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Kitchen remodeling · Staten Island

Kitchen remodeling for Staten Island houses

MMA Construction & Remodeling plans kitchen remodeling on Staten Island for detached, attached and two-family houses, many built in the 1970s and 1980s or later. We help you decide early between a refresh that keeps the layout and a full remodel that moves things, then put that choice, the trades and the schedule in writing.

  • Refresh or full remodel decided before design, with reasons in writing
  • Attached houses: shared-wall noise and duct limits planned in advance
  • South Shore lots: deliveries and debris kept off trees and grade
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Traditional white kitchen with inset cabinetry, a marble backsplash, a wood-clad hood and crystal pendants

Scope

Staten Island kitchen remodeling, from refresh to full remodel

Staten Island kitchens are mostly in houses, and many are newer than kitchens elsewhere in the city. That often makes a targeted remodel a realistic option.

  • Cabinet refacing or replacement, decided from the condition of the boxes
  • New counters, sink and faucet with the plumbing left where it is
  • Full remodels that move the range, sink or refrigerator
  • Island or peninsula planning where the room is wide enough
  • Lighting, outlets and appliance circuits, with electrical permits where required
  • A ducted hood routed to an exterior wall that is not shared
  • Floor, drywall and paint, coordinated with adjoining rooms

Process

How MMA Construction & Remodeling runs a kitchen remodeling project

Written scope, written proposal, permits identified up front, and one project lead from start to finish.

  1. Conversation

    You describe the home and what you want to change. We ask about budget range and timing so expectations are clear early.

  2. Site visit and scope

    We look at the space, the structure of the house and any HOA, co-op or condo rules that apply, then write a scope of work.

  3. Design and selections

    Layout, materials and fixtures are agreed in writing before work is priced in full.

  4. Written proposal

    A written price and schedule for the agreed scope. Permits and any approvals are identified at this stage.

  5. Build

    One project lead coordinates the trades and keeps you updated. Some regulated work may require appropriately licensed specialty contractors.

  6. Walkthrough

    We review the finished work with you and resolve anything outstanding.

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Staten Island

How Staten Island houses shape a kitchen plan

  1. Many kitchens are 40 to 50 years old, not 100

    About 30% of Staten Island units were built in the 1970s and 1980s, and in Great Kills-Eltingville about 59% date from 1960 to 1989. Kitchens of that age often have sound walls, serviceable wiring and a layout that only needs adjusting. That makes the first decision a real one: refresh the cabinets, counters and lighting in place, or commit to a full remodel that moves the cooking and cleanup zones. We show you the trade list and permit consequences of each before you choose.

  2. Attached and semi-attached houses share a wall

    About a quarter of Staten Island units are single-family attached houses, and in Great Kills-Eltingville the figure is 37%. A kitchen that backs onto a shared wall limits where a hood duct can exit and carries demolition noise straight to the neighbor. We keep cabinet and duct work off the shared wall where the layout allows, schedule the loudest days in advance, and ask a qualified professional before anything is fastened into or cut through that wall.

  3. South Shore lots and the special district rules

    Much of the South Shore, including Tottenville, Great Kills, Eltingville and Annadale, is in the South Richmond Development District, which covers about one-third of the island's land area. The Zoning Resolution defines a site alteration there to include removing trees of six-inch caliper or more and regrading, whether or not a DOB permit is needed. A kitchen remodel stays indoors, so we keep the delivery path and the debris container on the driveway and other hard surfaces, clear of trees.

  4. Two-unit houses on the South Shore

    In the Annadale-Huguenot-Prince's Bay-Woodrow area, about 31% of units are in two-unit buildings. If a relative or tenant lives on the other floor, the kitchen schedule includes shutoff notice, a protected entry and a plan for the days water is off. A second kitchen intended to create a separate rental unit is not something we offer; we remodel the kitchen the house already has. The two-family home project brief lists what to write down first.

Decisions

Layout, counters and cabinets in a 1970s or 1980s kitchen

Test the layout before choosing finishes. The National Kitchen & Bath Association's planning guidelines suggest a work triangle of no more than 26 feet in total, a work aisle of at least 42 inches for one cook, and landing space beside the sink of at least 24 inches on one side and 18 on the other. They are recommendations, not code, but a kitchen that misses them by a wide margin usually needs a new layout rather than new doors.

If the layout works and the cabinet boxes are sound, refacing can be an option: new veneer on the existing face frames, usually with new doors and drawer fronts. If the layout does not work, refacing will not fix it.

  • Quartz: Cambria says its quartz never needs sealing, but it is not heat-proof, so a trivet goes under hot cookware. That is one maker's guidance; check the product you choose.
  • Natural stone: the Natural Stone Institute notes that marble and other calcareous stones can etch from acids such as lemon or vinegar, and that sealing makes stone more stain-resistant, not stain-proof.
  • Laminate: Wilsonart says a hot, dry pan should never be set on a laminate counter.

Compare counters on care first, then color.

Refresh or full remodel?

Send photos of the kitchen and tell us the house type. We will tell you which way the site visit points, and why.

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Local evidence

Staten Island figures for kitchen planning

Staten Island housing stock relevant to kitchen planning (ACS 2024 1-year estimates)
MeasureShare of housing units
Single-family detached34.1%
Single-family attached25.5%
Two-unit buildings22.5%
Built 1939 or earlier17.7%
Built in the 1970s or 1980s30.4%
Built before 1980 (approx.)60.0%

For cost context, the Remodeling 2025 Cost vs. Value Report (www.costvsvalue.com) gives Middle Atlantic regional and national figures: a minor midrange kitchen remodel at $31,212 regionally and $28,458 nationally, a major midrange remodel at $89,679 and $82,793, and a major upscale remodel at $181,994 and $164,104.

These are averages for the report's standardized projects, not a quote and not a Staten Island figure. The distance between the report's minor and major projects is the choice this page is about; your own number comes only from a written scope. See kitchen remodel cost factors.

© 2025 Zonda Media, a Delaware Corporation. Complete data from the Remodeling 2025 Cost vs. Value Report can be downloaded free at www.costvsvalue.com.

As one of the five boroughs, Staten Island falls under the NYC Department of Buildings for permits. DOB counts new cabinets among jobs without a permit; rerouting gas pipes and adding electrical outlets are its examples of work that needs one, filed by a registered architect or professional engineer. Contractors need a NYC DCWP home improvement license.

  • Paint: about 60% of units predate 1980, and 1978 is the cutoff for EPA lead-safe rules on paid work that disturbs paint.
  • Landmarks: city lot data shows 19 individually designated landmark lots in the Tottenville-Charleston area, 11 of them with one- or two-family buildings. The Tottenville page explains the address check.

Planning a kitchen remodel in Staten Island? Call or email us to talk it through and arrange a consultation.

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Questions

Kitchen remodeling in Staten Island: questions

Is a refresh worth it, or should we redo the whole kitchen?
A refresh makes sense when the layout already works, the cabinet boxes are sound and the plumbing and wiring are in good order, which is often true of kitchens from the 1970s onward. A full remodel makes sense when the workflow itself is the problem. The 2025 Cost vs Value figures above show how far apart the two paths can be. See cosmetic refresh vs full renovation.
Our house was built in the 1990s. Do lead-safe rules still apply?
EPA's lead-safe renovation rules are tied to housing built before 1978, so a house from the 1990s falls after that cutoff. That matters here: nearly half of Tottenville-Charleston units date from 1990 or later. Older houses nearby, and older sections of a house that was later enlarged, are a different matter, so we confirm the construction date from records rather than from appearance.
Can the delivery truck and debris container go on the lawn?
On South Shore lots we avoid it. Within the South Richmond district, the Zoning Resolution counts taking down a tree of six-inch caliper or more, or reshaping the grade, as a site alteration, and a heavy container on soft ground near roots risks both. We plan for the driveway or another hard surface and confirm the lot's district status before the delivery schedule is fixed.
Can we add an island to a 1980s kitchen?
Often, when the room is wide enough. NKBA's guidelines suggest about 24 inches of counter width per seated person, with knee space that depends on counter height, and the aisles around the island still have to work. Where the room is short, a peninsula is often the better fit. If the plan depends on removing a wall, we confirm it is not load-bearing first; structural work is outside our scope.

Keep exploring

Read before you plan

Sources

  1. B25024 Units in Structure, Richmond County (Staten Island), ACS 2024 1-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau via Census Reporter (2025 (ACS 2024 1-year release)). Accessed 2026-11-02.
  2. B25034 Year Structure Built, Richmond County (Staten Island), ACS 2024 1-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau via Census Reporter (2025 (ACS 2024 1-year release)). Accessed 2026-11-02.
  3. B25024 Units in Structure and B25034 Year Structure Built, census tracts, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), U.S. Census Bureau via Census Reporter API (ACS 2024 5-year release (acs2024_5yr)). Accessed 2026-11-08.
  4. 2020 Census Tracts to 2020 NTAs and CDTAs Equivalency, NYC Department of City Planning via NYC Open Data (rows updated 2021-09-20). Accessed 2026-11-08.
  5. 2020 Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (NTAs), NYC Department of City Planning via NYC Open Data (dataset (2020 NTA definitions)). Accessed 2026-11-08.
  6. Staten Island Special Districts: Background and Goals (DRAFT), NYC Department of City Planning (April 2020 (marked DRAFT)). Accessed 2026-11-08.
  7. Zoning Resolution 105-94 Special Natural Area Districts Specified, NYC Department of City Planning / City Planning Commission (105-941 last amended 1977-06-23; 105-942 last amended 1975-05-21; 105-943 last amended 1977-12-01; PDF generated 2026-11-08). Accessed 2026-11-08.
  8. South Richmond Zoning Relief: Special South Richmond Development District, Proposal Summary, NYC Department of City Planning (March 2023). Accessed 2026-11-08.
  9. Zoning Resolution Article X Chapter 7: Special South Richmond Development District (107-00 General Purposes; 107-01 Definitions; 107-02, 107-03), NYC Department of City Planning / City Planning Commission (107-00 last amended 2024-08-15; 107-01 last amended 2024-12-05; PDF generated 2026-11-08). Accessed 2026-11-08.
  10. Renovating Kitchens & Bathrooms, NYC Department of Buildings. Accessed 2026-11-02.
  11. Do I Need a Permit?, NYC Department of Buildings. Accessed 2026-11-02.
  12. License Checklist: Home Improvement Contractor, NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Accessed 2026-11-02.
  13. Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program Rules, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed 2026-11-02.
  14. Primary Land Use Tax Lot Output (PLUTO), version 26v2, NYC Department of City Planning via NYC Open Data (version 26v2 (rows updated 2026-08-24)). Accessed 2026-11-08.
  15. Cost vs Value Report 2025: Middle Atlantic, Journal of Light Construction (Zonda) (2025). Accessed 2026-11-02.
  16. Cost vs Value Report 2025: National Averages, Journal of Light Construction (Zonda) (2025). Accessed 2026-11-02.
  17. Kitchen Planning Guidelines with Access Standards, National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) (2022 (PDF upload date)). Accessed 2026-11-09.
  18. Cabinet Refacing: Everything You Need to Know, This Old House. Accessed 2026-11-09.
  19. Product Care, Cambria (manufacturer). Accessed 2026-11-09.
  20. Care & Cleaning, Natural Stone Institute. Accessed 2026-11-09.
  21. Questions & Answers (page 5), Wilsonart (manufacturer). Accessed 2026-11-09.

Talk to us about your kitchen project in Staten Island

Call or email us to talk it through and arrange a consultation.

Call MMA Construction (516) 212-9311Email us