Refresh, Pull-and-Replace or Full Gut: Kitchen Remodel Levels Explained

"Kitchen remodel" covers everything from a weekend of paint to rebuilding half the house. Contractors sort projects into levels because the level decides almost everything else: which trades are involved, whether drawings and permits are needed, and how long the kitchen is out of service. Knowing your level before you ask for estimates is the fastest way to get numbers that can be compared.

The four levels at a glance

Level 1: Cosmetic refresh

A refresh changes what you see and touch and leaves what is behind it alone. Typical work is painting walls, repainting or refacing cabinets, new hardware, a new backsplash, a new faucet in the same position and replacement light fixtures. It suits a kitchen whose layout works and whose cabinet boxes are sound.

The test is the cabinet boxes. If they are solid, square and laid out the way you cook, a refresh is money well spent. If shelves sag, drawer boxes are failing or the layout is the complaint, a refresh puts a new finish on the same problem. Our article on whether kitchen cabinets can be repainted covers which cabinets take paint well, and the cabinet guide explains refacing.

Permits: the Vancouver Municipal Code exempts "painting, papering and similar finish work" from a building permit. The city's electrical exemptions cover replacing switches and receptacles and like-for-like replacement of a hard-wired range, dishwasher or disposal of the same type and rating in the same location. Its plumbing exemption covers removing and reinstalling a sink where no valves, pipes or fixtures are replaced or rearranged.

Cost: JDI's published calculator ranges describe full kitchen remodels, so a refresh sits below them and is priced by the specific list of work. JDI does not publish a range for it.

Level 2: Pull-and-replace in the same layout

Everything comes out and new goes back in the same positions: cabinets, countertops, sink, appliances, flooring and lighting. Because the sink, range and refrigerator stay where they are, the drain, the gas line and the major circuits stay too. This is the most common kitchen remodel, and it suits a kitchen that is worn out but arranged sensibly.

It is not as simple as "same layout" sounds. New cabinets rarely match the old ones inch for inch, so outlets, the hood duct and the sink drain often shift slightly. Most people also want things the old kitchen did not have: under-cabinet lighting, more countertop outlets, a microwave drawer, a larger hood. Each of those is new electrical or mechanical work.

Permits: the city exempts "replacement of kitchen and bath cabinets that do not require the modification of electrical or plumbing systems." Once circuits are added or piping is altered, the trade permit applies. The city's code says electrical permits are required for all electrical work outside its exempt list. Stand-alone trade work that is not part of a building permit is handled as a mechanical, plumbing and electrical trade permit through the city's Online Permit Center.

Cost: this level corresponds most closely to JDI's Essential and Signature planning ranges. For a medium kitchen (120 to 200 square feet) those are $42,000-$65,000 for Essential and $78,000-$125,000 for Signature, before sales tax. The tier reflects cabinetry and finish level: Essential uses standard cabinetry and mid-grade materials, Signature uses custom-built cabinetry with premium quartz or tile and name-brand fixtures.

Level 3: Full gut with a layout change

The room goes back to the studs and is rebuilt in a different arrangement. The sink moves to an island, the range changes walls, a wall to the dining room comes out. This is the level that fixes function problems, and it suits a kitchen where the complaint is how the room works.

With the walls open, the wiring, plumbing, ductwork and insulation behind them are exposed and have to be dealt with. That is an advantage in an older house, since it is the one chance to replace them properly, and it is also the main source of surprises. See opening a kitchen wall for what a wall may be carrying and hiding.

Permits: the City of Vancouver lists "adding or removing wall(s)" among the triggers for a residential building permit, and trade work that is part of a remodel is included in that permit. The application goes through the city's ePlans system with an existing or demolition plan and a proposed floor plan drawn to scale, plus structural calculations if the plans examiner requires them. Rough-in work has to stay exposed until it is inspected. The steps are in the City of Vancouver permit process.

Cost: the same size and tier ranges apply, with layout work pushing a project toward the upper part of its range. JDI's published add-on range for opening walls or structural work is $6,000-$18,000, and a new or expanded island is $8,000-$18,000.

Level 4: Expansion or addition

When the room is simply too small, the options are to take space from an adjoining room, bump out an exterior wall, or build an addition. This level suits households that have outgrown the kitchen and plan to stay.

It is a different kind of project. A foundation, exterior walls, a new or altered roofline, windows and siding all come into play, and the kitchen becomes one part of a larger build. The city lists "changing the footprint of an existing structure in any way" as a building permit trigger, and its remodel checklist adds exterior elevations when the outside changes. New exterior walls and windows also have to meet the Washington State Energy Code.

Cost: JDI's calculator ranges cover the kitchen itself. The addition's shell is estimated separately, project by project, and JDI does not publish a range for it. Because an addition adds assessed value, read property tax and remodeling before you start.

How to choose your level

• If the layout works and the boxes are sound: Level 1.
• If the layout works but the cabinets are worn out: Level 2.
• If the layout is the problem: Level 3. Look at kitchen layouts compared first, because a different layout in the same room may solve what you assumed needed more space.
• If no layout fits what you need in the room you have: Level 4, after ruling out the ideas in small kitchen remodels.

Getting a number for your level

JDI's kitchen cost calculator gives a planning range by kitchen size and finish tier, with add-ons for islands, wall changes and other upgrades. For a firm figure, a free in-home consultation produces an itemized plan for the level you choose. Start at our Vancouver kitchen remodeling page, or read whether your project needs a permit next.