A beautiful kitchen can still work badly, and in an older home it usually does for the same reason. The wall between the cooking area and the rest of the house was drawn for a family that ate in a separate dining room and kept the cook out of sight. If that sounds like your home, this page is for you. We are a design-build team, and we remodel kitchens for homeowners in King County and Snohomish County, this city included.
Kitchen design that opens up an older home
The question we hear most is whether a wall can come out. Sometimes it can, and sometimes it holds up the floor above. We tell owners straight away that the answer comes from opening the ceiling and the floor, and only a structural engineer can sign off on it.
In one of our jobs a wall everyone treated as non-load-bearing turned out to carry a load. The fix needed a beam, two posts, engineering, and a permit, and it added about $30,000. We read walls correctly about nine times in ten, and we explain the other one in ten before you sign, so you can choose between trimming the scope and keeping your dream layout. A structural change in a kitchen typically adds about $15,000 to $25,000, depending on what the beam needs and what sits below the floor in the crawl area.
Plan the sightlines and the floor space before the budget. Decide what you love about the current room, what you could live without, and which views matter, whether to the yard, the dining table, or the family room. If the home is in an HOA, its approval is separate from the city's.
What our kitchen remodeling service covers
We treat the room as a single project, from layout and design through demolition, cabinets, countertops, backsplash, flooring, lighting, and a range hood. Plumbing and electrical go to specialty subcontractors, whereas a third-party fabricator cuts and sets the countertops, and we install items like the hood vent ourselves. We coordinate permits and inspections. We do not take cabinet-only or countertop-only jobs, and for a single appliance, a handyman is the cheaper call.
Cabinets, countertops and flooring for a busy kitchen
Cabinets set the price more than any other choice. Semi-custom cabinets ran about $20K in our fall 2026 estimates, and fully built-to-order ones ran $50K to $60K. A flat-panel European style with integrated pulls can reach about $80K alone, so each detail should solve a problem and not only add cost.
Quartz and granite are the two stones most families compare, and samples, seams, and edges matter more than a catalog photo. For flooring, floating vinyl plank costs about $11 per sq. ft. installed, while engineered hardwood costs about $20 to $22. The style we see most in 2026 is modern, with white cabinets and countertops under LED lighting, but warm wood works when the whole plan supports it. Our Bellevue showroom has finished kitchen and bath examples you can handle in person.
What a Lake Stevens kitchen remodel costs
A full kitchen remodel on our price list starts from $50,000 (price list, November 2026). Our rough fall 2026 benchmarks put a medium kitchen near $60,000 and a bigger one near $80,000, with projects above and below both. On a $60,000 kitchen, cabinets alone often take $20,000 to $25,000.
Ask for a written scope that separates included work from allowances (placeholder amounts that can be outgrown). We aim to finish near the figure we quote, so a $100K kitchen should close near $103K, and a leap to $160K needs a real cause, such as scope you add or a condition hidden in the walls.
How the process works and how to get an estimate
- First conversation. Send photos, rough measurements, the problems to solve, and a budget range.
- Home review. We check the existing conditions and flag where an engineer must weigh in.
- Design and scope. We draw the layout and selections, then put the scope and the estimate in writing.
- Approvals and timing. We confirm permits and timing and agree on how a change is priced.
- Construction and handoff. We run the trades, handle inspections, and walk the finished room with you.
We have not published whether the first visit or estimate is free, so ask when you book. We do not publish a single kitchen duration either, because a layout change with made-to-order cabinets runs longer than a refresh that keeps the plumbing. A whole-house remodel takes about two months in an empty home and 3 to 6 months with a family living there.
Managing daily life during the remodel
Pick the temporary cooking area before demolition, and decide where dishes, food, and a microwave will live. A kitchen remodel makes the whole home a work zone, so the useful question is logistics: where the children will be and which rooms stay usable. About nine times in ten we shape the order of work around how the household actually lives. If you can move out, even briefly, the work goes faster.
Permits and building rules
Moving walls, plumbing, or wiring usually needs permits, and cosmetic updates need less. We could not open the City of Lake Stevens permit pages while preparing this text, so confirm the process and review times with the city. We coordinate the application and inspections, and on our Lake Forest Park remodel, the permits sat inside the estimate. Review times vary from about six weeks to three months on jobs we have seen.
License, insurance, and warranty
Washington registers contractors with Labor & Industries under RCW 18.27. Our registration number is NEWDADC823QR, and the L&I Contractor Verify tool shows its status along with bond and insurance details. We provide a two-year craftsmanship warranty on completed work, and manufacturer warranties on installed materials pass through to you. Get warranty terms in writing from anyone you hire.
Our experience in Snohomish County
Our closest work to you is in Lynnwood, and it is not a kitchen. A homeowner there first had us convert a garage into an ADU, and we are now building a 1,200 sq. ft. detached ADU for the same client. It is still in progress, so we have no final cost or photos yet.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to what owners ask before a kitchen project starts.
What services are included in a kitchen remodel in Lake Stevens?
Design and layout, demolition, cabinets, countertops, backsplash, flooring, lighting and a range hood, with plumbing and electrical coordinated and permits and inspections handled.
What is the kitchen remodeling process, and how can I get an estimate?
We start with a conversation and a review of the home, draw the design, write the scope and estimate with allowances marked, then build and walk the finished room with you. Send photos and measurements to start.
How can I open up an older kitchen floor plan in Lake Stevens?
First find out whether the wall carries load. A structural engineer assesses it, and the change typically adds about $15,000 to $25,000. Decide which sightlines matter most.
What cabinet, countertop and flooring options work well for a kitchen remodel?
Semi-custom or built-to-order cabinets, quartz or granite from a fabricator, and vinyl plank or engineered hardwood for the floor. Compare samples in person.
How can I manage daily life while my kitchen is being remodeled?
Set up a temporary cooking area, agree on which rooms stay usable, and ask how dust is contained. Phasing the work around your routine helps.
Discuss your Lake Stevens kitchen project
Tell New Day Construction what is not working in your kitchen and what you want it to do. We read each message and answer it. Reach us at (425) 522-5748 or [email protected], or visit our Bellevue showroom at 1850 130th Ave NE #1, Bellevue, WA 98005. More about our kitchen remodeling and home remodeling services is on our service pages.
