Kitchen remodeling across Macomb and Oakland counties

What a kitchen remodel actually involves

Most jobs start the same way: cabinets out, walls opened, and a look at what's actually behind them. That's the step a lot of homeowners get surprised by, because it's also the step where a contractor who isn't an inspector starts guessing. Mike spends his other work hours crawling through attics and basements as a certified home inspector. When he opens your kitchen wall, he already knows what 1960s Macomb County wiring looks like, what a galvanized supply line is about to do, and where a Sterling Heights ranch tends to hide a load-bearing wall.

A full remodel touches five systems: layout and framing, electrical, plumbing, cabinetry, and finishes. Layout changes (moving the sink, taking down a wall between kitchen and dining room, relocating the range) are the most expensive line item because they move plumbing and gas lines and usually require a permit review from the local building department. A refresh that keeps the existing footprint and swaps cabinets, counters, and appliances costs less and moves faster, because there's no rough-in work behind the walls.

Cabinetry is usually the single biggest cost, running 30 to 40 percent of the budget whether you go stock, semi-custom, or full custom. Counters (quartz is the default in this market now, granite still shows up, butcher block on islands) run a distant second. Appliances vary wildly depending on whether you're replacing like-for-like or upgrading to a range that needs a bigger gas line or a 220V run for an induction cooktop.

Realistic cost ranges for 2026

A cosmetic refresh (paint or reface existing cabinets, new counters, new backsplash, keep the same footprint and appliances) lands around $18,000 to $35,000 in Macomb and Oakland counties. That's below what we'd call a full remodel, but it's the honest floor for a kitchen that still looks and functions like new.

A full remodel with new cabinets, counters, appliances, flooring, and lighting, same footprint, runs $35,000 to $70,000. Move a wall, relocate the sink or range, or open the kitchen to an adjoining room and you're in $70,000 to $130,000 territory once you add structural work, rerouted plumbing, updated electrical panels, and often a new HVAC run. High-end finishes (custom cabinetry, natural stone, integrated appliance panels) push toward the top of that range or past it.

Two things move the number more than anything else: whether the layout changes, and whether the electrical panel needs an upgrade to support new appliances. Both get identified at the walk-through, not discovered mid-project, which is the entire point of having the person quoting the job also know how to inspect a house.

Timeline

A cosmetic refresh takes 2 to 4 weeks. A full remodel with the same footprint runs 6 to 10 weeks. A remodel that moves walls, plumbing, or structural elements runs 10 to 16 weeks once you count permit review time and cabinet lead times, which in 2026 are still running 6 to 10 weeks from order for semi-custom lines. Custom cabinetry can push that further. We build the cabinet order into the schedule on day one instead of waiting until demo is done, because that lead time is usually the longest single item on the critical path.

Permits in Macomb and Oakland counties

Kitchen remodels that touch electrical, plumbing, or structural framing need permits from the local building department, whether that's Sterling Heights, Rochester Hills, Troy, or wherever the house sits. A cosmetic refresh that doesn't move plumbing or add circuits usually doesn't require one. We pull the permits, schedule the inspections, and are on site for them. If a project needs a variance or a zoning review because of an addition or bump-out, we handle that application too. You never have to call the building department yourself.

What commonly goes wrong, and how it gets avoided

The most common failure mode in this market is the mid-project change order: the contractor opens a wall, finds knob-and-tube wiring or undersized plumbing nobody accounted for, and the price jumps 15 to 30 percent with no warning. That happens because most contractors quote off a walk-through and a guess. Mike's inspector background means he's trained to spot the signs before demo, not during it. He'll tell you up front if your panel is likely undersized for a new range hood and induction cooktop, or if 1970s poly-B plumbing is probably behind that wall, and price it into the estimate instead of into a change order.

The second most common problem is subcontractor turnover, where a homeowner ends up managing three different trades who've never worked together and don't agree on the schedule. We run one crew accountable for the whole job, and Mike is the one on site, not a rotating project manager.

What's included, what's not

Included in every kitchen quote: demo and haul-away, framing and drywall work, electrical and plumbing rough-in and finish, cabinet installation, counter templating and install, backsplash, lighting, and final trim. Not included by default: appliances themselves (we'll spec and order them if you want, but the units are billed at cost), and any structural engineering fees if the layout change requires a stamped plan, which some load-bearing wall removals do in Michigan depending on span. We flag that possibility during the estimate, not after signing.