Kitchen Remodeling in Brookhaven, GA
In Brookhaven, the age of your house sets the shape of your kitchen remodel. A 1920s or 30s Colonial Revival in Historic Brookhaven usually gains space by borrowing a pantry, porch or breakfast room. A small postwar kitchen in Ashford Park or Drew Valley often grows as part of an addition. Near Murphey Candler, the 60s colonials are typically ready for a galley-to-open conversion. Whatever the era, we check the walls and the crawlspace before the plan is set.
DeKalb County · Brookhaven, GA
Kitchen Remodeling for Brookhaven homes
Historic Brookhaven, listed on the National Register in 1986, holds houses built from 1910 to 1941, mostly Colonial and Georgian Revival with Tudor, Dutch Colonial and Spanish Revival mixed in, several by Atlanta firms such as Hentz, Reid and Adler, plus postwar ranches set between them. Expect plaster walls, old-growth framing, and wood windows and trim with many layers of paint. Ashford Park, Drew Valley and Skyland Park are mostly 1940s and 50s cottages, brick bungalows and ranches on generous lots, and the lots now carry the value, so a common project is a second-story addition or a teardown with new construction beside a neighbor's original house. Brookhaven Fields and Brookhaven Heights sit on narrower lots. Lynwood Park, historically an African American neighborhood of wood and cinderblock houses, now mixes those with new craftsman-style builds. Up north near Murphey Candler and Blackburn parks, the 60s two-story colonials are ready for their first real kitchen and bath remodels.
Areas we work in Brookhaven
- Historic Brookhaven
- Ashford Park
- Drew Valley
- Brookhaven Fields
- Lynwood Park
- Skyland Park
Near Oglethorpe University, Murphey Candler Park, Blackburn Park and across the rest of Brookhaven.
Recent kitchen remodeling work
Kitchen Remodeling on Brookhaven houses
Kitchen remodels in Brookhaven look different depending on the era of the house. In Historic Brookhaven, the kitchen in a 1920s or 30s Colonial Revival was a small service room at the back, so expanding it usually means borrowing a pantry, breakfast room or back porch, working with plaster walls and old framing. In Ashford Park and Drew Valley, a 1950s ranch or cottage kitchen is often tiny, and the remodel is tied to an addition that extends the back of the house or puts a second floor on top. In the 60s colonials around Murphey Candler, the job is more often the classic galley-to-open conversion, removing the wall to the family room.
What usually gets missed
In prewar houses, the wall you want removed may hide original knob-and-tube wiring or plumbing, and the framing is rough-sawn lumber that does not match modern sizes. In postwar cottages, the trouble is the foundation: a kitchen addition on a crawlspace has to tie into old framing that may be undersized or damaged. We open the walls and look in the crawlspace before the layout is final.
On a Brookhaven job we check
- Open walls in prewar kitchens to check for old wiring and plumbing
- Inspect crawlspace framing before tying in a kitchen addition
- Size the header properly for a galley-to-open conversion
What the job actually involves
A kitchen remodel is several trades working in sequence in a small room. The order matters: demo, rough plumbing and electrical, inspections, cabinets, counters, backsplash, then finish work.
We use materials chosen for kitchens: moisture-resistant backing behind tile and sinks, solid cabinet boxes, and countertop materials that handle heat and stains, because kitchens take more abuse than any other room.
How we run a kitchen remodeling job in Brookhaven
- 1
Plan the layout and order materials
Before demo we settle the layout, appliance sizes, cabinet orders and counter materials. Cabinets and special-order items can take weeks to arrive, so ordering early keeps the kitchen from sitting half-built.
- 2
Demolition and protection
Old cabinets, counters and flooring come out. Dust walls go up and floors elsewhere get covered. We check what is behind the walls and for water damage, old wiring or surprises.
- 3
Rough-in plumbing, electrical and structure
Any moved sinks, new circuits, venting or wall changes are done now, before drywall closes things back up. Permit work and required inspections happen at this stage where the work calls for them.
- 4
Drywall, paint and flooring
Walls are patched and finished, and floors go in. Painting happens before cabinets where it makes sense, which gives a cleaner result.
- 5
Install cabinets, then template countertops
Cabinets are set level and tied together. Counters are templated after cabinets are in, then fabricated, which commonly takes a week or more for stone, then installed.
- 6
Backsplash, fixtures and finish
Tile, plumbing fixtures, lighting, hardware and appliances go in last, followed by caulking, touch-up paint and a thorough cleanup. We walk through with you and work through a punch list.
What moves the price
We will not quote Brookhaven blind over the phone — these are the things we look at on site that decide the number.
- Scope: a cosmetic refresh versus moving walls, plumbing or the whole layout.
- Cabinets: stock, semi-custom or custom, and how many.
- Countertop material and square footage. Quartz, granite and laminate span a wide range.
- Appliances and whether electrical or gas lines need to move.
- Flooring, tile and lighting choices.
- Hidden conditions such as rot, outdated wiring or uneven floors discovered during demo.
From a kitchen remodeling customer
“We totally gutted THREE, 40+ year old bathrooms, and the results are INCREDIBLE! … There was intricate tile work required and they delivered impeccable results!”
Three bathroom gut renovations
Want a real number for your Brookhaven kitchen remodeling job?
The only way to price it honestly is to see it. We come out, walk the job and put it in writing — free, and with no obligation to book.
Call and we answer 24/7. Forms sent during the day get a call back the same day.
Kitchen Remodeling in Brookhaven — questions we get asked
- How long does a kitchen remodel take?
- Often several weeks to a couple of months, depending on scope and how long materials take to arrive. Lead time on cabinets and countertops is usually what stretches the schedule.
- Can I live in the house during it?
- Yes, though you will be without a normal kitchen for a good stretch. Many people set up a temporary spot with a microwave and a small fridge in another room. We keep dust contained and the rest of the house usable.
- Do I need permits?
- Many kitchen jobs involving electrical, plumbing or structural changes do. We tell you what applies in your county or city. Cosmetic updates may not need one.
- What surprises show up most?
- Water damage under old sinks and dishwashers, outdated wiring, and floors that are not level. We point these out when we find them, along with options.
- Can you keep my existing cabinets?
- Sometimes. If the boxes are sound and the layout works, refinishing or painting them can save money.
Planning kitchen remodeling? Start here
- How to live in your house during a remodel Most people stay in the house through a remodel. The trick is planning which room you lose and when, so you are never without a kitchen and a bathroom at once.
- How long does a home remodel really take? A remodel's timeline is set more by materials, curing and inspections than by how fast the crew works. Here is what actually eats the weeks, and where schedules slip.
- How to vet an interior remodeling contractor You find the right remodeler in the paperwork and the references, not the pitch: called references, a detailed contract, milestone payments and a change-order clause.
More in Brookhaven
DeKalb County housing, neighborhoods and what we do there.
Painting & remodeling in Brookhaven →Other work in Brookhaven
- Interior Painting in Brookhaven
- Exterior Painting in Brookhaven
- Cabinet Painting & Refinishing in Brookhaven
- Deck & Fence Staining in Brookhaven
- Commercial Painting in Brookhaven
- Drywall Repair & Patching in Brookhaven
- Bathroom Remodeling in Brookhaven
- Basement Finishing in Brookhaven
- Deck & Porch Building in Brookhaven
- Siding Replacement in Brookhaven
- Flooring Installation in Brookhaven
Prefer to talk it through? Dan picks up.
(470) 419-0922