Full Kitchen Remodels in Gainesville, FL

Full kitchen remodels strip the room to its framing, or nearly so, then rebuild it from the floor up: cabinetry, work surfaces, floor, light fixtures and plumbing fittings. This is the right choice when several things are failing at once: doors that no longer close, a countertop with a lifting seam, a floor that has buckled near the dishwasher, and wiring that cannot carry a modern range and microwave on the same wall. Fixing those problems one at a time usually costs more than doing the room once.

What changes in a full remodel

In a full kitchen remodel almost everything you can see is replaced: cabinet boxes and doors, counters, sink, faucet, backsplash, flooring, lighting and usually the appliances. What sits behind the walls is opened up as well. That is the moment to add circuits for today's appliances, put GFCI protection where it belongs, replace old supply lines and drains, and run a range hood duct to the outside. The layout can stay the same or change; keeping plumbing and gas where they are is the biggest single way to hold the cost down.

What we find behind older kitchens

Gainesville's housing runs from late-19th-century houses in the Duckpond and the city's other historic districts to mid-century block houses and 1990s subdivisions. Each era hides something different. Pulling a sink base often shows soft subfloor from a slow leak. Older houses can have wiring, pipe materials or framing repairs from several decades of past owners. We open the walls with that in mind and keep allowances in the quote for the items no one can see until demolition. For homes built before 1978, federal rules from the EPA require that paid renovation that disturbs lead-based paint be done by certified firms using lead-safe practices, which affects how demolition is set up.

Materials that handle the humidity

With high humidity from about mid-May through September, cabinet and trim materials matter. Thomasville Cabinetry recommends indoor relative humidity of 30 to 55 percent and notes that joints can swell in humid areas and that open or closed joints show more on painted cabinets. We keep the house cooled during the project, store new cabinets in conditioned space before installation, and choose plywood or moisture-resistant boxes and toe kicks for the sink and dishwasher runs.

Permits and the Notice of Commencement

A full remodel nearly always changes plumbing and electrical, so it needs a permit from the City of Gainesville or Alachua County, depending on where the house sits. When the direct contract is greater than $5,000, which a full remodel almost always is, section 713.135 of the Florida Statutes requires a copy of the recorded Notice of Commencement to be filed with the permit office before the first inspection. We explain each step and build inspection time into the schedule.

Living through the remodel

HomeGuide puts the average kitchen remodel at six to nine weeks, and three to five months for large or structural projects. Before demolition we agree on where a temporary kitchen will go, usually a microwave, the refrigerator and a utility sink or bathroom vanity for dishes. Dust barriers go up at the doorways, floors outside the kitchen are covered, and the work area is cleaned at the end of each day.

Setting a budget

HomeGuide cites National Kitchen & Bath Association guidance of 15 to 20 percent of a home's value for a kitchen remodel. At Gainesville's median owner-occupied value of $247,500, that is roughly $37,000 to $50,000. Hold back a contingency as well; HomeGuide suggests at least 5 percent, and older houses often call for more. Your written quote spells out allowances for items you have not chosen yet.