Allentown built its identity out of iron. In the 1800s, ore beds discovered in the hills around the Lehigh Valley turned the city into a furnace town, converting raw ore into pig iron for the steel industry that would define this whole region. By 1919, the Lehigh Structural Steel Company had set up shop on 55 acres along the Lehigh River, fabricating steel for bridges, airplane hangars, and high rise buildings, some of which are still standing today. Silk mills, breweries, and cigar factories filled out the rest of the city’s economy through the early 1900s, before decades of foreign competition hit hard, the same story that played out across the Rust Belt.
That industrial past is still visible if you know where to look. The old cigar factory that once employed hundreds of rollers is now the Cigar Factory Artist Studios, a converted space that gave an old industrial building new life instead of tearing it down. Amazing Builders does that same kind of work on a smaller scale, inside houses instead of factories, across Pennsylvania’s third largest city.
We are a family-owned, licensed, and insured remodeling and painting contractor based in Myerstown, PA, and we take on projects across Allentown and the Lehigh Valley. Here is what that looks like in practice.
Brick Rowhomes and Twins: Built for This City’s Housing Stock
Allentown’s oldest neighborhoods are still mostly brick. The Old Allentown Historic District, a roughly 16 block area between 7th and 12th Streets and Hall and Linden Streets, was protected by city ordinance in 1978 to preserve its late Federal and Victorian rowhomes. Look close and you will still see chip carved Eastlake trim over doorways, ornate German style fretted cornice work, and bell shaped porch roofs, details that do not exist on a newer build. West of downtown, the West End is known for brick twins near the city center and larger Arts and Crafts style townhomes built between 1910 and 1930, running out toward Cedar Crest Boulevard.
That much masonry changes what a home actually needs first. Brick and stucco exteriors hold up differently than vinyl siding, old wood trim needs careful prep before it will hold new paint, and a lot of Allentown’s rowhomes and twins were built well before 1978. That means lead safe painting practices are not optional, they are required by the EPA any time old paint gets disturbed. It is why exterior painting and siding work leads our list of services here, ahead of everything else. On an older Allentown home, it is usually the first project that needs attention, and the one that protects everything else you do to the house afterward.
Older brick and twin homes also tend to lose more heat through original windows and uninsulated walls than newer construction. The ENERGY STAR program is a good place to check which upgrades are actually worth the money before you spend on them.
- ✓ Brick and masonry facades. Cosmetic paint and trim refresh work, done with the right prep and the right paint for masonry, not a vinyl-siding approach applied to brick.
- ✓ Pre-1978 lead paint rules. We follow EPA lead-safe work practices any time older paint gets disturbed, standard procedure on Allentown’s older housing stock.
- ✓ Twins with mismatched siding. A common sight on Allentown’s older streets, and a straightforward fix with the same exterior upgrade work we do county to county.
Real numbers on exterior work. Exterior painting on an older Pennsylvania rowhome or twin typically runs a few thousand dollars depending on size and prep work, and a full siding replacement job usually costs more than that. Those are typical ranges, not a quote for your specific home. Our guides on exterior painting costs and siding replacement costs walk through real regional pricing before you call. Then a free written estimate tells you what your Allentown home would actually need.
The Full List of What We Do in Allentown
Exterior work is where we start, but it is not the whole job. Here is the complete list of services we bring to Allentown and the rest of the Lehigh Valley:
- Exterior Painting. Brick, stucco, and wood trim, prepped and painted with lead-safe practices on any pre-1978 home.
- Siding and Exterior Upgrades. Full siding replacement, trim repair, and curb appeal work for twins and rowhomes alike.
- Kitchen Remodeling. From a single-wall rowhome kitchen to a full layout change in a larger West End home.
- Bathroom Renovation. Walk-in showers, tub replacements, and full gut renovations.
- Basement Finishing. Waterproofing and framing, built for the older stone and block foundations common under Allentown’s older homes.
- Windows and Doors Installation. A common upgrade for drafty original windows in century-old rowhomes.
- Flooring and Tile Installation. New floors that hold up to daily life in a working household.
Why a Family Business Beats a Franchise Van
Allentown sees plenty of trucks from national remodeling franchises and big box installers. Amazing Builders is not one of them. We are a family-owned Pennsylvania company, and that changes a few things in practice, not just in the way we talk about ourselves.
- ✓ One name to call, every time. No call center, no rotating account manager. You talk to the same people from estimate to final walkthrough.
- ✓ Decisions made on the spot. A franchise manager often has to check with a corporate office before answering a question about your project. We do not.
- ✓ A reputation that stays in Pennsylvania. We live and work in this state. Our name is attached to every Allentown job, long after the invoice is paid.
A national franchise sells a system. A family business sells its name, and has to live with it.
Licensed, Insured, and HICPA Registered
Pennsylvania requires home improvement contractors to register with the Attorney General’s Office under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, known as HICPA. Amazing Builders is registered, licensed, and insured. Before you hire anyone for an Allentown project, us included, you can look up their registration status yourself through the state’s public search tool. Read our full breakdown of what HICPA registration actually means for Pennsylvania homeowners before you hire anyone.
No pressure, no gimmicks. A free estimate means exactly that. A real person walks your Allentown home, tells you what they see, and gives you honest numbers in writing.
Find Us, or Have Us Come to You
Allentown is about 53 miles from our shop in Myerstown, roughly an hour’s drive depending on traffic along Route 22 or Route 78. We do not have a storefront inside Allentown city limits, and we want to be upfront about that. What we do have is a crew willing to make that drive for the right project, and we are always glad to start with a phone call or a video walkthrough if a trip out to your home is not the right first step.
Allentown Questions We Hear Often
Do you work on rowhomes and twins in neighborhoods like Old Allentown and the West End?
Yes. Narrow floor plans, older plaster, and original trim are common in these neighborhoods, and we plan projects around them instead of treating every house like new construction.
You are based in Myerstown. How does that affect scheduling for an Allentown project?
We plan Allentown trips ahead of time so we can give you a realistic start date, not an open-ended one. For larger projects like kitchens or full exterior jobs, we usually schedule one visit to measure and scope the work, then follow up with a written estimate.
Is lead paint a real concern for an older Allentown home?
It can be. Many homes in Allentown’s historic neighborhoods were built well before 1978, when lead paint was banned. We follow EPA lead-safe work practices any time we disturb old paint on a pre-1978 home, and we are happy to talk through what that means for your project before we start.
Do you pull permits with the City of Allentown, or is that on me?
For projects that require a permit, we handle that as part of the job. Every city and township has its own process, and knowing how Allentown’s works ahead of time is part of what a local Pennsylvania crew brings to the table.
Ready to Talk About Your Allentown Project?
Whether it is exterior painting on a West End twin, a kitchen update inside an Old Allentown rowhome, or something else entirely, reach out through our contact page and tell us about your home. We will follow up to schedule a free, written estimate, either in person or over the phone.