Planning a Kitchen Remodel in Westlake Village: What to Expect
Westlake Village homes were largely built between the late 1960s and the 1990s, and most of the kitchens we see there share the same issues: a wall between the kitchen and family room, upper cabinets that stop short of the ceiling, a peninsula where an island would work better, and lighting that was never designed for cooking. Here is how a remodel usually unfolds.
Start with the layout, not the finishes. The biggest improvement in most Westlake Village kitchens comes from removing the wall to the family room or dining room and replacing a peninsula with an island. This is also the decision that affects permits, structure and budget the most, so it should be settled first. If the wall is load-bearing, a beam and engineering are required; we handle both.
Permits go through the city. The City of Westlake Village issues building permits, with plan check and inspections provided under contract by Los Angeles County Building & Safety. If your home is in North Ranch, your address says Westlake Village but permits go through the City of Thousand Oaks instead. A kitchen that keeps its footprint needs a standard permit covering electrical, plumbing and any structural work. Plan check for a straightforward kitchen is usually measured in weeks, not months. If you live in an HOA community such as North Ranch, exterior changes like a new window over the sink also need architectural approval, and we coordinate the two so neither delays the start.
Selections drive the cost. Cabinetry is the largest single line item, followed by countertops and appliances. The spread between a semi-custom cabinet line and full custom, or between quartz and a natural stone slab, is larger than the spread in labor. This is why we do selections in our Thousand Oaks showroom before pricing: you see the actual door style, finish and slab, and the proposal reflects what you chose rather than allowances.
Timeline. Design and selections typically take four to six weeks. Cabinet lead times run six to ten weeks depending on the line. Construction for a full kitchen is eight to twelve weeks once cabinets arrive. Put together, plan on four to six months from first meeting to finished kitchen, and expect the kitchen itself to be out of service for the construction portion only.
What a finished project looks like. Our North Ranch kitchen remodel is a good example of a typical Westlake Village project: a wall removed between the kitchen and stair, a long marble island with seating, cabinets to the ceiling and new flooring tying the rooms together.
Next step. Visit the showroom, or send us a few photos of your kitchen and we will tell you what we would look at first.