Remodeling Ardmore PA

What we know about Ardmore homes

In our experience, most Ardmore kitchen and bath work falls into one of three groups, and the right approach is fundamentally different for each.

Pre-1940 stone twins and singles

Eastern Ardmore, near Lancaster Avenue and into Lower Merion. Knob-and-tube wiring, plaster walls, original kitchens that still have a butler’s pantry off the dining room, and small original baths — usually 35–55 sq ft — squeezed into closets and corners on the second floor. Kitchens on these homes almost always benefit from opening the wall to the butler’s pantry, paired with replacing the original 100-amp panel, swapping galvanized supply lines for copper, and installing inset cabinetry. Bathrooms run tub-to-shower conversion with tile to the ceiling, full replumb of corroded galvanized and cast-iron lines, subfloor reinforcement for tile or freestanding tubs, and careful work around the original radiator system. Code upgrades are usually part of the project either way.

1940s–1960s brick traditionals

Western Ardmore, into Haverford Township. Smaller kitchens — often with a wall to the dining or living room that wants to come down — and larger original baths (55–75 sq ft) with the famous mid-century color palette: pink, blue, avocado, mustard. Kitchens here typically need wall removal, cabinets run to the ceiling (the originals stop 18″ below with a drywalled soffit above), and replacement of the 1950s/60s electrical panel — often a Federal Pacific unit with known safety issues. Bathrooms call for layout reconfiguration (moving the toilet off the prominent wall, swapping a built-in tub for a walk-in shower), GFCI outlets and a real exhaust fan, and replacement of the original wall-mounted ceramic heater that came with the house.

Post-2000 contemporary rebuilds

Scattered, mostly tear-down lots. Usually only 10–15 years old when clients call us. Kitchens are refresh-tier — replacing 10-year-old quartz with current materials, swapping panel-front appliances for higher-spec integrated units, occasionally adding a butler’s pantry that wasn’t in the original spec. Bathrooms typically need the oversized jetted tub removed and replaced with a freestanding soaker, plus a walk-in shower with frameless glass, double vanity with quartz top, heated tile floor (almost universal in primary baths now), and an upgrade from builder-grade brushed nickel to higher-spec brass or matte black.

The mix is what makes Ardmore Ardmore. We treat each project as the house it actually is, not the version of “Ardmore” we wrote for the last client.

Recent Ardmore work:

• Kitchen (1924 stone twin) — $118,000 / 8 weeks. Opened the wall to the original butler’s pantry, replaced the original electrical panel, installed inset cabinetry with a stained walnut island and GE Café appliance package.
• Bathroom (1924 stone twin) — $72,000 / 7 weeks. Converted a tight original hall bath into a primary bath with frameless-glass shower, walnut vanity, marble countertop, and radiant-heated Carrara hex floor.