NEW ORLEANS, LA – October 09, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –
Big EZ Renovations, a licensed New Orleans renovation and roofing contractor, has published a detailed guide on kitchen remodeling in historic shotgun houses, giving Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Tammany parish homeowners a local reference for the permits, costs, and structural realities that set these projects apart from remodels in newer construction.
The guide centers on the distinct challenges of the shotgun house, the narrow, room-by-room floor plan that defines much of the city’s older housing stock. It explains how factors such as limited width, pier-and-beam foundations, and century-old mechanical systems shape what is possible in a kitchen renovation, what the local permitting process requires, and what a project is likely to cost.
Among the practical points the resource addresses is the permitting process specific to Orleans Parish. The guide clarifies that most interior kitchen remodels require building, plumbing, and electrical permits obtained through the Orleans Parish Department of Safety and Permits, while purely cosmetic updates may not. It also notes that interior kitchen work generally does not trigger Historic District Landmarks Commission review, a point of frequent confusion among homeowners in historic neighborhoods, since that review applies to exterior alterations visible from a public right-of-way.
The guide provides cost and timeline ranges drawn from local project experience, placing most shotgun kitchen remodels between roughly $9,900 and $40,500 and typical completion times at six to twelve weeks. It identifies custom cabinet lead times, the permit review window, and hidden mechanical discoveries such as knob-and-tube wiring and aging cast-iron drain lines as the most common causes of extended schedules and unexpected costs. The company advises homeowners to expect these older-home issues as likely rather than rare and to plan a contingency buffer accordingly.
The resource also highlights an advantage unique to older homes in the area. Because pier-and-beam construction allows plumbers to access piping from the crawlspace, relocating a sink or adding an island is often less disruptive and less expensive than the same work in slab-on-grade homes, where rerouting lines requires cutting concrete.
“A kitchen remodel in a shotgun house is not the same project as a kitchen remodel anywhere else, and the homeowners who run into trouble are usually the ones who weren’t told that up front,” said a spokesperson for Big EZ Renovations. “We put this guide together so people can walk into the process understanding the permit timeline, the likely surprises, and the questions to ask a contractor before demolition ever starts.”
The kitchen guide follows another recently published resource from the company examining how flooring upgrades can improve a home’s value, part of an expanding library of educational content aimed at helping local homeowners plan renovation projects with realistic expectations. Together, the two pieces reflect a focus on the decisions that most directly affect cost, timeline, and long-term return in older properties.
Company representatives noted that homeowners planning a kitchen remodel often find it practical to address adjacent spaces, such as a hall bath or utility room, while walls are already open and crews are on site, reducing overall disruption and mobilization costs. The guide frames this bundling approach as a cost-effective window for upgrades that would otherwise remain closed off for years.
Big EZ Renovations, which holds Louisiana residential and commercial contractor licenses, stated that it specializes in kitchen and interior renovations in historic homes throughout the region. The company said the guide is part of an ongoing series intended to give homeowners across Greater New Orleans clear, locally grounded information before they begin renovation work.
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For more information about Big EZ Renovations, contact the company here:
Big EZ Renovations
Ted Brown
504-294-8616
info@bigezrenovations.com
New Orleans, LA
