- Kitchen
Partial vs Full Kitchen Renovation: What Each Scope Includes and Costs
- By QUAY Construction
A partial kitchen renovation keeps the parts of your kitchen that still work, usually the layout, the plumbing, the appliances and some of the cabinets, and replaces the rest. A full kitchen renovation replaces the cabinets, counters, backsplash, lighting and fixtures throughout, and can move plumbing, wiring or walls. The two differ in cost, in time on site and in whether you need a permit. For QUAY’s published price ranges, see our kitchen renovation cost guide; this post explains what each scope actually includes.
Quick answer. Our Moodyville kitchen in North Vancouver is a real partial renovation: new lower cabinet fronts, quartz countertops, a full-height slab backsplash and new lighting, with the layout, upper cabinets and appliances kept. It came in at $24,000 to $28,000 and took 10 days on site. Complete QUAY kitchens commonly start around $40,000 and often fall within a $40,000 to $80,000+ planning range, and most take about 15 working days once construction starts. Larger, highly customized kitchens can exceed $100,000.
Partial vs full kitchen renovation at a glance
Our cost guide groups complete kitchens into three levels: a focused complete renovation, a comprehensive renovation and a highly customized kitchen. A partial renovation sits below all three because it keeps more of what is already there. The table shows what typically changes at each level. Every project is priced on its actual scope.
| Partial renovation | Focused complete renovation | Comprehensive renovation | Highly customized kitchen | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabinets | Boxes and some cabinets kept; new doors and drawer fronts where needed | New cabinets in an efficient layout | New cabinetry throughout | Bespoke cabinetry and custom millwork |
| Counters and backsplash | New counters and backsplash on the kept cabinets | Quartz or similar surfaces | Quartz or premium surfaces and a new backsplash | Premium stone and specialty fabrication |
| Layout | Kept | Largely retained | Often kept; changes add plumbing and electrical work | Layout or structural changes are common |
| Plumbing | Stays where it is | Limited changes | Plumbing upgrades | Relocation where the design needs it |
| Electrical and lighting | New lighting is common | Limited relocation | Electrical and lighting upgrades | Architectural lighting |
| Appliances | Usually kept | Controlled appliance budget | Appliance coordination | Integrated appliances |
| Permit in Vancouver | Usually not, if only cabinets, fixtures and surfaces are replaced | Usually not, unless plumbing, electrical or gas lines move | Needed if plumbing, electrical or gas lines move | Needed when walls or service lines move |
| Typical budget | Moodyville: $24K to $28K | From about $40K | About $60K and up | $80K and up; can exceed $100K |
| Time on site | Moodyville: 10 days | Most complete kitchens: about 15 working days once construction starts | Chartwell: about one month | |
The permit row follows the City of Vancouver, which lists replacing fixtures, cabinets or flooring among work that does not need a permit, and renovations that move interior walls or existing plumbing, electrical or gas lines among work that does, per its when you need a permit page. Other municipalities set their own rules, and condos need strata approval as well. Our kitchen permits page explains how we plan for them.
What a partial kitchen renovation includes
The homeowners in our Moodyville kitchen liked their layout, their upper cabinets and their appliances. What they wanted was a brighter room. So the footprint, the range and the sink stayed where they were, and we changed the rest:
- New lower cabinet doors and drawer fronts in a light woodgrain, with the existing uppers kept
- New cabinets on the back of the peninsula, adding storage facing the dining area without changing the layout
- White quartz countertops replacing black quartz, with a waterfall end on the peninsula
- A full-height white slab backsplash
- Track lighting replaced with recessed pot lights, plus under-cabinet LED strips and a new pendant over the dining table
- New cabinet hardware and an integrated dishwasher panel
Because the layout, plumbing and many cabinets stay, a partial renovation needs less demolition, less rough-in work and less new millwork. That is why this kitchen came in at $24,000 to $28,000 and took 10 days on site, against $40,000 to $80,000+ for a typical complete Vancouver kitchen.
A lighter version: new counters on the existing cabinets
Sometimes even less is enough. In a condo near Science World, the cabinets were in good shape, so we kept them and put about $9,400 before GST into new quartz counters, a backsplash, a sink and a faucet, as part of a larger move-in renovation of the whole suite.
When a partial renovation is the right call
Keeping cabinets only works when the cabinet boxes are structurally sound, any water damage is minor and you are happy with where the sink, range and fridge sit. Our checklist on whether your kitchen cabinets can be saved walks through each check, and our cabinet refacing and refinishing page compares refacing, refinishing, painting and new cabinets.
What a full kitchen renovation includes
A full, or complete, kitchen renovation replaces the kitchen rather than updating it. Many complete QUAY kitchens involve new cabinetry, countertops, lighting, plumbing fixtures, appliances and coordinated construction. Within that, the scope still varies a lot, which is why our cost guide uses three levels.
Focused complete renovation
New cabinets and counters, but the general layout is largely retained, plumbing and electrical changes are limited, the cabinet layout is efficient and product selections are controlled. This is how a complete kitchen stays near the lower end of the range. For reference, our cost guide plans small kitchens of about 100 sq ft or less around $40,000 to $55,000+.
Comprehensive renovation
New cabinetry throughout, quartz or premium surfaces, a new backsplash, plumbing upgrades, and electrical and lighting work. Our Dunbar kitchen is a good example of a full renovation that kept its layout: new cream shaker cabinets, granite counters, a subway tile backsplash, a new sink and hood, a rebuilt pantry wall and cork flooring, all within the original galley. It took about 3 weeks on site, and we estimate it would cost $60,000 to $70,000 to build today. In our Kitsilano house kitchen, we replaced the kitchen with custom maple shaker cabinets and a new island, and carried the cabinetry along the dining wall without moving any walls; it came in at about $70,000 in 2021.
Highly customized kitchen
Bespoke cabinetry, integrated appliances, premium stone, architectural lighting and layout or structural changes. Our Shaughnessy kitchen has fully custom cabinetry, an island with a gas rangetop under an island hood and a custom dry bar; it came in at $70,000 to $80,000 and took 3 weeks on site. At the top end, our Chartwell kitchen in West Vancouver, with custom cabinetry, a curved island, stone countertops and integrated appliances, came in at about $160,000 and took about one month on site.
For every published budget side by side, see what real Vancouver kitchens cost.
Partial or full? Five questions to decide
- Are the cabinet boxes sound? If the sides and bottoms are firm and any water damage is minor, they can stay. Sagging, delaminating boxes or severe damage under the sink point to new cabinets, which means a full renovation.
- Does the layout work? If you want to move the sink, range, fridge or a wall, you are planning a full renovation, and in Vancouver moving walls or plumbing, electrical or gas lines needs a permit.
- Do the appliances stay? Keeping working appliances keeps the cabinet openings as they are. If you want a new appliance package, choose it before the cabinetry is finalized, because appliances affect the cabinets and the electrical and ventilation work around them.
- Is storage the real problem? Some storage can be added without a new layout: Moodyville gained cabinets on the back of its peninsula, and the Kitsilano kitchen gained a long run of drawers along the dining wall. If you need a different arrangement altogether, go full.
- How long can you be without a kitchen? The Moodyville partial renovation took 10 days on site. Most complete kitchens take about 15 working days once construction starts, and highly customized kitchens can take longer.
If your answers to the first four are “yes, keep it”, a partial renovation is probably the better use of your budget. If any one of them is “no”, price a full renovation as well so you can compare the two honestly.
How to compare quotes for either scope
Labels like “partial”, “full” or “mid-range” mean different things to different contractors. Compare what is written into each proposal: which cabinets are new or kept, which counters and appliances are included, what plumbing and electrical work is covered, and who handles permits and project management. A $55,000 proposal and a $70,000 proposal cannot be compared unless they include the same work. QUAY gives you a fixed-price proposal with a defined scope before work starts, and every renovation is backed by a 365-day workmanship warranty. You can see how we plan the work on our kitchen renovations in Vancouver page.
Frequently asked questions
What is a partial kitchen renovation?
A partial kitchen renovation keeps the parts of the kitchen that still work, such as the layout, plumbing, appliances or some cabinetry, and replaces the rest. In QUAY’s Moodyville kitchen that meant new lower cabinet fronts, quartz countertops, a slab backsplash and new lighting, while the upper cabinets and appliances stayed.
What is a full kitchen remodel?
A full (complete) kitchen renovation replaces the cabinets throughout, along with the countertops, backsplash, lighting, plumbing fixtures and often the appliances. It can keep the existing layout or change it, and changing it adds plumbing, electrical and sometimes structural work.
How much cheaper is a partial kitchen renovation?
QUAY’s Moodyville partial renovation came in at $24,000 to $28,000, while complete QUAY kitchens commonly start around $40,000 and often fall within a $40,000 to $80,000+ planning range. Every project is priced on its actual scope.
Does a partial kitchen renovation need a permit in Vancouver?
Usually not when only cabinets, fixtures and surfaces are replaced. The City of Vancouver requires a permit for renovations that move interior walls or existing plumbing, electrical or gas lines. Condos also need strata approval.
Is cabinet refacing the same as a partial kitchen renovation?
Not quite. Refacing puts new doors, drawer fronts and exposed panels on the existing cabinet boxes. A partial renovation often combines refacing with new countertops, a backsplash and lighting, as in QUAY’s Moodyville kitchen.
How long does each type of kitchen renovation take?
QUAY’s Moodyville partial renovation took 10 days on site. Most complete kitchens take about 15 working days once construction starts, and highly customized kitchens can take longer; the Chartwell kitchen took about one month.
Not sure which scope fits your kitchen? Book a discovery call and we will look at what is worth keeping and what each option would involve.
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