Remodeling Job Stories | Jemison, AL House Remodel
I. Project Overview
Mr. Dan Tourtellotte’s Whole House Remodel is truly something to behold! Reliable took an aging lakeside property and brought it into the 21st Century with this project!
For this project, Reliable completed the construction of an additional foundation, room additions, full HVAC, plumbing, and electrical rough-ins, and a complete interior and exterior overhaul!
II. Project Timeline
The Tourtellotte project ran from late February to late September of 2025. Constant communication and oversight through our project software, Buildertrend, allows all of our clients to be completely aware of all aspects of design and construction from start to finish!
This chart tracks the progress of the entire project in our online project management portal Buildertrend, detailing a clear and organized progression that starts with our early design meetings, the early site work, the exterior and interior work, and more!
Take a closer look at the pictures of Mr. Tourtellotte’s expert whole house remodel for his Jemison, AL home, with this before and after gallery!
III. Design-Build-Remodel – How Did We Get There?
Dan and Gail Tourtellotte’s Lake Cabin remodeling project started earlier than the start date in February, in December of 2024, with minor deck alterations, grading the land, work on the foundation, and more.
The Tourtellotte project began, as all projects do, with several design meetings and site visits, where our team, working closely with our trusted specialists and contractors, refined the drawings and reviewed the project’s scope of work. These early steps also included material selections, deliveries, and preparation for the exterior work, so that everything would be ready before the project began in earnest.
Reframing the home was something we had to do with this project, as the extent to which Reliable modified the home was more akin to building a brand new home than a normal remodel.
We had to determine as well how much of the old structure would be remaining in this project; how much was salvageable, how much was still usable as is, etc.
The first thing to happen after these preliminary stages would be the rough-ins for the HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems, since we had unfettered access to underneath the property at this time.
Here you can see where Reliable started to support the already existing foundation!
This was just the first stage of the concrete pouring, there was plenty more of concrete to come!
The work on the foundation was the first work of 2025, shifting our focus to the structural elements of the remodel!
We brought out the excavator to dig out where the edges of the foundation would end up laying.
A web of rebar placed at critical points ensures that the concrete sets and that the foundation is properly supported!
After the poured concrete had set around the edges, Reliable dug out and did the exact same thing to the inside square that was left over!
Building a foundation is something done in stages, obviously, but what is not obvious is the why: a foundation is the base of the structure, and as such a foundation requires the some of the most precise measurements of any part of a construction project.
The foundation must be even all around, there cannot be lopsided parts of the base of a structure, otherwise measurements are all off!
Once the foundation had completely set, it was time to start building out the beginnings of the new construction on this property!
We were still in early 2025, but the foundation had been finished and since materials, such as the lumber you see in the pictures, had arrived, our focus shifted to the structural elements of this remodel!
This is one of the most exciting phases for homeowners because the new spaces take shape quickly! Throughout February and March, our expert workmen framed the additions, screen porch, roof structures, and deck elements, while inspections made sure everything was on the level!
Ongoing site visits and inspections are always the hallmark of a contractor you can trust!
After setting up the outside walls of the building, Reliable put on the protective insulating material, in preparation for when we would come back and finish the building after all new construction had been completed.
The deck building portion of the project went absolutely swimmingly! The Tourtellotte’s new deck swung around and met their old deck, while giving access to the new and old portions of the home for easy entry!
Building out the deck to reach around to the other side of the house is something that remodelers can make look easy, but it still requires precise measurements and careful workmanship.
Decks are also tricky when the property contains a lot of uneven ground, as you can see in the third picture!
You can see the geometry of how exactly a new building’s wooden roof is built here!
With expert craftsmen with over three decades of experience, this part of the job happens quicker than you would believe!
By Spring, the project transitioned from structural to mechanical and enclosure work. Plumbing, electrical, HVAC, roofing, insulation, and window installations were completed in a coordinated sequence so the home could be internally finished and ready for the drywall phase at the end of the project.
As you can see, we were also at the beginning stages of putting up the exterior siding! There was some minor interior demolition and structural changes during this time, but nothing super important.
In late Spring, the project entered the finishing phase, which included tile work, trim, carpentry, flooring, cabinetry, painting, and the installation of doors, countertops, and fixtures.
We covered the Tourtellotte’s belongings in protective wraps before commencing to any interior remodeling, as we do with every project we’re building out for our clients.
We had not begun work on the kitchen as of yet, but we were laying down the groundwork! We would eventually!
The job was now to match the base of the foundation that we built outside to match the interior aesthetic! This included the installation of brand new windows and LVP flooring, which came from Daltile, their “Wander” brand of luxury vinyl plank flooring!
Exterior work did not stop when we began moving our work inside the structure however!
You can see here the night and day difference between the finished and unfinished parts of the home, and running all the electrical, plumbing, and HVAC through these walls is a key step with new construction.
House wraps are a lifesaver for anyone in the construction industry.
For those who are not aware, it not only protects the structure from moisture, but UV rays as well! This ensures that the underlying structure is protected for the duration of any construction project!
In a first for Reliable, we got some stellar pictures from a drone! From up high you can see what a difference our project has made on this property!
This was shaping up to be a far cry from what the house looked like originally!
Here you can see how Reliable set up the HVAC unit and the ductwork for it. A top of the line HVAC unit is not just one of life’s true pleasures, but a somewhat overlooked necessity of Southern living!
You can also see our trusty subcontractors hard at work at the interior! The timeline of the project was nearing its end at this point!
Mr. Tourtellotte’s choice of siding and windows brought an already near magical transformation to another level!
We also tackled the new bathrooms of the home as well!
Mr. Tourtellotte went with Soho Serena Aqua wall tiles and IWT Spring Time Hexagon floor tiles, in white, a selection whose end result is simply divine.
The subtle green color of the tile was really pops against the white of the grout!
Installation was quick and simple, and looks absolutely stunning!
You can see the work being done on the new bathroom vanities, as well as our expert painter taking care of the crown molding, which is a lighter shade of green than the rest!
The green aesthetic of the bathroom invites an almost oceanic theme, natural but contrasted with the stark whites and modern materials.
We installed a brand new rage vent hood for the Tourtellote’s kitchen, as we prepped the rest of the room for painting!
The vent hood is a 30 inch ZLINE Convertible Vent Wall Mount, in Stainless Steel!
Then came the time to paint the front door of the home in a luscious red color! The paint is SW 6593, “Coral Bells”, in a semi-gloss finish from Sherwin Williams®!
This door is from Builder’s Millwork, and is made of Birch wood! It’s one of their hollow-core, prehung units with black hinges! The other exterior doors we installed were also from Builder’s Millwork, but were made of fiberglass instead of Birch!
The Tourtellotte’s bathrooms were completed not long after, they chose a 7-Setting SureDock® Magnetic Hand Shower, a H2Okinetic® Single Setting Shower Head with UltraSoak™, and a brand new Maxwell toilet on the far wall and a shower head on the ceiling!
All of the shower hardware comes from V&W supply in Birmingham, and is all from the Delta Faucet brand, in Champagne Bronze!
The interior, now finished, held no traces of the remodeling process afterwards!
The synchronization of the old and the new construction is a reason why we love projects like this! Making homeowners dreams come true is always a consummate pleasure!
The kitchen was similarly overhauled with the new flooring, and the new range hood vent was the cherry on top!
The interior walls were painted with SW 7042, “Shoji White” in a Satin finish, and hte trim is SW 9503 “Cheviot”, both from Sherwin Williams®!
The exterior siding and deck matched up flawlessly! The exterior stain is Sherwin Williams® SuperDeck solid body stain!
This is the part of a remodeling project where we as general contractors start with paint touch-ups, flooring punch lists, and any final minor repairs, ensuring the home meets our standards of craftsmanship.
All in all, the project was a stunning example of what precise planning and execution can deliver in a remodeling project!
With an expanded view of the beautiful lake, to say the project was a success is a massive understatement!
IV. Conclusion of the Tourtellotte Project
The Tourtellotte project was wonderful to work on, and is a great demonstration of how updating and adding to a structure doesn’t have to be stressful, but it can be efficient and pain free!
What Can We Do For You?
We’re always so excited to work with clients that embrace the Design-Build process, because it tells us that what we’re doing not only makes every remodeling project a completely successful one, but that what we’re doing actually makes a difference in the industry, and more importantly that we’re making a difference in people’s lives.
Reliable Design-Build-Remodel is a licensed general contractor that provides a wide variety of exterior remodeling services to customers throughout Birmingham, AL and the surrounding areas. Our staff members are proud to be members of this great community and provide services to the following locations:
Our Services
Reliable Design-Build-Remodel isn’t good at just one type of home remodel. We’re adept at many different home improvement services. This means that you won’t have to hire multiple contractors to work on your place if you choose to do more than one update at a time. Our team of experienced professionals can handle the following:
