Kitchen Remodeling in Somerville, MA
Homeowners in Somerville live mostly in two-family and triple-decker houses with one kitchen stacked directly above another, and their kitchens have usually outlived the original layout. Recent projects have taken us to Davis Square and Union Square; wherever you are in town, the estimate starts with a visit, not a guess.
Whether you need a full kitchen remodel, custom cabinets or a new countertop, one crew handles design, permits and construction. Call (617) 331-2961 for a free visit.
Why Somerville Homeowners Call RS Kitchen Remodeling
Somerville is triple-decker country, and stacked units shape every decision: the drain stack you see in your kitchen also serves the unit above, the floor joists are often notched from a century of plumbing changes, and the back porch is usually your only route for cabinets. Since the Green Line extension opened, many owners near Ball Square and Union Square are finishing kitchens before renting or selling a unit.
Whether your house is near Davis Square or out in Teele Square, the same project lead runs your job from the first visit to the final inspection. In Winter Hill and Ball Square we have learned which streets need a parking permit for the dumpster and which allow a driveway drop.
- Dust walls, floor protection and daily cleanup
- Licensed electricians and plumbers pulling their own permits
- Lead-safe work practices in homes built before 1978
- Change orders only with your signature
Common Projects
What Somerville Kitchens Usually Need
Kitchen Services in Somerville
Permits and Planning in Somerville
Somerville’s Inspectional Services Division issues the building permit — under state law a licensed construction supervisor must hold it whenever a wall, beam or joist is touched — and the city schedules its own rough and final inspections for plumbing and electrical.
Any project that touches structure — a wall, a beam, a joist — needs a licensed construction supervisor on the building permit. Electrical work is permitted and inspected separately, and so are plumbing and gas. We coordinate all three so the rough inspections happen in the right order and the walls can be closed on time.
If your house was built before 1978, there is a good chance there is lead paint on the trim or plaster. Federal rules require lead-safe work practices when we disturb it, and Massachusetts adds its own requirements. We contain the work area, use HEPA vacuums and clean to a standard you can verify.
Read our Massachusetts kitchen permit guide for the full picture.
Kitchen Remodel Cost in Somerville
Expect roughly $26K to $52K for a full kitchen remodel in Somerville. The biggest swing factors are cabinet grade, stone, and whether a wall or plumbing line has to move. Use the cost calculator for a quick range.
Rethinking the Somerville Kitchen Layout
Most Somerville triple-decker kitchens are the room you walk through to reach the back porch, with a door at each end and the chimney chase cutting into one corner. That leaves two short walls for cabinets. We often close the hallway door, move the entry a few feet, and turn the room into an L-shape with continuous counter; where the chimney is no longer in use, we work with the owner and the other units to decide whether the chase can be reduced.
We test the layout against how you actually cook: where groceries land, where the trash goes, who unloads the dishwasher. In Somerville homes, small moves such as shifting a doorway 18 inches or turning the refrigerator often fix more than knocking out a wall.
Somerville Neighborhood Notes
What works in one corner of Somerville may not suit another. These are the differences we plan for:
What a Typical Somerville Project Includes
Every kitchen is different, but this is the scope we build most often in Somerville. Your estimate lists each item separately, so you can see where the money goes and what is optional.
- Coordination with the other owners for the stack and water shutoffs
- Floor leveled by sistering or shimming sagging joists
- Hallway door closed to create an L-shaped kitchen
- Cast-iron drain replaced to the next sound joint
- Sound insulation in the ceiling below the unit above
- Cabinets sized to pass the back-stair turn
Where a $39K Somerville Budget Goes
| Category | Share | Approx. |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinets & hardware | 32% | $12K |
| Labor & installation | 22% | $9K |
| Electrical & plumbing | 13% | $5K |
| Countertops & backsplash | 12% | $5K |
| Appliances | 12% | $5K |
| Flooring, lighting, permits & disposal | 9% | $4K |
Shares are typical for a mid-range full remodel in Somerville; older houses spend more on electrical and plumbing.
Choosing Finishes for Somerville Homes
Somerville kitchens get a lot of wear, so we steer clients toward durable choices: quartz counters, plywood boxes, luxury vinyl plank or tile floors, and painted doors with a factory finish rather than site-painted cabinets.
We guide Somerville clients toward materials that age well: quartz or quartzite where counters get hard use, factory-finished painted cabinets rather than site-painted ones, and porcelain tile or engineered flooring near the sink and dishwasher.
How Your Somerville Remodel Runs
Full details: kitchen remodel timeline.
Kitchen Trends in Somerville (2026)
These are the requests we hear most often from Somerville homeowners this year:
- Durable flooring — porcelain tile and engineered wood that cope with New England winters and wet boots near the back door.
- Induction cooking — fast, precise and cooler in summer; especially popular in Somerville as more households electrify.
- Two-tone cabinetry — light perimeter cabinets with a deeper island color, a look that suits the 1890s–1920s homes we see in Davis Square.
- Full-height storage — cabinets to the ceiling and tall pantries replacing soffits, a big gain in smaller Somerville kitchens.
- Warm wood tones — white oak and walnut returning on islands, shelving and range hoods in Somerville remodels.
Whether you remodel for yourself or for a future sale, a well-planned kitchen adds value in Somerville. Buyers expect quartz or stone counters, modern lighting and good storage; meeting those expectations protects your home’s price, while over-customizing can limit appeal.
Preparing for Your Estimate
To get the most from the first visit, jot down how your household uses the kitchen — who cooks, how often, where people sit — and collect a few photos of styles you like. Note any problems you already know about, such as a slow drain or a breaker that trips. In older Somerville homes, that history helps us price the hidden work accurately.
Somerville Homeowners Ask
Kitchen Remodeling Somerville FAQ
Get a Written Estimate
Tell us a little about your kitchen. We will call to set up a visit, measure the room, look at the plumbing and wiring that affect the price, and send you a written estimate.
- No-cost in-home visit anywhere in Central MA or Greater Boston
- Written scope and price before you commit
- Design drawings you can keep
Request a Free Estimate
A designer will call you back within one business day.