Design and selections: 3–6 weeks
Layout, materials, budget, and contract.
A full kitchen renovation is the most complete way to fix a kitchen that no longer works. CJM Builders has handled full kitchen renovations in North Reading, MA and the surrounding towns since 1992 — the deepest tier of our kitchen remodeling services, taking dated, closed-off kitchens down to the studs and rebuilding them around the way your family actually lives.
If you’re tired of patching problems one at a time, this is the project that solves them all at once.
Why Renovate the Whole Kitchen at Once?
A full renovation plans every piece of the kitchen together, so nothing has to be redone later. That’s the biggest advantage over piecemeal upgrades.
When you replace counters this year, flooring next year, and lighting the year after, each project disturbs the last one. Cabinets come out and chip the floor. New wiring opens up a freshly painted wall. You pay for setup, cleanup, and disruption three separate times.
A full kitchen renovation runs on one design, one budget, one permit set, and one timeline. The layout, cabinetry, surfaces, lighting, and mechanicals are decided as a single plan — so the finished room feels intentional, not assembled.
It’s also the only practical path when the kitchen has deeper problems: a cramped layout, aging plumbing or wiring, or walls in the wrong places. If your layout already works and the cabinets are sound, a smaller project like new kitchen cabinets and countertops may be all you need — we’ll tell you honestly which one fits.
What’s Included in a Full Kitchen Renovation
Every project is different, but a complete renovation with CJM Builders typically covers:
- Design and planning — layout drawings, material selections, and a detailed budget before work begins
- Demolition — removal of old cabinets, counters, flooring, and any walls coming out
- Layout changes — relocating the sink, range, or refrigerator; adding an island; opening walls
- Plumbing and electrical updates — new supply lines, circuits, outlets, and lighting brought up to Massachusetts code
- Walls and ceilings — drywall or plaster repair, smooth and ready for paint
- Flooring — hardwood, tile, or luxury vinyl installed before or around cabinetry as the design requires
- Cabinetry and countertops — custom or semi-custom cabinets, then templated stone or solid-surface counters
- Backsplash, paint, and trim — the finish layer that ties the design together
- Appliance installation and final detailing — everything connected, tested, and cleaned
Because we’re a full-service remodeling contractor, you’re not coordinating separate cabinet, counter, tile, and electrical companies. One team owns the whole job.
Decisions Made Before Demolition
Material selections happen at our Design Center & Showroom in North Reading, where you can see cabinet door styles, countertop slabs, and tile together instead of guessing from small samples. Decisions get made before demolition, not in the middle of construction, which is how we keep projects on schedule and on budget.
You’ll have a direct line to our team the entire time. Expect updates at each phase, not silence between them.
How Our Renovation Process Works
We run every renovation through our White Glove Five-Step Process™ — Survey, Strategize, Solidify, Secure, Showcase. In plain terms: we study your existing kitchen, design the new one with you, lock the plan and budget, handle the permits and ordering, and walk you through the finished room at the end.
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Step 1: Survey
We study your existing kitchen — layout, mechanicals, and what isn’t working.
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Step 2: Strategize
We design the new kitchen with you, around the way your family actually lives.
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Step 3: Solidify
We lock the plan and the budget so there are no mid-project surprises.
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Step 4: Secure
We handle the permits and ordering, and don’t start demolition until materials are confirmed.
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Step 5: Showcase
We walk you through the finished room at the end and hand it back better than new.
What to Expect: Your Renovation Timeline
Plan on roughly three to five months from first meeting to finished kitchen. Here’s how that usually breaks down:
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Permits and ordering: 4–8 weeks
Cabinets are usually the longest lead item. We don’t start demolition until the critical materials are confirmed.
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Construction: 6–12 weeks
Demolition, rough plumbing and electrical, inspections, walls, flooring, cabinets, countertop templating and installation, backsplash, paint, and final fixtures.
Most families live at home throughout. We isolate the work zone, protect floors and pathways, and clean up daily, and we help you plan a temporary kitchen so the weeks without a sink and stove stay manageable.
Renovating Older Kitchens in North Reading
Much of North Reading’s housing stock was built for a very different way of cooking: the capes, colonials, ranches, and split-levels built through the mid-1900s, and the older cottage-style homes around Martins Pond. Small closed-off kitchens, minimal counter space, and a single circuit doing far too much work.
Renovating these homes takes more than design taste. Behind the walls we often find knob-and-tube wiring, undersized electrical panels, dated plumbing, plaster walls, and floors that have settled out of level. After 30+ years working in these houses, we plan for those conditions up front instead of treating them as surprises.
Every renovation is permitted through your town’s building department and built to the Massachusetts State Building Code (780 CMR), with licensed plumbers and electricians handling the rough-in work and town inspections at the required stages. If you’re also thinking about adding square footage, such as opening the kitchen to the dining room or pushing out the back wall, our kitchen expansion work can fold directly into the same project.
If your kitchen needs more than a facelift, let’s talk about what a full renovation could look like in your home. CJM Builders serves Andover, Middleton, North Reading, Reading, Wakefield, Wilmington, and surrounding towns — licensed, insured, and local since 1992.
Ask about 0% financing for 21 months (opens in a new tab) through our partner Hearth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a full kitchen renovation take?
Most full kitchen renovations take 6 to 12 weeks of construction once materials arrive. Counting design, permitting, and cabinet lead times, plan on three to five months start to finish. A clear plan locked in before demolition is the single biggest factor in staying on schedule.
What does a full kitchen renovation include?
Everything from demolition to the final walkthrough: layout changes, plumbing and electrical updates, walls, flooring, cabinets, countertops, backsplash, lighting, paint, and appliance installation. Design, budgeting, and permits are part of the package — you shouldn’t have to manage any of it piecemeal.
In what order does a kitchen renovation happen?
Demolition comes first, then rough plumbing and electrical, inspections, walls and ceilings, flooring, cabinets, countertops, backsplash, and finally fixtures and appliances. Countertops are templated after cabinets are set, which adds a short fabrication wait before the finish work wraps up.
Should I renovate my kitchen before selling my home?
It depends on your timeline and the local market. Kitchens influence buyers more than any other room, and smaller updates often recoup most of their cost. A major renovation typically returns 50–60% at resale — worth it if you’ll enjoy the kitchen for a few years first. We’re happy to advise either way when we look at your kitchen.
