Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
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After
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AfterFast, Reliable Kitchen Remodeling Across Irvine
Kitchen remodeling in Irvine typically runs $14,000 to $45,000 for a full job, and most projects take six to ten weeks once permits clear. If you live in Woodbridge, University Park, or up in the hills around Turtle Rock, you already know the score here: the city wants its permits and your HOA’s Architectural Review Committee wants its own sign-off before a single cabinet comes out. That’s the part national outfits don’t mention until week three, when you’re paying for a stalled job.
Barrett & Sons Construction has been navigating that dual-approval pipeline for years. We’re the owner-operated crew that shows up knowing your village’s design guidelines before we ever put a bid on paper. Call (877) 610-1318 and you’ll get a live person, not a call center, and a straight answer about what your kitchen will actually cost.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Irvine’s Preferred Kitchen Remodeling Company
Tom Barrett founded this company in 1998 with a simple rule: his name goes on the truck, so his name goes on the work. Tom and his sons run the crews themselves. They’re on-site most days, often holding a tape measure while the homeowner asks about a cabinet line. People in Irvine have told us that’s exactly what they wanted after getting burned by a big outfit that quoted one number on the phone and handed them a different bill at the door.
Every kitchen job we take in Irvine comes with the 90-Day Done Right Promise written on the contract. If something isn’t right, one call brings Tom back. No phone trees, no “we’ll escalate that.” And before any scope change touches your job, you get a written change order. An allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date, and we don’t do surprises.
Our Kitchen Remodeling team knows the villages, not just the streets. University Park’s 1970s stucco homes have different plumbing and foundation realities than Portola Springs’ 2015 tract builds. We price accordingly and plan accordingly. Talk to anyone on your street, or look up Tom’s license number yourself. It’s published, and we expect you to check it.
Our Kitchen Remodeling Services in Irvine
Full Kitchen Remodeling
A full kitchen remodel in Irvine usually means taking the room down to studs or close to it: new layout, new electrical and plumbing where needed, new cabinets, counters, flooring, and finishes. We’ve done this in Woodbridge kitchens that still had their original 1976 cabinets, and we’ve done it in Great Park Neighborhoods homes that were built five years ago but never fit the owner’s style. The permit path is different for each village, and we handle it all, from City of Irvine plan check to the ARC packet.
Cabinets & Countertops
Cabinet installation in Irvine runs $4,000 to $13,000 depending on whether you’re refacing, replacing, or going custom. Countertop installation runs $2,000 to $6,500. We install premium brands you can look up: KraftMaid for cabinets, Cambria for engineered stone, and a range of quartz and granite options. No mystery brands off a van. If you’re the kind of person who likes to verify a product’s spec sheet before it goes in your kitchen, we’ll hand you the literature.
Backsplash, Tile & Flooring
Backsplash installation in Irvine typically runs $800 to $2,500, and the biggest variable is usually the tile itself. Handmade zellige from a specialty supplier costs more than a standard subway tile, but it’s also what makes a Quail Hill kitchen feel finished instead of flipped. We also handle kitchen tile flooring, which holds up better than hardwood in Irvine’s dry, dusty summers and gets far less grief from tracked-in decomposed granite than you’d expect.
Kitchen Design & Layout
Design is where we start, not an upsell. We work through your layout on paper before any walls move. Irvine kitchens come in some oddly specific footprints, especially the galley-style originals in University Park and the wide-open great rooms in Portola Springs. We’ll show you where the island can actually go, what clearances Title 24 requires, and why the vent hood placement matters more than you think. If you’re also thinking about a bath refresh while we’re there, we handle Bathroom Remodeling in Irvine too, and combining trades can save you real money on mobilization.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Irvine
We carry KraftMaid cabinetry and Cambria quartz because we’ve watched them hold their finish in Irvine’s hard water and strong sun. For window work that sometimes tags alongside a kitchen remodel, we install Andersen and Marvin. When a homeowner in Northwood needed a specific Simonton window profile matched for an ARC resubmit, we had the spec sheet ready before the committee asked for it. We also keep a running list of what’s in stock locally for urgent fixes, and if your job needs a material we don’t stock, we tell you before we write the estimate, not after demo day.
Common Kitchen Remodeling Problems We See in Irvine Homes
- HOA Architectural Review delays. Irvine is one of the most HOA-governed cities in the United States, and virtually every kitchen remodel that moves a wall, changes a window, or alters an exterior vent location needs village-level ARC approval on top of city permits. Contractors unfamiliar with each village’s design standards routinely lose weeks to rejections. We’ve learned every village’s quirks because we’ve had to. A year of corrections taught us more than any seminar.
- Galvanized plumbing in 1970s villages. Homes in University Park and Woodbridge often still have their original galvanized supply lines, and a kitchen remodel is the natural moment to retire them. If your water pressure drops the moment the dishwasher kicks on, the problem is likely buried in the wall. We don’t pretend it isn’t there, and we price the repipe into the scope before we start.
- Expansive clay soils in hillside areas. The homes around Turtle Rock and Quail Hill sit on slopes with clay that shifts seasonally. That matters if your remodel involves moving a load-bearing wall or adding an island with plumbing in a slab. Flat-lot contractors from coastal OC rarely think about geotechnical review. We do, because we’ve had to pull the reports.
- Title 24 energy-code surprises. Irvine’s newer builds, especially in Great Park Neighborhoods, were built under California’s latest Title 24 energy codes, which means your kitchen’s lighting, ventilation, and even your vent hood’s CFM rating are regulated. In a 1970s University Park kitchen, the same remodel triggers upgrade requirements the moment you open the wall. We plan for the inspections, so the inspector works for you, not against you.
Pricing for Kitchen Remodeling in Irvine, CA
The honest numbers for Irvine are these: a full kitchen remodel lands between $14,000 and $45,000. A small or partial remodel runs $9,000 to $20,000. If you’re just doing cabinets, figure $4,000 to $13,000. A new kitchen island runs $3,000 to $10,000 depending on plumbing, electrical, and countertop material. Quartz or granite countertops alone run $2,000 to $6,500, and a backsplash is $800 to $2,500.
What moves the number? Material grade, how much plumbing you’re moving, whether you’re touching a load-bearing wall, and what your village’s ARC requires you to match or upgrade. You’ll get a written line-item estimate with allowances spelled out, and every change order comes in writing before work proceeds. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate, and remember: we offer a Free Second Opinion on any written estimate you’ve already received, plus a permanent 10% Senior & Veteran discount.
We Also Serve Cities Near Irvine
Our crews are local to the area, so if you’re searching for Kitchen Remodeling in Irvine but live just over the line in Tustin, Aliso Viejo, Santa Ana, or North Tustin, we’ve likely worked on your street. Irvine is our anchor, but the surrounding communities ask for the same thing: written change orders, permits pulled, and a name on the truck. If you’re also eyeing exterior work while the kitchen is torn up, we handle Roofing in Irvine as well.
Serving Irvine, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Irvine area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Kitchen Remodeling in Irvine
Once your design and permits are approved, most Irvine kitchens are under construction within two to four weeks. The honest variable is your village’s ARC meeting schedule. Some committees meet twice a month; some meet once. We submit your packet on day one and track it until it’s signed.
Yes. We work across 92606, 92612, 92614, 92616, and the Great Park area’s 92618. That includes University Park, Woodbridge, Northwood, Westpark, Quail Hill, Portola Springs, and Turtle Rock. Each one has different HOA requirements and housing stock, and we plan for that before we bid.
Only if you change the scope, and only after you sign a written change order. Every allowance, every material choice, every price adjustment arrives on paper before any work proceeds. We’ve never handed an Irvine homeowner a surprise bill at the end of the job. If you have a written estimate from another contractor, call (877) 610-1318 for our Free Second Opinion.
Irvine runs slightly higher than Santa Ana or Tustin on average, mostly because HOA paperwork adds planning time and some villages require higher-end finishes to match their design standards. A full kitchen in Irvine typically lands at $14,000 to $45,000. The good news: our No Trip Charge Inside the County means the estimate itself costs you nothing.
Every job is covered by the 90-Day Done Right Promise, written on the contract. If something isn’t right, one call brings Tom back. We don’t hide behind voicemail. A live person answers 24/7, so when the hardware on a cabinet door loosens at 9 p.m., someone picks up. Call (877) 610-1318 and ask for Tom.
Get Your Free Kitchen Remodeling Estimate in Irvine
You’re not ready to sign a contract. You’re ready to price. That’s fine. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll schedule a free estimate with Tom or one of his sons. You’ll get real numbers, written allowances, and a plan that accounts for your village’s ARC before we ever swing a hammer. If you’ve already got a bid from someone else, bring it. We’ll give you our Free Second Opinion and show you where the other guy’s surprises are hiding.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Irvine and surrounding communities since 1998.