DuCar Construction renovates and expands historic homes across New Orleans: complete renovations, camelback and rear additions, foundation work and shoring, from Uptown and the Garden District to Esplanade Ridge, the Marigny, Tremé and the French Quarter. We work with the Historic District Landmarks Commission and the Vieux Carré Commission on every project, and we focus on complete projects, not small repairs.
The whole house, down to the framing and back up: structure, systems, layout and finishes under one contract, with the original character kept where it counts.
A second story over the back of a shotgun or cottage, designed for height, setback and roofline so it reads right from the street and moves through historic review.
New kitchens, primary suites and living space tied into the old house, with matched trim, siding and rooflines, and new loads carried properly through old framing.
We work through Historic District Landmarks Commission and Vieux Carré Commission review with you and your architect, and build it into the schedule from day one.
Many neighborhoods, including the Lower Garden District, Esplanade Ridge, the Faubourg Marigny and Tremé, are local historic districts reviewed by the Historic District Landmarks Commission. The French Quarter is reviewed by the Vieux Carré Commission. Other areas have a different level of review, or none. We check the address before the design is drawn.
Old New Orleans houses sit on brick piers that settle and shift over a century. We shore the house, rebuild or replace the piers and foundation, and re-level the structure before the renovation begins, so every finish that follows goes onto a house that is square and solid.
Commission review and the building permit from the Department of Safety and Permits are separate steps. We build both into the schedule before the contract is signed, so the crew is never waiting on an approval we could have planned for.
In a flood zone, when the cost of improvements reaches half of a building’s market value, the work is treated as a substantial improvement and the house may have to meet current flood elevation rules. We check that threshold before we price a large renovation.
Plaster hides the number. Sill plates, joist ends, knob-and-tube, cast iron, a roof framed three times over a century. We price selective demolition and inspection first so the renovation number is built on what is actually there, not on what the listing photos show.
We also handle historic renovation in the Vieux Carré, work as a general contractor in New Orleans, take on home renovation and new construction, build custom homes and install FORTIFIED™ roofing.
Louisiana RES 883334 and COMM 63084 — residential and commercial, statewide — plus a Mississippi residential builder license (No. 22946). We are building in Mississippi right now.
A+ with the Better Business Bureau and a 5.0-star reputation across 58 reviews.
200+ completed projects across New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner and the Northshore.
Backed by the Louisiana New Home Warranty Act — one year workmanship, two years systems, five years major structural.
If your house is in a local historic district, most exterior work needs review by the Historic District Landmarks Commission before it starts; in the French Quarter, by the Vieux Carré Commission. Interior work usually needs only a building permit. We confirm the rules for your address before design.
In most cases, yes. We repair original material first and replace only what cannot be saved, matching profiles and wood species wherever we can.
Yes. Our historic work includes a building on Esplanade Avenue in the Vieux Carré. See the project on our Vieux Carré renovation page.
Yes. We are licensed statewide in Louisiana and renovate across Metairie, Kenner, the Westbank and the Northshore.
Bring us the address and a few photos and we will walk you through the review, the permits and what it takes to renovate it right.