Kitchen Renovations · Vancouver
Vancouver kitchens are rarely straightforward — century-old character homes, tight condo footprints, and Vancouver Specials all need different approaches. We've renovated all three.
Kitchen Renovations in Vancouver
Vancouver has some of the most varied housing stock in Canada, and kitchens are where that shows most. A 1912 Kitsilano character home has knob-and-tube wiring behind the walls and joists that were never sized for a stone island. A Vancouver Special from the 70s has a kitchen closed off from the living space that almost every owner wants opened up. A downtown condo has a strata council, a building envelope, and a plumbing stack you cannot move. Each of those is a different project, and pricing them the same way is how homeowners end up with change orders.
Two things drive Vancouver kitchen costs more than anything else: what's behind the walls, and who has to approve the work. Pre-1960s homes across Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, Grandview and Dunbar frequently still have knob-and-tube wiring or cloth-sheathed circuits that must be replaced once a wall is opened — that is a code requirement, not an upsell, and it can add $3,000–$8,000. Removing a wall between kitchen and living room, the single most requested change in Vancouver Specials, usually means a structural beam and an engineer's letter. And any condo or townhouse renovation runs on the strata's schedule as well as the city's: most councils require a work request, proof of insurance, and restricted working hours before a single cabinet comes out.
Pre-1940 character homes, Vancouver Specials, 1980s-2000s condos and townhomes, laneway houses, and duplex conversions
A cosmetic kitchen refresh in Vancouver — cabinets, counters, backsplash, flooring in the same layout — generally does not require a city permit. You need permits once the work moves plumbing, adds electrical circuits, changes range venting, or touches a structural wall. That usually means a building permit plus separate electrical and gas permits. Straightforward residential renovation permits typically take a few weeks; strata buildings add their own approval step on top. We handle the applications, drawings, and inspections.
What We Offer
Removing the wall between kitchen and living area — the classic Vancouver Special renovation. We handle the structural engineering, beam sizing, and permit drawings so the wall comes out safely and the ceiling line stays clean.
Kitchens in pre-1940 homes across Kitsilano, Dunbar and Mount Pleasant. We work around original millwork and fir floors where you want them kept, and deal with knob-and-tube, undersized panels, and out-of-level floors properly rather than hiding them.
Kitchen renovations inside strata buildings, run to the council's rules — work request paperwork, insurance certificates, elevator bookings, and noise windows. We plan around the plumbing stack rather than pretending it can move.
Locally built cabinets sized to your actual walls, which matters in older Vancouver homes where nothing is square. Full-height pantries, appliance garages, and islands built to fit the room you have.
Compact kitchens for laneway houses and basement suites, designed to meet BC Building Code suite requirements while still feeling like a real kitchen rather than a kitchenette.
Vancouver kitchen renovations typically run $35,000–$55,000 for a full mid-range gut and rebuild, $18,000–$30,000 for a refresh that keeps the existing layout, and $60,000–$100,000+ for high-end custom work with premium appliances and stone. Older homes needing electrical updates or a structural beam sit at the higher end of each band. Every quote we send is itemized — materials, labour, permits — so you can see exactly where the money goes.
Get Your Free QuoteScope: Full gut, load-bearing wall removed with engineered beam, knob-and-tube replaced, custom cabinetry, quartz counters, refinished original fir floors
Duration: 6 weeks on site (10 weeks including permits and cabinet lead time)
The kitchen was original to the house and closed off from the dining room by a load-bearing wall. Once we opened the walls we found knob-and-tube wiring feeding half the main floor, which had to be replaced to pass inspection. We installed an engineered beam to open the kitchen into the dining room, rewired the circuits, and built cabinetry scribed to walls that were out of plumb by nearly an inch. The original fir flooring was salvaged and refinished rather than replaced.
Verified Google Reviews
“They've become my go-to for any home renovation. They consistently deliver exactly what I envision, if not better.”
Nikki I
Multiple home renovations · Google review
“Timelines were respected, and the workspace was kept clean and organized, which made a big difference during the renovation process.”
Jasleen Lidder
Full renovation & finishing carpentry · Google review
“From start to finish Christopher was there for us. Honest, reasonable and very professional.”
Laura Logan
Kitchen renovation · Google review
Frequently Asked Questions
Most full Vancouver kitchen renovations land between $35,000 and $55,000. A refresh that keeps the existing layout — cabinets, counters, backsplash, flooring — runs $18,000–$30,000. High-end custom work with premium appliances can exceed $100,000. Older homes that need rewiring or a structural beam sit at the top of whichever range applies.
Not for purely cosmetic work in the same layout. You do need permits once you move plumbing, add electrical circuits, change range venting, or remove a wall — which covers most full renovations. That typically means a building permit plus electrical and gas permits. We handle the applications and inspections as part of the job.
Usually yes, and it's the most common request we get in Vancouver Specials. If the wall is load-bearing it needs an engineered beam and a permit. We arrange the structural engineering and drawings, and price the beam into the original quote so it isn't a surprise partway through.
Yes. Strata work has an extra layer: a work request to council, proof of insurance, restricted working hours, and often elevator bookings for material moves. We deal with that paperwork directly and schedule around the building's rules. The main design constraint is the plumbing stack, which generally cannot be relocated.
Knob-and-tube or cloth-wrapped wiring, undersized electrical panels, out-of-level floors, and undersized joists under a planned stone island are the four we see most. We inspect for these before quoting where access allows, and flag them as contingencies rather than discovering them on week three.
Plan on 4–6 weeks on site for a full renovation, plus lead time for permits and cabinetry. Custom cabinets typically take 4–6 weeks to build, so total project time from signed quote to finished kitchen is usually 8–12 weeks. We sequence the order so cabinets are being built while demolition and rough-in happen.
Get a free, no-obligation quote from a team with over 30 years of experience serving Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.