Kitchen remodeling in Chesapeake
The 2025 Cost vs. Value report has no Chesapeake page, and its Virginia Beach market prices a minor midrange kitchen remodel at $27,1061. The local detail to plan for is fuel: 42%23 of occupied Chesapeake homes heat with utility gas, and the city always requires a permit to replace a gas appliance or move a gas line.
Calls are recorded. One independent company that handles kitchen remodels in the Chesapeake area answers.
Updated October 11, 2026
Regional kitchen prices
Cost vs. Value publishes Virginia Beach market prices but nothing for Chesapeake by itself. The figures below come from its 2025 edition, with national averages from the same report.
| Measure | Virginia Beach market | U.S. average |
|---|---|---|
| Minor kitchen remodel, midrange, job cost | $27,1061 | $28,4584 |
| Major kitchen remodel, midrange, job cost | $79,1451 | $82,7934 |
| Major kitchen remodel, upscale, job cost | $157,1621 | $164,1044 |
A Chesapeake kitchen from the 1990s or 2000s often has a workable layout, which is the case the minor and major midrange jobs assume. Moving the sink or the range is what pushes a project past them.
How old Chesapeake's kitchens are
Chesapeake's homes are mostly from the last four decades; fewer than a third predate 1980, against a much larger share across the metro.
| Measure | Chesapeake | Virginia Beach metro |
|---|---|---|
| Homes built 2000 or later | 29%5 | – |
| Homes built 1980–1999 | 39%5 | – |
| Homes built before 1980 | 32%5 | 44%5 |
Kitchens from these years usually have enough circuits for ordinary use. The work tends to be dated cabinets, laminate counters and a layout closed off from the family room, more than wiring or plaster.
Kitchen spending next to home values
Chesapeake's median home value runs above the metro median.
| Measure | Chesapeake | Virginia Beach metro |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $378,4006 | $340,9006 |
Against a median of $378,4006, the regional major midrange kitchen at $79,1451 is a substantial but proportionate project; the upscale version at $157,1621 makes more sense in a house you expect to keep for many years.
Gas or electric homes
Heating fuel counts from the Census are a rough guide to which houses already have gas service. Chesapeake has a larger gas share than Norfolk.
Hardness at the new sink
Which source feeds your street decides how hard the water is. Chesapeake's 2025 water quality report lists these highest readings:
| Measure | Chesapeake public water |
|---|---|
| Total hardness, highest 2025 reading, Northwest River and Lake Gaston plants | 32 mg/L7 |
| Total hardness, highest 2025 reading, water bought from Portsmouth (Western Branch) | 36 mg/L7 |
| Total hardness, highest 2025 reading, water bought from Norfolk | 74 mg/L7 |
Soft water from the city's own plants is easy on a dishwasher and an icemaker line. Where Norfolk water is in the mix, a filter or softener for the refrigerator and dishwasher line can be worth pricing.
Permits
These are the City of Chesapeake's rules, from its Department of Development and Permits; Virginia Beach's rules on our metro guide don't apply here. Most alterations need a building permit. Chesapeake always requires a permit to replace a gas appliance, move a gas line, add a circuit or receptacle, or relocate a plumbing fixture, and a service upgrade also needs a work request number from Dominion. Trade permits can be taken out at City Hall or online through eBUILD, and an HOA's approval, where needed, goes in with the application.
- Chesapeake always requires a permit to replace gas or oil furnaces or appliances, to relocate gas lines, or to install a prefabricated fireplace and gas logs.8
- Chesapeake always requires a permit to install a new electrical circuit, fixture or receptacle, or to relocate plumbing fixtures.8
- For an electrical permit that involves a new or changed electrical service, Chesapeake requires a Dominion Virginia Power work request number on the application; for a residential service change or upgrade, the owner or contractor calls Dominion to get one.9
- In Chesapeake, all additions and most alterations to a house need a building permit, and the building inspector normally reviews the plans and issues the permit when they are submitted.10
- Chesapeake electrical, mechanical, gas and plumbing permits can be applied for at the Express Permit workstation at City Hall or online through eBUILD.10
- Chesapeake tells homeowners in a community or subdivision to check whether the project needs HOA approval, and if it does, that approval is submitted with the permit request.8
- In Chesapeake the permit holder schedules each inspection, usually before work is covered up, and a permit expires unless at least one inspection is approved every six months.10
Checked October 11, 2026
Before you hire
Ask for the company's Virginia DPOR contractor license number and check that its class covers your contract price and its specialty covers your remodel, since the state's Recovery Fund only reaches contractors who were licensed when they did the work.
Talk to a pro who handles kitchen remodels in Chesapeake
Calls are recorded. You'll be connected to one independent company that handles kitchen remodels in your area. We never call or text you. Privacy Policy ·Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
Updating a 1990s or 2000s Chesapeake kitchen
29%5 of Chesapeake's homes were built in 2000 or later and 39%5 in the 1980s and 1990s. Kitchens from those decades often sit beside a family room with a breakfast nook, so a common remodel takes down part of the wall between them and adds an island or a peninsula.
Opening that wall can mean moving a switch, an outlet or a duct. 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.11 Ask what runs through the wall before you count on removing it, and whether it carries any load from the floor above.
New appliances bring their own circuits. 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.12 The same code requires ground-fault (GFCI) protection on receptacles that serve kitchen countertop surfaces.13
Gas, induction and the service panel
42%23 of occupied Chesapeake homes heat with utility gas. Chesapeake always requires a permit to replace gas or oil furnaces or appliances, to relocate gas lines, or to install a prefabricated fireplace and gas logs.8 That covers both a swap from one gas range to another and a new line to a kitchen that had electric cooking, so build the permit and inspection into the schedule.
Going to induction can push the electrical service instead. For an electrical permit that involves a new or changed electrical service, Chesapeake requires a Dominion Virginia Power work request number on the application; for a residential service change or upgrade, the owner or contractor calls Dominion to get one.9 Whatever you cook on, plan the hood's exhaust. 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.14 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.15
Water and the kitchen sink
Chesapeake's Northwest River plant treats river water plus brackish groundwater with reverse osmosis, its Lake Gaston plant treats raw water bought from Norfolk, and Western Branch customers get treated water bought from Portsmouth.7 The USGS classes water at 0 to 60 mg/L of hardness as soft.16 The USGS classes water at 61 to 120 mg/L of hardness as moderately hard.16 Check with Public Utilities which source serves your address before you buy a softener for a new kitchen.
A kitchen that works as you age
More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.17 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.18 In a two-story house the kitchen is already on the main floor, which makes it a good place for deep drawers in place of low cabinets and a stretch of counter at seated height.
Tell the company early if this is the house you mean to grow old in; it changes where the microwave, the dishwasher and the main work counter belong. NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.19
What happens when you call
You call the number on this page. The call is recorded, and we connect you to one independent company that handles kitchen remodels in the Chesapeake area. You talk with them directly about the project, the schedule and the price.
That company pays us for the call. You don't pay us anything, and we never call or text you. How we make money
After you're connected
Before you sign or pay a deposit, check the company's license class against the size of your job. Virginia's Board for Contractors licenses contracting businesses as Class A, B or C; the class sets the dollar value of jobs a firm may take on, and its classification or specialty sets the type of work it may do.20 Virginia's Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation advises hiring only licensed contractors, and its License Lookup shows a license's status and any past disciplinary actions.21 Check a Virginia license
Questions people ask
What does a kitchen remodel cost in Chesapeake?
Use the regional numbers as a guide: in 2025, Cost vs. Value put a minor midrange kitchen in the Virginia Beach market at $27,1061, with major remodels running from $79,1451 at midrange up to $157,1621 upscale. Taking out the wall to the family room or relocating the range raises the price beyond those.
Do I need a permit to replace a gas range in Chesapeake?
Yes. Chesapeake always requires a permit to replace gas or oil furnaces or appliances, to relocate gas lines, or to install a prefabricated fireplace and gas logs.8
Will an induction cooktop need a bigger electrical service?
Sometimes, and in Chesapeake a service change has an extra step. For an electrical permit that involves a new or changed electrical service, Chesapeake requires a Dominion Virginia Power work request number on the application; for a residential service change or upgrade, the owner or contractor calls Dominion to get one.9 Chesapeake always requires a permit to install a new electrical circuit, fixture or receptacle, or to relocate plumbing fixtures.8
Does my HOA have to approve a kitchen remodel?
Your association sets that rule, not the city, so ask before you apply. Chesapeake tells homeowners in a community or subdivision to check whether the project needs HOA approval, and if it does, that approval is submitted with the permit request.8
Sources
Page updated October 11, 2026. How we source our numbers
- Zonda / Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value 2025, Virginia Beach. Released 2025. Virginia Beach. Industry source.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25040. Released January 29, 2026. Chesapeake city, Virginia.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25003. Released January 29, 2026. Chesapeake city, Virginia.
- Zonda / Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value 2025, national. Released 2025. United States. Industry source.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25034. Released January 29, 2026. Chesapeake city, Virginia, Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25077. Released January 29, 2026. Chesapeake city, Virginia, Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro.
- City of Chesapeake Department of Public Utilities, Water Quality Report, 2025 data. Released 2026. Chesapeake public water (city plants).
- City of Chesapeake, Department of Development and Permits, Do I Need a Permit?. No publication date. View source.
- City of Chesapeake, Department of Development and Permits, Procedures for Electrical Permit. No publication date. View source.
- City of Chesapeake, Department of Development and Permits, FAQs: Residential Addition/Alterations. No publication date. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Remodeling Your Home and Indoor Air Quality. Released February 17, 2026. View source.
- International Code Council, 2021 International Residential Code, Section E3703.2. Released 2021. View source. Industry source.
- International Code Council, 2021 International Residential Code, Section E3902.6. Released 2021. View source. Industry source.
- International Code Council, 2021 International Residential Code, Section M1503.3. Released 2021. View source. Industry source.
- International Code Council, 2021 International Residential Code, Section M1503.6. Released 2021. View source. Industry source.
- U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School: Hardness of Water. No publication date. View source.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Facts About Older Adult Falls. Released September 4, 2026. View source.
- National Institute on Aging, Preventing Falls at Home: Room by Room. Released September 12, 2022. View source.
- National Association of Home Builders, Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS). No publication date. View source. Industry source.
- Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Contractors. No publication date. View source.
- Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, DPOR Consumer Guide: Hiring a Contractor. No publication date. View source.