Before
After
Project Overview
Opened a closed-off 1990s Greer kitchen to the family room with a structural beam, installed full-overlay shaker cabinets, a 10-foot quartz waterfall island, and a dedicated coffee/beverage zone — designed around the family's weekly hosting schedule.
The Challenge
The original kitchen had a half-wall pass-through to the family room, builder-grade oak cabinets without soft-close, a cramped 4-foot island that doubled as the only prep surface, and a single 100A panel feeding the whole house. The homeowners hosted weekly and wanted true open-concept sight lines, a real island, and a beverage zone separate from the cook zone.
Our Solution
We engineered and installed an LVL structural beam to remove the half-wall, opening the kitchen fully to the family room. New full-overlay shaker cabinets with soft-close hardware went in throughout, topped with quartz including a 10-foot island with a waterfall end panel. A dedicated coffee/beverage zone with a beverage fridge and bar sink was built into the former pantry wall, and we ran a new 200A panel to support the dedicated circuits for the induction range, microwave, dishwasher, disposal, beverage fridge, and small-appliance counter circuits. Vented range hood ducted hard-pipe to the exterior.
Scope of Work
- Engineered drawings and permits for structural beam and electrical upgrade
- Removed half-wall and installed LVL beam to open kitchen to family room
- 200A panel upgrade with new dedicated kitchen circuits and GFCI/AFCI protection
- New full-overlay shaker cabinets with soft-close drawers and dovetail joinery
- 10-foot quartz island with waterfall end, seated overhang, and prep zone separation
- Coffee/beverage zone with beverage fridge, bar sink, and floating shelves
- Induction range with hard-piped ducted range hood to exterior sidewall
- New tile backsplash, undercabinet LED lighting, and recessed ceiling lighting
- Refinished existing hardwood floors to extend seamlessly into the kitchen
Materials & Products
- •Full-overlay shaker cabinets with plywood box and soft-close hardware
- •Quartz countertops with waterfall island end
- •LVL structural beam (engineered)
- •Induction cooktop and hard-piped ducted range hood
- •Beverage fridge and undermount bar sink
- •Porcelain mosaic backsplash and brushed-nickel hardware
Frequently Asked Questions
How long did the kitchen remodel take?
About 7 weeks on-site from demo to substantial completion. The structural beam install added a few days versus a like-for-like cabinet swap, but it's what made the entire layout work.
Did you need to upgrade the electrical panel?
Yes. The original 100A panel didn't have open spaces for the dedicated circuits a modern kitchen needs — induction range, microwave, dishwasher, disposal, beverage fridge, plus two small-appliance counter circuits and GFCI/AFCI protection on most of them. We upgraded to 200A as part of the project.
Why a 10-foot island?
Once you can fit a 10-foot island, take it. The homeowners wanted seated overhang for four on one side, prep zone on the other, and enough length to separate the cook from the bartender during parties. Anything shorter forces compromises on one of those uses.