When the whole house needs attention. Phased planning so you stay functional where possible, in-house Red Seal trades so coordination does not stall the build, and one project manager holding the whole thing together from site visit through the 12-month walk-back.
Quick Answer
Whole-home renovations in Chilliwack run $150K to $250K for a cosmetic refresh, $250K to $400K for a significant refresh with kitchen and two bathroom rebuilds, and $400K to $650K+ for down-to-studs projects. One project manager coordinates every trade on one schedule. Phased planning keeps you in the home where possible. Typical timeline: 3 to 12 months depending on scope.
Why whole-home is different
The difficulty of whole-home work is not the scope of any individual task. Framers still frame, plumbers still plumb, tile setters still set tile. What changes is the coordination. Every room has its own electrical, plumbing, and finish requirements. Every phase affects the next. Every material decision in the kitchen ripples into the hallway, the laundry, and the primary suite.
Most whole-home renovations go sideways not from any single failure but from accumulated friction. The framer waits for the electrician. The electrician waits on the plumber. The plumber waits on the structural engineer. A week at a time disappears without anyone doing anything wrong. Project timelines that started at 6 months land at 11 months. Budgets that started firm balloon on change orders.
Our in-house trades structure removes several of those friction points. Our framers, Red Seal electricians, and Red Seal plumbers work for the same company, know each other, and solve problems in person on site. One project manager runs the whole thing. You get one schedule, one phone number, and one accountable team that does not blame each other when something slips.
Whole-home is also where the mechanical honesty of a contractor shows up. Older Chilliwack homes regularly need electrical service upgrades, plumbing replacements, or HVAC capacity updates that a quick site visit can miss. Our scope specifically looks for these during site assessment so they land in the line-item quote rather than appearing as a change order in week eight.
The Chilliwack whole-home context
The baseline scope of a Chilliwack whole-home renovation depends heavily on when the home was built and the neighborhood it sits in. 1970s Sardis rancher gut renovations look different from Garrison Crossing refreshes, which look different from heritage home restorations downtown.
Where it applies
1960s to 1980s-era ranchers and split-levels are the most common whole-home projects in this part of Chilliwack. These homes typically need electrical service upgrades (original 60 or 100-amp panels), plumbing replacements (galvanized water lines, cast-iron drains), and insulation upgrades. Bones are usually solid, so down-to-studs renovations get good return.
Where it applies
2000s-era homes are entering their first major renovation cycle. Most do not need full gut renovations but benefit from significant finish and layout updates: kitchen rebuilds, main-floor openings, basement finishes, and bathroom reworks running concurrently as a whole-home refresh rather than a full strip.
Where it applies
Hillside and view homes often anchor whole-home renovations around the view. Primary suites reconfigure for sightlines, kitchens open to decks, great rooms expand. Slope-aware foundation work, drainage considerations, and window sizing for the view all need to be thought about together rather than separately.
Where it applies
Heritage homes, century farmhouses, and older rural properties bring their own considerations. Knob-and-tube wiring often needs full replacement. Original layouts built around small rooms with a single plumbing stack. Properties in the Mountain View Heritage Conservation Area may require a Heritage Alteration Permit for exterior changes. ALR considerations apply in Yarrow and Greendale.
Recent work
Every whole-home project touches every room. Here are a few recent projects across the Fraser Valley.
What we plan for
Whole-home planning runs deeper than a single-room scope. These are the six decision points every whole-home project works through during design.
We plan the sequence so you always have a working kitchen (or a functional temporary one), at least one usable bathroom, and safe access to the rooms you need. Phasing is the difference between living through a renovation and moving out for six months.
Many whole-home renovations can be staged so you stay in the house throughout. Others genuinely need you out for a few months. We tell you honestly at the site visit which category your project falls into rather than forcing an answer that makes the sales pitch easier.
Older Chilliwack homes often need an electrical service upgrade, plumbing replacements, or HVAC updates as part of a whole-home renovation. Our in-house Red Seal electricians and plumbers plan these together with the build schedule rather than discovering them mid-project.
Walls come out, rooms reconfigure, floor plans open up. We coordinate the structural engineer, the framers, and the mechanical rough-in on one schedule. Load-bearing changes are planned and engineered, not improvised.
Whole-home work often includes windows, siding, insulation, or roof upgrades. Doing the envelope at the same time as the interior means you only tear into the walls once. Done separately, the same work costs significantly more overall.
When every room changes, keeping finishes cohesive requires discipline upfront. We help plan selections early so flooring, trim, paint, hardware, and tile read as one home rather than a collection of separately-renovated rooms.
How a Huntley whole-home gets built
We walk the entire house, look at the bones, check the mechanical systems, and listen to what you are trying to achieve. Whole-home projects often require a structural opinion upfront, which we coordinate. You get an honest read on scope and rough budget before detailed design starts.
Architectural or designer drawings, structural engineering where needed, all finish selections specified, mechanical upgrade plans drafted. The quote lands line-item by trade and room so you see what drives every dollar. Whole-home quoting takes longer because the scope is larger, and that is deliberate.
Building permit, trade permits, and any Heritage or Development Permits pulled. Protection plan for any areas you are living in. Storage and decanting plan for furniture. Material and fixture procurement started with long-lead items ordered first.
The sequence varies by project. Common pattern: mechanical and structural first, then rough-in, then envelope, then interior finishes room by room or zone by zone. One project manager, weekly updates, site walked with you regularly so you see progress against schedule.
Final mechanical commissioning, inspections, deficiency resolution, and handover. Manuals and warranty documents for every fixture and system. The 12-month Huntley Workmanship Commitment starts from handover date and covers every trade that worked on the home.
Honest numbers
Most contractors will not publish real numbers on whole-home work because the scope varies so much. We will, because clients who understand ranges make better decisions. These are typical Chilliwack project bands by scope tier. Final quote is line-itemed by trade and by room after detailed scoping.
Cosmetic whole-home
$150K – $250K
Paint, flooring, light fixtures, hardware, minor kitchen refresh, bathroom updates. No structural changes, no major mechanical upgrades. Moves a tired home into a current-feeling home without opening walls.
Significant refresh
$250K – $400K
Full kitchen renovation, two bathroom rebuilds, all flooring, all paint, new lighting, some electrical upgrades, possibly new windows. Modest structural changes (opening one wall, adding an island). The most common whole-home scope.
Full renovation
$400K – $650K
Down to the studs in most rooms. Full kitchen, all bathrooms, new flooring throughout, full electrical rewire, plumbing replacement, HVAC updates, significant structural changes, possibly envelope work. Whole home rebuilt while keeping the foundation and framing.
Premium
$650K+
Down-to-studs with custom finishes throughout, major structural reconfiguration (vaulting ceilings, removing load-bearing walls, adding or removing floors in places), high-end appliances, premium cabinetry, and often a building envelope retrofit. Approaching the cost of a custom build, without the land and foundation cost.
Typical Chilliwack and Fraser Valley ranges, not quotes. Actual pricing depends on scope, existing conditions, structural and mechanical upgrades required, and finish grade. Whole-home quotes require detailed scoping beyond a first site visit.
Whole-home renos
The questions every Chilliwack homeowner asks us before a whole-home renovation. Straight answers on scope, timeline, mechanical upgrades, and living through it.
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Send a message →How we compare
Whole-home renovations don't go sideways from any single failure. They go sideways from accumulated friction across many trades. Here is what changes when one company runs the whole project.
Typical Chilliwack contractor
Huntley Construction
Trade coordination
Typical
Phone tag across 4 to 6 separate companies
Huntley
Framers, Red Seal electricians and plumbers all in-house, in person on site
Project manager
Typical
Often the owner, often stretched thin
Huntley
Dedicated PM running every trade on one schedule
Schedule
Typical
Drift of weeks to months from sub-trade conflicts
Huntley
Committed in writing, held because the trades work for us
Mid-project discoveries
Typical
Surprise change orders, tense conversations
Huntley
Common discoveries flagged at site visit, documented before work begins
Mechanical upgrades
Typical
Found mid-build, priced as change orders
Huntley
Service upgrade and plumbing replacement scoped at first site visit
Invoice match to quote
Typical
Final invoice often 15 to 30 percent over original quote
Huntley
Number you sign is the number you pay, scope changes documented and approved before work
Related work
Keep researching
Real 2026 timelines by project type, including whole-home.
Read postA common discovery on whole-home renovations of older Chilliwack homes.
Read postThe structural reason whole-home renovations finish late.
Read postWhen you need a permit, what they cost, and how long they take.
Read postPhasing & sequence matter
We sequence the work so a working kitchen and bathroom stay online for as long as possible, and the rest of the house comes apart and goes back together in a planned order. Site visit, scope conversation, line-item quote.