Kitchen Remodeling in Aurora IL - Free Quotes for the Kitchen You Cook In Every Day

Start with what bugs you every day. That list is usually the real scope of the job.

Cabinets are a big one. Doors won't close flat. Drawer fronts come loose in your hand. Shelves bow under a stack of plates, and the finish is worn through right where everyone grabs the handles. Water damage under the sink is another big one. Once the bottom of a sink base turns soft and swollen, it rarely firms back up.

Counters come next. Laminate chips along the front edge and bubbles near the dishwasher. Old tile counters crack, and the grout lines stain no matter how hard you scrub. Some people just want more room to work, because the space between the stove and the fridge is barely wider than a cutting board.

Then there's the layout. Maybe the fridge door hits the island. Maybe two people can't cook at the same time without bumping elbows. Maybe there's one outlet on the whole wall, so the toaster and the coffee maker take turns.

Not every problem needs a full gut job. A kitchen with solid cabinet boxes and a beat-up finish might only need new doors and a fresh face. A kitchen with a good layout and damaged counters might only need new tops and a backsplash. Moving the sink, adding an island, or opening a wall is a bigger project with more trades involved.

Write down the three things you'd fix first if you could. That short list makes it easier to sort out which fix matches which problem, and which ones can wait a year or two.

Kitchen work tends to fall into three jobs. Some homeowners need one. Some do two or all three together.

Kitchen Cabinet Refacing keeps the cabinet boxes you already have and gives them a new face. The remodeler covers the frames with a new veneer or paint, then adds new doors, new drawer fronts and new hardware. Your layout stays the same, the counters can often stay in place, and the kitchen stays usable for most of the job. It works well when the boxes are solid and square and you mainly hate how they look.

Kitchen Cabinet Installation means tearing out the old cabinets and putting in new ones. That could be stock cabinets, semi-custom, or fully custom. This is the job when the boxes are damaged, the layout doesn't work, or you want to add an island, a pantry wall, or taller uppers. It costs more and takes longer than refacing, but it's the only way to change where things go.

Here's a simple way to choose between the two. If you like where everything is and the boxes are in good shape, look at Kitchen Cabinet Refacing. If you'd move even one cabinet, or the sink base is rotted, look at Kitchen Cabinet Installation.

Countertop and Backsplash Installation means new work surfaces in quartz, granite, laminate or solid surface, often with a tile backsplash behind them. The top is templated on your cabinets, cut in a shop, then set in place with cutouts for the sink and cooktop. Counters often get replaced along with new cabinets, since the old tops rarely fit new boxes. They can also be a stand-alone job if your cabinets are fine.

Floors are a separate trade. If the old kitchen floor has to go too, see our flooring installation page for floor options that suit kitchens.

Aurora's housing comes in two big waves, and each one brings its own kitchen issues. About 4 in 10 homes in the city went up in the 1990s and 2000s, and about 4 in 10 were built before 1980, according to Census figures for Aurora.

Many of those 1990s and 2000s homes still have the kitchen the builder put in. Those kitchens have seen decades of daily cooking, and it shows in peeling thermofoil doors, tired oak finishes, worn drawer slides and laminate counters. The good news is that a lot of those builder-grade cabinet boxes are still sound, which makes refacing worth a look before you tear anything out.

Older homes are a different story. If your home was built before 1978, the city's residential remodel permit application asks whether paint will be disturbed. If more than 6 square feet of painted surface inside gets sanded, scraped or torn out, the job calls for an EPA lead-safe contractor. Old painted cabinets and walls are where this usually comes up.

Permits matter for kitchens here. The City of Aurora permit page puts interior remodels on its must-have-a-permit list, while painting, flooring and carpet are cosmetic and don't. Electrical and plumbing work may require a permit too. When a remodel needs a permit, expect the application to ask for three floor plans (what's there now, what comes out, and what goes in), and maybe plumbing riser diagrams or electrical panel schedules. The city's own advice is simple: settle the permit question before you book a start date.

Live in one of Aurora's historic districts? The city's historic preservation FAQ says a Certificate of Appropriateness is for exterior work, not interior remodels. If your kitchen project adds or changes a window, check with the city first.

Tell us about your project. Share what's wrong with the kitchen, what you'd like to change, your town, and a rough idea of when you'd like to start. The quote is free, and there's no obligation to hire. Read more on how it works, or browse all remodeling services and the towns we serve.

Before you sign anything, do a little homework of your own. Ask any remodeler for proof of insurance and call the insurer to confirm it's active. Ask whether they meet the City of Aurora's contractor licensing requirements, and agree in writing on who pulls the permit. Then check the permit card is posted before work starts.

Illinois law helps you here too. Under the Home Repair and Remodeling Act, a contractor needs a written contract before starting work over $1,000, and it has to show the total cost and the business name and address. They also have to hand you the pamphlet called "Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights." Be wary of anyone who wants the full payment in cash up front.