Lakewood was built out largely between the 1950s and the 1970s, and that date range tells us what to look for before we open a single wall. The signature issue in this city’s housing is aluminum branch-circuit wiring: between roughly 1965 and 1973, builders substituted single-strand aluminum for copper when copper prices spiked, and a lot of Lakewood’s later ranches and tri-levels got it. Aluminum expands and contracts more than copper, so the connections at outlets, switches, and fixtures loosen over time and can overheat. It’s also worth a call to your insurer — carriers treat it differently. The CPSC’s accepted fixes are rewiring in copper or COPALUM crimp repairs at every connection, and a whole-home renovation, with the walls already open, is by far the cheapest moment to do it properly.

The rest of the era comes with its own list. Homes built before 1980 can have asbestos in floor tile, drywall compound, and popcorn ceilings, and anything pre-1978 may have lead paint — which federal law, the EPA’s RRP Rule, requires be handled by certified renovators. Cast-iron drains from this period corrode from the inside out. We test before demolition and bring in licensed abatement where needed, rather than disturbing hazardous material and leaving it in your house.

We name the risks at the consultation, not in a change order. Older homes hold unknowns — the job is pricing them honestly and carrying a realistic contingency, not promising there won’t be any.

What a Lakewood whole-home renovation actually changes

The layout problem in Lakewood is consistent enough to be a genre: a closed-off galley or U-shaped kitchen behind a bearing wall, bulkhead soffits eating ceiling height, a formal living room nobody uses, and bedrooms and baths sized for 1962. The renovation that transforms these houses opens the main floor, pulls the soffits, reworks the kitchen and baths together, and often carves a real primary suite out of space that was three small rooms.

Because Lakewood’s ranches and tri-levels sit on generous lots, a whole-home renovation here also pairs naturally with a footprint change. If the plan calls for more space rather than better space, building out is often cheaper per square foot than reworking what’s there — we’ll tell you which one your goals actually need.