Historic Home Renovations in New Orleans
New Orleans Historic Home Renovation Contractor
New Orleans has one of the most significant concentrations of historic residential architecture in the United States. Creole cottages, shotgun doubles, Greek Revival mansions, Italianate townhouses — these homes have character that can’t be replicated, and they require a contractor who understands how to work within preservation requirements without sacrificing livability.
MLM Custom Homes & Renovations has been renovating historic homes throughout Greater New Orleans for over 17 years. We’ve worked in nearly every historic neighborhood in the city — Uptown, the Garden District, the French Quarter, Mid-City, Marigny, Bywater, and Lakeview — and we understand the permitting process, the architectural review boards, and the specific construction challenges these homes present.
We earned Best of Houzz awards in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and were named Best Construction Company in the New Orleans Homes Best of Home awards in both 2024 and 2025. We hold an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, a 4.9 rating on Angi, and 55-plus five-star Google reviews. We’ve been featured in New Orleans Homes and Millennium magazines.
HDLC and Vieux Carre Commission Permitting
Renovating a historic home in New Orleans means navigating the Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC) or, in the French Quarter, the Vieux Carre Commission. Getting it wrong can stop a project cold or require expensive corrections after the fact.
Certificate of Appropriateness submissions, documentation requirements, and design review are part of our standard process on every qualifying project. We’ve guided homeowners through the many New Orleans’ preservation regulations many times and know what reviewers look for, what materials are acceptable, and how to frame a scope that gets approved efficiently. If your home is in a locally designated historic district, you don’t need to figure out the regulatory process on your own.
Timelines and Budgets
Historic renovations take longer and cost more than comparable work in newer construction. That’s not a reason to avoid them — it’s a reason to plan carefully and work with a contractor who gives you accurate numbers upfront.
Permitting alone can run 2 to 6 weeks depending on the scope of work and the reviewing board. Construction timelines range from 3 months for focused single-room or facade work to 9 months or more for full whole-home renovations. We provide a detailed project-specific schedule before work begins.
On budgets, general ranges for historic renovation work in New Orleans look like this:
Focused restorations covering a single room or exterior facade work typically run $20,000 to $50,000. Mid-range projects covering a kitchen, bathroom, or multi-room renovation generally fall between $50,000 and $150,000. Full whole-home renovations with significant structural and systems work run $150,000 to $500,000 and up depending on the size and condition of the property.
These are ranges, not quotes. Contact us for a detailed estimate based on your specific home and scope.
How We Work
Every historic renovation project starts with a site walkthrough and consultation to assess the condition of the home, identify preservation requirements, and understand your goals. We develop a detailed scope with real pricing options before any work begins. Once underway, you’ll receive daily construction progress updates with photos, real-time budget and timeline tracking, and centralized communication through Buildertrend. Every change order, note, and conversation is archived and accessible throughout the project.
Service Areas
We renovate historic homes throughout New Orleans including the French Quarter, Garden District, Uptown, Mid-City, Marigny, Bywater, and Lakeview, as well as Metairie, Old Metairie, Kenner, and the Northshore including Mandeville, Covington, and Slidell, as well as South Louisiana and Mississippi.
Ready to Get Started?
Contact MLM Custom Homes & Renovations to schedule a consultation. We’d be glad to walk your home and talk through what’s possible.
Start Planning Your Project
Historic Home Featured Renovation Projects
Browse our renovation photo gallery to see how we’ve transformed historic properties into stunning works of art.