Elusive Construction logo Elusive ConstructionLic #1112902
Completed kitchen remodel with new cabinetry and appliances in San Jose

Remodeling, By A Builder

Kitchen Remodeling

Most kitchen problems are structural before they're cosmetic. We're a builder, so the walls, the panel and the venting get handled properly — not worked around.

  • Licensed CA General B #1112902
  • Fully Insured
  • Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties
Home  /  Services  /  Kitchen Remodeling

The part that isn't the cabinets

A kitchen is where the most trades meet in the smallest space: framing if a wall moves, electrical for the circuits a modern kitchen actually needs, plumbing, and mechanical for the hood. Get the order wrong and you pay twice.

That's why we treat kitchens as building work with finishes on top, not the reverse. If your panel can't carry the load, or the hood needs makeup air, you'll hear it at proposal — not at inspection.

Scope

What a kitchen remodel involves

Layout & structure

If a wall comes out, whether it's load-bearing and what carries the load instead — with engineering where required.

Electrical capacity

Modern kitchens need circuits older homes never had. We check the panel before pricing, not after.

Plumbing & gas

Relocations done properly and inspected, not fished through and hoped for.

Ventilation

Real exterior venting. California requires makeup air above 400 CFM — that's mechanical work and it belongs in the plan.

Cabinetry & counters

Installed level and true to a floor and wall that were made straight first.

Finishes & walkthrough

Flooring, tile, paint and fixtures, then a punch list walked together.

Common Questions

Straight answers

What does a kitchen remodel cost in San Jose?
A typical kitchen runs $24,000–$45,000. Genuinely high-end work — moving walls, structural changes, top-tier cabinetry and appliances — runs $65,000–$120,000+, but that is the top of the market rather than the middle of it. Bay Area pricing sits above national averages. We publish these so you can rule us in or out before anyone spends time on a site visit.
Can you move a wall to open up the kitchen?
Usually — but whether it's load-bearing changes the price meaningfully, because something has to carry that load instead. We determine that before quoting rather than discovering it after demolition.
Do you supply the cabinets?
We can, or we'll install what you've bought. What we won't do is design your kitchen with you — we're a builder. If you want a designer, we'll say so.
Are you licensed, bonded and insured?
Yes — California General Building (B) license #1112902, a $25,000 contractor bond, and an active workers' compensation policy with The Hartford. Verify the license on the CSLB registry. Certificates of insurance are available on request.
Do you handle the design?
We build your vision — we're not designing the place with you. If you already have plans, we price and build from them. If you need real design work, you need a designer, and we'll say so up front rather than three weeks in.
How do allowances work?
An allowance covers work nobody can honestly price until something is opened up. Those are billed at actual cost, and whatever isn't spent comes off your final invoice. We'd rather show you the unknowns than bury them in a padded fixed price.

Service Area

Where we build

Permit process, plan check and utility requirements change at every city line. Each page covers what's actually true where you're building.

Tell us about your project

Book a 30-minute discovery call and we'll tell you what's realistic — scope, budget and timeline — whether or not we're the right builder for it.