Kitchen Remodeling
Chicago
From design-assist to detailed craftsmanship — cabinets, countertops, lighting, and plumbing integrated seamlessly into your vision.
Chicago's Trusted
Kitchen Remodeling Contractor
A kitchen remodel is one of the highest-impact investments you can make in your home. At Lee & Sam, a licensed general contractor serving Chicago, the suburbs, and Northwest Indiana, we treat every kitchen project with the same care and precision we'd want for our own homes — from the first design conversation to the final walkthrough.
Our team brings 25+ years of hands-on construction expertise to every kitchen project. We manage permits, coordinate all trades, and keep you informed at every stage with weekly photo updates. No surprises, no runaround.
Serving all 55 Chicago neighborhoods — from Lincoln Park to Hyde Park — plus the North Shore, Western and South suburbs, and Northwest Indiana.
We self-perform our core trades. Carpentry, cabinetry, tile, flooring, and finish work are done by our own crews — not handed to whichever sub is available that week. Licensed electrical and plumbing are performed by licensed tradespeople as Chicago code requires, and we coordinate them directly rather than through a layer of middlemen. That structure is why our numbers come in where they do: firms that subcontract every trade or carry design-build overhead typically quote 30–50% above these ranges for the same kitchen, because every hand-off has a margin attached to it.
Sequencing is what keeps a kitchen on schedule. The order is not flexible: demo, then rough-in inspections for any relocated plumbing and electrical, then drywall and paint, then flooring, then cabinets, then countertop templating, then fabrication, then fixtures and appliances. Cabinets cannot be set before the floor is in; slabs cannot be templated before cabinets are level; the final electrical trim cannot pass inspection before the fixtures are hung. When one trade slips, everything behind it slides — which is why a general contractor who controls the schedule is worth more than the sum of the trades. And for anything that triggers a permit — moving plumbing, altering electrical, taking out a wall — the city requires a licensed general contractor to pull it. We hold City of Chicago GC License TGC132820, so permits, inspections, and the inspector conversations are ours to manage, not yours.
Everything Your Kitchen
Project Needs
Cabinet Installation
We install stock, semi-custom, and custom cabinetry — and in Chicago that means scribing to walls that are rarely plumb and floors that are rarely level. In a century-old bungalow or greystone, a cabinet run that would drop straight in on new construction takes hours of shimming and scribe-fitting to sit true. We self-perform this work rather than subbing it out, because the fit is what separates a kitchen that looks built-in from one that looks installed. Semi-custom lines run 4–8 weeks lead time, so cabinets get ordered early — a late cabinet order is the single most common cause of a stalled kitchen.
Countertops
Quartz, granite, marble, butcher block. The part that catches people out is sequencing: slabs cannot be templated until cabinets are set and level, then fabrication runs another one to two weeks. That gap is real, and we plan for it with a temporary work surface rather than pretending it does not exist. We coordinate templating and fabrication directly with the shop, so if a seam placement or an overhang needs to change, the conversation happens before the slab is cut instead of after.
Lighting Design
Recessed, under-cabinet, pendant, and statement fixtures — installed by licensed electricians, which in Chicago is not optional. The city requires electrical work to be performed by a licensed electrician, and kitchen circuits are the most heavily code-governed in the house: dedicated appliance circuits, GFCI protection, and modern load requirements a 1920s panel was never built for. In older housing stock we frequently find knob-and-tube that cannot legally be extended, which means running new circuits back to the panel and sometimes upgrading the panel itself. We flag that possibility during the walkthrough rather than discovering it as a change order.
Plumbing
Sinks, faucets, dishwasher hookups, and full relocations — performed by licensed plumbers, as Chicago code requires. Relocating a sink is where building type decides the cost: in a two-flat or three-flat, your waste line is a shared stack with the units above, so moving it means opening that stack and coordinating a water shutoff that affects your neighbors. In a concrete condo building, moving drain lines means core-drilling or a raised floor. In a single-family with a full basement, the same move is straightforward. We tell you which situation you are in before you fall in love with a layout that costs three times what you expected.
Flooring
Tile, hardwood, and LVP over properly prepared subfloor — and in pre-war Chicago homes the prep is the job. Floors that have settled over a century need leveling compound or sistered joists before tile goes down, because tile laid over a deflecting subfloor cracks at the grout lines within a season. We self-perform tile and flooring, so the crew doing the prep is the crew accountable for the finish. It is slower than skipping the prep. It is also why the floor is still tight in year ten.
Permits & Inspections
We pull and manage all City of Chicago permits, schedule inspections, and meet the inspectors on site. Moving plumbing, altering electrical, or removing a wall triggers a permit — cosmetic work generally does not. As a licensed general contractor (City of Chicago GC License TGC132820), we can pull those permits directly; unlicensed operators cannot, which is why the ones who suggest skipping permits are transferring risk onto you rather than saving you money. Unpermitted kitchen work surfaces at resale, complicates insurance claims, and in the worst case has to be opened back up for inspection after it is finished.
What a Kitchen Remodel
Costs in Chicago
Paint, hardware, new countertops, backsplash, lighting, and appliances — keeping the existing cabinet boxes and footprint. The highest-ROI tier for rentals and pre-sale updates.
New cabinetry, quartz counters, tile backsplash, flooring, lighting, and appliances — a complete transformation within the existing layout. Most Chicago kitchens land in this tier.
Structural wall removal with an engineered beam, relocated plumbing and electrical, and a rebuilt-from-studs kitchen open to the living space. The move that transforms Chicago two-flats and greystones.
Permits are part of the real number: a same-footprint remodel usually qualifies for Chicago’s Easy Permit Process at a few hundred dollars, while opening a structural wall means standard plan review — typically $500–$2,000 in city fees plus architectural drawings. We handle all of it, and every estimate is a written line-item scope with explicit allowances. See the tier logic applied to a real building in our West Englewood gut rehab.
Our Kitchen Remodeling
Process
Consultation
We walk your kitchen, discuss your goals, style preferences, and budget — then map out a realistic scope and timeline.
Design & Estimate
You receive a detailed line-item estimate with material selections, fixture allowances, and a clear project timeline.
Demolition & Build
Our crew handles demo, rough-in work, and all trades in the right sequence — keeping your project on schedule every day.
Final Walkthrough
We review every cabinet, drawer, fixture, and finish together. We don't close out until you're fully satisfied.
Kitchen Remodeling Across
Chicago & Chicagoland
Kitchen Projects
Across Chicago
Kitchen Remodel
FAQs
Have more questions? We're happy to talk through your project in detail.
Call Us NowMost kitchen remodels take 4–8 weeks from demo to final walkthrough, depending on scope, custom cabinetry lead times, and permitting timelines.
Yes — most clients stay in their homes. We set up a temporary kitchen area, maintain a clean job site daily, and schedule noisy work during reasonable hours.
Yes. We handle all City of Chicago permitting, inspections, and coordination. You never have to deal with the city directly.
Most Chicago kitchens land between $8,000 and $95,000 depending on tier: a basic refresh ($8K–$20K), a full remodel ($20K–$50K), or a gut-level open-concept rebuild ($50K–$95K). The full tier-by-tier breakdown, including permit costs, is in the pricing section above. For a deeper breakdown — cost per square foot, how condo and two-flat rules change the number, and what is not in a typical bid — read our guide to what a kitchen remodel really costs in Chicago.
Yes — we work with Hearth financing to offer clients flexible payment options. Ask us about pre-qualification during your consultation.
Ready to Start Your
Kitchen Remodel?
Get a free, detailed estimate from Chicago's trusted kitchen remodeling contractor.