Home Remodeling in Belfast, ME
Kenneth Cox Construction has remodeled homes in Belfast, ME, since 1988. We give a bathroom update the same care as a full-home remodel.
- 38 years in business, since 1988
- Over 250 projects completed
- Affordable work, two-year written warranty
Home remodeling in Belfast usually happens in the back half of the house. The Victorians up the hill put the kitchen behind a chain of small rooms with a separate service stair, so opening that up is structural work, not decorating. The front rooms, the ones you bought the house for, stay as they are.
Kenneth Cox Construction has worked these streets since 1988 from a shop in Searsmont, a few miles up the road. Ken knows the hill houses and the sea-captain Greek Revivals near the harbor by sight, which shortens the guessing on what is holding what up.
Location changes the job here. Steep grades between the harbor and the upper streets complicate access, ledge turns up once you head inland, and projects near the water or the Passagassawakeag fall under shoreland zoning, with historic district review downtown. Every remodel carries a written 2-year workmanship warranty.
Why Belfast Residents Hire Us for a Home Remodel
Kenneth Cox Construction has been based a few miles from Belfast since 1988. Ken has coached local kids through the Waldo County YMCA.
Our name is on work across town.
We are BBB accredited. Every remodel includes a written 2-year workmanship warranty, and living down the road makes that warranty easy to honor.
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What other contractor services do we offer in Belfast?
Which towns around Belfast do we serve?
Where is our shop?
Directions from Belfast, ME to our shop in Searsmont
128 New England RoadSearsmont, ME 04973
What Remodeling Services Do We Offer in Belfast?
- kitchen remodeling
- bathroom remodeling
- whole-home remodeling
What is our home remodeling process in Belfast, ME?
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Ken works out which walls are holding the house up before anyone starts imagining the new kitchen.
We bring your project to life
Structure, permits, trades and finish run on one schedule, with the original details protected throughout.
Enjoy your new space
Delivered on the date we agreed, with two years of warranty behind it.
Custom Home Remodeling in Belfast
Choose us for home remodeling in Belfast, ME, because we know a load-bearing wall when we see one. The Victorians up the hill put the kitchen at the back and gave staff a separate stair.
A chain of small rooms stood between the front rooms and the food.
That floor plan doesn’t work for a family in 2026. It’s why almost every Belfast remodel we do concentrates on the back half of the house.
The front rooms are usually why people bought the place. We open the space behind them without disturbing what’s in front.
This is chiefly a structural exercise, not a design exercise.
That includes kitchens and basements, plus exterior work.
Our shop is up the road in Searsmont. Belfast is not a market we drove into, it is the town our crew shops in, and Kenneth Cox Construction works concessions and fundraises for the district schools here.
Ken knows these houses street by street. Every remodel comes with a 2-year workmanship warranty from a BBB accredited company.
Many Belfast clients moved here for the town, then bought more house than they can use right now.
The others are long-time owners finally doing the kitchen properly. They usually care most about one thing: whether the original woodwork survives.
We carry the remodel from drawings through the permit process with Belfast Code Enforcement. We also handle structural work and trades, followed by inspections and finish work.
Opening a load-bearing wall sits at the center of most projects. Before demolition, we settle beam sizing and temporary support, then trace how the load reaches the ground.
We remodel throughout Belfast, from harbor-side Greek Revivals and Federals to the Victorians on the hill. We also work on newer houses along the Route 1 corridor.
The grade rises from the harbor to the upper streets, so basement conditions can change quickly. Access changes too.
On a structural remodel, both matter more than most people expect.
Book a Belfast remodel for winter. Interior work continues straight through the season, and we do most of ours then because the weather doesn’t control it.
Work that opens the exterior, including an enlarged rear window run, is better left for warmer months. The house can be opened safely then.
Home remodeling in Belfast is different because of the floor plans. Service-era layouts put load-bearing walls right where people now want openings.
Almost every worthwhile Belfast remodel is a structural job in disguise.
The second issue is what deserves to stay. Original trim and plaster remain in these houses, along with stair details that can’t be bought.
Protecting the front while gutting the back takes care. It slows the schedule on purpose.
The third issue is the east side. Belfast houses have faced 150 years of weather from Penobscot Bay on one elevation.
Open a rear wall, and you may find framing that needs attention first.
None of this is a reason to abandon the work. It’s why someone should inspect the house properly before writing the number.
Ask how the contractor will carry the load after the wall comes out, right down to the footing. Listen for specifics.
Insist on two things: a written warranty and a company you can verify yourself. Our BBB accreditation is public.
A Belfast remodel costs what the structure dictates, so we don’t publish numbers. A load-bearing wall changes the project more than any finish choice.
Ken establishes that first, then prices the actual work. That’s why our figures survive the job instead of growing through it.
What do people in Belfast ask before starting?
Can I take out the wall between the kitchen and dining room?
You can usually take out the wall between the kitchen and dining room, with a properly sized beam and a real load path underneath. That path is the part worth paying attention to.
Will you damage the original trim?
We will not damage the original trim if we plan for it. We protect and, where necessary, remove and reinstall rather than working around it carelessly.
Can I stay in the house during a kitchen remodel?
You can stay in the house during a kitchen remodel, and most people do. We set up a temporary kitchen and contain the dust, though it is a genuinely disruptive few weeks.
Do you remove the old back stair?
We often remove the old back stair, and it usually gains more space than anything else in the project. It has to be checked structurally first.
Kitchen, Bath, and Whole-Home Remodeling in Belfast
The kitchen should lead a multi-room Belfast remodel because its cabinet layout and plumbing affect nearby rooms. Power and circulation do too.
We sequence bathrooms next, then leave shared flooring and paint until last so later trade work doesn’t damage completed surfaces.
How do you start a Belfast project?
A Belfast project starts when you point to the wall you wish wasn’t there. Ken will tell you on the spot whether it can go and what the work would require.
He’ll also give you a rough sense of the cost.
There’s no charge. You won’t hear from us again unless you ask.
Ken answers his own phone at 207-386-9235.