Kitchen renovations in Newmarket and York Region
A kitchen renovation is really a scheduling problem wearing a joinery costume. The work itself is well understood. What separates a six week job from a four month one is whether somebody sequenced the trades and ordered the cabinets early enough.
Sequence is the whole job
The order rarely changes: demolition, then framing and any structural work, then rough plumbing and electrical, then inspection where required, then drywall, then flooring, then cabinets, then template for counters, then counters, then backsplash, then plumbing and electrical finals, then paint and hardware.
Counters are the pinch point almost every time. Stone cannot be templated until the cabinets are physically installed and level, and fabrication then takes one to two weeks. That gap is unavoidable, which is why we order cabinets at the start rather than when demolition finishes.
Taking out the wall between kitchen and dining room
This is the most requested change we get in York Region houses, and the answer depends entirely on whether that wall is carrying load. If it is, it needs a properly sized beam, and depending on the span and what sits above it, an engineer's drawing and a permit. That is not an upsell, it is the difference between a renovation and a structural alteration.
Also living in that wall, frequently: the plumbing vent stack, the kitchen circuits, HVAC ducting, and occasionally the main electrical feed. Any of those can be moved. All of them cost time. We look before quoting rather than after.
Electrical is where old kitchens fall short
Kitchens built before the mid nineties generally do not have the circuits a modern kitchen expects. Islands need their own receptacles. Counters need split or dedicated circuits with proper protection. Dishwashers, microwaves and induction ranges each want their own supply. If you are adding an island where there was none, power has to come up through the floor, which is straightforward on a joist run and awkward across one.
This is licensed electrical work. We coordinate the electrician, book the inspection, and keep the schedule around it rather than leaving you to chase a trade.
Living through it
Plan on being without a working kitchen for the bulk of the job. Most clients set up a temporary station somewhere else in the house: fridge, kettle, microwave, and a sink they can reach. It is worth doing properly on day one instead of improvising for a month.
We will give you the realistic window with the quote, including the counter gap, so you can plan around it rather than being told week by week.
Questions we get asked
How long will I be without a kitchen?
For a full renovation, plan on several weeks rather than several days, with the exact window depending on whether structure or plumbing moves. The unavoidable pause is stone counters, which cannot be templated until cabinets are installed and then take one to two weeks to fabricate. You get the full schedule with the quote.
Can you remove the wall between my kitchen and dining room?
Usually yes. If it is load-bearing it needs a correctly sized beam, and often an engineer's drawing and a permit. We establish whether it is carrying load, and what else is inside it such as vent stacks, ducting or electrical, before quoting rather than after.
Can I keep my existing cabinets and just change the doors?
If the carcasses are sound and the layout is staying, refacing or replacing doors and hardware is a genuinely good value option and we are happy to do it. If the boxes are chipboard that has swollen at the sink, you are better off replacing. We will tell you which you have.
Do you supply the cabinets or do I buy them?
Either. Plenty of clients order their own and we install. If we supply them, we order at the start of the job rather than the end, because lead times are the most common cause of a kitchen renovation running long.
Will I need a permit?
Not for a like-for-like replacement. You will for structural changes such as removing a load-bearing wall, and often when moving plumbing or adding circuits. We handle the permit and the inspections as part of the job.
Related work we do
Tell us what you want the kitchen to do.
We will walk it, tell you what is structural and what is not, and quote it in writing. Free consultation.