Badger Remodel has built and remodeled homes around Madison since 1974. We're based in Middleton and take kitchens, bathrooms, basements, additions, decks, floors, windows and doors across the city.
Most of what decides the cost and the schedule of a Madison remodel is settled before anyone swings a hammer: whether the work needs plan review, whether the house sits in a historic district, whether the lot touches a lake, and what the walls and basement are hiding. This page covers those, with links to the city's own rules.
The houses we work on in Madison
| Median year built | 1980 |
|---|---|
| Built before 1960 | 26% |
| Built before 1980 | 51% |
| Built 2000 or later | 29% |
| Owner-occupied | 46% |
| Single-family detached | 40% |
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, tables B25034, B25035, B25003 and B25024 (data).
Half of Madison's homes were built before 1980, and about a quarter before 1960. That matters for a remodel in three practical ways:
- Paint. Work that disturbs paint in a home built before 1978 falls under Wisconsin's lead-safe renovation rules (DHS 163).
- Which code applies. The state Uniform Dwelling Code covers homes started on or after June 1, 1980. For older homes, alterations follow it only where the municipality has adopted it by ordinance (SPS 320). We confirm which rules the inspector will apply before we price the work.
- What's in the walls. Opening a wall in an older house can turn up undersized framing, old wiring or galvanized and cast-iron drain lines. We look in the basement and the attic at the walkthrough so the quote reflects what's likely behind the walls.
Permits and plan review in Madison
Madison splits permit work into two paths, and the one your project lands on changes the schedule:
- Simple repair and replace work, like new windows in the same openings, can be permitted online with no plan review (source).
- Plan review is triggered by moving or adding a sink, toilet, shower or island, moving walls, finishing an unfinished basement, or cutting a new window opening. Minor projects can be approved at the counter. Complex ones take 10 to 15 working days for the first review (source). We build that wait into the schedule so you're not living in a torn-up kitchen while drawings sit in a queue.
- Trade permits are separate. Electrical and plumbing each need their own permit and inspections. Replacing or adding wall cabinets alone needs no permit.
- Fees for alterations are $11 per $1,000 of value ($25 minimum), plus a $25 plan review fee and the state seal fee. Plumbing is $8 per new or altered fixture (source).
- Decks need footings at least 48 inches deep, inspected before the concrete goes in. Decks 3 ft or higher must meet zoning setbacks.
Historic districts and landmarks
Madison has five local historic districts (Mansion Hill, Third Lake Ridge, University Heights, Marquette Bungalows and First Settlement) and 184 local landmarks. Exterior work there needs a Certificate of Approval from the Landmarks Commission before you can apply for a building permit (source).
- Maintenance needs no certificate. Repairs and alterations can be approved by the city's Preservation Planner. Additions go to the full commission.
- Siding, roofing, windows and doors all count as alterations. Replacement siding has to match the original exposure within one inch, and original windows can be replaced only when they're too deteriorated to repair (standards).
If your house is in one of these districts, we put the approval step at the front of the schedule and bring photos and product specs to the application. Interior remodels don't need Landmarks review.
Lakefront lots
On Mendota, Monona, Wingra and Monona Bay, the lakefront setback for the house is set by the neighbors: the average of the two next-door houses in most cases, 75 ft if no rule applies, and never under 25 ft. Additions over 500 sq ft within 10 years, and any accessory building, need a Plan Commission conditional use with a public hearing. Uncovered decks no more than 3 ft above the ground can go in the setback. A lakefront permit starts with a surveyor's survey showing the ordinary high-water mark. Details: Madison lakefront rules.
Basements in Madison
The city's own advice on finishing a basement is to fix outside water first (grading, gutters, downspouts) and only then add drainage or a sump if it's still needed. Keep the humidity at 40 to 50 percent (source). A new sump needs a building permit, and it can't discharge into the sanitary sewer (source). Radon is the other thing to check: about half of the Dane County homes tested in recent years came back high (source). A mitigation pipe is far easier to run before the walls go up.
A basement bedroom needs an egress window, and in Madison a new or enlarged opening goes through plan review. More: basement finishing and egress window rules.
Basement apartments and backyard cottages
Madison allows an accessory dwelling unit as a permitted use, so there's no public hearing. You can add one attached unit, which can be in the basement, or up to two units in one detached building with a footprint up to 1,000 sq ft. Since April 2024 the owner doesn't have to live on site, and there's no parking minimum.
What we do in Madison
- Kitchen remodels: layout changes, cabinets, counters, tile, lighting
- Bathroom remodels: tubs and tiled showers, vanities, tile floors, fans
- Basement finishing: framing, egress windows, bathrooms, ceilings
- Additions and whole-house renovation
- Deck repair and new decks, docks and patios
- Hardwood, laminate and tile floors
- Window replacement and door repair
- Bidet, tub and shower installation
- Custom indoor and outdoor saunas
Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work is done by licensed trades we schedule and supervise, and permitted where the City of Madison requires it.
How a job in Madison starts
- You send the quote form with a few lines about what you want done. Photos help.
- We come out for a walkthrough, measure, and look at what's behind the work: the framing, the plumbing, the panel, any water in the basement.
- You get a written quote with the scope, the permits it needs, and a schedule.
- We pull the permits, order materials, and book the inspections the City of Madison requires.
Get a quote for your Madison project
Questions we hear in Madison
Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen in Madison?
Usually. A kitchen alteration needs a building permit, and moving the sink, range, an island or a wall triggers plan review. Electrical and plumbing work need their own permits. Swapping wall cabinets alone does not.
How long does Madison plan review take?
Minor projects can be approved at the counter. Complex projects take 10 to 15 working days for the first review, according to the city. We put that time in the schedule we quote.
Can I pull the permit myself?
Owner-occupants can apply for permits on their own home. If we're doing the work, we pull the permits and book the inspections as part of the job.
My house is in a historic district. Can I replace the windows?
Only with a Certificate of Approval. Madison's standards allow replacing original windows when they're too deteriorated or hazardous to repair, and the Preservation Planner can approve most repair and alteration requests without a full commission hearing.
We checked the permit, fee and zoning details on this page against the City of Madison's own website, code and fee schedule in October 2026, and linked each source. Rules and fees change, so we confirm with the permit office when we quote.