Planning a kitchen remodel, from layout to final inspection

The good news is that most kitchen decisions come down to a few questions. Are you keeping the layout or changing it? Are you keeping the cabinets or replacing them? Does the electrical panel have room for what you want to add? Answer those early and the rest of the project gets much easier to plan.

Layouts and how a kitchen works

Most kitchens fall into one of four shapes. The shape you have now, and whether you keep it, affects cost more than almost any finish you pick.

• Galley. Two parallel runs of counter with a walkway between them. Efficient for one cook and common in older LA homes and condos. It gets crowded with two people.
• L-shape. Counters on two adjoining walls. It opens the room up and leaves space for a table or an island.
• U-shape. Counters on three walls. Lots of storage and counter space, but the corners need careful planning so cabinets stay usable.
• Island. An island added to an L or a U, or a galley with one side turned into an island. It needs enough floor space for comfortable walkways on every side.

Designers used to talk about the work triangle: the sink, the stove and the refrigerator should be close enough to move between easily, without traffic cutting through. That idea still holds. Today many designers also think in zones: a prep zone near the sink, a cooking zone around the range, a cleanup zone with the dishwasher and trash, and a storage zone for the pantry and fridge. Good zones keep two people from running into each other.

What drives the cost

Kitchen prices vary widely, even between kitchens of the same size. The biggest factors are usually these:

• Cabinets. Often the largest single line. Replacing them costs much more than refacing or painting.
• Countertops. Price depends on the material, the amount of counter, and how many cutouts, seams and edge details there are.
• Moving plumbing or gas. Keeping the sink and range where they are saves real money. Moving them means opening floors and walls, new lines and an inspection.
• Layout changes. Removing or moving a wall can mean a beam, an engineer and a longer permit. It also moves everything else.
• Appliances. The range runs from basic models to pro-style ones, and the price gap is wide.
• Electrical upgrades. New appliances often need their own dedicated circuits. If the panel is full or undersized, it may need an upgrade before any of that can happen.

Electrical is the cost people most often miss. Current code calls for at least two 20-amp circuits for the countertop outlets, and many appliances need their own circuit. Adding an induction range, a second oven or an electric water heater can push an older panel past what it can safely carry. Ask your contractor to look at the panel during the first visit, not after demolition.

Cabinets: replace, reface or paint

Cabinets come in three broad grades:

• Stock. Built in standard sizes and often available quickly. Fewer finishes and fewer options for odd spaces, so fillers make up the gaps.
• Semi-custom. Standard boxes with more sizes, finishes and inside fittings. A common middle ground.
• Custom. Built to fit your room exactly. The most flexible and usually the longest lead time.

If your cabinet boxes are solid and you like the layout, you may not need new ones at all. Painting is the least expensive option and works best on wood doors in good shape. Refacing keeps the existing boxes and replaces the doors, drawer fronts and visible veneer, which changes the look without tearing anything out. Replacing is the right call when the boxes are damaged, when you're changing the layout, or when you want different storage, like deep drawers instead of base cabinets with shelves.

Long lead times for semi-custom and custom cabinets can shape the whole schedule. Order them as soon as the design is final.

Countertops compared

Countertops are measured, or templated, after the base cabinets are installed, then cut and installed later. Here is how the common materials compare. Costs are relative, from lower to higher.

Quartz is the most common choice in busy family kitchens because it needs so little care. If you love the look of marble but cook a lot, ask to see quartzite or a marble-look quartz before you decide. Our cost planner has a fuller materials guide with typical lifespans and upkeep.

Backsplash, flooring and lighting

Backsplash. Tile is the most common choice, and the counter material carried up the wall is another. The backsplash goes in after the counters, so you can pick it with the slab in front of you.

Flooring. Kitchens need a floor that handles water and dropped pans. Porcelain tile and luxury vinyl plank are both water-resistant and popular. Wood is possible but needs quick cleanup of spills. Decide early whether the new floor runs under the cabinets or stops at them, because it affects the order of work and later changes.

Lighting. Good kitchen lighting comes in layers:

• General light from recessed or ceiling fixtures, so the whole room is lit evenly.
• Task light under the upper cabinets, so you aren't chopping in your own shadow.
• Accent or decorative light, like pendants over an island.

Put each layer on its own switch or dimmer. Lighting is wired during rough-in, so plan it before the walls close.

Appliances and ventilation

Choose your appliances before the cabinets are ordered. Each one has exact dimensions and its own power, gas or water needs, and the cabinets are built around them. Panel-ready refrigerators and dishwashers, which take a cabinet door on the front, need extra coordination with the cabinet maker.

If you're thinking about switching from gas to an induction range, decide early. Induction usually needs a dedicated 240-volt circuit, and that may lead back to the panel question above.

The range hood matters more than people think. A hood that is ducted to the outside removes smoke, grease and moisture from the house. A recirculating hood only filters the air and blows it back into the room. Running a duct through a wall or the roof adds work, so it belongs in the plan from the start.

The order of work and how long it takes

A typical kitchen remodel goes in this order:

1. Design, measurements and selections
2. Permits, if plumbing, electrical, gas or walls change
3. Protecting the rest of the house, then demolition
4. Rough plumbing, gas and electrical, then the city inspection
5. Drywall, then primer
6. Cabinets and island
7. Countertop templating, then installation, usually one to two weeks after the cabinets
8. Backsplash
9. Sink, faucet, appliances and lighting
10. Flooring, paint and touch-ups
11. Final inspection and walkthrough

Some crews install flooring before cabinets. Both approaches work. Ask which one your contractor uses and why.

Construction on a full kitchen remodel typically takes 6 to 12 weeks in Los Angeles County. Design and permits come on top of that, usually 2 to 10 weeks depending on how much changes. A cosmetic update with the layout unchanged is shorter. Wall removal, custom cabinets or a long plan check push it longer.

Plan to live without a working kitchen for most of construction. A temporary kitchen makes it bearable. Set up a fridge, a microwave, a toaster oven or electric pressure cooker, a coffee maker and a folding table in a dining room or garage. Keep paper plates on hand, and wash dishes in a laundry sink or bathroom. Ask the contractor whether the old refrigerator can stay plugged in somewhere until the new one arrives.

When a kitchen needs a permit

In general, a kitchen needs a permit when the work goes inside the walls or changes the structure. Common triggers include:

• Removing, moving or opening up a wall
• Moving or adding plumbing, like relocating the sink or adding a pot filler
• Moving or adding a gas line
• Adding new electrical circuits or upgrading the panel
• Adding a window or a new hood duct through an exterior wall or roof

Cosmetic work, such as replacing counters, painting cabinets or swapping a faucet in the same spot, often doesn't need one. The rules differ by city, and small details can change the answer. In the City of Los Angeles, check with the Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). Elsewhere in the county, check with your city or with LA County Building and Safety. Our permit guide explains the different permit paths.

Unpermitted kitchen work can come back to bite you when you sell, refinance or file an insurance claim. If your contractor suggests skipping a permit the job needs, treat it as a warning sign.

Questions to ask your contractor

Bring this list to your first meeting. The answers tell you a lot about how the job will run.

• Does my electrical panel have room for the circuits this kitchen needs?
• Will the range hood be ducted outside, and where will the duct run?
• Which parts of this job need a permit, and who pulls it?
• When do cabinets and appliances need to be ordered to keep the schedule?
• Does flooring go in before or after the cabinets?
• How long between cabinet install and countertop install?
• What is included in the price, and what is listed as an allowance?
• How will you handle hidden damage found during demolition?
• How will you protect the rest of the house from dust?
• Can you help me set up a temporary kitchen, and when will I lose water to the sink?

For license checks, contracts and payment rules, read how to hire a contractor.

Common questions