What a kitchen remodel in Kensington actually involves
A Kensington Victorian is balloon-framed in places, has plaster on lath, and often carries several generations of wiring in the same wall cavity. Interior work here is discovery work, and the way to control it is to open and inspect before pricing, not after.
- Demolition and what is behind the walls. Cabinets out, old flooring up, and the wall cavities opened. This is the point where undersized wiring, galvanized supply lines, a vent stack in the wrong place or a bearing wall where you wanted an opening stops being a theory.
- Structural changes and openings. Removing or shortening a wall between the kitchen and an adjacent room means a properly sized header or beam, a load path carried down to the foundation, and in most jurisdictions a structural detail submitted with the permit.
- Ventilation done properly. A range hood that vents to the outside through insulated duct with a correct termination, not a recirculating filter and not a duct dumped into the attic. This is one of the most commonly cut corners in the trade.
- Cabinetry, counters and tile. Cabinets set level and shimmed to a floor that is never actually flat, counters templated after installation rather than from drawings, and tile that is laid out from a real center line.
What we typically find on a Kensington house of this era (1890 to 1955). In Kensington the porches are the tell. Column bases, deck framing and skirting rot from the ground up while the paint still looks fine, and by the time it is visible the structure underneath usually needs work. Inside, expect several generations of wiring sharing one cavity.
Lead paint: the rule that applies to most of Kensington
If the house went up before 1978, the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies to any work that disturbs painted surfaces: the firm doing it has to be certified, the work area has to be contained, and the cleanup has to be verified. Most of Kensington's housing stock predates 1978, so assume this applies to your house unless someone has established otherwise. We are certified for this work and it is built into how we set up, not bolted on. Worth asking every other contractor bidding your job whether they are, and asking to see it.
What drives the cost on a Kensington kitchen remodel
We will not put a price range on a web page, because a number quoted without seeing your house is either a guess or bait. What we can do is tell you honestly which variables move the number, so you can read the bids you get from anyone.
- The condition of the existing electrical service. If the panel is full or the service is undersized for what current kitchen code requires, the upgrade is part of the kitchen whether you wanted it to be or not.
- Cabinet tier. Stock, semi-custom and full-custom cabinetry span an enormous range, and cabinetry is usually the single largest line on a kitchen budget.
- What the demolition exposes. Rot under a long-leaking sink, failed subfloor, or plumbing that has to be replaced to be legally connected to.
A kitchen that keeps its layout and does not need structural work is a matter of weeks. Move the plumbing, take out a wall, or upgrade the electrical service and it grows, largely because inspections have to happen at rough-in before anything gets closed up. Custom cabinetry lead time is frequently the longest single item and it should be ordered before demolition starts, not after.
The mistakes we get called in to fix
- Ordering cabinets before the field measurements are taken off the framed and inspected space. Drawings lie; walls are not square.
- A recirculating range hood in a house with a gas range. It moves smell around. It does not move moisture, grease or combustion byproducts out of the house.
- Hiring the trades separately and assuming they will coordinate. They will not, because none of them is being paid to.
One licensed team, one contract, one point of contact
The transparency test for any contractor is short: license number, certificate of insurance from the carrier, and a straight answer about subcontractors. Ours are MHIC #111971, general liability and workers' compensation with certificates available before signing, and yes, the specialty trades on your job are licensed subcontractors carrying their own coverage and pulling their own trade permits. One contract with us, one point of contact, and one company that owns the outcome regardless of which trade caused it.
Where we work in Kensington
- 20895
- Old Town Kensington
- Rock Creek Hills
- Ken-Gar
- Kensington View
- Parkwood
- Chevy Chase View
How a Kensington project runs
- Free on-site consultation and a written scope. We walk the space with you, measure, look at what is behind the finishes where we can, and write down what you actually want out of the project rather than what is easiest to sell.
- Feasibility against Kensington rules, before design. We establish what the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, with town review will require for kitchen remodel at your address, and what your lot, your zoning and your existing house will allow.
- Fixed written scope, then permits. A line-item scope with allowances stated plainly and a change-order process agreed in advance. We prepare and submit the permit package and handle review comments ourselves.
- Supervised production and a clean finish. MHIC #111971, one point of contact for the whole job, trades sequenced against the inspection calendar, and a closeout that includes the punch walk, the closed permits and the product documentation in one package.
Free Kensington kitchen remodel consultation
A real look at the space, a clear answer on what the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, with town review will require, and a written scope you can hold up against every other bid. Free, and there is nothing to sign at the end of it.
Kitchen Remodeling across Kensington and Montgomery County
Our crews cover Old Town Kensington, Rock Creek Hills, Ken-Gar, Kensington View, Parkwood and Chevy Chase View, across 20895. What buyers and appraisers in this market respond to is period detail kept intact on the outside and thoroughly modernized behind it, with kitchens and baths that do not fight the architecture — worth knowing whether you are renovating to stay or renovating to sell.
Homeowners here usually reach us for more than one thing at a time. Related work in Kensington: bathroom remodeling in Kensington, basement finishing in Kensington, home additions in Kensington, interior painting in Kensington.
Most remodelers stop at the drywall. We started at the roof and worked inward, so the envelope is not a referral for us. Roof replacement, siding, aluminum siding, gutters, soffit and fascia and window replacement all sit under the same contract as the interior work, which matters most on the day somebody opens a wall and finds out why the paint kept failing.
Kensington kitchen remodeling questions
Do I need a permit for a kitchen remodel in Kensington, MD?
Your reviewing authority is the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, with town review. A kitchen remodel needs a permit in essentially every jurisdiction we work in once it touches electrical, plumbing, gas or structure — which is nearly every real kitchen project. We confirm the requirement for your specific parcel rather than generalizing, because in this region the answer genuinely changes across a municipal boundary. We pull the permits and meet the inspections as part of the contract.
Are you licensed to do this work in Kensington?
Yes, and the license that governs your job is MHIC #111971. Maryland home improvement work has to be performed by an MHIC licensee under a written contract containing specific required terms, and hiring outside that system costs you the protections that come with it. General liability and workers' compensation coverage, certificates from the carrier on request.
Is this worth doing if we might sell the Kensington house in a few years?
Kensington's Victorian core is the reason people pay to live there, and work that damages the exterior character damages the value. That constraint is real and it should shape the design from day one. What buyers and appraisers here respond to is period detail kept intact on the outside and thoroughly modernized behind it, with kitchens and baths that do not fight the architecture. The other half of the answer is documentation: permitted work with closed-out inspections is an asset at resale, and unpermitted work is a negotiating lever for the buyer.
How do I know if a wall is load-bearing?
You do not guess, and neither should your contractor. It is determined by looking at the framing direction above, the foundation and bearing points below, and often by opening a small section of ceiling. If a wall is bearing, removing it requires an engineered beam and a documented load path, and that detail goes with the permit application.