Kitchen remodeling in the Salt Lake area, from refresh to new layout

Refresh, full remodel or new layout

Most kitchen projects land in one of four levels. Knowing yours makes the first talk with a remodeler more useful.

What a kitchen remodel costs in Salt Lake

The most detailed local figures come from the 2025 Cost vs Value report, which prices set recipes as full contractor jobs. They're planning numbers, not quotes.

The minor recipe keeps the cabinet boxes in a 200 square foot kitchen, with new shaker style fronts, appliances and counters³. The midrange major recipe adds 30 linear feet of semi custom cabinets and an island⁴. More in the Salt Lake cost guide.

Layouts and the clearances that make them work

Most kitchens are a galley (two facing runs), an L shaped corner or a U shaped room with three walls of cabinets. Many add an island: 58% of renovating homeowners add or update one¹. Check any plan against the National Kitchen & Bath Association's guidelines⁵:

• Work aisles at least 42 inches wide for one cook, 48 inches for two or more.
• Walkways at least 36 inches wide.
• Sink, cooktop and refrigerator no more than 26 feet apart in total, each leg 4 to 9 feet.
• Behind island seating, 36 inches to edge past and 44 inches to walk past.

If an island would squeeze an aisle below those numbers, ask the remodeler to sketch a peninsula instead.

What's different about remodeling a Salt Lake home

Mostly, age. Salt Lake City's median home was built in 1965, and about two thirds went up before 1980⁶. In Millcreek, the 1950s were the biggest building decade⁷.

• Lead paint. Homes built before 1978 likely contain lead based paint⁸. Utah runs its own EPA authorized program⁹, and paid firms that disturb that paint must be certified¹⁰.
• Permits. In Salt Lake City, removing walls or altering plumbing, electrical or HVAC usually needs a permit. Painting and flooring don't¹¹.
• Gas ranges. The gas utility, once Questar Gas, now does business as Enbridge Gas Utah¹². Even on a small handyman job, gas appliance and gas piping work needs someone with Utah gas certification¹³.
• Hard water. Salt Lake City's 2025 water report lists about 7 to over 28 grains per gallon, by source¹⁴. Ask about faucet finishes and whether a softener belongs in the plan.

Basement kitchens and Utah's internal ADU law

Thinking about a second kitchen downstairs? In residential zones, Utah law makes one internal accessory dwelling unit in an owner occupied single family home a permitted use, if it meets building, health and fire codes¹⁵. Cities may still require a rental permit or bar internal units on lots of 6,000 square feet or less¹⁵.

Salt Lake City's ADU handbook lists basement conversions and sets no maximum size for internal units¹⁶. New plumbing and electrical mean a permit¹¹.

How long a kitchen remodel takes

Planning usually takes longer than building. Houzz users report about 9.5 months of planning and 5.8 months of construction for kitchens¹⁷. Fixr puts the work on a full remodel at about 6 to 12 weeks, with permits taking a week or two¹⁸.

Cabinets often set the pace: stock in 1 to 2 weeks, semi custom in 4 to 8 weeks, custom in 3 to 6 months or more¹⁸. Ask when your cabinets would be ordered.

Check the license and get it in writing

Look up any remodeler on DOPL's online Licensee Lookup & Verification System before you sign¹⁹. Without a license, a handyman can only take jobs under $7,000 in total¹³, and most kitchen remodels run well past that.

Get the estimate and contract in writing. A Utah contractor's contract must tell you how to stay protected from liens²⁰, and DOPL offers an optional Residential Construction Agreement to compare against²¹.

What happens after you send the form

1. We check that the remodeler's Utah license is active and pass your request to that one independent remodeler who serves your area.
2. The remodeler calls to talk it through and set up an in home visit.
3. You get a free written estimate with no obligation. If you go ahead, the remodeler signs the contract, pulls permits and does the work.

Read more about how this works.