Unit renovations at scale
Kitchens, baths, flooring, millwork, paint and fixtures on rolling schedules — dozens of units in flight at once, delivered on a published turn calendar.
Multifamily renovation general contractor · Cleveland, Ohio
We rebuild large apartment communities — while people still live in them.
Since 2016, Ives Construction has delivered unit renovations, common-area rebuilds and full revitalizations across Northeast Ohio multifamily. Our work runs on communities that average well over 50 units — and 150-unit-plus properties are our bread and butter.
- 1,000+
- Units renovated
- 14
- Apartment communities
- 150+
- Units, core project size
- 2016
- Building since
What we actually do
Big, occupied, complicated buildings. That is the whole specialty.
Most general contractors treat a 150-unit renovation like 150 small jobs. It isn't. It is a logistics problem wrapped around people's homes — rolling unit schedules, live utilities, elevator capacity, tenant notice, inspections and turnover deadlines that do not move.
Ives Construction was built for exactly that work. We take on tired, under-performing apartment assets and bring them back: down to the studs where it is warranted, surgical where it is not, and sequenced so the property keeps leasing and collecting the entire time.
- Phased unit turns that keep occupancy and revenue intact
- Common areas, corridors, amenity and leasing-office rebuilds
- Roofs, windows, masonry, siding and full envelope packages
- Mechanical, electrical and plumbing scopes coordinated with licensed trades
Capabilities
One contractor for the whole repositioning
From the first walk-through and scope take-off to the last unit delivered and the certificate of occupancy.
Common areas & amenities
Lobbies, corridors, leasing offices, laundry rooms, fitness and community space — the parts of a building that decide whether a tour converts.
Building envelope
Roofing, masonry and tuckpointing, windows, doors, siding, balconies and waterproofing — the capital scopes that stop the deferred-maintenance bleed.
MEP & building systems
Boilers, HVAC replacement, electrical service and panel upgrades, domestic water and waste lines, coordinated with Ohio-licensed trade contractors.
Full revitalization
Whole-asset repositioning: interiors, exteriors, site work, signage and identity — taking a Class C property to a product that competes a tier above.
Preconstruction & budgeting
Condition assessments, scope development, hard-cost budgets and schedules you can underwrite against — before anyone swings a hammer.
Acquired vs. delivered
What these buildings look like when we get them
Drag the handle. Left is the condition we routinely take over; right is the standard we hand back to the property.
Acquired condition
Delivered standard
Kitchen package — cabinets, counters, tile, appliances, flooring and electrical.
Acquired condition
Delivered standard
Living areas — flooring, drywall repair, paint, trim, lighting and HVAC registers.
Images are representative units drawn from communities across the portfolio and are not matched pairs of the same apartment.
Scale
Built for the project size most contractors quietly decline
A 12-unit walk-up and a 150-unit community are different trades. The second one needs procurement depth, a real superintendent bench, and a schedule that survives contact with reality. That is where we are strongest.
Our portfolio experience spans fourteen apartment communities from 12 to 153 units — including two properties above 150 units and four above 100 — alongside several hundred scattered-site residential units across Cuyahoga, Lake, Summit and Stark counties.
Cleveland
Cleveland Heights
Shaker Heights
Eastlake
Garfield Heights
Maple Heights
Canton
Columbus
1,004
Apartment units across the communities we have renovated
72
Average community size, in units
153
Units in our largest single community
9
Years delivering multifamily renovation work
How a project runs
A schedule the asset manager can actually plan around
-
1
Walk and assess
We tour every building, sample units across types, and document existing conditions — including the things that will not show up on a broker's capital-needs summary.
-
2
Scope and budget
A line-item scope with unit-type pricing, common-area packages and envelope allowances, so you can model the renovation against rent premiums before committing.
-
3
Permits and procurement
Local permits pulled, licensed trades contracted, long-lead items ordered and staged. Materials land before crews do, not after.
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4
Phased execution
Work rolls building by building and stack by stack, coordinated with leasing and notice requirements so occupied units stay habitable and vacancy loss stays flat.
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5
Punch and turnover
Unit-by-unit QC against a written standard, inspections closed out, warranties and O&M documentation handed to management.
Selected projects
Communities we have taken apart and put back together
Colony Apartments
Shorewood Apartments
One-3-One Apartments
Breakwater Tower
Hall of Fame Apartments
Body Block Arcade
Why owners keep us
We are judged on the same numbers you are
Occupied-property discipline
Noise windows, water shut-off notices, dust control, secured corridors and daily clean-down. Residents stay, renew and stop calling the office.
Turn speed that protects revenue
Renovation schedules are written against leasing calendars, not the other way round. Down-days are a line item we are accountable for.
Repeatable unit standards
Specified finish packages by unit type mean consistent pricing, predictable procurement and a product the leasing team can sell sight-unseen.
Owner-side reporting
Weekly progress against schedule, change-order exposure and photo documentation in a format that drops straight into an asset-management report.
Common questions
Before you send the RFP
What size projects do you take?
Our core work is multifamily communities of 150 units and up, and the properties we renovate average well above 50 units. We will look at smaller assets when they are part of a portfolio program or sit near work we already have under way.
Can you renovate while the property stays occupied?
Yes — it is most of what we do. Work is phased by building, stack and unit type, sequenced around notice requirements, utility shut-downs and the leasing calendar so occupancy and collections hold through the renovation.
Where do you work?
Greater Cleveland is home. We regularly work across Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Summit and Stark counties, and we have delivered projects as far out as Canton and Columbus. If the asset is large enough to justify a dedicated superintendent, distance is usually workable.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. Ives Construction carries general liability and workers' compensation coverage, and all specialty trade work — electrical, plumbing, HVAC and hydronics — is performed by contractors holding the applicable Ohio licenses. Building permits are pulled in the jurisdiction of record on every project. Certificates of insurance and license documentation are provided with every bid package.
How do you price work?
Most renovation programs are priced as a line-item scope with unit-type pricing plus defined common-area and envelope packages. For repositioning work with unknowns behind the walls, we will structure a guaranteed maximum price with a carried contingency and open books on the buyout.
How quickly can you start?
A walk-through and preliminary budget usually happen within a week or two of first contact. Start dates depend on permitting and long-lead procurement — for a typical unit-renovation program, expect four to eight weeks from signed contract to boots on site.
Have an asset that needs to be brought back?
Send us the rent roll, a capital-needs summary or just the address. We will walk it, scope it and give you a number you can underwrite.