October 20, 2026 · Custom Contractors Group
Palm Beach's historic homes — the Mizner-era Mediterranean Revivals, the mid-century regency houses, the old Spanish Colonial estates — are a large part of why people want to live here. Renovating one well means working inside two sets of rules at once: the town's preservation framework, and the physical reality of a house built eighty or a hundred years ago.
Know the designation before you plan the renovation
The first question for any older Palm Beach property: is it landmarked, contributing to a historic district, or neither? The answer changes what you can do to the exterior, and sometimes to significant interior features.
- Landmarked homes go through the Landmarks Preservation Commission for exterior changes. Original materials, window patterns, and streetscape character carry weight.
- Contributing structures in historic districts have a lighter but real review.
- Non-designated older homes have the most flexibility — but may be evaluated for designation when a major permit is filed.
None of this prevents a spectacular renovation. It defines the path. The renovations that go badly are the ones designed before anyone checked the designation.
Budget for what the walls are hiding
A historic renovation budget has two parts: the scope you can see, and the scope you will uncover. In our experience with older Palm Beach houses, the second category reliably includes some mix of:
- Galvanized or cast-iron plumbing at the end of its life
- Wiring that predates modern load requirements — often several generations of it, layered
- Termite and moisture damage in sills, lintels, and embedded wood
- Foundations and floor structures that need reinforcement to carry new loads, especially under new kitchens and primary suites
- Windows and doors that fail current wind-load requirements the moment they are touched
A builder who has opened up these houses before will carry an honest contingency and tell you where the risk is concentrated. If a bid for a substantial historic renovation carries no contingency, the contingency is hiding in the change orders.
Match craft to the original — and modernize everything behind it
The goal of a good historic renovation is a house that looks inevitable: original where it matters, invisible where it is new. That takes subcontractors who can run cast stone, true stucco profiles, clay tile roofing, and millwork that matches the originals — and, behind the finishes, a fully modern house: impact protection integrated without flattening the facade, new mechanical systems, modern insulation and waterproofing, and structure that meets today's code.
That combination — preservation-grade finish work over new systems — is the whole discipline. Either half alone is easy. Both together is the job.
The right sequence
- Designation and zoning review before design begins
- Selective exploratory demolition before the budget is final — open the walls where the risk lives
- Preservation review and permitting with complete, coordinated drawings
- Construction staged to protect what stays while replacing what goes
Custom Contractors Group has renovated historic homes across Palm Beach County for over 30 years, alongside our ground-up custom builds. If you own — or are buying — an older Palm Beach house and want a clear-eyed read on what a renovation would involve, get in touch. We will tell you what the walls are likely hiding before you commit to the plan.