Kitchen Renovations

When the layout already works

Plenty of kitchens are laid out well and simply look tired. The sink sits under the window where it should be, the range has room on both sides, the refrigerator is close to the entrance, and the family moves through the room without bumping into each other. Meanwhile the doors are peeling, the laminate is chipped, the floor is cracked and the lighting is one fixture in the middle of the ceiling.

Moving plumbing and gas is the part of a kitchen job that adds the most work behind the walls. If the layout already works, keeping it is the sensible choice, and it leaves more of the job for the parts you notice: better cabinets, a stone top, a proper backsplash, real lighting, a floor that will last.

We are honest about this at the walkthrough. If we think your layout has a problem worth fixing, we will say so. If it does not, we will not talk you into moving things for the sake of it.

A good renovation is also the right time to fix small things that bother you every day. A drawer that should be wider, an outlet that should be on the island side, a pantry cabinet where a broom closet sits now. None of those require moving the sink or the range, and all of them make the room easier to live in.

What gets replaced and what stays put

A renovation is defined by its scope, so we write it down carefully. A typical one replaces cabinets and counters, adds a tile backsplash, replaces the flooring, updates lighting with recessed cans or under-cabinet strips, and repaints. Some owners keep their appliances. Some replace them in the same openings. Some keep sound cabinet boxes and only want new tops and tile.

The written scope lists every item being replaced and every item staying, so there is no confusion halfway through about whether the window trim was included or the radiator gets moved. When a question comes up, the answer is already on paper. If you add something along the way, it goes into the scope as a written change before the crew touches it.

Even a renovation that keeps the layout can uncover things. Pulling a sink base often shows a slow leak that has softened the subfloor. Removing an old soffit can reveal a duct or a drain line that has to stay. We tell you what we found and price any extra work in writing before it is done.

If you add something along the way, it goes into the scope as a written change before the crew touches it.

Keeping plumbing and appliances where they are

Keeping the sink in place does not mean nothing behind it changes. Old shutoff valves are worth replacing while the cabinet is out, and supply and drain connections are adjusted to the new sink and faucet by a licensed plumber. A new dishwasher may need its own circuit. Under-cabinet lighting needs wiring run while the cabinets are off the wall.

Appliances that stay in their openings still have to fit the new cabinets. A refrigerator enclosure built for an older, shallower model may be too tight for a new counter-depth unit. A new range hood may need a larger duct than the old one. We check every appliance specification against the plan before cabinets are ordered.

Where wiring or plumbing work needs a permit, the licensed trades pull it, and the inspection gets done before walls or cabinets close over the work. A renovation that skips those steps saves a few days and leaves a problem behind for later.

Lighting is the change owners notice most after a renovation. One ceiling fixture leaves you working in your own shadow at the counter. Recessed lights spaced for the counters, under-cabinet strips and a pendant or two over a peninsula make the room usable at night, and the wiring for them goes in while the ceiling and walls are accessible.

Living with a kitchen under renovation

A renovation is usually shorter and less disruptive than a full gut, but you still lose the kitchen for a stretch. We plan for that with you. Many families set up a temporary station with a microwave, a coffee maker, an electric kettle and the refrigerator moved to a dining room or garage outlet.

We seal the kitchen from the rest of the house with plastic barriers, protect floors along the route to the door, and control dust while cutting and sanding. In houses built before 1978, painted surfaces may contain lead, and we follow lead-safe work practices when we disturb them.

The site is cleaned at the end of each day. Tools are put away, debris goes out, and the room is left in a state where you can walk through it at night without worrying about what you might step on.

Floors deserve a word. When new flooring is part of the job, we check the subfloor first, because a soft spot near the sink or a dip near an old radiator will telegraph through tile or crack it later. Fixing the base is quicker than redoing a floor that failed six months after the renovation was finished.

How the work is sequenced and reported

A renovation runs in a set order: protection and demo, any repairs found under the old work, wiring and plumbing adjustments, flooring if it runs under the cabinets, then cabinets, countertop template and install, backsplash, final trim, paint and the punch list. We give you that sequence up front along with a working schedule.

You will hear from us when each stage finishes and before the next one starts. If the stone shop pushes the install date, you know the same day, along with what we are doing in the meantime. Clear updates are what Steve built Modern Remodeling around.

If your kitchen works but looks worn, call (781) 974-4263. We serve homeowners within about a hundred miles of Raynham, and the first visit is a walkthrough to sort out what should be replaced and what is fine as it is.

See the rest of our kitchens work, or browse the gallery for rooms we have finished.