Kitchen Renovation

We start by mapping the existing kitchen against what you want. If the layout is working and the cabinet boxes are sound, a refresh — new doors, new counters, new backsplash, new fixtures — gets you most of the visual upgrade with a fraction of the disruption. If the kitchen is fighting you (galley too narrow, no view to the living room, range venting onto an exterior wall it shouldn't be), a reconfiguration with new millwork is the right call. And if the home is mid-renovation anyway, taking the wall between the kitchen and the dining room down and rebuilding from the slab up is sometimes the cleanest path. We'll lay out all three on the same page, with a candid view of what each one costs you in calendar time, not just construction time.

Before any millwork gets specified, we check the bones. Is the wall you want to open load-bearing? If so, we engage a structural engineer for a beam and post design — and a beam over a 14-foot opening eats ceiling height you may not be willing to give up. Plumbing reroutes are scope-dependent: moving a sink three feet along the same wall is a half-day job; moving it to an island requires breaking the slab or running a vented loop above the floor, and on older Burnaby homes with cast-iron drainage stacks that's a much bigger conversation. Electrical comes next — induction ranges, double ovens, and an EV charger in the attached garage all draw on the same panel. Older homes on 100-amp service often need a panel upgrade before the kitchen drawings even matter.

A straight finish refresh on like-for-like locations usually doesn't need a building permit, though plumbing and electrical permits are still required for any new circuits or fixture moves under BC code. Relocate the sink or range, change the gas line, or tap a new vent through the roof and the permit conversation expands. A wall removal — structural or not — almost always wants a permit so the city's inspector can sign off on the framing change before drywall closes it back up. None of this is unusual; we file the permits on your behalf and schedule the inspections so the trades don't sit idle waiting for an inspector to show up.

Cabinetry, counters, hardware, tile, lighting, appliances — the selection list on a kitchen reno is longer than most owners expect, and the lead times vary wildly. Custom millwork from a Lower Mainland shop runs on its own queue and needs final dimensions before it goes into production; quartz counters need a template after the boxes are installed; appliances need to be on site before the cabinetry shop locks panel dimensions. We sequence selections backward from the install date so you're not waiting four months for a fridge panel that's holding up the entire final. We're opinionated about materials that hold up: think durable surfaces, good drawer hardware, and a venting strategy that actually moves cooking moisture out of the house — not a recirculating fan dumping it back into the room. (For materials that last, see [Materials that age beautifully](/blog/materials-that-age-beautifully) and our note on [why we don't do builder-grade](/blog/why-we-dont-believe-builder-grade).)

Most kitchen renos run several weeks to a few months depending on scope. The first week is demo and rough-in; the middle is mechanical, drywall and tile; the back end is millwork install, counter template and install, and appliance hook-up. The realistic question isn't 'how long is the project' but 'how long am I without a working sink and stove'. We set up a temporary kitchen — usually in the dining room or a corner of the basement, with a microwave, a kettle, a fridge and a utility sink if we can plumb one — and we're honest about takeout fatigue. Some clients tough it out at home; others rent a place down the street for the six weeks the sink is gone. Both are valid. Pretending it'll all be fine and the family will love the adventure rarely ages well.