Plaster
Cracks and blown areas repaired properly, rather than boarded over and forgotten.
What We Do
Rooms People Skip
Bedrooms rarely get the budget. They also have the oldest plaster, the worst storage and the least thought given to lighting in the whole house.
In these houses the wins are usually cheap. Repairing plaster properly rather than boarding over it, restoring the floor that is already there, and putting in storage that fits the wall you actually have.
Old bedrooms often have beautiful proportions and original trim. Keeping that and fixing what is wrong beats gutting it.
Bedroom remodeling is the work people put off longest and live with the longest.
- Plaster repair and skim
- Flooring repair and refinishing
- Built in storage and closets
- Lighting and power
- Windows, trim and millwork repair
- Painting and finishing
What You Get
What a Bedroom Job Covers
Floors
Original boards restored where they are worth it, or a new floor over a levelled subfloor.
Storage
Built ins scribed to walls that are not straight, using the awkward corners old rooms have.
Lighting
Layered light instead of one fitting in the middle of the ceiling.
Trim
Original millwork repaired and matched where sections are missing.
Finish
Prepared and painted to a standard that suits the rest of the work.
How It Works
Four Steps From Call to Finished
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Free On-Site Walkthrough
We come to the property and look at the actual house. On older New Orleans homes that means checking settling, moisture and what sits behind the plaster before anyone quotes a number.
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Written Scope and Price
You get bedroom renovation written down: what is included, what is not, and what could change it. No charge and no obligation.
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One Crew, One Contact
Materials, trades and scheduling handled in house. You hear about problems the day we find them, not in a bill at the end.
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Walk It and Sign Off
We walk the finished work with you, write down anything you are not happy with, and fix it before the job is called complete.
What’s Really Behind an Old Bedroom Wall: Wiring, Plaster, and Why It Changes the Scope
Opening up a bedroom in an older New Orleans home often turns up more than the room you started with. Knob-and-tube or early cloth-wrapped wiring still shows up behind walls in houses that haven’t had a full electrical update, and it needs to be addressed for safety even if it wasn’t part of the original plan. The same goes for outdated outlet circuits that can’t handle modern furniture and electronics without tripping breakers.
Plaster walls are common in older New Orleans houses, and they behave differently than drywall once you start working near them. Plaster can be cracked from decades of humidity and house settling, and cutting into it for new outlets, switches, or a closet opening can cause more cracking to spread if it isn’t handled carefully.
None of this means a bedroom renovation has to turn into a full house project. It means a contractor who’s worked in older New Orleans housing stock should check what’s actually behind the walls before finalizing a scope, so surprises get planned for instead of discovered mid-project.
Closet, Window, and Layout Fixes That Make the Biggest Difference
Bedrooms in shotgun houses and doubles are often narrow and long, with a closet that was added later as an afterthought rather than planned into the original layout. Reworking that closet, even without expanding the room’s footprint, is usually the single change that makes an old bedroom feel usable again.
Old single-pane windows are another common weak point. They let in more heat, humidity, and outside noise than a bedroom should have, and swapping them changes the comfort of the room more than most cosmetic updates do. Where the layout allows it, repositioning a door or reworking an awkward corner can also open up usable floor space without touching the exterior walls at all.
Common Mistakes When Renovating a Bedroom in an Older Home
The most common mistake is choosing finishes and layout before anyone has opened the walls to see what’s actually there. Picking flooring or a closet design around a room that turns out to need electrical or structural work first means decisions get remade later, which costs time.
Another is ignoring humidity control. Older New Orleans bedrooms without adequate ventilation or a properly sized HVAC run for the space stay muggy even after a full cosmetic renovation, which shows up later as peeling paint or a musty smell that has nothing to do with the finishes chosen. Planning ventilation and climate control alongside the cosmetic work avoids redoing the room a second time.
Local Knowledge
Old Rooms, Original Detail
Pre-war New Orleans bedrooms usually have high ceilings, deep trim and plaster over lath. All three are worth keeping and all three are commonly ripped out because it is quicker.
We would rather repair plaster and match millwork than lose the thing that makes the room worth being in.
- Plaster and lathRepaired where sound rather than gutted by default
- Original millworkProfiles matched where sections are missing
- Heart pine floorsRestored where the boards are worth saving
- HumidityWindows and finishes chosen for a climate that never dries out
Ready For a Straight Number?
Tell us what you want done. We will come look at the house and put it in writing.
4.88 from 59 Google reviews
They transformed my old kitchen into a modern space quickly and kept everything clean.
Lucas Rivera
They renovated our entire condo and the quality is top-tier. New flooring, fresh paint, and updated lighting throughout.
Sophie Ruby
A full main floor renovation. Honest pricing, high-quality materials, and a very hardworking crew.
Zachary Bailey
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth repairing plaster or should I board over it?
Usually worth repairing. Boarding over plaster loses the depth of the wall and the relationship with the trim, and it hides whatever is going on behind.
Can you build closets into an odd shaped room?
Yes, and that is usually where the space is. Built ins scribed to the actual walls beat anything freestanding in a room that is not square.
Can you do several bedrooms at once?
Yes, and it is usually more efficient. We can stage it so you keep somewhere to sleep throughout.
Do you match old trim profiles?
Yes. Matching existing millwork is normal on these houses and it is what stops new work looking bolted on.
Can you restore the original floor?
Often. See flooring.
Is there a difference between renovation and remodeling?
In practice, no. People use both words for the same work, and we answer to either. If you want the longer version we wrote about it: renovating vs remodeling.
Will my bedroom renovation uncover wiring or plumbing problems I don’t know about?
It’s common in older New Orleans homes. Outdated wiring and settling-related plaster cracks often turn up once walls are opened. A contractor experienced with older housing stock should check for this before finalizing your scope so it can be planned for rather than discovered mid-project.
Can plaster walls be repaired instead of replaced with drywall?
In many cases yes, especially if the cracking is cosmetic and the plaster is still bonded to the wall behind it. Full replacement usually only makes sense when the plaster is failing across large sections or when new electrical or structural work requires opening the wall anyway.
How do I plan a bedroom renovation around an odd-shaped older home layout?
Start by identifying what’s structural versus what was added later, like a closet or a partition wall. Non-structural additions can often be reworked to fix awkward layouts, while load-bearing walls and original framing typically need to stay in place.
Cities We Serve
Bedroom Renovation
Across the New Orleans Metro
- New Orleans
- Metairie
- Kenner
- Gretna
- Slidell
- Covington
- Mandeville
- Madisonville
- Abita Springs
- LaPlace
- Hammond
- St Rose
- Baton Rouge
Not listed? Call 504-470-0455. We cover most of the metro and the Northshore.
Explore Our Services
What Else We Do
One contractor, inside and out, across the New Orleans metro and the Northshore.
Where We Are
Based on Magazine Street
We work out of 3436 Magazine Street in Uptown New Orleans, which puts most of the metro within a short run and the Northshore inside an easy morning.
- Address3436 Magazine Street #120-D
New Orleans, LA 70115 - Phone504-470-0455
- HoursMonday to Saturday, 8:00am to 5:00pm
Next Step
Let’s Talk About Bedroom Renovation
Tell us what you want done in New Orleans and we will come and look at the house. Free written estimate, no obligation, and a number that holds.
Free Estimate
Let's Look At Your House
Send this over and we will call you back to set up a walkthrough.
- Call504-470-0455
- Visit3436 Magazine Street #120-D
New Orleans, LA 70115 - HoursMonday to Saturday, 8:00am to 5:00pm
4.88 from 59 Google reviews · 15 years in business · 50 year non pro-rated warranty