Kitchen Updates
The 1992 oak kitchen with brass pulls that nobody has touched since the second owner moved in. The painted-white shaker cabinets that look fine on the door fronts and tired on the boxes — every drawer face chipped at the bottom edge from a quarter-century of toes. The 36-inch single-bowl stainless sink that the spray arm of the new dishwasher will not clear. The peninsula that wants to be an island and has wanted to be an island since 2007. The rental kitchen the property manager keeps fielding the same five complaints about. Kitchen updates is the trade for everything between a $250 cabinet-hardware swap and a $25,000 full cabinet refacing with new fixtures and pantry build — cabinetry, refacing, painting, install, backsplash, sinks, fixtures, packaged refreshes, and pantry carpentry. Handis runs the project as lead contractor — cabinetry, carpentry, refacing, painting, install, day-to-day coordination — and subs the regulated work to licensed Washington L&I plumbers (in-wall supply and drain on the sink, disposal, and dishwasher rough-in) and licensed electricians (new or relocated circuits, anything hardwired). Permits are pulled by the appropriate licensed party. From $250 for a hardware swap to $25,000 for a full cabinet refacing with new fixtures, backsplash, and pantry build.
Services
What Kitchen Updates Covers
Kitchen updates is the residential trade for the work between a single cabinet hardware swap and a down-to-the-studs gut remodel — cabinetry refacing and painting, door and drawer face replacement, hardware and hinge upgrades, stock and RTA install, island carpentry, backsplash, sinks and fixtures, packaged kitchen refreshes, and pantry and storage builds. Five service families, each with its own scope, pricing floor, and licensed-trade handoff. Handis runs the project: demo, carpentry, cabinetry, refacing, painting, sink and faucet install on existing rough-in, fixture and accessory install, finishes, and day-to-day coordination. The regulated work — anything inside a wall on a supply or drain line, the dishwasher and disposal rough-in, any new or relocated electrical circuit, anything hardwired — subs to licensed Washington L&I plumbers and electricians, and the permit is pulled by the appropriate licensed party. We are honest on the booking call about which scopes need a sub and which finish in a single Handis visit.
Cabinet Updates
The biggest family on the hub. Cabinet painting and refinishing on existing boxes and doors, full cabinet refacing with new veneer skins and replacement doors and drawer fronts, door and drawer-face replacement on existing boxes, cabinet hardware swaps with jig-drilled templates, soft-close hinge and slide upgrades, stock and RTA cabinet install for partial or full kitchens, and island install in pure carpentry scope (no plumbing or electrical moves). The work that resets the look of the kitchen without a full gut. From $400 for a hardware swap to $15,000 for a full refacing with replacement doors.
Cabinet Updates — painting, refacing, doors, hardware, hinges, RTA install, island carpentry
Backsplash & Walls
Tile backsplash install across the range wall and the sink wall, slab or stone backsplash that runs to the underside of the upper cabinets, peel-and-stick or tile-look panel retrofits, drywall patch and paint behind the range when the old backsplash comes off, accent-wall paint, and the trim and reveal carpentry that finishes the wall edges. Handis tile setting and paint work end-to-end; range hood vent or new outlet on the backsplash routes to a licensed electrician.
Backsplash & Walls — tile, slab, drywall, paint, trim
Sinks & Fixtures
Kitchen sink swap (top-mount, undermount, farmhouse apron-front), single-handle and pulldown faucet install, soap dispenser, air gap, garbage disposal swap, instant hot water dispenser, dishwasher swap on existing rough-in, and pot-filler install on the range wall. Most sink and faucet swaps on existing supply and drain rough-in finish in a single Handis visit; in-wall supply or drain reroute, a new disposal branch circuit, or a new dishwasher supply line routes to the licensed sub.
Sinks & Fixtures — sink, faucet, disposal, dishwasher swap, pot filler
Kitchen Refresh Packages
Curated multi-piece updates priced as a package — a cosmetic refresh that swaps every visible finish without touching cabinets, a paint-and-hardware refresh on the existing cabinet boxes, a partial-replacement refresh that adds new countertops and a new backsplash to a painted-cabinet base, and a rental-kitchen turnover for property managers, agents, and investors prepping for the next tenant or listing. Includes Handis project management and licensed-sub coordination. From $4,000 for a rental turnover to $20,000 for a full partial-replacement refresh.
Kitchen Refresh Packages — cosmetic, paint and hardware, partial-replacement, rental turnover
Pantry & Storage
Walk-in pantry carpentry — shelving systems, drawer banks, pull-out organizers, recessed appliance garages, and door conversions. Reach-in pantry shelving upgrades (wire-shelving rip-out and replacement with built-in adjustable wood shelving), corner cabinet pull-out conversions, and the under-cabinet pull-out drawer retrofits that turn a dead lower cabinet into usable space. Carpentry-led work; no in-wall plumbing or electrical in scope on this family.
Pantry & Storage — pantry shelving, pull-outs, appliance garage, corner conversions
Kitchen Updates Pricing
Final pricing depends on kitchen size, the scope selected, existing condition, and whether licensed plumbing or electrical work is in scope. Each sub-hub page lists detailed pricing for that family. Licensed-sub fees pass through transparently with the line item named. Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.
Tell us the kitchen and the scope — we will quote the whole project, sub coordination included.
Why Seattle Homeowners Book Handis for Kitchen Updates
Most kitchen-update projects we are asked to fix were started by a single-trade contractor who only saw the part of the work in front of him — the painter who rolled cabinet boxes without degreasing them and watched the finish flake at the door pulls in a month, the cabinet installer who set the run before the dishwasher rough was in the wall, the tile setter who started the backsplash before the new sink and faucet centered the cuts. A kitchen is six trades in a one-hundred-fifty-square-foot room, and the only way it finishes clean is for one party to run the schedule, hold the licensed subs to the right sequence, and own the punch list at the end. That is what Handis does. We are not the licensed plumber and we are not the licensed electrician — we run the project and we name the sub by trade on every quote.
One project lead — six trades coordinated in the right sequence
Demo, cabinet pull, plumber rough-in on any moved sink or disposal, electrician on new circuits, cabinet set or refacing, countertop template, backsplash, paint, fixture trim-out. Done in the wrong order, the kitchen does not pass inspection — the backsplash starts before the sink centers the cuts, the countertop templates off a cabinet that has not been scribed, the painter sprays before the cabinet installer has hung every door. Handis runs the calendar so each trade arrives when the prior trade is actually done.
Honest licensed-trade handoff, named on the quote
In-wall plumbing supply and drain (sink, disposal, dishwasher), any new fixture needing new rough-in, new electrical circuits (dedicated dishwasher, dedicated disposal, induction range, under-cabinet lighting on a new switch leg), and anything hardwired route to a licensed Washington L&I plumber or electrician. We name the sub line by line on the quote so you see exactly what Handis is doing and what the licensed trade is doing. Permits are pulled by the appropriate licensed party.
Cabinet boxes degreased before any finish goes on
Every cabinet paint and refacing project starts with a TSP (or TSP-substitute) wash on every box and door face — kitchen cabinet boxes carry a film of cooking-grease aerosol that no primer will bond through. Skip the degrease and the finish flakes at the high-touch points (door pulls, drawer fronts, the area above the range) within six to twelve months. We degrease, sand to a fine grit (220 on doors, 320 on profile detail), prime with a bonding primer, and finish in two coats. Done right the first time, the finish lasts a decade.
Real protection of the rest of the house
Plastic-zip floor-to-ceiling at the kitchen doorway during demo and during cabinet paint, runners down every hallway the crew walks, negative-air HEPA scrubber for any drywall or tile cutting, daily vacuum and trash-out. The owner of the home does not live with a job-site for the duration of the project. No drywall dust on the bedroom carpet five rooms away, no paint overspray on the living room couch.
Insured, background-checked, written project warranty
Handis carries general liability and workers' compensation; every technician has cleared a background screening. Project warranty covers our workmanship for one year — cabinetry, refacing, painting, install, tile, sink and faucet install, hardware and hinge upgrades, and finishes. The licensed-sub portion (plumbing and electrical) carries its own L&I-trade warranty, also named on the quote.
Estimate
Tell us the kitchen (galley, U-shape, L-shape with island, walk-in pantry, rental turnover), rough square footage and cabinet count, the scope you have in mind (hardware swap, paint, refacing, door replacement, full cabinet install, island carpentry, backsplash, sink and fixture swap, pantry build), and any known constraints — a wall that is out of plumb, an existing tile floor you want to preserve, a previous water leak under the sink. We send a clear estimate with the licensed-sub portions named line by line.
What Our Customers Say
Recent kitchen update reviews from verified Seattle-area customers.
Full cabinet refacing on our 1998 oak kitchen — new shaker doors and drawer faces, new veneer skins on the boxes, new hardware, and a new sink and faucet. Handis ran the calendar, the plumber came in for a half-day on the sink and disposal supply, no electrician was needed on our scope. Eight working days, every drawer closes square, looks like a different kitchen.
Cabinet paint and hardware refresh in our 1992 Bellevue split-level. The tech degreased every box and door with TSP before he touched a sander, primed with a bonding primer, sprayed two finish coats off-site on the doors, and brought them back for re-hang. New brushed-brass pulls on a jig-drilled template. Six months in, no chip at the door pulls.
Island install in our 1962 Issaquah ranch. Pure carpentry scope — no plumbing or electrical moves on the island itself, just the carpentry to set a 60-inch stock island with a quartz top and seating overhang. Two days. The island is dead-level on a floor that is half an inch out across the run.
Rental kitchen turnover between tenants. Painted the cabinets, swapped every pull, replaced the sink and faucet, new backsplash. Four working days. The property manager only had a one-week vacancy window and Handis hit it. New tenant moved in on day eight.
Soft-close hinge and slide upgrade on a 1990s kitchen — 32 doors and 18 drawers. Old hinges were bare-metal slam-shut, every drawer was a metal-on-metal screech. Handis converted to European concealed hinges on the doors and Blum under-mount glides on the drawers. Single day. Kitchen is silent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Handis kitchen updates — scope, licensed-trade handoff, scheduling, pricing, permits, and what fits one Handis visit versus a multi-trade project.