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Woodhouse Builders LLC
Kitchen Remodeling: New Builds to Full Gut Renovations

Portland Local

Kitchen Remodeling: New Builds to Full Gut Renovations

Scotty Woodhouse handles every phase himself, so nothing gets lost between trades.

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Kitchen Remodels Done Right in Greater Maine

A kitchen remodel is the single biggest investment most homeowners make inside the house, and the contractor you hire determines whether it adds value or creates headaches for years. Woodhouse Builders LLC handles kitchen renovations from the initial demo through final trim work, with Scotty Woodhouse on the job himself rather than a rotating crew of subcontractors. If you're planning a kitchen remodel and want one person to hold accountable from start to finish, call (207) 544-3126.

What drives cost on a kitchen remodel is scope and condition. A cosmetic refresh with new cabinet fronts, a fresh tile installation, and updated flooring sits on one end of the range. A full gut renovation on a 1920s Maine home, where you're moving walls, relocating plumbing and electrical, and starting from bare studs, sits on the other end entirely. Most kitchen projects fall somewhere across a wide range depending on square footage, material selections, structural surprises behind the walls, and finish level. Every job is different, contact Woodhouse Builders LLC for an accurate estimate.

What a Kitchen Remodel Actually Covers

Scope varies widely. Here's what Woodhouse Builders handles under one contract.

01

Demo and Structural Work

Removing old cabinets, counters, and flooring correctly matters more than most people realize. Rushing demo damages the subfloor or sheathing and creates problems the finished kitchen will hide. If walls are moving or a load-bearing beam is involved, that gets addressed before anything else goes in.

02

Cabinet Installation

Stock, semi-custom, or custom, it doesn't matter. The installation is what determines whether they're plumb, level, and solid twenty years later. Out-of-level walls and floors are common in older Maine homes. A good cabinet installer accounts for that. A fast one doesn't.

03

Countertop and Tile Work

Countertop selection affects the scope of the plumbing rough-in and the backsplash layout. Woodhouse Builders handles the tile work so the design reads as a single finished project rather than three separate sub-jobs that never quite line up.

04

Flooring

Kitchens take more abuse than any other floor in the house. Material selection matters here, and so does the condition of the subfloor underneath. Soft spots, squeaks, or an uneven surface have to be fixed before new flooring goes down, not after.

05

Finish Carpentry and Trim

Crown molding, toe kicks, filler strips, and door casings are where a kitchen either looks finished or looks rushed. This is the work that separates a remodel done by someone who cares about the craft from one done by whoever showed up cheapest. Scotty's carpentry work is the last thing a homeowner sees.

06

Drywall and Paint Prep

Moving anything behind the walls means drywall repair before the finish work starts. Patched walls that show through paint are a sign the contractor handed off that phase to someone who wasn't paying attention. We don't do that.

How It Works

From First Call to Finished Kitchen

Three phases, one contractor, no shuffling between trades.

  1. 01

    Estimate and Scope

    Scotty walks the kitchen, listens to what you want, and gives you an honest read on what the job involves. No pressure. No invented problems. If there are structural unknowns behind the walls, he'll tell you that before you sign anything.

  2. 02

    Demo and Rough Work

    Old materials come out, structural changes get made, and any plumbing or electrical rough-in happens before the first cabinet goes in. Skipping or rushing this phase is exactly how a beautiful kitchen develops problems inside the first two years.

  3. 03

    Installation and Finish

    Cabinets, countertops, tile, flooring, and trim all go in with the same craftsman overseeing every step. The kitchen is done when every piece is right, not just when the schedule says it's done.

Before You Hire Anyone

Questions Worth Asking Any Kitchen Contractor

  1. 01

    Who is actually doing the work?

    Some contractors sell the job and then hand it to subs you've never met. Scotty Woodhouse is the builder, not a sales rep. You're hiring the person, not a company that dispatches whoever's available.

  2. 02

    What happens if there are surprises behind the walls?

    Older Maine homes have them. Knob-and-tube wiring. Undersized joists. Rotted subfloor from a leak nobody caught. A contractor who can't give you a straight answer about how change orders work isn't someone you want discovering those surprises mid-job.

  3. 03

    What does the timeline actually look like?

    A kitchen is the most disruptive room to have out of service. Any contractor who won't give you a realistic schedule range before you sign should be a signal. Honest timelines protect both sides of the project.

Older Homes Need a Different Approach

A lot of the housing stock throughout greater Maine is old. That's part of what makes these homes worth owning. It also means a kitchen remodel isn't always as straightforward as it looks on paper. Behind walls that haven't been opened since the 1940s or 1960s, you'll find plumbing that predates modern supply line standards, electrical that can't support a contemporary kitchen's load, and framing that wasn't built to the dimensions modern cabinets expect. None of that is a reason not to do the project. But it is a reason to work with a general contractor who's seen it before and knows how to handle it without turning a three-week job into a three-month one. Woodhouse Builders has worked through the kind of surprises that derail less experienced crews. The work gets done on time and within budget because the scope is understood honestly at the start, not discovered mid-demo.
Home renovations

Kitchen Remodeling Questions

What's the difference between a kitchen remodel and a kitchen renovation?
A renovation updates what's already there. New paint, new hardware, refaced cabinets. A remodel changes the layout, structure, or systems. Moving a sink means moving plumbing. Removing a wall between the kitchen and dining room may mean removing a load-bearing element. Remodeling is more involved, more disruptive, and more expensive than renovating, but the result is a kitchen that actually works the way you want it to, not just a cleaner version of the old one.
Do I need a permit to remodel my kitchen in Maine?
It depends on what's changing. Cosmetic work, cabinet swaps, and countertop replacements typically don't require a permit. Moving plumbing, relocating electrical panels or circuits, or taking down walls that affect the structure almost always do. Pulling the right permits isn't optional. Work done without required permits can create real problems when you sell the house or make a claim. Scotty handles permit requirements as part of the project, not as an afterthought.
How long does a kitchen remodel take from demo to finish?
A cosmetic refresh on a kitchen with no structural changes can take a few weeks. A full gut renovation involving new layout, plumbing relocation, and custom cabinetry can take six to ten weeks or longer depending on material lead times and what turns up during demo. The honest answer is that it depends on scope and what the walls are hiding. Scotty gives you a realistic timeline at the estimate stage, not a number designed to win the job.
Can the kitchen layout be changed, or is it easier to keep things where they are?
Layout changes are possible in most kitchens. Moving the sink means relocating the drain and supply lines, which is real plumbing work. Moving the range may affect venting. Relocating a refrigerator often means electrical changes. None of it is unreasonable, but each move has a cost. The right question isn't whether it can be done. It's whether the layout change is worth the added scope for how you actually use the kitchen.
What causes kitchen remodels to go over budget?
Three things account for most overruns: structural surprises behind the walls that weren't visible at the estimate stage, material upgrades chosen mid-project, and scope creep where the project expands as the homeowner sees what's possible. The first is managed by an experienced contractor who budgets honestly for unknowns. The second and third are managed by clear communication before anything is ordered. Change orders should never be a surprise on either side.
What should I look for in the finish carpentry on a kitchen remodel?
Look at the corners. Look at the seams where the cabinet faces meet the wall and where the crown molding meets the ceiling. These are the places where rushed work shows. Gaps filled with caulk instead of cut correctly, toe kicks that don't sit flush, filler strips that aren't painted to match because they weren't primed first. Good carpentry work is invisible. The only thing you notice is that everything fits.

Where Woodhouse Builders Works

Woodhouse Builders handles kitchen remodels throughout greater Maine. Nearby areas we serve regularly include:

Ready to Start Your Kitchen Remodel?

Scotty Woodhouse is available every day, any time. Call and get a straight answer about your project.

Call now (207) 544-3126 Call Scotty Now

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