Kitchen Remodel Checklist: From First Idea to Final Walkthrough

This checklist follows a kitchen remodel in the order things actually happen. Each step links to the guide page that explains it, so you can use the list as a map of the whole guide. Read it through once before you start. A few items in the middle have deadlines that fall before construction begins, and they are easy to miss if you meet them only when you get there.

Phase 1: define the project

• Write down why you are remodeling and what does not work now. Start with where to start with a kitchen remodel.
• Decide how much change you want, from a refresh to a full gut, using the remodel levels.
• Note your home's age and what kitchens of that era tend to need: see kitchens by Vancouver home era.
• Sketch the room and consider whether the layout stays. Compare options in kitchen layouts, or small kitchen remodels if space is tight.
• If you plan to stay for the long term, read aging-in-place kitchen design now, while clearances are still easy to change.

Phase 2: set the budget

• Find your range on kitchen remodel cost in Vancouver, WA or with the kitchen cost calculator.
• Learn which categories carry the cost in where the money goes.
• Set a contingency and decide where you will and will not economize: how to budget and where to save.
• Add Washington sales tax, which applies to the full contract price.
• Decide how you will pay: financing options.
• Check what incentives still exist in rebates and tax credits, and whether resale matters to your plan in kitchen remodel ROI.

Phase 3: make the main design decisions

These choices set cabinet sizes, wiring, plumbing and ducting, so they come before pricing can be firm.

• Cabinets: grade, construction and door style. See kitchen cabinets and storage and pantries.
• Range type: gas, electric or induction, and the range hood and ducting that goes with it.
• Sink, faucet and dishwasher positions: sinks, faucets and plumbing.
• Island or peninsula: island size, clearances and power.
• Any wall to be opened: opening a kitchen wall.
• Surfaces: countertops, flooring and backsplashes.
• Lighting plan, decided before drywall: kitchen lighting.

Phase 4: choose who will do the work

• Pick a hiring model: design-build, general contractor or kitchen designer.
• Look up every candidate's registration, bond and insurance: how to verify a contractor in Washington and insurance, bonds and workers' comp.
• Work through the vetting steps in how to choose a kitchen remodeler, and know the red flags.
• Prepare for the site visit: what to expect at a consultation, with the questions to ask in hand.
• Put the proposals on the same footing: how to compare estimates.

Phase 5: contract and paperwork

• Get a written contract that states the scope, price including sales tax, payment schedule and change order process: contracts, deposits and change orders.
• Receive and sign the contractor's disclosure statement ("Notice to Customer"), required by RCW 18.27.114 before work starts on a residential job of $1,000 or more. Keep a copy.
• Read Washington construction liens and agree now that lien releases will be provided before final payment.
• Get the workmanship warranty in writing: kitchen remodel warranties.
• Tell your homeowner's insurer that a remodel is planned and ask whether your coverage needs adjusting.

Phase 6: permits and pre-construction requirements

• Confirm which permits the scope needs: do you need a permit, plus electrical and plumbing, mechanical and gas permits.
• Confirm the jurisdiction for your address and how to apply: the City of Vancouver permit process, or Clark County and nearby cities.
• Settle the asbestos question before demolition. The Southwest Clean Air Agency requires the owner or owner's agent to determine whether suspect asbestos-containing materials are in the work area before any renovation: asbestos rules.
• If the house was built before 1978, confirm the firm is lead-safe certified and that you have received the Renovate Right pamphlet: lead paint rules.
• Apply to the Clark County Assessor for the home improvement exemption before work starts, and in any case before it is completed: property tax and remodeling.
• Get association approval if you have one (condos, townhomes and HOAs) and check listing status for an older property (historic homes).
• Confirm final selections and place orders. Cabinets usually set the start date.

Phase 7: prepare the house

• Set up a temporary kitchen and plan dust control, pets and access: living through a kitchen remodel.
• Review the sequence of work so you know what each week should bring: how long a kitchen remodel takes.
• Decide what will be donated, recycled or hauled: demolition debris, recycling and donation.
• Empty the cabinets, clear the route from the door to the kitchen, and photograph adjoining rooms and floors as they are.

Phase 8: construction and inspections

• Demolition, then framing changes and rough plumbing, electrical, gas and ductwork.
• Rough-in inspections. Work has to stay exposed until it is approved, so walls are not closed first: kitchen remodel inspections.
• Insulation where exterior walls were opened, then drywall, flooring and cabinets.
• Countertop template, fabrication and installation, followed by backsplash, fixtures, appliances and paint.
• Approve every change in writing, with a price, before the changed work is done.
• Pay as phases are completed, as the contract sets out. If you receive a notice of intent to lien from a supplier, tell your contractor and ask for that supplier's lien release. L&I's advice is to make no further payments until it is resolved.

Phase 9: final walkthrough and closeout

• Walk the kitchen with the contractor and write a punch list: doors and drawers, finish flaws, caulk lines, every outlet, every light, every appliance, water at each fixture.
• Confirm final inspections have passed. A kitchen remodel under a building permit also brings the smoke alarm requirement for the whole home into play and, subject to exceptions, an inspection for carbon monoxide alarms.
• Collect the documents in the table below.
• Make the final payment once the punch list is done and the releases are in hand.
• Send the Assessor written notice that the improvement is complete if you applied for the exemption.
• Register appliance and product warranties, and note the care instructions for counters, cabinets and flooring.

If a problem appears after closeout, start with the contractor and the written warranty. If that fails, see your options if a remodel goes wrong, and if work was done without a permit at any point, unpermitted kitchen work explains how it is put right.

How JDI handles the list

With a design-build remodeler, several of these steps move from your list to the contractor's. JDI Construction handles design, permits and project management for the homeowner, provides an itemized plan and a 3D design layout after a free in-home consultation, posts progress to a client portal, and gives a 5-year written workmanship warranty at closeout. The decisions, the approvals and the final walkthrough remain yours. To start, request a consultation or read about our kitchen remodeling service in Vancouver.