Kitchen remodeling

The three priced jobs show how much the scope decides. Cost vs. Value's minor midrange kitchen job keeps the cabinet boxes in a dated 200-square-foot kitchen and replaces the cabinet fronts and hardware, the range and refrigerator, the laminate counters, the sink and faucet, and the flooring, then repaints.²

Cost vs. Value's major midrange kitchen job updates an outdated 200-square-foot kitchen that keeps a functional layout, with 30 linear feet of semi-custom wood cabinets, a 3-by-5-foot island, laminate counters, a vented range hood, built-in microwave, dishwasher, disposal, custom lighting and new resilient flooring.³ The report's upscale major kitchen job puts in custom cabinets, stone counters with a tile backsplash, a built-in refrigerator, a commercial-grade cooktop and vent hood, a wall oven, a high-end undermount sink and new task lighting.⁴

None of those jobs relocates the sink, the range or a wall. Moving any of them changes the work: drain and supply lines, a gas line or new circuits have to be rerouted, floors and walls get opened, and more of the job falls under permits and inspections. A new layout can be worth it, so ask for it priced as its own line and see what it adds.

Before you call, write down what has to change, which appliances you're keeping, and whether anything on your list means moving the sink or the range. That last answer shapes the first conversation more than any finish choice.

New appliances and longer runs of counter often mean new circuits, not just new outlets. The International Residential Code is a model code that states and cities adopt and amend, and it sets a baseline for kitchens. The 2021 International Residential Code calls for at least two 20-ampere branch circuits for kitchen and dining-area receptacle outlets, and allows an outlet for a specific appliance to have its own circuit.⁵ The same code requires ground-fault (GFCI) protection on receptacles that serve kitchen countertop surfaces.⁶

Your state or city decides which edition applies and what it changes. Ask the company which parts of the job need permits, who pulls them and where inspections fall in the schedule, and check that the electrical panel can take the load before you order an induction range or a second oven.

The EPA says a stove hood with a fan vented to the outdoors greatly reduces exposure to pollutants during cooking, and advises installing and using exhaust fans over gas stoves and ranges.⁷ The 2021 International Residential Code says a kitchen range exhaust must discharge outdoors through its own airtight duct with a backdraft damper, never into an attic, crawl space or other indoor area; listed ductless hoods are the exception.⁸

Bigger isn't automatically better. The EPA notes that ASHRAE and the Home Ventilation Institute recommend a range hood of 100 cubic feet per minute for a typical range, and that larger fans may need makeup air so the house isn't depressurized enough to make combustion equipment backdraft.⁹ Where a home has a fuel-burning appliance that is neither direct-vent nor mechanically vented, the 2021 International Residential Code requires makeup air for any exhaust system able to move more than 400 cubic feet per minute.¹⁰ If a powerful hood is on your list, ask how the company plans to bring that air back into the house.

Once it's in, use it. The EPA suggests turning the range hood on whenever you cook, leaving it on for 10 to 20 minutes afterward, and cooking on the back burners when you can.¹¹

A kitchen floor may have more than one layer under it. Before anyone pulls it up, know what the old layers could contain. The EPA lists vinyl floor tile, vinyl sheet backing and flooring adhesives among products that may contain asbestos, which is released mainly when the material is disturbed.¹² The EPA advises having an accredited asbestos professional inspect before a remodel that could disturb suspect materials, and not sanding or power-stripping suspect flooring yourself.¹³

For homes built before 1978, the EPA advises hiring contractors who use only lead-safe certified renovators.⁹ The EPA notes that painted window sashes and frames in homes built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint, which opening and closing the window can release as dust, and that a kitchen remodel may be a good time to replace old windows.⁹

If the sink's supply lines are old metal pipe, ask whether they will be replaced while the wall behind the sink is open. The EPA notes that lead can collect inside galvanized pipe and later reach drinking water, and that solder made before 1986 contained high levels of lead.¹⁴

Opening the walls has an upside too. The EPA says a kitchen remodel may be a chance to seal electrical, plumbing and vent openings in walls that are opened, and that replacing cabinets can expose soffits that are otherwise hard to reach.⁹

More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.¹⁵ The National Institute on Aging suggests keeping frequently used pots, pans and utensils where they are easy to reach, and preparing food while seated to prevent fatigue or loss of balance.¹⁶

Those tips are easier to follow when the kitchen is built for them: deep drawers for everyday pots instead of low cabinets you have to kneel to reach, and a stretch of counter low enough to work at from a chair. NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.¹⁷