Kitchen Remodeling in Pasadena, CA

We remodel kitchens in Pasadena and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley, and we have been doing it under the same ownership since 1998. Our license is CSLB #992200, Class B General Building, active and bonded. You can verify it yourself at cslb.ca.gov before you ever call us, and we would encourage you to do that with any contractor you are considering.

Most of the kitchens we work on sit in houses built between 1900 and 1960. That means galley layouts, load-bearing walls where you do not want them, early cloth-wrapped wiring, cast iron drain lines, and subfloor that is no longer level. A kitchen remodel in a 1922 Pasadena bungalow is a fundamentally different job from one in a 2005 tract house in Duarte, and the difference shows up in both the schedule and the budget.

WHAT A KITCHEN REMODEL COSTS IN PASADENA

Kitchen pricing is driven by four things, roughly in this order: whether you are moving plumbing and gas, the cabinet package, the countertop material, and whether you are touching structure. Everything else is noise around the edges. The ranges below reflect published 2026 pricing for Los Angeles area general contractors. They are planning ranges, not a quote.

Refresh, same layout and same cabinet boxes. Cabinet refacing or repaint, new counters, new sink and faucet, hardware, backsplash, lighting swap and paint. Roughly $15,000 to $30,000.

Standard replacement, same layout with everything new. Stock or entry semi-custom cabinets, quartz or granite, a standard appliance package, new flooring, new lighting, and outlets brought to current code. Roughly $25,000 to $45,000.

Mid-range remodel with minor layout changes. Semi-custom cabinets, quartz, relocating the sink or range within the same wall run, recessed lighting, new subpanel circuits, upgraded appliances, and tile or hardwood floor. Roughly $45,000 to $85,000.

Full remodel with a layout change. Wall removal, an island added, custom or high-end semi-custom cabinets, premium stone, a professional appliance package, plumbing and gas relocated, and new electrical throughout. Roughly $85,000 to $160,000.

Kitchen plus structural expansion. Everything above, plus a bump-out or a wall removal requiring a structural beam, foundation work, or a permitted addition. $160,000 and up.

Los Angeles area kitchen work is commonly quoted between $150 and $700 per square foot depending on tier, which is well above national averages. Labor, permitting and the age of the housing stock are the reasons.

On return: the 2025 Cost vs. Value Report puts a midrange minor kitchen remodel in the Pacific region at $29,728 in job cost, returning 129.1 percent of cost at resale, the highest-returning project in the report. A midrange major kitchen remodel runs $86,480 and returns 57.2 percent. An upscale major kitchen remodel runs $171,950 and returns 38.8 percent. Read that as: the smaller, smarter kitchen project is usually the better financial decision.

WHAT MOVES THE NUMBER MOST

Moving the sink, range or refrigerator. New drain lines in a raised-foundation house are manageable. New drain lines in a slab-on-grade house mean cutting concrete, and that is a different price.

Cabinet grade. Stock, semi-custom and full custom are roughly three price tiers apart, and cabinets are typically 25 to 35 percent of the total budget.

Electrical. California code requires dedicated small-appliance circuits, GFCI and AFCI protection, and specific receptacle spacing. In a house with a 100-amp service and a Zinsco or Federal Pacific panel, a service upgrade becomes a real line item.

What is behind the wall. Galvanized supply lines, unpermitted prior work, dry rot at the sink wall and undersized floor joists are the four surprises we find most often in pre-1950 Pasadena houses. We build a contingency into every proposal and we tell you what it is for.

Historic designation. If your house is a designated landmark or a contributor in one of Pasadena's landmark or National Register districts, exterior changes, including a new window over the sink, can require a Certificate of Appropriateness. Interior kitchen work generally does not.

PERMITS IN PASADENA

City of Pasadena Building and Safety exempts pure finish work, such as tile, paint, cabinets and countertops, from a building permit. Replacing or relocating plumbing fixtures, adding or moving electrical, and installing an exhaust fan all require permits. We pull the permit. Be cautious of any contractor who asks you to pull an owner-builder permit yourself, because it moves the liability onto you.

JOBS WE SPECIALIZE IN

Kitchen remodeling, kitchen additions, custom and semi-custom cabinets, countertops, kitchen tile and flooring, kitchen electrical and lighting, plumbing relocation, open-concept conversions, and Craftsman and bungalow kitchens in Pasadena's historic districts.

OUR WORKMANSHIP WARRANTY

We warranty our workmanship for one year. Manufacturer warranties on materials, fixtures and appliances are separate and come from the manufacturer. 

HOW TO CHECK THAT WE ARE LICENSED

Go to cslb.ca.gov, choose Check a License, and enter 992200. Under California law your down payment on a home improvement contract is capped at the lesser of $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price. Any contractor asking for more than that at signing is not following the law.

INSURANCE, CREWS AND HOURS

We carry general liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage. Ask any contractor for both certificates before work starts. We provide ours on request. A contractor without workers’ compensation means an injury on your property can become your liability.

Our core crew is in-house. Specialty trades, meaning electrical, plumbing and HVAC, are performed by licensed subcontractors we have worked with for years, working under our license, our supervision and our one year workmanship warranty. You get one point of contact and one company accountable for the finished result.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. Estimates are free.

Call (626) 744-0402 for a free in-home estimate. You will get a written, itemized proposal with stated allowances and exclusions, not a single number on a page. We serve Pasadena, Altadena, South Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, La Canada Flintridge, Glendale, Temple City, San Gabriel, Alhambra, Monrovia, Eagle Rock and Duarte.

WHAT PASADENA HOMEOWNERS SAY ABOUT HANDYMAN CONNECTION OF PASADENA

"After a mold remediation project in the kitchen, I was looking for a licensed, insured contractor to restore the perimeter of the dishwasher space, rebuild the interiors of two adjacent base cabinets, and reinstall the dishwasher and garbage disposal. Handyman Connection of Pasadena was just what the doctor ordered!" — Mark T., June 2024, Google, 5 stars

"This time, he did a fantastic job updating our kitchen from a 1950's time capsule to a modern paradise. He did everything from plumbing and electrical to building framing for new cabinets and installing various new pieces of hardware. His work turned out beautifully and will certainly be enjoyed for many years to come!" — Jonathan M., June 2022, Google, 5 stars

"Rudi laid engineered hardwood in two rooms and also finished a tile backsplash. He showed very good attention to detail, going above and beyond to make sure that the floor, moldings, and everything about the job, in a historic house, looked great." — Nancy P., November 2022, Google, 5 stars

Reviews are of Handyman Connection of Pasadena, our parent company, and are reproduced as written from its Google Business Profile.