Full Kitchen Remodel in Los Angeles, CA

What a complete kitchen remodel in Los Angeles includes

“Full remodel” means different things to different contractors, so it helps to write the scope down before anyone quotes it. On the finish side, which is the part the showroom supplies, a gut kitchen usually involves these pieces:

• Cabinetry for the whole room. Base, wall and tall kitchen cabinets from local or imported lines, in maple, cherry, oak, hickory, thermofoil or painted finishes.
• Countertops. Full slabs or prefabricated tops in granite, marble or quartz, templated after the boxes are set. See countertops for the material trade-offs.
• Sink. Stainless steel undermount or drop-in bowls, picked at the same time as the counter so the cutout is right.
• Backsplash. Ceramic, porcelain, mosaic or natural stone tile run from counter to wall cabinets or to the ceiling behind the range.
• Flooring. Hardwood, waterproof vinyl, laminate or porcelain tile, often carried past the kitchen into the dining or family room.
• Installation of the products you buy, when you ask for it, or delivery to your own installer or builder.

Work that is not finish material, such as moving drain lines, adding circuits, relocating a gas range, patching drywall or buying appliances, belongs to other trades and should be listed separately in any bid you sign.

Gut kitchen remodel or new cabinets and countertops only?

Not every tired kitchen needs to go back to the studs. The deciding questions are whether the layout works, whether the cabinet boxes are sound, and what is hiding behind them. A 1950s Valley ranch kitchen with original galvanized supply lines is a different job from a 2005 tract kitchen with good boxes and dated doors.

If the room is tight, the small kitchen remodel page covers galley and bungalow layouts, and cabinet refacing covers the keep-the-boxes route. Our post on choosing between a kitchen refresh and a full remodel walks through the same decision with more examples.

A turnkey kitchen remodel package, chosen in one visit

The advantage of a showroom that carries cabinets, counters, tile and floors under one roof is that the whole palette is decided at once, so nothing arrives that clashes with something already installed. A typical path looks like this:

1. 1

   Measure and photograph the existing room

   Wall lengths, ceiling height, windows, doors, and where the sink, range and refrigerator sit now.

2. 2

   Choose the cabinet line and door

   Compare framed and frameless boxes and settle the door style and color first, since it anchors every other choice.

3. 3

   Pull counter, tile and floor samples beside it

   Set slab or prefab samples on the cabinet, lean backsplash tile behind them and lay floor planks at your feet.

4. 4

   Lock the layout with your builder

   If plumbing or electrical is moving, the cabinet plan and the trade rough-in have to agree before ordering.

5. 5

   Verify measurements and order the package

   Final dimensions come from the opened-up room, not the old cabinets. Ask for arrival windows for each item.

6. 6

   Install in sequence

   Cabinets, then counter templating, then sink and backsplash, with flooring where your plan puts it.

Should flooring go in before or after the cabinets?

Both methods are common, and the right one depends on the floor. Running a floating floor such as vinyl plank or laminate under base cabinets can pin it and stop it from expanding, so many installers set those floors after the cabinets and finish against the toe kick. Tile and nail-down hardwood are often run wall to wall first, which makes later layout changes easier and leaves no seam if an island moves. Whichever order you choose, the cabinet height has to account for the finished floor so the dishwasher still slides out.

Ask the installer to put the sequence in writing, and protect any finished floor with heavy paper or board before cabinets and slabs are carried across it.

What drives the cost of a full kitchen renovation in Los Angeles?

A full kitchen costs more than the sum of its cabinets because demolition, trade work and repairs to what was hidden all land on the same invoice. The finish materials are the part you can steer most directly:

• Cabinet construction and count: plywood boxes, tall pantry and oven units, and drawer stacks raise the price; standard sizes keep it down.
• Counter material and edge: a prefab granite top costs less than a full quartz slab with a mitered edge and waterfall end.
• Backsplash coverage: a 4-inch strip, a standard 18-inch run or full-height tile behind the range are very different quantities.
• Floor area: carrying the new floor into adjacent rooms avoids an awkward transition but adds square footage.
• Surprises behind the walls: water damage, old wiring or uneven subfloor found during demolition.
• Moving things: relocating a sink, range or wall adds plumbing, gas, electrical and permit costs.

For published averages and how to read them, see our guide to kitchen remodel cost in Los Angeles.

Permits and trades on a gut remodel

In the City of Los Angeles, LADBS issues building permits, and LAMC §91.106 sets out when one is required; replacing cabinets in place is very different from rerouting plumbing or adding circuits. Homes in unincorporated communities go through LA County Building & Safety, and cities such as Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena run their own building divisions.

Homes built before 1978 may have lead paint on walls and trim. The EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule sets lead-safe work practices for contractors disturbing painted surfaces in those houses.

Why plan a complete kitchen makeover at Adcom

• Every surface in one room. Local and imported cabinetry is displayed beside backsplash tile and countertops, with flooring on the same floor, so the full palette is decided at once.
• Slab or prefab, your call. Pre-fabricated and full-slab countertops keep a kitchen design customizable and cost-efficient at the same time.
• Material at every price level. Cabinet colors and sizes, granite, marble and quartz, and hardwood, vinyl, laminate and tile floors span a wide budget range.
• Installation on request. Take materials home for your own crew, or ask for the pieces you chose to be put in.
• Help with sourcing. According to Google reviewers, staff will match competing quotes within reason and hunt down tile that isn’t in stock.

Clients drive in from across the region: Burbank is about 14 minutes (7 miles) from the showroom, Glendale homeowners often rework 1920s and 1940s kitchens, and Santa Clarita tract homes from the 1980s and 1990s are frequent gut-remodel candidates. The Los Angeles page covers neighborhoods across the city.

Living through the project and caring for the new kitchen

Before demolition, move the refrigerator and a microwave into another room and seal doorways with plastic sheeting to keep dust out of bedrooms. Our kitchen remodel prep checklist lists the rest.

Once the room is finished, reseal natural stone on the schedule the fabricator gives you, keep standing water off wood and laminate floors, and wipe the sink base dry after any drip. Manufacturer warranty terms vary by product, so keep the paperwork for cabinets, counters and flooring together and read it before cleaning with anything harsh.