Kitchen Remodeling in Brooklyn

Three different jobs people both call a remodel

The first is a refresh: new doors or painted cabinets, new counters, new backsplash, new hardware and fixtures. Nothing moves. It's the cheapest by a wide margin, it's often a week or two, and in a kitchen with a decent layout it gets you eighty percent of the result.

The second is a replacement: everything comes out, new cabinets and appliances go in, but the sink and stove stay roughly where they are. Plumbing and gas don't move far, so cost and permit exposure stay contained.

The third is a real gut: walls, layout, plumbing and electrical all change. This is the one that transforms an apartment, and it's also the one with permits, licensed trades, and a timeline measured in months. We'll tell you honestly which of the three you actually need — plenty of people come to us for the third and leave happy with the first.

Moving the sink is the expensive decision

In a prewar building the waste line is where it is, often in a wet wall shared with the apartment above and below. Moving a sink more than a few feet can mean opening walls or floors to re-pitch drainage, and that's licensed plumber work with permits attached.

Moving the stove has the same problem with gas. Electrical is easier but a modern kitchen wants far more circuits than a 1920s panel was built for, and that can push you into a panel upgrade you weren't planning on.

None of this is a reason not to do it. It's a reason to know it before you fall in love with a layout — and we'd rather have that conversation at the quote than in week three.

Co-op and condo boards

If you're in a co-op or condo, the board is part of your timeline whether you like it or not. Most require an alteration agreement, architect-stamped plans for anything structural or plumbing-related, certificates of insurance from every contractor on site, and approval before a single tool comes out. Four to eight weeks of review is normal.

Start that paperwork before you order cabinets. We've watched people take delivery of a full kitchen and then store it in their living room for two months waiting on approval.

What you should expect from us

A written scope with what's included and what isn't. A schedule with real dates. A number that doesn't move unless you change the scope or we open a wall and find something nobody could have known was there — and if that happens, you hear about it the same day, with options and a price, before we do anything about it.

You'll also be without a kitchen for the duration. We'll tell you honestly how long, and we can usually set up a temporary sink and counter so it's survivable.