Pittsburgh & Allegheny County
The Client Handbook
Everything you should know about who we are, how we work, and what your renovation will actually feel like — before you sign anything.
30+
In-House W-2 Employees
20+
Years Combined Experience
10
Year Workmanship Warranty
5.0
Google Rating From Our Clients
Our Mission
To raise the standard of home renovation in Pittsburgh — by doing the work ourselves, standing behind it in writing, and building careers for people who deserve a shot.
Own It
Our name is on the permit, the crew, and the warranty. There is no subcontractor to point at when something goes sideways, because there is no subcontractor.
Say It Straight
A fixed price, a written scope, and an honest answer — including when the honest answer is "that's going to cost more" or "you don't need that."
Leave It Better
The house, the street, and the people swinging the hammers. Good work should build something on both ends of the transaction.
Who We Are
One in-house crew, start to finish.
PGH Home Renovations is a full-service general contractor in Pittsburgh. We remodel kitchens and baths, finish basements, build additions, take whole houses down to the studs, and replace roofs, windows and doors — all with our own people.
We are a 30-plus person, in-house, W-2 team. Not a broker, not a sales office that hires out the work. Our team has 20+ years of combined experience with Pittsburgh's older housing stock — balloon framing, knob-and-tube, slate roofs — and we're registered as a Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor (PA HIC #PA220735), fully licensed and insured, and a GAF Certified Contractor on the roofing side.
Our Story
We didn't start a construction company because we loved construction companies.
Before PGH, we were the customers — buying, renovating and repositioning property, hands on houses, money on the line. On nearly every project, the hardest part was never the house. It was the contractors: crews that vanished mid-job, prices that moved after demo, and nobody willing to own the finished result.
So we built the company we'd been trying to hire. We put the trades on our own payroll, priced jobs fixed in writing, and put one project manager on every job with one warranty on the finished product — held to the same standard we held our own projects to for years.
"We set out to fix a contractor problem. We ended up with thirty people who needed the work as much as our clients needed the work done right."
Leadership
Ryan Madigan
Owner · Operations, Estimating & Capital Strategy
Twenty-five years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience, applied to what a job costs, when it finishes, and whether the company can stand behind it in ten years.
Josh Dirscherl
Partner · Field Operations & Production
Runs the work in the field — crew assignments, production schedule and quality control. If a detail on your job doesn't look right, Josh is the one who sends it back.
Melissa Dirscherl
Partner · Client Experience & Business Operations
Owns the part of a renovation most companies drop: communication, selections, scheduling, documentation and follow-through.
Second Chances
We hire for work ethic and reliability — not a resume without gaps in it.
PGH partners with recovery housing organizations in the Pittsburgh area and employs individuals in recovery. We're a contractor, not a treatment provider — we don't tie anyone's housing to their job or their job to their housing.
- W-2 employment, paid on the books
- On-the-job training in a skilled trade
- A career path, not a day-labor gig
- A hiring decision based on how you work
"Hiring this way didn't cost us quality. It's a large part of how we got it."
What We Do
Inside the house.
Kitchen Remodeling
Cabinetry, counters, tile, lighting, electrical and plumbing rework, flooring and finish carpentry.
Typical range $45K–$75KBathroom Remodeling
Full gut through finish: waterproofing done right, tile set to a standard, vanities, fixtures, ventilation and lighting.
Typical range $20K–$35KWhole-Home Remodeling
Down to the studs and back up. Layout, systems, finishes — sequenced by one crew.
Home Additions
Footers through roof tie-in. Permits, structural engineering and inspections handled.
Basement Finishing
Moisture first, then framing, egress, systems and finishes.
Outside the house.
Roofing
Architectural shingle, slate, tile and metal. GAF Certified Contractor, full tear-off and deck inspection.
Windows
Replacement and full-frame installation in older Pittsburgh openings that are rarely square.
Doors
Entry, patio and storm doors with sill pans, flashing and a jamb set true.
Our Signature Program
Exterior Transformations
Roof, windows, doors, gutters and trim replaced as one system, by one crew, on one timeline, under one warranty — instead of three trades, three warranties and three years.
What Makes Us Different
Four things. Each one costs us something, which is why most companies don't do them.
One In-House Crew
30+ W-2 employees instead of subcontractors — a crew we've trained to our standard, who we can hold accountable.
A Fixed Price, In Writing
One lump-sum contract price with a written scope, exclusions list, and fixed allowances for open selections.
One Person To Call
A single project manager owns your job from contract to final walkthrough.
We Handle The Paperwork
Permits, inspections, dumpster, protection and daily cleanup are ours.
Seven Things We Commit To
- We answer. Calls, texts and emails get a response the same business day.
- The price is the price. It moves only by a change order you approve in writing.
- We tell you early. Delay or a problem behind the wall — you hear it the same day.
- We protect the house. Floor protection and dust containment before the first tool comes out.
- We clean up daily. Broom-clean at the end of every workday.
- We finish. We start your job when we can staff it through.
- We come back. Warranty calls get scheduled, not screened.
And one we won't make: we won't promise the lowest number in your stack of bids.
How We Work
Four phases. You always know what happens next.
Consultation & Scope
You get: An on-site walkthrough, honest feasibility, and a budget range — no charge, no obligation.
Design & Proposal
You get: A fixed-price proposal, a written scope, a written exclusions list, and your allowances.
Phased Construction
You get: A schedule, a direct line to your PM, and regular updates through the job.
Final Walkthrough
You get: A completed punch list, warranty paperwork and a clean site.
Life On Your Jobsite
Rules our crew works under, not suggestions.
Respect the house. Protected floors and stairs, contained dust, covered pathways.
Work safe. Fully insured crew, guarded openings, secured ladders, tools put away daily.
Say something. If something looks wrong, stop the lead carpenter and say so.
Secure the home. Openings closed and weather-tight before we leave each day.
When Something Unexpected Shows Up
Rot, mold, failed structure or a code issue behind the wall.
Older homes hide things. When we find one: stop, document with photos, price it, and get your written approval before a single hour goes into it.
Your Investment
We price every job fixed. Here's exactly how that protects you.
How We Price
Fixed Price
One lump-sum contract price for a defined scope. If we underestimate the work, that's our problem to solve — not a line item on your invoice.
What We Don't Do
Cost-Plus
Cost-plus and time-and-materials contracts move the risk of a bad estimate onto you. We don't write them.
Scope of work
Written in plain language, trade by trade.
Exclusions list
An explicit list of what is not included.
Allowances
A fixed dollar amount for each selection you haven't made yet.
Contract price
One number, fixed, with the payment schedule laid out.
Payments & Change Orders
Deposit
Capped at one-third of the contract price per PA law, plus special-order material cost.
Progress Payments
Tied to defined milestones in your contract, set before you sign.
Final Payment
After the walkthrough, and after every punch item is complete.
Any change in scope is documented with photos, priced fixed, and approved by you in writing — before the work starts. Never after.
Our Warranty
10-Year Workmanship Warranty
Backed in writing by the company that did the work — not a subcontractor you never met. Most of this industry warranties workmanship for one year. We warranty ten because we're going to be here in ten, and the crew that built it is on our payroll.
Layer One
PGH Workmanship — how it was installed, ours in writing, for 10 years.
Layer Two
Manufacturer Coverage — the products themselves, registered at closeout.
On Roofing
GAF Certified — our certification unlocks enhanced system warranty options on qualifying roofs.
Licensed, Insured & On Record
Our Work & Reviews
See the work, and hear from clients.
Our completed project gallery and client reviews live on their own pages, updated as new projects wrap and new reviews come in. Ask us anytime for the phone number of a homeowner whose project looked like yours.
We'd Be Proud To Build It For You
Ask every contractor you're considering for a written scope and proof of insurance.
The good ones will hand it over without blinking.
Who To Call For What