What does a professional remodel include?

A professional remodel includes design consultation, material selection, permits, skilled labor, quality fixtures, and comprehensive warranty. Mastaba provides detailed planning and owner oversight throughout the project.

How much does a remodel cost?

Costs vary based on size, materials, and scope. Small projects start around $10,000. Mid-range projects run $25,000 to $60,000. Luxury projects can exceed $100,000. Get a detailed estimate from experienced contractors.

How long does a remodel take?

Most remodels take 6 to 16 weeks depending on scope and complexity. Custom details and appliance delivery may extend timelines. Your contractor should provide a detailed schedule.

Should I use a local contractor?

Yes. Local contractors understand regional building codes, climate considerations, and have established supplier relationships. They also provide better communication and accountability.

What should I look for in a contractor?

Choose licensed, insured contractors with local references, proven experience, transparent pricing, and clear communication. Verify insurance and bonding before hiring.

Will a remodel increase home value?

Yes. Quality remodels typically recoup 50 to 80% of costs at resale. More importantly, they dramatically improve your daily living experience and home comfort.

Kitchen Remodeling

Planning a Kitchen Remodel: Your Complete Checklist

The order to make decisions in, so that nothing has to be unpicked later. This is the sequence that keeps kitchen projects on schedule.

By Mastaba Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling Updated 22 September 2026 8 min read

Kitchen projects rarely go wrong during construction. They go wrong during planning, and the failure mode is almost always the same: a decision made late that invalidates a decision made early. Appliances chosen after cabinets are ordered. A hood selected after the duct route is closed up. A sink chosen after the counter is templated.

The sequence below exists to prevent that. It is ordered by dependency rather than by importance, which means some genuinely small decisions come very early because much larger ones rest on them.

n/a

Typical range

Planning: 4 to 8 weeks

Typical timeline

Yes

Permit needed

The order to decide things in

Establish the budget range and the contingency. Before design. A ten to fifteen percent contingency on an older house is realistic rather than pessimistic.
Decide whether walls move. This is structural and it governs everything else, including whether you need engineering and a longer permit review.
Fix the layout and the appliance positions. Not the models yet, the positions. Where the sink, range, refrigerator and dishwasher sit determines the plumbing, gas and electrical rough-in.
Select the actual appliances. Before cabinets are ordered, without exception. Cabinet dimensions are built around specific appliance measurements.
Confirm the hood and its duct route. A hood that cannot be vented where the range is going forces a layout change. Settle it now.
Choose cabinetry and order it. Six to ten week lead times, longer for custom. Ordering starts the clock on the whole project.
Select the countertop material. Before demolition, because slab selection and lead time matter, though templating happens after cabinets are installed.
Choose flooring, tile, lighting and hardware. These can run in parallel with the cabinet lead time.
File the permit. In parallel with cabinet lead time, not after it.
Plan the temporary kitchen. Refrigerator, microwave, kettle and a sink somewhere. You will be using it for two to three months.

Mistakes we see most often

Starting demolition before the cabinets are ordered and a delivery date is confirmed. The house then sits without a kitchen for the lead time.
Choosing appliances last. It is the single most common cause of modified or reordered cabinetry.
Leaving the hood to the installer. Duct routing is a design decision.
No contingency in an older house. Something will be found behind the plaster.

What this means in the Capital Region

For older Capital Region homes there is one extra planning item worth adding near the front of the list: have the electrical panel assessed. A modern kitchen needs several dedicated circuits, and a 100 amp panel in a house from the 1950s frequently cannot carry them. Finding that out at rough-in adds cost and time; finding it out during planning simply adds a line to the budget.

The second local item is the permit timeline, which varies meaningfully between municipalities in this region. Filing early and in parallel with the cabinet lead time rather than after it is the difference between the permit being a non-event and being the thing everyone is waiting on.

Want this priced for your own home? Jeffrey Mason will walk the project and give you a free written estimate. No obligation, no sales rep. Call (518) 308-6427.

Frequently asked questions

How far ahead should I start planning?

Four to eight weeks of planning before anything is ordered, then six to ten weeks of cabinet lead time, then nine to fifteen weeks on site. Around six months from first conversation to finished kitchen.

What decision do people most often get wrong?

Choosing appliances after ordering cabinets. Cabinet dimensions are built around specific appliance measurements, and a late change means modified or reordered cabinetry.

How much contingency should I hold?

Ten percent in a house built after about 1970, fifteen percent in an older one. In older Capital Region housing something is usually found behind the plaster.

When should I file the permit?

While the cabinets are being built, not after they arrive. It costs nothing to run the two in parallel and it removes the permit from the critical path.

Related guides

Related kitchen remodeling guides

Stop reading, start planning

Want this priced for your home?

Jeffrey Mason will walk your project and give you a free written estimate. No obligation, no sales rep.

Call (518) 308-6427