Kitchen remodeling questions, answered plainly

No. Kitchen Remodeling New Haven is a referral service. We connect you with an independent kitchen remodeler registered in Connecticut, who gives you the estimate and does the work.

No. We may be paid by the companies we refer you to, which the referral and marketing disclosure explains. What you pay for your project is whatever you and the remodeler agree in writing.

Eight New Haven neighborhoods and eight nearby towns have their own pages, and we also take requests from a few towns further out. See the service areas page.

They are shared with a kitchen remodeling company serving your area, and they or we may contact you by phone, text or email. See the privacy policy for what we collect and how to ask us to delete it.

No. Compare estimates, check every contractor yourself and decide in your own time. How to check a remodeler shows how.

Connecticut requires home improvement contractors to register with the Department of Consumer Protection. Ask for the registration number and look it up at elicense.ct.gov. State law also requires a written contract.

No. Home improvement contractors must be registered. Electricians, plumbers, heating contractors and similar trades must also hold the matching Connecticut trade license. Ask for both, and verify both on the state lookup.

A written contract is required, with the contractor’s name, address and registration number and four dates: signed, start, completion and the cancellation deadline. Both parties sign and you keep a signed copy. See what the contract must say.

Connecticut gives a three-day right to cancel a home improvement contract, and Saturday counts as a business day. The contract has to state the deadline.

Your contract must say. Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection tells homeowners that both parties have to agree who pulls the permit, so settle it in writing before work starts.

Often, yes. Work that changes plumbing, electrical or gas lines, or removes walls, generally needs permits from the city building department. A like-for-like cabinet or countertop swap often does not. Your remodeler confirms what your project needs. The permit guide has a checker.

The state building code lists countertops, cabinets, tile and similar finish work as exempt when no structural change is involved. A new sink location, new wiring or new plumbing is not finish work and needs its own permit.

New Haven has local historic districts, including Wooster Square, Quinnipiac River and City Point, where exterior changes are reviewed. The city’s interactive map shows the boundaries. Interior kitchen work is not what that review covers, but a new vent or window is an exterior change.

Yes. Anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces in a pre-1978 home must be EPA lead-safe certified. Ask for the certification. Older house kitchens has more.

It depends on size, layout changes and materials, so we do not publish a number that might mislead you. What drives the cost explains what moves it and how to compare two estimates fairly.

It depends on the scope, the lead time on cabinets and appliances, and inspections. Ask for dates in writing, and see the order of work for the usual sequence.

Most people do. Tell us what worries you most, such as dust, noise or weeks without a kitchen, so the remodeler can plan around it. Living at home during a remodel covers a temporary kitchen and when to move out.

Not necessarily. Many remodelers draw the layout as part of the estimate. If your layout is changing a lot, ask who draws it and whether the drawing is included.

The cabinets. The countertop is measured after the cabinets are set so the fit is exact. See kitchen countertops.

Often. Lighting, counter space, storage inside the cabinets and the way the doors swing can change a lot without moving a sink. See layouts and clearances for the guidelines that matter.