Kitchen project story

Maple Valley kitchen transformation

A closed-in 1990s kitchen opened up into a bright, two-cook kitchen with a working island for a family of five.

Neighborhood: Maple Valley, WA
The home: 1994 two-story family home
Timeline: 18 weeks from first call to final walkthrough
Investment: $95,000 – $110,000

Remodeled kitchen with white shaker cabinets, a deep green island and a window onto evergreen trees

The situation

Where the homeowners started

Dana and Mark have three kids and one kitchen that only fit one cook. The U-shaped layout boxed them in, the honey oak cabinets were coming apart at the hinges, and a fluorescent light box was the only light in the room.

They had collected two estimates already. Both were a single number on one page, with no detail on what was included. They wanted to know exactly what they were paying for before anyone touched a wall.

Goals

What they wanted

Room for two people to cook at once
An island the kids could do homework at
A clear view from the kitchen to the backyard
A fixed price, with every allowance written down

Before and after

Same room, same viewpoint

The same kitchen before the remodel, with honey oak cabinets, laminate counters and a fluorescent light box — Drag the handle to compare the same room before and after.

Scope

What we did

Removed the non-load-bearing wall between the kitchen and family room
New layout with a 9-foot island and seating for four
Painted shaker cabinets with soft-close drawers
Quartz countertops and a handmade tile backsplash
New sink window, widened to look over the yard
Recessed lighting, island pendants and under-cabinet lights
Updated electrical panel circuits and new appliance outlets
Gas line run for a new 36-inch range
Engineered oak flooring through the kitchen and family room
Permits, inspections and daily clean-up

Timeline

How long it really took

Call and in-home consultation · 1 week
Phone call, then 90 minutes at the house to measure and talk through options.
Design and agreement · 5 weeks
Two rounds of drawings, all selections made, fixed-price agreement signed.
Permits and ordering · 3 weeks
City permit approved while cabinets and counters were ordered.
Build · 9 weeks
Demolition to finished kitchen, with a schedule update every Friday.
Final walkthrough · 1 day
Walked every detail together; two small punch-list items fixed that week.

In their words

What the homeowner said

Demo review

We knew the price before they started, and it didn't move. Every Friday we got an email saying what happened that week and what was next. The kitchen is the room everyone ends up in now.

DDana R.Homeowner, Maple Valley

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