Persson Construction
Historic Home Renovations
on the NH Seacoast
Honoring What Makes Your Home Special While Making It Livable Today
Your Home Has a Story. We Help You Continue It.
Older homes on the NH Seacoast weren't built the way homes are built today. The craftsmanship is different, the materials are different, and the character is something you simply can't replicate. But living in a historic home comes with real challenges — outdated systems, layouts that no longer work, and the constant question of what to preserve and what to change. That's exactly where we do our best work.
What Makes Historic Renovations Different
Every Wall Hides Something
Older homes don’t give up their secrets easily. Uneven framing, outdated wiring and plumbing, structural surprises, and strict local historic district codes all add layers of complexity that most contractors aren’t equipped to handle. Getting it wrong is expensive. Getting it right takes experience.
We've Been Working in Old New England Homes for Generations
Chris Persson is a fourth-generation carpenter who has spent his career working in the kind of homes that have real history behind them. We know how to navigate historic district regulations, how to work with the original structure rather than against it, and how to uncover what’s there before construction begins. No surprises mid-project.
You Don't Want to Lose What Makes It Special
The wide pine floors, the original beams, the stained glass, the details that took a craftsman weeks to build — these are the things that make your home worth preserving. The wrong contractor will cover them up or tear them out without a second thought.
We Preserve the Details That Define Your Home
We’ve repurposed original support beams as fireplace accents, incorporated antique stained glass into new bathroom designs, sourced vintage granite tile, and restored wide pine floors throughout entire homes. When something is worth saving, we find a way to save it. When it needs to be replaced, we match it as closely as the materials allow.
Our Process
A Process Designed for a Smooth Remodel
Plan. Price. Build. Every project follows the same proven path — here's what that looks like.
Phase 1: Initial Conversation & Fit Call
It starts with a real conversation, not a sales pitch. We'll talk through your goals, how you plan to use the space, your budget, and your timeline. The goal is simple alignment. If the project and our process make sense for both sides, we'll walk you through the next steps and introduce our Project Development Agreement.
Phase 2: Project Development Agreement (PDA)
This is where we do the work that protects you later. Once the PDA is signed, we schedule a Trade Day, a coordinated on-site meeting where we bring our key subcontractors to walk your home together. They identify constraints early, validate design assumptions, and build real, trade-backed pricing. We also refine layouts, review finish options, separate base scope from upgrades, and pressure-test everything against your budget.
Phase 3: Construction Proposal & Buildertrend Setup
With planning complete and scope aligned, we assemble a detailed construction proposal with every allowance and alternate clearly defined. Your project is then fully built out in Buildertrend, where contracts are signed digitally, schedules and selections are tracked, and all communication stays organized and on the record.
Phase 4: Construction
Construction begins with clarity because we earned it in the planning phase. You'll get daily logs, progress photos, weekly updates, and a two-week look-ahead schedule so you always know what's happening in your home. Once finishes are locked in, we post a jobsite finish board with QR codes so every trade on site is always referencing your approved selections.
Phase 5: Project Close-Out
We don't disappear at the finish line. We walk the project with you, work through the punch list, complete all final documentation, and close everything out cleanly. The project isn't done until you say it is.
FAQ's
FAQs About Historic Home Renovations
How much does a historic renovation cost?
Historic renovations start at $350,000 with timelines of nine months or more. These projects are complex by nature, and the planning required to do them well is substantial. We’ll walk you through a detailed Comfort Zone Budget early in the process so you have a clear, honest picture of what your specific project will cost before you commit to anything.
Do you work in homes that are in historic districts?
Yes. Navigating historic district regulations is something we do regularly. We understand what requires approval, what doesn’t, and how to work within those guidelines without compromising your vision for the home.
How do you handle surprises inside the walls?
We expect them. Older homes almost always have hidden complexities: outdated wiring, old plumbing, uneven framing, or structural issues that don’t show up until you open a wall. Our pre-construction process is designed to surface as many of these as possible before work begins. When something unexpected does come up, we document it, tell you what it means, and walk you through the options before we proceed.
Can you match original materials and finishes?
In many cases, yes. We have experience sourcing period-appropriate materials, working with reclaimed wood, and matching original details as closely as possible. When an exact match isn’t available, we’ll find the closest option and show you before anything is installed.
How long does a historic renovation take?
Most historic renovations run nine months or more. The complexity of the work, the permitting process, and the care required to do it right all take time. We’ll build a realistic timeline around your specific project during the planning phase.
How does Cost Plus pricing work?
Cost Plus means our books are open to you. You see the actual cost of every subcontractor, every material order, and every line item, plus our markup. No hidden margins, no inflated allowances. You’ll always know where your money is going.
What if we want to make changes during the project?
We manage all change orders through Buildertrend so everything is documented and approved in writing before any work changes. We’ll always tell you what a change will cost before we proceed.
We Do Things a Little Differently Around Here
Most contractors make the same promises. The difference is in what happens after the contract is signed. Here’s where we put our energy.
Craftsmanship Is in Our DNA
Christian Persson is a fourth-generation carpenter. He didn’t just learn the trade, he grew up in it, side by side with his father, learning to see potential in a space before a single wall goes up.
That instinct for detail isn’t something you can teach in a classroom. When Chris walks through your home, he’s thinking about what it could become.
Always in the Know
We use an open-book pricing model called Cost Plus. That means you see exactly where your money goes: labor, materials, subcontractors, all of it.
You’ll have 24/7 access to your project in Buildertrend, with daily logs, selections tracking, and real-time updates. We believe an informed homeowner is a confident one.
We Plan Before We Build
Most of the stress in a remodel comes from decisions made too late. That’s why we spend serious time in the planning phase before a single nail is driven.
Our Project Development Agreement includes a Trade Day where subcontractors walk your home before the contract is signed, so the number you say yes to is the number that gets built.
Our Reviews
Straight from the People We've Built For
Our Services
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This Home Deserves to Last Another Hundred Years
Let's talk about how we make that happen.