Home renovation in Kirkwood, MO
People move to Kirkwood for the neighborhoods, the schools, and the sense of community. They stay because the homes have character you can’t find in new construction. A whole-home renovation lets you keep everything that drew you here while making the house work for the life you’re living right now.
Why Kirkwood homeowners trust Aleto with their whole home
Kirkwood’s housing market is one of the most competitive in St. Louis County. Homes sell in under a month, buyers line up for anything in the school district, and finding the right house often takes years. So when Kirkwood homeowners decide to stay and renovate rather than move, the decision carries weight. They’re investing in the home and the community at the same time.
A whole-home renovation in Kirkwood is different from one in the suburbs. The homes are older, the construction is denser, the neighborhoods are more visible, and the community cares about what happens on its streets. The renovation has to respect all of that while solving the real problems: outdated floor plans, aging systems behind the walls, bathrooms from another era, and homes that weren’t designed for how families live in 2026.
Aleto Construction Group has been renovating homes in Kirkwood and throughout St. Louis County since 1955. As a design-build firm, our design and construction teams work together from the start. For a whole-home renovation where every room connects to every other decision, that integration is the difference between a cohesive result and a patchwork of separate projects stitched together.
What a whole-home renovation in Kirkwood, MO can include
Every project is scoped to the home and the homeowner. Here are the areas we address most often in Kirkwood whole-home renovations:
Floor plan reconfiguration
Removing walls that divide the home into small, disconnected rooms and creating a floor plan that lets the household actually gather in one space
Kitchen & bath renovation
Fully redesigned kitchens and bathrooms that serve as the anchor points of the whole-home transformation
Second & third floor buildouts
Finishing attic space, adding dormers for headroom and light, and converting half-stories into full bedrooms, offices, or guest suites
Main floor primary suite
Creating a primary bedroom and bathroom on the main level for accessibility and convenience, especially in two-story homes where the stairs have become a barrier
Infrastructure replacement
Replacing the systems hidden inside 80- to 100-year-old walls: wiring, plumbing, insulation, subfloors, and HVAC that are past their useful life
Period-sensitive finish work
Matching new trim, doors, hardware, and built-ins to the home’s original architectural language so renovated rooms don’t feel disconnected
Basement finishing
Converting unfinished Kirkwood basements into usable living space: family rooms, home offices, playrooms, or guest quarters
Porch & entry renovation
Restoring or rebuilding front porches, back porches, and entryways that define the home’s curb appeal and connect the interior to the street
What a whole-home renovation looks like in Kirkwood, MO
Kirkwood homeowners renovate for different reasons than homeowners in newer communities. Here are the scenarios we see most often and how we approach each one.
Renovation as the better financial move
In Kirkwood’s competitive market, selling your home and buying something better in the same school district often means paying significantly more for a property that may not have the location, the lot, or the character of what you already own. A whole-home renovation lets you invest in the home you have rather than competing for one you don’t. The math often favors renovation: $300,000 to $500,000 invested in a well-planned renovation can add comparable or greater value to a Kirkwood home, especially when the alternative is purchasing at current market prices and then renovating the new place anyway.
What’s hiding behind century-old walls
A whole-home renovation in Kirkwood is the one time you’ll see what’s actually inside the walls of a 100-year-old home. Knob-and-tube wiring that’s been spliced into modern circuits. Galvanized plumbing with decades of mineral buildup. Newspapers are used as insulation. Subfloors that have shifted over a century of seasonal movement. None of this is visible during a kitchen-only or bathroom-only renovation, and it’s expensive to address later as separate projects. A whole-home renovation puts everything on the table at once, letting you solve systemic problems while the house is already open rather than discovering them one room at a time over the next decade.
Staying in the neighborhood you love while the home catches up
Many Kirkwood homeowners bought their house 15 or 20 years ago when their needs were different. The family has grown, or the kids have left, or you’re working from home now, or the master bedroom is on the second floor, and the stairs aren’t getting any easier. A whole-home renovation addresses all of these at once: adding a main-floor primary suite, converting a bedroom into an office, reclaiming the third floor as usable space, and updating the kitchen and bathrooms that haven’t been touched since you moved in. You keep the address, the neighbors, the walkability to downtown, and the Kirkwood School District. The house just finally catches up to where you are.
Renovating on a street where everyone is watching
Kirkwood’s walkable, close-knit neighborhoods mean your renovation is visible to everyone who passes by. Dumpsters in the driveway, contractor trucks on the street, and construction noise carry differently here than on a two-acre lot in Town and Country. We take this seriously: communicating with neighbors before construction begins, coordinating deliveries and dumpster swaps to minimize disruption, keeping the job site clean and organized, and scheduling noisy trades during reasonable hours. How the renovation looks during construction matters to the neighborhood, not just how it looks when it’s done. Our team handles all City of Kirkwood permitting and any Landmarks Commission coordination for properties in designated historic districts.
What our clients are saying…
“Aleto made our dream home come true and they made the four months renovation period smooth, pleasant, and seamless. Mike was a dream contractor – he kept in communication with us every single day. We received daily updates and he responded immediately to any and all messages we sent him. They hired the best workers, they worked with the best companies, and we could not be happier with our finished project. We recommend Aleto 100%.”
Mary – Houzz Review
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a whole-home renovation cost in Kirkwood?
Projects vary based on the home’s size, age, condition, and scope of work. Most whole-home renovations in Kirkwood start in the mid-five figures for focused renovations and reach into the mid-six figures for comprehensive projects that include structural work, full infrastructure replacement, and premium finishes. We provide a detailed estimate with a clear scope of work before construction begins.
How long does a whole-home renovation take in Kirkwood?
Most Kirkwood whole-home renovations take four to eight months for construction, depending on the scope. Older homes that require full infrastructure replacement or structural modifications tend toward the longer end of that range. We build a detailed project schedule before construction begins and provide regular progress updates.
Is it cheaper to renovate my Kirkwood home or sell and buy something bigger?
In most cases, renovating is the more cost-effective option. Kirkwood’s market is extremely competitive, and upgrading within the school district often means paying a premium for a home that may also need work. A whole-home renovation lets you invest directly in the property you own, in the location you chose, without the transaction costs, moving expenses, and market risk of buying and selling. We’re happy to walk through the numbers with you.
Can you add a main-floor primary suite to my Kirkwood home?
In many cases, yes. This is an increasingly common request in Kirkwood, especially from long-term homeowners who want to stay in the home but find the stairs to the second floor less practical than they used to be. Depending on the floor plan, we can convert a first-floor room (formal dining room, den, or underused bedroom) into a primary suite, or add a small bump-out to accommodate a bedroom and bathroom on the main level. We evaluate the options during the design phase and present solutions that work within your home’s footprint and budget.
What should I expect to find inside the walls of a 100-year-old Kirkwood home?
Older Kirkwood homes commonly have knob-and-tube wiring (sometimes spliced into newer circuits), galvanized steel plumbing, minimal or no insulation, and subfloors that have shifted over time. None of this is necessarily dangerous in the short term, but a whole-home renovation is the most practical and cost-effective time to replace it all. Doing this work while the walls are already open avoids the expense and disruption of opening them up again later for individual repairs.
More Home Renovation services in Kirkwood, MO
Looking at a specific room or scope? Explore our other services available in Kirkwood, MO:
Kitchen renovation
We rethink how your kitchen flows, functions, and feels from layout to custom storage and premium appliances.
Learn more →
Bathroom renovation
Convert dated bathrooms into spa-like retreats with custom tile, modern fixtures, and intelligent layouts.
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Additions & dormers
Room additions, second stories, dormers, and sunrooms that look like they’ve always been there.
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Ready to transform your Kirkwood home?
A whole-home renovation starts with a conversation about what’s working, what isn’t, and what your home could become. Tell us what you’re thinking, and we’ll take it from there.
A UNIQUE PARTNER FOR YOUR UNIQUE VISION
For new construction, renovation, simple repurposing, or grand reimagining, Aleto brings decades of experience and creativity to every project, large or small. You have something special in mind, and we have a knack for helping you bring your vision to life with all the quality, personality, and professionalism it deserves.
We’re a family-owned company with creativity in our DNA. Curious? Get to know us a little better.
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