Cabinets
Semi-custom and custom cabinetry sized for the new layout. Custom fillers, corners, and appliance openings. Soft-close hinges, full-extension drawer slides, and dovetail drawer boxes standard on every install.
Based in Carrollton · Serving the DFW Metroplex
Kitchen Remodeling, done right by DFW's remodeling team.
Not new countertops on old cabinets. A full rebuild — structural engineering, slab leveling, panel upgrades, and every finish — under one contract from demo to punch list.
Most DFW kitchens are stuck in 1985. The galley wall runs parallel to the roof ridge and carries the ceiling joists. The slab has been moving for 40 years. The 100-amp panel has no room for the circuits a modern kitchen requires. Granite Guyz addresses all of it in sequence before a single cabinet is set.
Services Covered
Kitchen Remodeling From the Slab Up
A kitchen remodel in a 1975–1995 DFW home is not a surface project. The four structural obstacles below appear on nearly every job Granite Guyz takes in the DFW housing stock. Ignoring any one of them means the finish work fails within 12 to 24 months.
Load-Bearing Wall Removal
Structural engineering, temporary shoring, LVL or steel beam installation, and inspected connections. The galley kitchen conversion cannot proceed without this step done correctly.
Slab Leveling
Floor elevation survey across the kitchen footprint. Self-leveling compound or mortar bed correction before cabinets, tile, or island installation begins.
Electrical Panel & Circuits
Full NEC-compliant circuit layout with dedicated runs for refrigerator, dishwasher, disposal, range, and countertop receptacles. Panel upgrade to 200 amps when required.
Plumbing Replacement
Camera scope of existing drain lines before demo. Slab cuts and drain rerouting for island sinks. PEX replacement of polybutylene supply lines while walls are open.
Custom Cabinetry & Countertops
Semi-custom and custom cabinetry sized for the new layout. Quartz, granite, quartzite, and butcher block templated after cabinets are set and fabricated to exact dimensions.
Flooring, Backsplash & Lighting
Porcelain tile, LVP, or hardwood on the leveled slab. Backsplash after countertops are set. Recessed LED cans, under-cabinet task lighting, and pendant circuits over the island.
The Starting Point
The 1980s Galley Kitchen Problem
Most kitchens in DFW homes built between 1975 and 1995 share the same layout. A narrow galley corridor closed off from the living and dining areas by full-height walls on each side. One wall carries the upper and lower cabinets. The other holds the stove, sink, and refrigerator. A single fluorescent light strip in the center. No island. No pantry. No sightline to the rest of the house.
This was standard residential design for that era. Kitchens were functional workrooms, not gathering spaces. The wall separating the kitchen from the living room was designed to carry the ceiling joists above — making it load-bearing in the vast majority of 1970s and 1980s DFW homes. It runs parallel to the roof ridge and is often the longest wall in the house.
That wall is both the single biggest obstacle and the single most requested change in a DFW kitchen remodel. Getting there requires structural engineering and a permitted beam installation — not just a sledgehammer. Granite Guyz has removed hundreds of these walls. The process is methodical and follows the same four-step engineered sequence every time. Skipping any step results in a ceiling that sags, a roof structure that shifts, and drywall cracking throughout the space within months.
Beyond the wall, the same 1970s and 1980s home presents three additional structural challenges that appear in essentially every kitchen Granite Guyz guts in this housing stock. The slab has been moving on DFW clay for four decades. The electrical panel cannot support what a modern kitchen code requires. And the cast iron drain lines under the slab are corroding. None of these are cosmetic problems, and none of them can be patched after the cabinets are set.
Is your kitchen stuck in 1985?
Granite Guyz walks it first and scopes it in writing before a dollar is committed.
Obstacle 01
Load-Bearing Wall
The wall between kitchen and living room almost always carries the ceiling joists. Removal requires a licensed structural engineer, a permit, temporary shoring, and an inspected beam installation. Skip any step and the ceiling sags.
Obstacle 02
40-Year-Old Slab
Expansive DFW clay has been pushing and pulling on the foundation for decades. The result is differential settlement across the kitchen floor — invisible until cabinets bind, tile cracks, and the island wobbles.
Obstacle 03
Outdated Electrical
Original 100-amp panels and shared 15-amp circuits cannot support a modern kitchen. Current NEC requires dedicated circuits for every major appliance, GFCI and AFCI protection throughout, and often a 200-amp service upgrade.
Obstacle 04
Corroded Drain Lines
Cast iron drain lines under 40-year-old DFW slabs are corroding. Scale buildup and pinhole leaks allow moisture into the soil beneath the foundation — accelerating the clay expansion cycle.
Structural Engineering
A licensed structural engineer evaluates the wall, roof load, and foundation. Specifies beam size and material (LVL, PSL, or steel I-beam) and post locations. Engineering plans run $1,500–$3,500 for a typical single-wall removal in DFW.
Temporary Shoring
Before the wall comes out, temporary support walls go up on both sides. These carry the ceiling load while the permanent beam is installed. Shoring stays in place until the beam is set and the connections are inspected.
Wall Removal & Beam Set
The wall is removed. The beam slides into place. Posts at each end transfer load to the foundation. If the slab has differential settlement at post locations, that must be addressed before the beam is set.
Inspection & Closeout
The city inspector verifies beam size, connections, post bases, and hardware. Granite Guyz does not close the ceiling until this inspection passes. The permit record stays with the house and protects future resale.
Structural Work
Opening the Wall: Beam Installation
Removing a load-bearing wall is structural framing work, not demolition work. The distinction matters because structural framing work is engineered, permitted, and inspected. Demolition work is not. Granite Guyz follows a four-step process on every wall removal — no shortcuts, no uninspected work.
The most common mistake Granite Guyz sees in DIY and unlicensed kitchen remodels is a wall opening made without engineering. The contractor removes the wall, installs a header sized by experience rather than calculation, and the ceiling above begins to deflect. Within six to eighteen months, drywall cracks appear at the ceiling corners of the opening. The floor above bounces noticeably. The roof structure has shifted. Everything above the opening now needs to be addressed — and the cost to redo it on a closed house is two to three times what the engineering would have cost at the start.
The beam size is not a preference decision — it is an engineering calculation based on span length, tributary load, and roof dead and live load. A 12-foot opening in a 1,800 sq ft DFW home typically requires a PSL or LVL beam in the 5-1/4 × 14 to 5-1/4 × 16 range. A 20-foot opening may require a steel I-beam. The engineer specifies the material, size, connection hardware, and post requirements. Granite Guyz builds exactly to those drawings.
Foundation Reality
The Slab Comes First
Granite Guyz runs a floor elevation survey before setting a single cabinet. DFW clay has been pushing and pulling on that slab for decades, and the kitchen is where the consequences show up most visibly. Here is what differential slab settlement does to each kitchen trade — and how it is addressed before it becomes a problem.
Cabinets
Base cabinets are built for level surfaces. Set them on an uneven slab and doors will not align, drawers will bind, and countertops will gap at the wall. Shimming compensates for about a quarter inch. Beyond that, the slab must be leveled before installation begins.
Tile
Large-format porcelain requires a flat substrate. Industry standard ANSI A108.02 allows no more than ⅛ inch variation over 10 feet for tiles with any edge longer than 15 inches. A 40-year DFW slab will not meet that standard without correction.
Island
A stone-topped island weighs hundreds of pounds. That load on an uneven slab creates stress points in grout lines, tile, and cabinet bases. The island is also the most visible piece of the new kitchen — any unevenness is immediately apparent to everyone in the room.
The Diagnostic Step
Before Granite Guyz sets a single cabinet, we run a floor elevation survey across the kitchen slab. If the data shows differential settlement beyond acceptable tolerances, we level using self-leveling compound for corrections under ¾ inch or a mortar bed for deeper corrections.
For severe cases tied to active foundation movement, we coordinate with a foundation engineer to evaluate whether pier work is required before the floor can be addressed. That assessment happens before the project starts — not as a change order mid-demo.
When Foundation Work Comes First
For homeowners facing foundation issues that extend beyond the kitchen, Granite Guyz handles concrete slab foundation work as part of a larger project scope. A kitchen remodel built on a foundation that is actively moving will not stay level. We address the root cause before the finish work begins.
The soil beneath a 1984 DFW home has had 40 years of wet-dry cycles on montmorillonite and bentonite clay. Running a floor survey costs a fraction of what it costs to level the same cabinets twice.
Panel & Circuits
Electrical: The System Behind the Walls
The kitchen is the most electrically demanding room in the house — and the room where 1970s and 1980s DFW homes fall hardest behind current code. Every kitchen remodel Granite Guyz completes includes a full electrical assessment and a circuit-by-circuit code compliance upgrade.
The National Electrical Code (NEC) requires a kitchen to have at minimum two dedicated 20-amp GFCI-protected circuits for countertop receptacles, plus dedicated circuits for the refrigerator, dishwasher, disposal, and range. Every one of those circuits must have AFCI protection. The original 100-amp panel in a 1980s DFW home typically has a total of 20 breaker slots — most of which are already occupied — and provides nowhere near the amperage capacity the NEC circuit schedule above demands.
In most 1980s DFW homes, a kitchen remodel requires a 200-amp panel upgrade as a code-mandatory line item — not an optional upgrade. The panel upgrade happens during electrical rough-in, before drywall closes. Everything is inspected before the walls close. There is no option to install NEC-compliant kitchen circuits in a 100-amp panel that is already at capacity.
The comparison below shows what Granite Guyz typically finds behind the walls of a 1985 DFW kitchen — and what leaves the project permitted and inspected.
What We Find in a 1980s DFW Kitchen
- 100-amp panel (sometimes 60-amp in homes before 1978)
- Kitchen receptacles on shared 15-amp circuits serving dining room or hallway
- No dedicated circuit for the refrigerator
- No dedicated circuit for the dishwasher
- Single 30-amp circuit for the range — no separate wall oven or cooktop circuit
- No AFCI protection on
any kitchen circuit - No dedicated circuit for the dishwasher
Current NEC Requirements After Remodel
- Minimum two dedicated 20-amp GFCI circuits for countertop receptacles
- Dedicated circuit for the refrigerator — no shared loads
- Dedicated circuit for the dishwasher
- Dedicated circuit for garbage disposal
- 40- or 50-amp circuit for electric range, or separate circuits for cooktop and wall oven
- AFCI protection on all kitchen branch circuits
- All rough-in inspected before walls close — no exceptions
In most 1980s DFW homes, the existing 100-amp panel does not have enough slots or capacity to support these requirements. Granite Guyz upgrades electrical panels to 200 amps as part of a full kitchen remodel when the existing panel cannot handle the new load. This is not an upsell — it is what code requires when the existing infrastructure cannot support the scope of the work.
The Permit Protects You
Unpermitted electrical work in a kitchen creates three specific problems at resale: the buyer’s inspector flags it, the lender may require remediation before closing, and the homeowner’s insurance carrier may deny claims from fires originating in the unpermitted wiring.
Granite Guyz pulls the electrical permit and passes the rough-in inspection before the walls close. The permit record stays with the house permanently.
Federal Pacific Panels
Homes built from 1950 to 1990 in DFW may have Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panels with documented breaker failure rates and active fire risk. Most insurers will not write or renew a policy on a home with an FPE panel without remediation. If yours is FPE, the panel replacement happens during rough-in.
Under the Slab
Plumbing: What's Down There
Kitchen plumbing in a 1980s DFW home runs under the slab. The drain line from the sink and dishwasher drops through the slab into a cast iron pipe buried in the soil beneath the foundation. Supply lines run through or under the slab to the sink location.
Cast iron drain lines in 40-year-old DFW homes are corroding. Interior walls develop scale buildup, root intrusion at joints, and pinhole leaks that allow moisture into the soil under the slab — accelerating the clay expansion cycle and making foundation movement worse. The homeowner sees none of this until the drain backs up or a camera scope shows it.
Granite Guyz runs a camera scope through existing drain lines before demo begins. The scope maps corrosion, root intrusion, and scale buildup. The data determines what stays and what gets replaced — before a slab saw is picked up. This eliminates the most common mid-project plumbing surprise: discovering a corroded drain line after demo is complete.
- Island with sink: Granite Guyz cuts the slab, reroutes the drain to the new island location, and patches the slab. The drain maintains proper slope and vent ties into the existing stack or receives an AAV per code.
- Camera scope first: Before demo begins, Granite Guyz scopes all kitchen drain lines. The scope data determines what stays and what gets replaced — eliminating surprise change orders mid-slab. No exceptions on this step.
- Supply lines replaced: If the home has polybutylene supply lines — common in DFW from 1978 to 1995 — those are replaced with PEX-A while the walls are already open. PEX installation happens at the same time as the rest of the plumbing rough-in.
- Dishwasher and disposal drains: Both are rerouted to their final position as part of the rough-in. Air gaps installed where required. All rough-in inspected before the slab is patched and before drywall begins.
Polybutylene supply lines degrade from the inside and fail without warning — typically as a sudden burst rather than a slow leak. A kitchen remodel is the right time to replace them because the walls are already open. Granite Guyz replaces polybutylene with PEX-A as a standard scope item — not an add-on — in any home where it is present.
After the Structural Work
Cabinets, Countertops, & Finishes
Once structural, electrical, and plumbing work is complete and inspected, the finish phase begins. In a DFW kitchen where the galley wall just came out and the room expanded from 80 to 200 square feet, the cabinet layout must be designed for the new space — not adapted from a box store grid. Granite Guyz manages finish selections during pre-construction, so material lead times are built into the schedule and nothing stalls the project at the cabinet delivery stage.
Countertops
Quartz, granite, quartzite, and butcher block. All stone templated after cabinets are set and fabricated to exact dimensions. Quartz dominates the midrange market. Quartzite at the premium end.
Flooring
Porcelain tile (most durable), LVP (moisture-resistant, fast install), and hardwood. All flooring installs on the leveled slab. Large-format tile requires the substrate survey completed earlier in the sequence.
Backsplash
Subway tile, patterned ceramic, and natural stone. Installs after countertops are set and plumbing fixtures are trimmed out. Material and grout selected during pre-construction to ensure availability.
Lighting
Recessed LED cans replace the single center fluorescent. Under-cabinet task lighting on the countertop work surface. Pendants over the island. Every circuit is on a dedicated breaker and every lighting location on a dimmer.
One Scope
Structural work, MEP, and every finish is managed under a single contract signed before demo starts. No separate subs, no change order surprises from coordination gaps.
Transparent Pricing
What a DFW Kitchen Remodel Costs
Kitchen remodel pricing in DFW spans a wide range depending on scope, structural complexity, and finish tier. The bands below reflect real project costs Granite Guyz delivers consistently. Every project is scoped and priced in writing before work begins — Granite Guyz does not give ballpark numbers over the phone.
Costs shown are for the full kitchen scope including structural, MEP, and finish trades. Appliances are excluded unless otherwise specified. Wall removal costs from the structural section above are included in Tier 2 and Tier 3 projects where applicable.
1
Cosmetic Refresh
New countertops, cabinet refacing or painting, hardware replacement, new sink and faucet, backsplash tile, and lighting fixtures. No structural work, no demo to studs, no MEP changes. Best suited to kitchens with good bones that simply need surface updates.
$15K–$35K+
No structural scope
1
Full Remodel — No Wall Removal
Complete demo, new electrical circuits and panel upgrade if required, plumbing rough-in including island drain if applicable, slab leveling, new cabinets, countertops, flooring, backsplash, and lighting. Does not include load-bearing wall removal.
$45K–$85K+
Most common project tier
1
Galley Conversion — Wall Removal
Everything in Tier 2, plus structural engineering, temporary shoring, load-bearing wall removal, LVL or steel beam installation, inspected connections, and patch work. Adds $25K–$45K to the Tier 2 baseline depending on beam span and slab conditions at post locations.
$70K–$130K+
Includes structural scope
1
High-End / Custom Build-Out
All structural and MEP scope, plus custom cabinetry with inset doors, natural stone countertops (quartzite, marble), large-format tile throughout, designer fixtures, built-in appliance panels, and smart home integration. Premium selections drive cost to the upper range.
$100K–$200K+
Premium finish tier
Pre-Construction Costs
Soil Report
$3.5K–$6.5K
Geotechnical testing
Structural Engineering
$5K–$12K
PT design, tie-in details
Architectural Drawings
$3K–$8K
Plans for permit review
Permits & Reviews
$1.5K–$3.5K
Municipal fees and permits
Contingency Budget: Every kitchen remodel should carry a 10%–15% contingency. In a 40-year-old DFW home, surprises discovered during demo — corroded drain line sections, termite damage in subfloor framing, mold behind the sink cabinet, double-layered drywall — cannot be priced until the walls are open. Granite Guyz documents every discovery and requires written authorization before any additional work begins. Nothing is added to scope verbally.
The Renovation Sequence
The 11-Phase Kitchen Remodel Timeline
A kitchen remodel has more phases than most homeowners expect because inspections must occur between structural, electrical, plumbing, and insulation work before walls close. Granite Guyz provides a phase-by-phase timeline in writing at pre-construction, with milestone dates for each inspection and trade handoff. The sequence below applies to a full galley conversion with wall removal.
Pre-Construction
Scope finalized in writing. Material selections confirmed. Permits applied for. Engineering plans ordered. Cabinet lead times verified and locked.
Foundation Assessment
Floor elevation survey across kitchen footprint. Slab conditions documented. Foundation engineer engaged if pier work is indicated.
Demo to Studs
Cabinets, flooring, drywall, and appliances removed. Camera scope run on all drain lines before any slab cuts. Existing conditions documented.
Structural Work
Temporary shoring installed. Load-bearing wall removed. Beam set per engineering drawings. Structural framing inspection passed.
Slab Work
Drain lines rerouted to new island or fixture locations. Slab patched and cured. Self-leveling or mortar bed correction applied per survey data.
MEP Rough-In
Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC rough-in. All circuits run to new layout. Polybutylene replaced with PEX. All rough-in inspections passed before walls close.
Insulation
Exterior walls spray-foamed. Insulation inspection passed. Window replacements installed and flashed.
Drywall
Hang, tape, float, texture. New drywall on new framing. Smooth ceiling patches where shoring was removed.
Cabinets & Countertops
Cabinets installed on level slab. Stone templated and fabricated. Countertops set. Plumbing trim-out begins after countertops are set.
Flooring & Tile
Flooring installed on leveled substrate. Backsplash tile set after countertops. Grout and sealing complete.
Punch List & CO
Appliances installed. Fixtures trimmed out. Hardware set. Final electrical and plumbing inspections passed. Certificate of Occupancy issued.
A full galley conversion typically runs 8 to 14 weeks from permit pull to punch list. Projects with significant foundation work or custom cabinetry with long lead times run longer. Projects without wall removal typically run 6 to 10 weeks.
Where We Work
DFW Kitchen Service Areas
Granite Guyz remodels kitchens across six DFW municipalities. Each city has its own building department, permit review timeline, and zoning requirements. Each guide below adds city-specific context to the scope covered on this page.
Carrollton
Building Inspections — 24–48 hr permits
Heavy concentration of 1970s–1990s ranch homes. Galley conversion demand is high. Many original 100-amp panels and cast iron drain lines still in service.
Carrollton Heights
Old Town
Josey Ranch
Dallas
Dallas Development Services — 3–5 day review
Wide range from post-war bungalows to 1980s builds in Far North Dallas. Historic overlay districts require additional review in some neighborhoods.
East Dallas
Lake Highlands
Preston Hollow
Plano
Plano Building Inspections — 2–3 day permits
Predominantly 1980s–1990s suburban housing. HOA architectural review common in planned communities. Mature landscaping affects exterior wall openings.
West Plano
East Plano
Legacy
Frisco
Frisco Development Services — 2–4 day review
Newer construction (1995–2010) with active HOAs. Galley layouts less common but open-concept expansions into dining rooms are frequent requests.
Stonebriar
Panther Creek
The Hills
Richardson
Richardson Building Services — 24–48 hr permits
Heavy concentration of 1960s–1980s homes near the Telecom Corridor. Original galley layouts dominate. Slab settlement in Canyon Creek neighborhoods requires elevation surveys before every project.
Canyon Creek
Northrich
Spring Creek
Addison
Addison Building Dept. — 1–2 day permits
Dense residential pockets alongside commercial corridors. 1970s–1980s housing stock. Smaller lot sizes mean kitchen expansions stay within the existing footprint in most cases.
North Addison
Quorum District
Frequently Asked Questions
Kitchen Remodel Questions DFW Homeowners Ask
Does the wall between my kitchen and living room need a structural engineer?
In the vast majority of DFW homes built between 1975 and 1995, yes. The wall separating the kitchen from the living or dining room typically carries the ceiling joists and runs parallel to the roof ridge — making it load-bearing. Removing it without engineering means the ceiling sags, the roof structure shifts, and cracked drywall follows within months. Granite Guyz engages a licensed structural engineer on every wall removal before demo begins. Engineering drawings and the inspection record stay with the house permanently.
Why does the slab need to be leveled before cabinets are set?
Base cabinets are manufactured for level surfaces. DFW clay soil causes differential slab settlement over 40 years — sections heave, others settle, and the result is a floor that is often off-level by ½ to 1½ inches across the kitchen footprint. Shimming compensates for about a quarter inch. Beyond that, door alignment, drawer binding, countertop gaps at the wall, and large-format tile cracking are all inevitable without leveling the slab first. Granite Guyz runs a floor elevation survey before setting a single cabinet on every project.
Does a kitchen remodel require a 200-amp panel upgrade?
In most 1980s DFW homes, the existing 100-amp panel does not have enough slots or capacity to support current NEC kitchen circuit requirements — two dedicated 20-amp GFCI countertop circuits, plus dedicated circuits for the refrigerator, dishwasher, disposal, and range. This is not an upsell — it is what code requires when the existing panel cannot support the work. The upgrade happens during electrical rough-in, before drywall closes, and everything is inspected before the walls close.
Do you replace the plumbing under the slab during a kitchen remodel?
Granite Guyz runs a camera scope through existing drain lines before demo begins on every project. The scope maps corrosion, root intrusion, and scale buildup — determining what stays and what gets replaced before the first slab cut. For island sink additions, we cut the slab, reroute the drain, and patch. If the home has polybutylene supply lines (common in DFW from 1978 to 1995), those are replaced with PEX-A while the walls are already open. The scope report from the camera scope is provided to the homeowner before work begins.
How long does a full DFW kitchen remodel take?
A full galley conversion with wall removal, slab leveling, electrical upgrade, and complete finish-out typically runs 8 to 14 weeks from permit pull to punch list. Projects with significant foundation work or custom cabinetry with longer lead times run longer. Projects without wall removal typically run 6 to 10 weeks. Granite Guyz provides a phase-by-phase timeline in writing at pre-construction, with milestone dates for each inspection and trade handoff.
What does a kitchen remodel cost in DFW?
A cosmetic refresh (countertops, appliances, hardware) runs $15,000 to $35,000. A full remodel with no structural work runs $45,000 to $85,000. A galley conversion with wall removal adds $25,000 to $45,000 to the baseline depending on beam size, slab conditions, and electrical scope. High-end custom kitchens with premium stone, custom cabinetry, and full appliance packages run $100,000 to $200,000+. Every project is scoped and priced in writing before work begins. Granite Guyz does not give ballpark numbers over the phone.
Get a Real Answer
We walk the kitchen before we answer questions about scope or cost. The house itself is the best source of information. Schedule a free walkthrough and we will tell you exactly what we see.