Real renovation + redevelopment

Every property asks a different question.

Can the old brick stay? Is the floor plan worth saving? What does the building want to become? Our portfolio is where the answers get physical. Every photograph on this page comes from Renovo work.

FEATURED PROJECT / 1202 CHESTNUT STREET

The building had already been part of Wilmington for nearly a century. Our job was to make sure it could keep going.

1202 Chestnut sits in Wilmington’s Soda Pop District, where familiar neighborhood buildings now share the street with local businesses, housing, and creative spaces. The right plan had to respect that scale while giving the property a durable new use.

Completed daytime exterior of 1202 The Lofts on Chestnut Street in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, NC 284011931 mixed-use adaptive reuse

1931Original building

3Upper lofts

2Street-level commercial suites

12 ftInterior ceiling height

The approach

Keep the material that tells the story. Replace the systems that hold it back.

The exposed brick was not a decorative idea added at the end. It was already there, carrying decades of marks and changes. We kept it visible, then built clean new rooms, efficient comfort, modern kitchens, tall doors, and carefully finished bathrooms around it.

That balance is the whole project: the building still feels like 1202 Chestnut, but it now works as three character-rich upper lofts and two useful commercial suites at street level.

Explore the lofts and workspaces ↗

Completed 1202 loft kitchen with exposed brick, wood cabinetry, and modern appliances — A modern kitchen built against the original brick

Bright completed loft room with original brick wall at 1202 Chestnut Street — Natural light and retained masonry

Completed bathroom at 1202 The Lofts with porcelain tile and retained brick — New finishes without hiding the old building

1202 The Lofts illuminated at dusk after redevelopment — The finished mixed-use building at dusk

More real Renovo work

A portfolio is more useful than a promise.

These projects show the range behind the word “builder”: seeing a property before the improvements, making practical decisions, and following the work through to a finished home.

Before the renovation

The condition is part of the story.

These are not staged “before” images. They are photographs from the acquisition and inspection file of one coastal-area property: a dated kitchen, an occupied interior, and the crawlspace conditions beneath the home.

Dated kitchen at the time Renovo evaluated a coastal-area property — Kitchen at acquisition

Occupied bedroom at the time Renovo evaluated the property — Occupied interior

Crawlspace and foundation conditions documented during evaluation — Crawlspace + systems

Dated coastal-area kitchen before Renovo’s renovation — Kitchen at acquisition

The same kitchen after Renovo’s complete renovation — The same kitchen after renovation

COASTAL BRUNSWICK RENOVATION

Now the before and after tell the same story.

The cabinets, finishes, appliances, lighting, and flooring changed, but this is the same room in the same property. The comparison shows the scope without asking the viewer to make a leap between unrelated views.

HISTORIC WILMINGTON COTTAGE

Historic character was the starting point—not an obstacle.

The original porch, scale, and neighborhood presence were worth keeping. The completed home shows how repair and careful finish work can renew an older Wilmington property without making it feel anonymous.

Completed white-brick ranch exterior after Renovo’s renovation

WILMINGTON RANCH RENEWAL

A complete update that still feels like a home.

The original ranch scale remains, while the crisp exterior, new roof, revived landscaping, and bright blue door give the property a confident new face.

Completed mid-century ranch renovation in Wilmington

MID-CENTURY WILMINGTON RANCH

A modest ranch with a completely fresh point of view.

Clean lines, a welcoming seafoam exterior, bright trim, and restrained landscaping show how thoughtful choices can change the entire feeling of a familiar house.

Completed brick ranch renovation with a new covered porch

BRICK RANCH + PORCH

The right addition can reset the whole first impression.

A new covered porch gives this brick ranch more presence, shade, and a natural place to arrive while keeping the home’s straightforward original character intact.

BeforeAfter

HISTORIC WILMINGTON KITCHEN

One frame. The same kitchen. A completely different home.

The dark, dated room became a bright and useful kitchen with new cabinetry, appliances, lighting, flooring, and a carefully retained brick chimney at its center.

What the work proves

Acquisition and construction belong in the same conversation.

See the realistic use

We evaluate what the property can support—not just what it looks like on the day we walk in.

Respect the constraints

Condition, layout, permits, occupancy, utilities, budget, and neighborhood context all shape the right plan.

Carry it through

Our perspective comes from doing the work after acquisition, not from handing the property to someone else.

Have a property with a story?

Show us the real version.

Old, unusual, unfinished, or simply ready for what comes next.

Ask Renovo to take a look ↗