Frequently asked questions

Ethicore is a design-build remodeling company. Our designers plan the layout and help you choose every finish, and the same team handles the engineering, permits, construction, and final inspections. Most of our work is in homes and condos, from full home remodels, kitchens, and bathrooms to outdoor living spaces and custom cabinetry, and we also take on select commercial interiors.

It depends on the home, but most of our luxury remodels go well beyond new surfaces. A whole-home project can take in the layout, kitchen and bathrooms, custom cabinetry and millwork, trim and crown molding, flooring, lighting, smart home wiring, and outdoor living, with structural changes engineered where walls move. What makes it luxury is the planning behind it: every room is designed around how you live, every finish is chosen and priced before demolition, and one team carries the work from the first sketch to the closed permit.Full home remodels →

We remodel homes and condos across Tampa Bay: St. Petersburg, Tampa, Clearwater, and the communities around them in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Permitting in Hillsborough often runs differently from Pinellas, and working locally means we know each building department, its permit requirements, and the flood-zone rules that apply to your home, and we can be on site whenever the job needs us. If your project is outside the area, get in touch and we’ll let you know whether we can take it on.

Look past the lowest bid. Verify the contractor’s license with the Florida DBPR and ask for proof of general liability and workers’ compensation insurance. Ask for active permits near you, since a firm already working with the Hillsborough or Pinellas building department knows its inspectors and flood-zone rules. Look at completed projects at the scale of yours, and ask for references from work finished a couple of years ago to see how the finishes have held up through Florida humidity. Check whether design and cabinetry are handled in-house, whether the contract lists allowances and milestone payments, and whether the contractor talks plainly about structural risks and realistic timelines. We’re happy to answer every one of these questions at your free consultation.Read our contractor checklist →

Yes. Alongside whole-home remodels, we handle single rooms and focused upgrades: a powder room, a built-in bookcase or closet, new flooring, paint or plaster finishes, fixture replacements, or lighting and electrical work. The same standards apply whatever the size, from protecting the rest of the house to closing out the permit. Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll tell you how we can help.

With separate firms, the designer’s drawings are handed to a builder who has to price and interpret them, and questions bounce between the two while the job waits. Our designers and builders work as one team: plans are drawn with construction in mind, every selection is priced before demolition, and the people who drew the plans can answer the inspector on site. You sign one contract and have one point of contact from the first walkthrough to the closed permit.

Fill out our contact form or give us a call to schedule a complimentary consultation. We’ll talk through what you want to change, how you use the space, and your budget and timing. From there, we measure and walk the space with you, and you get a clear picture of the design, the cost, and the schedule before any work begins.Contact us →

It runs in three phases. First, planning: we measure the space, work out the layout, coordinate any engineering and permits, and walk you through finishes and fixtures, with every selection priced before demolition. Second, construction: your project manager runs demolition, rough-ins, inspections, and finish work on one schedule, with trades sequenced so finished work never gets torn back open. Third, closeout: we work through a punch list with you, close out final inspections, clean, and hand over your records.

During planning, you work closely with your designer on the layout and selections. Once construction starts, your project manager runs the site, coordinates the trades, and keeps you updated on progress, budget, and the decisions coming up next. The designer stays involved through construction and checks the finished work against the drawings, so nothing gets lost between design and build.

Most of your time goes into the planning phase, when you choose the layout, finishes, and fixtures, reviewed as physical samples in your own light. Settling those decisions before construction is what keeps a remodel on schedule. Once work begins, we handle the day-to-day coordination. You’ll hear from your project manager with regular updates and whenever a decision or approval is needed, and we walk the finished work with you before handover.

Yes. Before anything is torn out, you review floor plans drawn to scale with your furniture, a lighting plan showing fixture and switch locations, and, for cabinetry, shop drawings of every box, door, and shelf. Finishes are chosen from samples, and every selection goes into one schedule with prices, model numbers, and lead times, so you know what the finished space will look like and what it will cost.

For a kitchen, bathroom, or single-room project, many homeowners stay. We seal the work area off from the rest of the house, protect floors and finished spaces, and your project manager tells you ahead of time when the water or power will be off. For a whole-home remodel, plan to live elsewhere for most of the build, since the layout, wiring, plumbing, and finishes are being worked on throughout the house.

Opening walls in an older Tampa Bay home can turn up galvanized or polybutylene water lines, an undersized or outdated electrical panel, aluminum branch wiring, or rot and termite damage, and several of these also matter to insurers. We look for them during planning, tell you what we find, and price what is worth fixing while the walls are open, since doing it later means cutting into finished surfaces.

Our work covers full home remodels, kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoor living spaces; custom cabinetry, finish carpentry, and interior design; flooring, plumbing fixtures, and paint and wall finishes; electrical, lighting, and smart home wiring; structural repairs and alterations; and permit management, project management, and owner’s representation. Each service has its own page with details on how we approach it.Browse all renovation services →

Yes. Design, permits, and construction sit under one contract with one team. Your project manager runs the site and schedules the trades in the order the work needs, and a licensed engineer prepares and seals structural details wherever walls, beams, windows, or the roof change. Because the same team drew the plans, questions on site get answered quickly instead of waiting on a separate design firm.Permit Management & Design-Build Services →

Yes. Interior design and space planning can be hired on its own: floor plans with furniture to scale, a lighting plan, and a complete selection schedule for flooring, tile, cabinetry, fixtures, hardware, and paint. Design work is quoted to the rooms involved and the level of detail you want. Many clients go on to have us build it, since the team that drew the plan already knows every decision in it.Interior Design & Space Planning →

Yes. We can work with your architect’s drawings, or act as your owner’s representative on a project another contractor is building. As your representative, we compare bids line by line so exclusions don’t hide inside a total, check licenses and insurance, review payment requests and change orders, walk the work before it’s covered, and track the punch list until every item is closed.Project Management & Owner Representation →

Yes. Built-ins, closets, vanities, media walls, and wine storage are drawn in detailed shop drawings, built and spray finished in the shop in the wood and finish you choose, then scribed to your walls on site so they read as part of the room. Our finish carpenters also install crown, casing, baseboards, wainscoting, paneling, coffered ceilings, and stair parts, with joints fitted tight and left ready for paint.Custom Cabinetry & Millwork →

Yes, and a remodel is the best time to do it. We plan every speaker, display, keypad, shade motor, camera, and Wi-Fi access point alongside the electrical and lighting layout, then run the cable while the studs are open. Once the finishes are done, we install and program the equipment and walk you through the controls. Adding the same wiring after drywall usually means cutting into finished walls.Smart Home Integration & AV Prewire →

Yes: covered lanais, outdoor kitchens, pool decks, pergolas, and screen enclosures. We choose materials for direct sun, summer storms, and salt air, such as 316 stainless hardware, cooler-underfoot pavers or porcelain, and powder-coated aluminum enclosures, and we handle the wind-load engineering, county permits, setbacks, and HOA review.Luxury Outdoor Living Spaces →

Yes. We prepare the drawings, coordinate engineering where it’s needed, and submit the application to the city or county. When plan reviewers send comments, our designers and engineer revise the drawings and resubmit, so you never have to decode code notes yourself. Once the permit is issued, we schedule every inspection, meet the inspector, and correct anything flagged before it gets covered up.Permit Management & Design-Build Services →

Yes. A permit isn’t finished until the city or county closes it, so we book each final inspection and follow the record until it shows final approval. At handover, you receive the approved drawings and the inspection record. An open or missing permit tends to surface during a sale, refinance, or insurance inspection, and fixing it then can mean opening finished walls.

Yes. Many associations require approval before work starts, and some have rules about work hours, elevator use, or materials, such as sound underlayment under new floors. We gather the rules early, prepare the approval package with the drawings and specifications, and on condo projects we close out with the association at the end, too.

It can. In a FEMA special flood hazard area, the city or county compares the cost of your remodel to the market value of the house. When the work reaches 50% of that value, the whole house may have to be brought up to current flood rules, which for an older, lower home can mean elevating it. We check early where your budget lands against that threshold, since crossing it can change the entire scope.

Often, yes. We trace what the wall carries from the roof framing down to the slab, opening small test areas where the structure is hidden. A structural engineer designs the beam, posts, and footings, and the drawings go in for permit. During the work, temporary shoring carries the load while the wall comes out, and nothing is covered until the framing inspection passes. You also decide whether the new beam sits flush in the ceiling or drops below it.Structural Repairs & Alterations →

It depends mostly on scope. A single room or focused upgrade moves faster than a kitchen or bathroom with new plumbing and electrical, and a whole-home remodel with structural changes takes the longest. During planning, we build a schedule that covers design, permitting, and construction, so you can see how the time is split and where your decisions fit, not just a finish date.

Usually the steps before construction: finalizing selections, permit plan review, and condo or HOA approval. Long-lead items such as custom cabinetry, stone, and special-order fixtures matter too, which is why we track lead times on the selection schedule and order early. During construction, inspection calendars and Florida weather, especially afternoon storms and hurricane season, can shift dates.

Construction starts once the design is final, your selections are made, and the permit and any association approval are in hand. We schedule the start date based on those approvals and our availability, and confirm it with you so you can plan around it.

Opening walls sometimes reveals rot, termite damage, or old plumbing and wiring that needs replacing, and materials can arrive late or damaged. When that happens, your project manager tells you right away, explains the options and any cost, and updates the schedule. Extra work is priced and approved by you as a change order before it goes ahead.

Tell us about it at the consultation, whether it’s a move-in date, a family event, or a home sale. We’ll tell you whether it’s realistic for your scope and what it would take, such as finalizing selections early or choosing materials that are in stock rather than special order.

Every project is quoted to its scope and finish level: the layout, the materials and fixtures you choose, the square footage, and conditions such as structural work, slab prep, or permit requirements. Pricing covers design, materials, labor, and project management. Because selections are made during planning, they are priced before demolition, and anything not yet chosen is listed as an allowance. If you’d like to compare finish levels, we can price options side by side.

No. Two kitchens the same size can differ widely in cost depending on layout changes, cabinetry, and stone, so we quote each project individually. During the consultation, we can talk through typical ranges for the kind of work you have in mind to help you set a budget.

Yes. Your initial consultation is complimentary. It gives us a chance to understand your goals and your home, and gives you a chance to see how we work, before any agreement is signed.

Yes. Share your number early and we’ll design to it, show you where the money goes in a line-item budget, and suggest where to save and where to spend, for example keeping plumbing where it is so more of the budget goes to cabinetry and stone. If your home is in a flood zone, we also check the budget against the FEMA 50% threshold before design goes far.

That’s possible. We price the change, explain how it affects the schedule, and go ahead only after you approve the change order. Changes are easiest and least expensive before walls close, which is one reason we settle selections during planning.

Payments follow a schedule tied to project milestones, set out in your contract. For larger projects, we can discuss phasing the work or a tailored payment schedule during planning. At the end, the final invoice is reconciled against the budget and any approved change orders, so it matches what you agreed to.

We walk the finished space with you and work through a punch list room by room: paint touch-ups, door and drawer adjustments, caulk lines, and anything that doesn’t match the drawings or your selections. Appliances, fixtures, lights, and outlets are tested, final inspections are closed out, and the space is cleaned top to bottom. If you’d like, our designers style the rooms with furniture, art, and décor.

A record of your project: the approved drawings and inspection record, your finish selections and paint colors, product manuals and warranties, and care instructions for your materials. Depending on the work, that can also include a panel schedule, a wiring map for low-voltage cable, and leftover flooring and labeled paint for future repairs. Those records help when you insure, refinance, or sell, and make it easy to match a finish later.

Products and materials carry their manufacturers’ warranties, and we give you that paperwork at handover. We also stand behind our workmanship. The specific terms for your project are shared with you during closeout.

Call or email us. Some small adjustments are normal in the first months, such as a cabinet hinge as the house settles through Florida humidity. We’ll look at the issue and coordinate the repair or adjustment.

You receive care instructions written for the materials in your project, such as how to clean your countertops and cabinetry, when to reseal grout and natural stone, and how to look after plaster or limewash walls. Outdoor projects also come with a checklist of what to secure or bring inside when a hurricane watch is posted.