Kitchen Remodeling

What a kitchen remodel usually involves

A kitchen remodel replaces the parts of the room you use every day: cabinets, countertops, backsplash, sink and faucet, lighting and often the floor. Many projects stop there and keep the existing layout. Others move the range or sink, add an island, or take down a wall to open the kitchen to the next room.

The scope sets everything else. Keeping the layout means no plumbing to reroute and fewer trades on site. Changing it adds plumbing, electrical and sometimes structural work, along with the permits and inspections that come with it. Knowing which kind of project you have is the first thing we sort out together.

How design-build works for your kitchen

With us, the kitchen is designed, priced and built by one team under one contract. Cabinets and countertops are the core of our business: we design the cabinet layout, order the cabinets, set them with our own crews, and cut your countertops in our own fabrication shop. As a Virginia Class A contractor, we also coordinate the plumbing, electrical, tile and other trades the project needs, so you have one phone number from the first drawing to the final walk-through.

That matters most at the handoffs. The countertop is templated on the cabinets our crews installed, cut from the slab you picked, and installed by our fabricators. There is no gap between a cabinet installer and a separate stone shop for a problem to fall into.

Decisions that matter most

Layout

Start with how you cook and how people move through the room. The distance between sink, range and refrigerator, the width of walkways and where the island goes affect daily use more than any finish. If a wall stands in the way, removing it is often possible, but a load-bearing wall needs engineering and a permit.

Cabinets

Cabinets are usually one of the largest line items in a kitchen budget, and they set the style of the room. Construction, door style, finish and interior storage, such as deep drawers instead of base shelves, pull-outs and tall pantry units, are the choices that matter. Browse door styles online, then open full-size doors and drawers at a showroom before you decide.

Countertops

The countertop is the surface you touch most. Quartz is low-maintenance and never needs sealing. Granite and quartzite are hard natural stones. Marble develops a patina over time, and porcelain is thin and stands up to heat. Choose your slab before the design is final, since slab size and veining affect where seams fall and how large the island can be.

Lighting, plumbing and appliances

Plan lighting in layers: ceiling or recessed light for the room, under-cabinet light on the work surfaces, and pendants over an island. Moving the sink or a gas range is possible but adds plumbing and venting work. Settle appliance sizes before cabinets are ordered, because the cabinet layout is drawn around them.

What affects the cost

• Whether the layout stays or changes
• Cabinet line, construction and finish
• Countertop material, number of slabs, edge profile and cutouts
• Wall removal, plumbing and gas moves, and new electrical circuits
• Flooring, backsplash tile and lighting
• The appliance package and any range hood or ventilation changes
• Repairs found behind walls or under floors once demolition starts

Because these vary so much from kitchen to kitchen, a quote built from your measured room is the only reliable number.

Planning tips

What to bring to your first visit

• Photos of the current kitchen from each corner
• Rough measurements, or a floor plan if you have one
• Pictures of kitchens you like, and notes on what bothers you about yours
• Your appliance list, especially anything you plan to keep
• A budget range you are comfortable with

Living through the remodel

Set up a temporary kitchen in another room before demolition starts. Clear the path from the entry door to the kitchen for crews and materials, and keep pets and children away from the work zone. Decide early who will be home for deliveries, and expect water and power to be off for short stretches while fixtures and appliances are connected.

Start your kitchen

Book a showroom visit in Tysons, Manassas or Front Royal to see cabinets and countertop materials in person, or browse our slab inventory first. When you have a sense of the scope, request a kitchen estimate and we will start with your measurements.