Condo Kitchen Remodel

A Kitchen Designed for the Building It Sits In

A condo kitchen shares more than a wall. It shares a drain stack with the homes above and below, a floor assembly with the ceiling under it, an exterior wall the association maintains, and often an electrical service sized for the building rather than for your appliance wish list. Good condo kitchen design starts with those shared parts and works inward, which is the opposite of how most showroom design conversations go.

This page covers the remodel itself. The approval paperwork that comes before it has its own page, HOA approval and permit packages, because in Irvine it is usually a job in its own right.

The Four Things That Decide a Condo Layout

Where the drain can go

In a stacked building the sink drain ties into a vertical stack that serves several units. Keeping the sink within a few feet of its current position is normally simple. Moving it across the room, or out to an island, means a new horizontal run with enough slope, a vent that works, and in some buildings access through a neighbor’s ceiling or a concrete slab. Some associations approve that with engineering. Some do not approve it at all. We find out which before you design around an island sink.

What the floor sits on

Tile and hard surface floors transmit footfall noise to the unit below far more than carpet or the original sheet vinyl. Many Irvine associations address this in their architectural guidelines with an underlayment requirement. It adds a little height and cost, and it affects how the cabinets and dishwasher are set, so it belongs in the plan from day one.

Where the air goes

A recirculating hood filters grease and returns the rest of the steam to the room. Ducting outside works far better, but in a condo that means a new opening in an exterior wall or roof, which is almost always an association decision. When a duct route is not possible we size a recirculating unit honestly and tell you what it will and will not do. A hood that captures well starts at least as wide as the cooktop, and larger hoods over about 400 CFM can raise make up air questions that are harder to solve in a sealed unit.

How much power the unit has

Older condo panels were sized for a gas or small electric range and a refrigerator. Induction cooktops, a built in microwave and a wine fridge on dedicated circuits can exceed that. We check panel capacity early. Adding circuits needs a City of Irvine permit and inspection, with GFCI protection at counter outlets and AFCI protection where the code calls for it.

Cabinets and Counters That Suit a Smaller Room

Condo kitchens are often galleys or L shapes with limited wall. Frameless cabinets give a little more usable interior width per box, and full extension drawers in the base cabinets make deep corners and low shelves reachable. Plywood boxes hold up better than particleboard under a sink, which is exactly where older condo cabinets fail first.

Where two people cook, an aisle of 42 to 48 inches is comfortable. A galley narrower than that still works for one cook, and we would rather keep a sensible aisle than squeeze in a peninsula that makes the dishwasher door hit the opposite cabinet.

For counters, quartz is the common choice because it needs no sealing. Porcelain slab is thinner and lighter, which matters in buildings with elevators and tight hallways, since a slab has to reach your door in one piece.

Title 24 Lighting

California’s energy code applies to new kitchen lighting in a remodel. In practice that means high efficacy fixtures and the right controls. Under cabinet LED strips and recessed fixtures planned together light the counters without glare, and the inspector sees what the plan showed.

Refacing Instead of Replacing

Plenty of 1980s condos in Woodbridge and University Park still have solid oak cabinet boxes that are square and dry. New doors, drawer fronts, soft close hinges and hardware on those boxes can change the room for much less money. Refacing usually involves no plumbing, electrical or wall change, so many associations treat it as a simpler review, and you keep a working kitchen for most of the job.

Call (949) 360-3742 to walk your unit with us.