Every question we get asked often enough to write down — with straight answers, real numbers and the local rules that actually apply.
Tell us about the kitchen and we will come back with a real number - not a range designed to get us in the door.
A full kitchen renovation in Vancouver costs $25,000 to $75,000 CAD and takes 4 to 8 weeks on site. A like-for-like renovation needs no building permit; removing a load-bearing wall or moving plumbing does. Condo work needs strata approval, which takes 2 to 6 weeks. Most people stay in the house and lose the kitchen for 2 to 6 weeks.
Detail on every one of those below, plus the questions that only come up once the project is under way.
$25,000 to $75,000 CAD for a full renovation. Condo kitchens are $22,000 to $45,000; mid-range detached-home kitchens $35,000 to $70,000; high-end kitchens $85,000 and up.
Cabinetry accounts for 35–45% of the total, countertops 10–15%, labour 25–35%. The cost guide itemises a real $50,000 kitchen line by line.
Ten to fourteen weeks end to end for a full renovation: 1–2 weeks of design, 2–3 days for the quote, 4–6 weeks of cabinetry manufacturing (which overlaps with permit time), then 4–8 weeks on site.
Cabinet refacing is much shorter — about 3 weeks total, with 3–7 days of that on site. Countertops alone are roughly 2 weeks from templating to installation.
Not for like-for-like work. Replacing cabinets, countertops, tile, flooring and fixtures in the same layout requires no City of Vancouver building permit.
You do need one for: removing or altering a load-bearing wall, moving a plumbing stack, changing the room’s use, or altering the building envelope. Electrical and gas work each need their own permit and inspection regardless of how small the job is. Permits run $300 to $1,500 for building work, $150 to $450 for electrical or gas, and a simple building permit takes 4 to 10 weeks.
An alteration application to the strata council, supported by a scope of work, proof of contractor liability insurance, WorkSafeBC coverage, a work schedule, and sometimes an engineer’s letter if anything structural or acoustic is affected.
Approval typically takes 2 to 6 weeks depending on when the council next meets. Once approved, expect restricted work hours (commonly 9am–5pm weekdays), a booked service elevator, protected common corridors, and a flat prohibition on altering plumbing risers. We assemble the whole package — see condo kitchen renovations.
Most clients do. You will be without a working kitchen for 2 to 6 weeks — the sink and range go on day one, and the stretch between countertop templating and installation is the longest dry period.
We set up a temporary kitchen with a fridge, microwave, kettle and work surface elsewhere in the home, seal the doorway with a zip-wall dust barrier and run a HEPA air scrubber. In a one-bedroom condo it is genuinely hard; some clients move out for the middle two weeks.
You get a written change order with a price on it before any extra work happens. Nothing is done first and billed afterwards.
The four things we most often find in Vancouver homes: an undersized electrical panel ($2,500–$6,000 to upgrade), water damage under a sink base ($1,500–$9,000), knob-and-tube wiring in pre-1950 walls ($3,000–$11,000), and a subfloor that needs levelling ($1,200–$5,000). We recommend holding 10–15% as contingency for exactly this.
It can be. Homes built before 1990 may have asbestos in vinyl floor tiles, sheet flooring backing, drywall joint compound and some textured finishes. Disturbing it during demolition is a real hazard and a WorkSafeBC matter, not an optional precaution.
For any pre-1990 home we have a hazardous materials survey done before demolition — about $400. If abatement is needed it runs $2,000 to $12,000 depending on scope and is done by a licensed abatement contractor.
Paint or refinish if the doors are solid wood and you like the style — $4,500 to $9,000, and the cheapest real transformation there is. Reface if the boxes are sound but the doors are dated or damaged — $7,000 to $16,000, new doors and matching veneer on the frames. Replace if the boxes are failing, the layout needs to change, or you want deep drawers instead of doors — $15,000 to $65,000.
The honest test: open a door and look at the box. If the particleboard has swollen anywhere or a shelf sags, refacing is money on top of a problem.
Quartz for most kitchens: $80–$150 per square foot installed, never needs sealing, does not etch, consistent slab to slab. Granite if you want a unique stone and put hot pans down directly — it takes heat better than quartz, whose resin binder can scorch above about 150°C. Marble only if you accept that it will etch and patina; it is beautiful and it is not a low-maintenance surface.
One local note: quartz is unaffected by humidity, while butcher block in a Vancouver kitchen needs oiling two or three times a year to stay stable.
Yes — 2 years on our workmanship, in writing, from the date of completion. That covers installation: a door that stops closing squarely, a seam that opens, a cabinet that shifts.
Manufacturer warranties on cabinetry, stone, sinks, taps and appliances are separate, usually longer, and get registered in your name with the paperwork handed to you at the walkthrough.
A deposit on approval to order cabinetry and book the stone, progress payments at agreed milestones, and a final payment after the walkthrough and after the deficiency list is cleared — not before.
We will not ask for the full amount up front, and you should not pay it to anyone. The milestone schedule is in the contract before you sign it.
Late autumn through winter, if you have a choice. Trade availability is better, lead times are shorter, and you are not giving up the summer to a construction site.
Spring and summer are peak season here: everybody books at once, cabinetry lead times stretch, and the best start dates go first. Rain is irrelevant to interior work.
Free, no-obligation estimate. We respond 24/7.
Call (778) 655-4056 and ask. No script, no sales pitch, and no charge for a straight answer.