls to create the flowing, connected living spaces that modern families want. We handle structural engineering, beam installation, and seamless integration of kitchen, dining, and living areas.
- Kitchen & Bathroom Renovations — As part of a whole-home project, we design and build dream kitchens and spa-like bathrooms with custom cabinetry, premium countertops, and high-end fixtures.
- Basement Finishing & Attic Conversions — Transform underutilized space into finished living areas including family rooms, home offices, gyms, and guest suites.
- System Upgrades — Replace outdated electrical panels, rewire with modern circuits, install new plumbing, upgrade to high-efficiency HVAC, and add smart home infrastructure.
Our Renovation Process
A whole home renovation is a major undertaking, and our proven process keeps everything organized and on track:
- Discovery & Assessment — We conduct a thorough evaluation of your home's current condition, discuss your vision and priorities, and identify what needs to change and what can stay.
- Design & Planning — We develop detailed renovation plans, create material specifications, and provide a comprehensive budget. For layout changes, we coordinate with architects and structural engineers.
- Demolition & Discovery — Controlled demolition reveals the true condition of your home's structure. We address any hidden issues — such as rot, termite damage, or outdated wiring — before rebuilding.
- Rebuild & Finish — From framing and mechanical rough-ins through drywall, trim, cabinetry, countertops, flooring, and painting, our coordinated teams execute every phase with precision.
- Final Walkthrough — We complete a detailed punch list, ensure everything meets our standards, and walk you through your transformed home.
Frequently Asked Questions About Whole Home Renovations
A standard renovation updates specific areas or features of a home while leaving most of the existing structure, systems, and finishes in place. A gut rehab (gut renovation) strips the home down to the studs — removing all interior walls, flooring, ceilings, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC — and essentially rebuilds the interior from scratch. A gut rehab is more comprehensive, more expensive, and takes longer, but it allows for complete reconfiguration of the floor plan and replacement of every system. We help clients determine which approach makes the most sense for their home and goals.
A comprehensive whole home renovation typically takes 4 to 8 months, depending on the scope. A full gut rehab of a larger home can take 8 to 12 months. The design and permitting phase adds 1 to 3 months before construction begins. Factors that affect timeline include the size of the home, the extent of structural changes, custom material lead times, and whether the home is occupied during renovation. We provide a detailed schedule during the planning phase and communicate progress consistently throughout the project.
Expect noise, dust, and disruption — that's the reality of any major renovation. However, our experienced project managers minimize the impact through careful scheduling, dust containment systems, and clear communication. You'll receive regular progress updates and have a single point of contact for all questions and decisions. We establish a detailed timeline at the start so you know what to expect each week. If you're living in the home during renovation, we work in phases to keep portions of the house functional.
Yes. Any renovation that involves structural changes, electrical work, plumbing modifications, or HVAC changes requires building permits. In most Northern NJ and CT municipalities, even cosmetic renovations that affect load-bearing elements need permits. We handle the entire permitting process, including plan preparation, application submission, and scheduling all required inspections. Working with permits protects you as the homeowner and ensures the work meets current building codes.
For smaller-scope renovations, it's often possible to live in the home while work proceeds in phases. For a full gut rehab, living elsewhere is usually necessary and highly recommended. The house will be without functional kitchens, bathrooms, or climate control at various stages, and the dust and noise can be overwhelming. We help clients plan for temporary housing and can phase the work strategically to minimize the time you need to be away from home.
"We bought a 1970s ranch that hadn't been updated in decades. Mimar did a complete gut renovation — new layout, new everything. They turned a dark, chopped-up house into a bright, open, modern home. The transformation is unbelievable. Friends who saw the 'before' can't believe it's the same house."
Whole Home Renovation Service Areas
We provide complete renovation services throughout Northern New Jersey and Connecticut, including: