Serving Mercer Island from Renton
Kitchen Remodeling on Mercer Island
Mercer Island kitchens are usually larger projects than their square footage suggests, because a mid-century kitchen being opened up takes the rooms either side of it with it.
Kitchens That Take the Next Room With Them
Mercer Island has a lot of mid-century housing on generous lots, and those kitchens share a characteristic: they are separated from the dining and living space by a wall, because that is how houses were planned when they were built.
Removing that wall is what most Mercer Island remodels are actually about. It is also what turns a kitchen project into a floor-plan project. Once the wall goes, the ceiling has to be made continuous, the flooring has to run through rather than stopping at a doorway, and the lighting in the adjoining room has to make sense alongside the new kitchen. None of that is optional once the decision is made, and all of it belongs in the quote at the start.
Whether the wall can come out at all depends on what it is carrying. If it is structural, a beam replaces it, and where that beam bears has consequences that reach below the floor. That gets established at the consultation.
Where the Money Actually Goes
On a higher-specification kitchen the division of supply matters more than anywhere else, so it is worth stating plainly. A quote from Hunnu Construction covers labour and construction materials: framing, the beam if there is one, waterproofing, wiring inside the wall, mudding and paint.
The cabinets, the stone, the tile, the flooring and the hardware are chosen and supplied by you. On a Mercer Island kitchen those finishes are frequently the larger share of the total, and keeping that decision with the homeowner is deliberate. A contractor supplying the stone is selecting from what his supplier carries, and on a project at this level the difference is not small.
Long counter runs and substantial islands bring one more decision with them. Stone comes in finite slab sizes, so more than one slab means a seam, and where that seam falls is settled before anything is cut rather than left to the fabricator's convenience.
One Project at a Time, Which Matters More Here
A larger renovation is exactly the kind of job that gets run in parallel with two others by companies that work that way. The crew arrives at eight, leaves at noon for somebody else's house, and a three-month job becomes six.
Only one project runs at a time here, and the owner is on site most days rather than visiting on Fridays. On a job that involves a structural beam, a reconfigured floor plan and finishes you have chosen and paid for yourself, having the person responsible standing in the room when a decision is needed is most of what you are buying.
The consultation is free and carries no obligation. Payment is cash or check, and there is a one-year written warranty on our labour, written into the contract before you sign it.
Protecting the Rest of the House
A project that opens a kitchen into a living space generates dust through a larger part of the house than a contained kitchen job does, and on Mercer Island that frequently means working around finishes elsewhere that are worth protecting.
So the route in and out gets agreed before the first day, with floor protection along it and sheeting across the openings that are not being worked on. Where there is a staircase or a hardwood hallway on the route, that is covered rather than swept afterwards.
It is a small thing to describe and it is one of the more common complaints homeowners have about this trade, which is why it is said here rather than assumed.
The Full Kitchen Remodeling Service
Mercer Island sits a short run north of the Renton base, up I-405 and west across I-90. For the complete picture of kitchen remodeling from first measurement to final walkthrough, including full renovations and the four single-trade services, see the main kitchen remodeling page.
Mercer Island Kitchen Remodeling Questions
- Why do these projects tend to grow?
- Because a mid-century kitchen is usually separated from the dining and living space by a wall, and taking that wall out is most of what makes the house feel modern. Once it goes, the ceiling, the flooring and the lighting in the adjoining room are all in scope whether or not they started there.
- How is scope creep handled?
- By putting it in the quote rather than discovering it. If removing a wall means the flooring has to run through to the far side of the next room, that is in the scope and the price from the start, not raised in week three.
- I am supplying high-end finishes. How does that affect the quote?
- It does not change the labour much and it changes your total a great deal, because the quote covers labour and construction materials while the cabinets, stone, tile, flooring and hardware are yours to choose and supply. On a high-specification kitchen that is the larger half of the budget, so it is worth being clear about early.
- Will a long island need more than one slab?
- Usually, and that means a seam. Where it falls gets decided before anything is cut, away from the sink and out of the middle of the island.
- How close are you?
- A short drive north, up I-405 and west across I-90. The business is based in Renton and has worked across this area since 2018.
- Do you take on a single trade here as well?
- Yes. A countertop, a cabinet installation, a floor or a backsplash all run as standalone jobs, and in a house where the layout already works that is often the sensible scope.
- How is the rest of the house protected?
- The route in and out gets agreed before the first day, with floor protection along it and sheeting across the openings not being worked on. On a job that opens a kitchen into a living space the dust travels further than people expect.
Start a Kitchen Remodel on Mercer Island
Call to talk through your project, or send a few details below and Hunnu Construction will follow up to schedule a design consultation.
Free in-home consultation · no obligation