Est. 2016 · Portland, Maine
Kitchen remodel and home renovation planning in New England
Millwork & Main helps homeowners plan kitchen remodels, bathroom renovations, insulation, HVAC upgrades, and decks. We sit between Pinterest and a general contractor: scope, materials, sequencing, and a budget that survives New England weather.
How Millwork & Main works
A kitchen remodel fails in the details: appliance clearances, cabinet boxes that do not match the stone, and an HVAC return nobody moved. We start with how you cook, where the mudroom dump zone actually is, and which walls are load-bearing before anyone orders slab.
Portland houses are old. That means plaster, knob-and-tube surprises, and insulation that was a suggestion. We plan bathroom gut jobs, window packages, and air-sealing so the pretty tile is not sitting on a mold problem. Decks and exterior work get flashed like we expect nor'easters, because we do.
Homeowners bounce between Angi, Houzz photos, and a brother-in-law with a truck. We are the studio that writes the spec, prices allowances, and stays on the job when the GC has three other kitchens in flight.
What we actually do
Kitchen remodel planning
Layout, cabinet packages, lighting, and appliance specs. We flag code, ventilation, and the island that will not fit the room.
Bathroom renovation
Wet-room vs tub, waterproofing stacks, ventilation, and tile that will not fail in year three.
Insulation and air sealing
Attics, rim joists, and old windows. Comfort and heating bills, not just an energy-audit PDF.
HVAC coordination
Heat pumps, backup heat, and duct layout with the kitchen and bath work so you do not cut new holes later.
Decks and exterior
Ledger flashing, footings, and materials that survive salt air. Stairs people will actually use in February.
Interior finishes
Trim, millwork, paint systems, and flooring that match a 1920s house instead of fighting it.
Guides from the studio
These are the pieces we keep on the homepage because they are the questions people ask in the first meeting.
- 01
Kitchen remodel budget ranges for a 1920s New England house
Cabinets, stone, electrical, and the contingency you will need.
- 02
Bathroom waterproofing: where cheap jobs fail
Membranes, slopes, and ventilation that actually moves moisture.
- 03
Heat pumps in cold climates: backup heat without giving up
What we spec in Portland winters and what we will not.
- 04
Insulation first, pretty kitchen second
Why rim joists and attics should beat the backsplash in year one.
- 05
Deck ledger flashing: the detail inspectors catch
A picture guide to the cut that keeps water out of the rim.
- 06
How to read a contractor allowance
Fixtures, tile, and the line items that blow up at the showroom.
- 07
Window replacement vs restoration in old houses
When sash repair is cheaper, and when it is theater.
- 08
Mudroom design that survives kids and grocery runs
Durable floors, hooks, and a door that does not ice shut.
The landscape we work in
Millwork & Main is not these publications — we read them, send clients to them, and sit in the same niche. If you already follow this beat, you already know the names.
- This Old Housethe craft and sequencing coverage we still recommend to clients
- Family Handymanpractical how-tos for the parts of a job a homeowner can own
- Bob Vilaclassic remodel explainers we send before a first planning call
- The Sprucefinish and layout ideas clients arrive with — we translate them into specs
- Apartment Therapysmaller-space inspiration that shows up in cottage and condo jobs
- Houzzphoto boards we treat as a starting point, not a construction document
From people we work with
They caught a load-bearing wall our first GC had drawn as an open concept. That one note saved the job.
Bathroom came in on the allowance. Waterproofing details were in the packet. No mystery change orders.
Heat pump plus kitchen in one sequence. We were not living in dust for two extra months.
Visit or write
Millwork & Main Studio LLC · Portland, Maine. Studio visits by appointment. For press, partnerships, or a first conversation, use the studio desk — this site is the public face of the practice, not a marketplace.