Opening a wall, replacing the stairs, running new floors through the first level, redoing the trim: each one touches the others, and doing them in the wrong order means paying for some of it twice. I've been renovating the insides of Monmouth County houses since 2004. The whole floor gets planned at once, sequenced properly, and built by a crew that shows up every day. Owner-led, no salespeople.
Based in Tinton Falls. Registered NJ home improvement contractor, HIC #13VH04440200. Five stars on Houzz.
Hi, I'm Rob Crotzer. I've been renovating the insides of Monmouth County houses since 2004, and I'm the one who walks yours with you. On that first visit I'm working out which walls are carrying the floor above and where a beam would have to land. I'm also checking what's behind the plaster before we open it, whether the stairs and floors can be run through as one plan, and what order the trades have to come in so nothing gets torn out twice.
Then I write the proposal myself, order the materials myself, and run the job myself. There is no salesperson between you and the person building it. That's how RSC Contracting has worked for twenty years.
Interior work goes wrong when it's done as a series of small jobs. The floor guy finishes before the wall comes out; the painter is done before the electrician cuts in the new lights. Here the sequence is set on paper first.
Each one comes from doing a step out of order. On paper, the fix costs nothing.
Both are Monmouth County houses where the plan was decided before demo. Different rooms, same order of operations.
I walk the floor with you and we talk about what isn't working. You get a measured drawing of the changes, an engineer's letter for any bearing wall, a written proposal that spells out the scope and the allowances, and a schedule that shows which trade is in the house when.
Rooms not in the job are sealed. Then demo, framing and any beam, rough electrical and plumbing, inspections, drywall and plaster repair, trim and doors, floors, paint. The same crew every day, and the order doesn't change once it's set.
Final inspection, a walkthrough with you, and a punch list we close together. You get the permit paperwork, the paint and stain records so touch-ups match later, and my number for anything that comes up.
Most interior renovations in Monmouth County run $15,000 to $95,000, depending on the scope. Stairs and entry work alone runs $15,000 to $28,000. Finishing one floor without moving walls runs $30,000 to $55,000. Opening the first floor around a bearing wall, with the kitchen or dining room reworked around the new opening, runs $55,000 to $95,000.
Interior work is priced by what's structural, what's mechanical, and how many rooms the finishes run through. A beam, a panel upgrade, or plaster walls each move the number more than the paint color does. I walk the house before I price it, and the price comes in writing.
| Project | Typical range | What moves the number |
|---|---|---|
| Finishes on one floorFloors, trim, doors, paint, lighting; walls stay where they are | $30,000 – $55,000 | Square footage, hardwood versus engineered, solid versus hollow doors, plaster repair |
| Open the first floorBearing wall out, beam in, kitchen or dining room reworked around the opening | $55,000 – $95,000 | Span of the beam, whether a post can be hidden, footing under the post, electrical moved out of the wall |
| Stairs and entryNew treads and risers, railing and balusters, entry trim and doors | $15,000 – $28,000 | Oak versus painted, whether the stringers are sound, railing style, matching the existing floor |
A quote well under the others usually means no engineer on the beam, no permit for the electrical, or trim that doesn't match what's already there. Ask what's in the scope before you compare numbers.
"As first time home buyers, we bought a fixer upper that needed major renovations. Rob was there every step of the way, working with us to build our dream home. He always kept us informed and provided suggestions while keeping us within budget."
Brian M.Full home renovation"Rob is a great person who is always professional and took the time to tell us our options in each situation. These were not easy jobs, but instead our house is more efficient and more like the sanctuary a home should be."
Victoria Z.Kitchen and bathroomThe shop is in Tinton Falls, so Colts Neck, Red Bank, Fair Haven, Little Silver, Shrewsbury, Oceanport, and Rumson are around the corner. The rest of the county — the shore towns, the bayshore, and the farms and developments to the west — is a short drive.
See every town we serve, by area →On the first visit, usually, from the framing direction and what's above it. But the beam that replaces it is specified by an engineer, not by me on a hunch. That letter is part of the permit and part of your records. Most first-floor walls in a Monmouth County colonial or split can come out; the question is what it takes to carry the load.
For anything structural, electrical, or plumbing, yes. Paint and floors, no. Most interior renovations here include at least one of the first three, so the job runs under permit and gets inspected. It protects you when you sell and it keeps every trade honest.
Almost always. The rooms in the job get sealed off with dust barriers, the ones outside it stay yours, and the crew cleans up every day. Opening the first floor is the noisy stretch; I'll tell you which week that is so you can plan around it.
That's the point. Trim gets milled to the old profile when stock doesn't match, and new oak is stained on site to sit next to the old. Plaster is patched with plaster, not drywall mud. A good renovation shouldn't show a seam between what was there and what's new.
Two to four weeks for finishes on one floor. Six to ten when a bearing wall comes out and a kitchen or dining room is reworked around it. Inspections set the pace on the structural and electrical stages, and I'll give you a schedule before we start.
My own crew does the work, the same people job after job. Licensed plumbers and electricians handle their trades, and the engineer specifies any bearing-wall beam. I plan the job and check each stage, so you deal with me and not a salesperson.
I draw the measured layout for the changes, so you can see where walls, doors, and lights land before anything is opened. If the job needs a designer, or drawings an architect has to stamp, I bring in an independent interior designer or licensed architect I work with and coordinate them with the build. The engineer's letter for a bearing wall is separate and comes either way.
Most interior renovations in Monmouth County run $15,000 to $95,000, depending on the scope. Stairs and entry work alone runs $15,000 to $28,000. Finishing one floor without moving walls runs $30,000 to $55,000. Opening the first floor around a bearing wall, with the kitchen or dining room reworked around the new opening, runs $55,000 to $95,000. What's structural and what's mechanical move the number more than the paint color does. I give a firm written price after a site visit, not a guess over the phone.
Which rooms, what isn't working, and what you'd like it to be. I get back to you within a business day, and we set a time to walk through.