Home restoration is what happens when repair isn’t enough and replacement is too much. Whether a storm opened your roof, a burst line soaked three rooms, or an older DMV house has simply reached the end of a system’s life, Sonny’s Renovations restores it as a veteran-owned design-build firm — one team carrying the work from assessment and drawings through permits and final finish, under one contract.
Based in Fort Washington, Maryland, we restore homes across Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia.
Types of home restoration we handle
- Water damage restoration — burst pipes, failed water heaters, roof leaks that fed the framing for months. Dry-out, demo of unsalvageable material, then rebuild.
- Storm and wind damage restoration — roof, siding, gutter, and envelope repair after DMV storms, including insurance documentation.
- Fire and smoke restoration — structural rebuild, smoke remediation, and full finish work.
- Structural restoration — settling foundations, failed joists and beams, rotted sills, and load-path corrections.
- Historic and older-home restoration — DC row houses and pre-war Maryland homes where the goal is preserving character while bringing systems current.
- Whole-home restoration — vacant, inherited, or long-neglected properties taken back to livable and beyond.
Restoration vs. renovation vs. remodeling
These three words get used interchangeably, and the difference matters when you’re scoping a budget.
- Restoration returns a home to sound, original condition — undoing damage or decay. The goal is to make it right again.
- Renovation updates and repairs what’s there — new finishes, new systems, same basic layout.
- Remodeling changes the structure or layout — moving walls, adding space, reconfiguring how the house works.
Most real projects are a mix. A water-damaged kitchen is restoration through the framing and drywall, then a remodel from the cabinets forward — and because we’re design-build, you don’t need separate contracts or separate crews for the two halves.
What home restoration costs in the DMV
Restoration pricing depends almost entirely on how far the damage traveled, which is why honest numbers require seeing it. As general 2026 DMV ranges:
- Single-room water or smoke restoration: $4,000–$15,000
- Multi-room restoration with system replacement: $15,000–$60,000
- Structural restoration (framing, foundation, load path): $20,000–$100,000+
- Whole-home restoration: priced from drawings after assessment
Two things drive the spread more than anything else: how long the damage sat before anyone opened the wall, and whether the failure is still active. Both get cheaper the sooner you call.
Working with your insurance
Much restoration work is an insurance claim, and claims are won or lost on documentation. We photograph and document conditions before demolition, write scopes in the line-item format adjusters expect, and meet the adjuster on site when it helps. We work for you, not the carrier — but we make it straightforward for the carrier to say yes.
How our restoration process works
- Assess — we find the full extent of the damage, including what’s behind the finishes, and stop anything still active.
- Design — drawings and a scope for what gets restored, what gets replaced, and what gets improved along the way.
- Budget — one transparent number covering labor, materials, and permits, coordinated with your claim if there is one.
- Permit — we pull county and DC permits and manage inspections.
- Build — one accountable crew from demo through final walk-through.
Home restoration FAQs
How long does home restoration take?
Single-room restoration typically runs 2–4 weeks. Multi-room and structural work runs 1–4 months depending on permitting and material lead times. Whole-home restoration is scheduled from drawings. We give you a realistic schedule up front rather than an optimistic one.
Can a damaged home be restored, or should it be rebuilt?
It depends on whether the structure and load paths are sound. If framing, foundation, and envelope can be saved, restoration is almost always cheaper and faster than a rebuild. We tell you honestly which situation you’re in — including when the answer isn’t the one that gives us the bigger job.
Do you restore historic DC row houses?
Yes. Row house restoration comes with its own constraints — party walls, historic district review, 1920s plumbing stacks, and tight access. We design around them and handle the review process.
Where do you work?
Washington, DC; Prince George’s, Charles, Montgomery, Anne Arundel, and Howard Counties in Maryland; and Northern Virginia. We’re based in Fort Washington, MD.
Start your restoration
Damage doesn’t improve while you decide. Call (301) 648-3181 or book an assessment and we’ll tell you what you’re actually dealing with.
Related: Roofing & Siding · Hail Damage Roof Repair · Roof Leak Repair Cost · Design-Build Services
