Jacksonville has some of the most beautiful historic homes in Florida — and some of the most challenging to renovate. If you own a home in San Marco, Riverside, Avondale, Ortega, or Springfield, you're living in a piece of Jacksonville's architectural history. That's a privilege and a responsibility.
We've renovated kitchens, bathrooms, and entire floors in homes built as early as 1905 and as recently as 1945 across Jacksonville's historic districts. Here's everything we've learned about doing it right.
## Know What You're Working With
Historic Jacksonville homes generally fall into a few architectural categories:
**Craftsman Bungalows (1910–1930s):** The backbone of Riverside and Avondale. Low-pitched roofs, wide front porches, exposed rafter tails, built-in cabinetry, and tapered columns. Interiors feature original woodwork, often heart pine or cypress, and layouts designed for a pre-AC era — lots of windows, cross-ventilation, and smaller kitchens.
**Mediterranean Revival (1920s–1930s):** Dominant in San Marco. Stucco exteriors, clay tile roofs, arched doorways and windows, interior courtyards, and decorative tile work. These homes have thick walls, unique ceiling treatments, and a style that demands respect during renovation.
**Colonial Revival (1920s–1940s):** Found throughout Avondale and Ortega. Symmetrical facades, columned porches, formal floor plans. Interiors tend to be more compartmentalized — defined rooms with doors, separated kitchens, formal dining rooms.
**Prairie Style (1910s–1920s):** Less common but present in Riverside. Horizontal lines, hipped roofs, ribbon windows, and open floor plans that were ahead of their time.
Each style has its own challenges and its own beauty. The first step in any renovation is understanding what you have.
## The Permit and Preservation Reality
If your home is within a designated historic district — and many homes in San Marco, Riverside, and Avondale are — here's what you need to know:
**Interior renovations are generally unrestricted.** You can remodel your kitchen, bathroom, and interior spaces without Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) review. The city's jurisdiction over historic properties focuses on exterior changes visible from the public right-of-way.
**Exterior changes may require a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA).** If your renovation involves adding windows, changing the roofline, altering the front facade, or adding an addition visible from the street, you'll need HPC approval. The process takes 4–6 weeks and requires documentation.
**Standard building permits are still required.** Regardless of historic status, any renovation involving plumbing, electrical, or structural changes requires City of Jacksonville permits. We handle this process entirely.
**Not every old house is in a historic district.** Just because your home is old doesn't mean it's designated historic. Check the City of Jacksonville's Historic Preservation Section or ask us — we can determine your property's status quickly.
## What You'll Find Behind the Walls
Every historic home renovation in Jacksonville involves some level of discovery. Here's what we commonly encounter:
**Plumbing:** Galvanized steel pipes (pre-1960s) that are rusted and restricted. Cast iron drain lines that may have bellied or cracked. Plumbing layouts that make no logical sense because they were added piecemeal over decades. Budget for plumbing updates — they're almost always necessary.
**Electrical:** Knob-and-tube wiring (pre-1940s), ungrounded two-prong outlets, undersized panels (60-amp panels trying to run a modern kitchen). A kitchen or bathroom remodel is the ideal time to update electrical in the affected areas. We coordinate with licensed electricians who specialize in older homes.
**Structural surprises:** Previous owners' DIY — removed bearing walls without headers, floor joists notched for plumbing, ad-hoc additions attached with questionable methods. We assess structural integrity before starting any renovation.
**Lead paint and asbestos:** Homes built before 1978 may have lead-based paint. Homes built before 1980 may have asbestos in floor tiles, pipe insulation, or textured ceilings. We test when appropriate and follow EPA guidelines for safe handling.
**Hidden gems:** Original heart pine floors under carpet. Beautiful tile work behind drywall. Cedar closet linings. Pocket doors hidden in walls. Not every surprise is bad.
## Renovation Approaches for Historic Homes
We see three general approaches, and the right one depends on the home and the homeowner:
**1. Restorative Renovation:** Keep the style, update the function. Inset cabinets that match original millwork, period-appropriate tile patterns, refinished original floors. The kitchen looks like it's always been there. Best for: San Marco Mediterraneans, Avondale Tudors, homes with significant original detail.
**2. Transitional Update:** Bridge old and new. Modern functionality (quartz counters, soft-close drawers) with design elements that respect the home's era (appropriate hardware, trim profiles, proportions). Best for: Riverside Craftsmans, homes that have already lost some original detail.
**3. Contrast Design:** Deliberately modern intervention in a historic shell. The original archway leads to a clearly contemporary kitchen — and the contrast is intentional and beautiful. Best for: Homeowners with strong design vision, homes where original kitchen details are already lost.
All three approaches work. None involves slapping gray LVP and white shakers into a 1926 Mediterranean and calling it done.
## Cost Considerations
Historic home renovations in Jacksonville typically cost **15–30% more** than equivalent work in modern homes. The reasons:
- **Unexpected conditions** behind walls add time and material
- **Custom work** is needed to match existing profiles and details
- **Specialized skills** — finish carpentry that matches 1920s millwork isn't standard construction labor
- **Material sourcing** — period-appropriate tile, hardware, and fixtures cost more than builder-grade
- **Slower pace** — older homes require more careful demolition and more problem-solving during construction
A kitchen remodel that costs $35,000 in a Mandarin ranch might cost $45,000–$55,000 in a San Marco bungalow for equivalent quality. That's the reality, and any contractor who quotes them the same either hasn't done historic work or is planning to cut corners.
## Working With a Contractor Who Gets It
The most important thing: hire a contractor who has actually worked in historic Jacksonville homes. Not someone who "can figure it out" — someone who has swung a hammer in a San Marco kitchen, dealt with the plumbing in a Riverside bungalow, and navigated the quirks of Avondale construction.
At TB Construction, we love working on historic homes. They're challenging, unpredictable, and ultimately more rewarding than any new-construction remodel. The homes in these neighborhoods deserve contractors who respect what they are.
We've renovated kitchens, bathrooms, and entire floors in homes built as early as 1905 and as recently as 1945 across Jacksonville's historic districts. Here's everything we've learned about doing it right.
## Know What You're Working With
Historic Jacksonville homes generally fall into a few architectural categories:
**Craftsman Bungalows (1910–1930s):** The backbone of Riverside and Avondale. Low-pitched roofs, wide front porches, exposed rafter tails, built-in cabinetry, and tapered columns. Interiors feature original woodwork, often heart pine or cypress, and layouts designed for a pre-AC era — lots of windows, cross-ventilation, and smaller kitchens.
**Mediterranean Revival (1920s–1930s):** Dominant in San Marco. Stucco exteriors, clay tile roofs, arched doorways and windows, interior courtyards, and decorative tile work. These homes have thick walls, unique ceiling treatments, and a style that demands respect during renovation.
**Colonial Revival (1920s–1940s):** Found throughout Avondale and Ortega. Symmetrical facades, columned porches, formal floor plans. Interiors tend to be more compartmentalized — defined rooms with doors, separated kitchens, formal dining rooms.
**Prairie Style (1910s–1920s):** Less common but present in Riverside. Horizontal lines, hipped roofs, ribbon windows, and open floor plans that were ahead of their time.
Each style has its own challenges and its own beauty. The first step in any renovation is understanding what you have.
## The Permit and Preservation Reality
If your home is within a designated historic district — and many homes in San Marco, Riverside, and Avondale are — here's what you need to know:
**Interior renovations are generally unrestricted.** You can remodel your kitchen, bathroom, and interior spaces without Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) review. The city's jurisdiction over historic properties focuses on exterior changes visible from the public right-of-way.
**Exterior changes may require a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA).** If your renovation involves adding windows, changing the roofline, altering the front facade, or adding an addition visible from the street, you'll need HPC approval. The process takes 4–6 weeks and requires documentation.
**Standard building permits are still required.** Regardless of historic status, any renovation involving plumbing, electrical, or structural changes requires City of Jacksonville permits. We handle this process entirely.
**Not every old house is in a historic district.** Just because your home is old doesn't mean it's designated historic. Check the City of Jacksonville's Historic Preservation Section or ask us — we can determine your property's status quickly.
## What You'll Find Behind the Walls
Every historic home renovation in Jacksonville involves some level of discovery. Here's what we commonly encounter:
**Plumbing:** Galvanized steel pipes (pre-1960s) that are rusted and restricted. Cast iron drain lines that may have bellied or cracked. Plumbing layouts that make no logical sense because they were added piecemeal over decades. Budget for plumbing updates — they're almost always necessary.
**Electrical:** Knob-and-tube wiring (pre-1940s), ungrounded two-prong outlets, undersized panels (60-amp panels trying to run a modern kitchen). A kitchen or bathroom remodel is the ideal time to update electrical in the affected areas. We coordinate with licensed electricians who specialize in older homes.
**Structural surprises:** Previous owners' DIY — removed bearing walls without headers, floor joists notched for plumbing, ad-hoc additions attached with questionable methods. We assess structural integrity before starting any renovation.
**Lead paint and asbestos:** Homes built before 1978 may have lead-based paint. Homes built before 1980 may have asbestos in floor tiles, pipe insulation, or textured ceilings. We test when appropriate and follow EPA guidelines for safe handling.
**Hidden gems:** Original heart pine floors under carpet. Beautiful tile work behind drywall. Cedar closet linings. Pocket doors hidden in walls. Not every surprise is bad.
## Renovation Approaches for Historic Homes
We see three general approaches, and the right one depends on the home and the homeowner:
**1. Restorative Renovation:** Keep the style, update the function. Inset cabinets that match original millwork, period-appropriate tile patterns, refinished original floors. The kitchen looks like it's always been there. Best for: San Marco Mediterraneans, Avondale Tudors, homes with significant original detail.
**2. Transitional Update:** Bridge old and new. Modern functionality (quartz counters, soft-close drawers) with design elements that respect the home's era (appropriate hardware, trim profiles, proportions). Best for: Riverside Craftsmans, homes that have already lost some original detail.
**3. Contrast Design:** Deliberately modern intervention in a historic shell. The original archway leads to a clearly contemporary kitchen — and the contrast is intentional and beautiful. Best for: Homeowners with strong design vision, homes where original kitchen details are already lost.
All three approaches work. None involves slapping gray LVP and white shakers into a 1926 Mediterranean and calling it done.
## Cost Considerations
Historic home renovations in Jacksonville typically cost **15–30% more** than equivalent work in modern homes. The reasons:
- **Unexpected conditions** behind walls add time and material
- **Custom work** is needed to match existing profiles and details
- **Specialized skills** — finish carpentry that matches 1920s millwork isn't standard construction labor
- **Material sourcing** — period-appropriate tile, hardware, and fixtures cost more than builder-grade
- **Slower pace** — older homes require more careful demolition and more problem-solving during construction
A kitchen remodel that costs $35,000 in a Mandarin ranch might cost $45,000–$55,000 in a San Marco bungalow for equivalent quality. That's the reality, and any contractor who quotes them the same either hasn't done historic work or is planning to cut corners.
## Working With a Contractor Who Gets It
The most important thing: hire a contractor who has actually worked in historic Jacksonville homes. Not someone who "can figure it out" — someone who has swung a hammer in a San Marco kitchen, dealt with the plumbing in a Riverside bungalow, and navigated the quirks of Avondale construction.
At TB Construction, we love working on historic homes. They're challenging, unpredictable, and ultimately more rewarding than any new-construction remodel. The homes in these neighborhoods deserve contractors who respect what they are.