Service 01

Kitchen remodeling

The kitchen is the room that decides how a house feels. We rebuild them from the subfloor up — new layout, new services, custom cabinetry — and hand back a room that works for the way you actually cook.

6–9weeks on site

$45,000+Typical investment

5 yrWorkmanship warranty

Get a fixed-price quote Call 778.700.5618

Before After

1978 galley kitchen in Oak Bay, opened to the dining room and rebuilt around a 9-foot island.

The short version

Why this project is worth doing properly

Most island kitchens we open up were built between 1955 and 1985, and they share the same problems: a wall where the sightline should be, 30 inches of counter run either side of the sink, and a 60-amp panel that was never meant to carry an induction range. Cosmetic refacing hides all of that for about four years. A proper remodel fixes it.

We work design-build, which means the person who draws your kitchen is in the same company as the people who build it. Nothing gets drawn that our carpenters can't frame, and nothing gets quoted that hasn't been priced against a real cabinet order. That is the whole reason our change-order rate sits under four per cent of contract value.

Fixed-price contract after design — not an hourly estimate that drifts
One project manager, weekly written updates with photographs
Licensed, insured, WorkSafeBC covered, permits filed by us
Written five-year workmanship warranty on everything we build

Kitchen remodeling by Island Home Renovations on Vancouver Island

Cobble Hill — shaker doors, farmhouse sink, open shelving in fir

Scope

What's included

Every item below is in the base quote unless we tell you otherwise in writing.

Layout and 3D design

Two or three plan options, then a full 3D walkthrough with your real cabinet finishes, counter and flooring applied. You approve the room before we order anything.

Demolition and disposal

Careful strip-out with dust walls, floor protection and negative-air machines. Pre-1990 homes get a hazardous-materials survey first — vermiculite and asbestos sheet flooring are common here.

Structural work

Removing a bearing wall between kitchen and dining is the single most requested change we do. We supply the engineer's beam schedule, the LVL or steel, and the point-load path down to the footing.

Electrical and plumbing

New circuits for range, oven, fridge, dishwasher and island receptacles; AFCI/GFCI protection; panel upgrade if the service can't carry the load. Plumbing gets moved in PEX with accessible shutoffs.

Custom or semi-custom cabinetry

Island-built boxes in plywood with soft-close hardware, or a semi-custom line if the budget is tighter. Full-height pantries, drawer banks instead of base doors, and integrated appliance panels.

Counters and tile

Templated after cabinets are set, not before. Quartz, granite, porcelain slab or solid maple. Backsplash tile laid to a set-out drawing so cuts land where they should.

Lighting design

Layered: ceiling, under-cabinet task, island pendants, toe-kick. All on dimmers, warm 2700–3000 K, with the switch bank where your hand actually reaches.

Flooring and finishing

Continuous flooring through the kitchen and adjoining rooms wherever the subfloor allows, plus paint, trim, and the small carpentry details that make a room look finished rather than assembled.

Sequence

How the project runs

Six stages, in this order, every time. Weeks shown are typical for a project of this size on Vancouver Island.

Consultation on site

Week 0

We walk the kitchen with you, measure, open a cabinet or two, look at the panel and the crawlspace. You get an honest range before anyone talks about deposits.

Design and fixed quote

Weeks 1–3

Plans, elevations, a 3D walkthrough and a line-item quote. Selections are locked with real allowances, so the price you sign is the price you pay unless you change your mind.

Permits and ordering

Weeks 3–6

Building permit filed where structural or plumbing relocation is involved. Cabinets ordered — allow 5 to 8 weeks for custom, which runs in parallel with permitting.

Demolition and rough-in

Weeks 6–8

Strip-out, framing, beam install, then electrical, plumbing and any HVAC changes. Inspections booked before anything is closed.

Drywall, cabinets, counters

Weeks 8–11

Board, tape, prime, floor, then cabinet install. Counters are templated the day after cabinets are level and screwed off, and land about ten days later.

Finishing and handover

Weeks 11–13

Backsplash, appliances, plumbing trim, paint touch-up, hardware. Then a deficiency walk with you, a written punch list, and everything closed before the final invoice.

Investment

Three levels, honestly priced

These are real ranges from completed island projects, including labour, materials, management and tax.

Refresh

$45k – $65k

Same footprint, semi-custom cabinets, quartz counters, new lighting and appliances. No structural or plumbing relocation.

Full remodel

$70k – $110k

New layout, one wall removed with an engineered beam, custom cabinetry, island with services, new flooring through the main floor.

Signature

$115k – $180k+

Structural opening plus window or door changes, integrated appliances, panelled fridge, butler's pantry, stone slab backsplash, millwork ceiling details.

Specifications we build to

Element	Our standard	Why it matters
Cabinet boxes	3/4" plywood, edge-banded, no particleboard	Handles island humidity without swelling at the toe kick
Drawer hardware	Blum Tandem soft-close, 100 lb rating	Lifetime hardware warranty from the manufacturer
Counter thickness	3 cm quartz or porcelain, mitred edges available	2 cm needs a substrate and telegraphs seams
Range circuit	Dedicated 40–50 A, #6 copper	Required for induction; most 1970s kitchens have 30 A
Ventilation	Ducted 400–600 CFM with make-up air where required	Recirculating hoods do nothing for grease or moisture
Under-cabinet light	24 V LED tape, 2700 K, 90+ CRI	Colour-accurate for food prep, no visible dots

Recent work

Kitchen Remodeling on the island

Questions

Kitchen Remodeling, answered

Between four and seven weeks of the total schedule. We set up a temporary kitchen for you on day one — usually the fridge, microwave, kettle and a sink in the laundry or garage — and we tell you the exact week your counters land so you can plan around it.

Almost always, yes. If it carries load we bring in a structural engineer, install an LVL or steel beam and carry the point loads down through the floor system to a proper footing. That work needs a building permit and an engineer's letter at final inspection, and we handle both.

Semi-custom saves roughly 20 to 30 per cent and is excellent value when your layout suits standard widths. Custom earns its money in old island houses with out-of-square walls, unusual ceiling heights, or when you want a piece of furniture rather than a row of boxes.

We supply a specification sheet with the sizes, clearances, gas or electrical requirements and venting for every appliance the design assumes, and you buy where you like. If you'd rather we manage it, we order through a local supplier at trade pricing and coordinate delivery to the install week.

We photograph it, price the repair, and send you a written change order before we touch it. Nothing gets fixed and billed after the fact. On pre-1960 homes we carry a contingency line in the quote precisely because this happens on roughly one job in four.

Also consider

Bathroom Renovations

Waterproofed, tiled and detailed properly — from a tight powder room to a curbless ensuite with heated floors.

Additions & Custom Builds

Rear additions, second storeys, garden suites and full custom builds — engineered, permitted and joined so the seam disappears.

Next step

Let's price your kitchen remodeling properly

Tell us about the room, the roofline or the whole house. We reply within one business day and site visits across Greater Victoria are free.

Book a free site visit Call 778.700.5618