How much of a whole-home remodel is structural versus cosmetic?

Often more than homeowners expect. On this project the visible result is cabinetry, tile and flooring, but the work that made those possible was framing and plumbing: a relocated stair opening and re-routed lines. That distinction matters when comparing quotes, because a bid that prices only the finishes is not pricing the same job.

Whole-home remodel · Project story

Moving a staircase to unlock a tiny kitchen

Q: Can laundry be moved from the basement to the main floor?

Usually yes. It depends on where water supply, drain and vent lines can reasonably be run and on finding a footprint that does not cost you storage you need. On this remodel the laundry came up to the living floor during the same phase that relocated the stairs, which is generally the least expensive time to do it because the floor is already open.

The kitchen this family wanted would not fit in the room they had. So we moved the room.

The finished kitchen, built on the footprint the relocated basement stairs released.

Scope: Whole-home remodel
Rooms: Kitchen, bath, laundry, entry
Design lead: Sarah
Project manager: Nick
Client rating: 5.0

Where we started

A kitchen boxed in on every side

Original kitchen before the remodel: golden oak raised-panel cabinets, teal laminate countertops, a peninsula that blocks the walkway, and a boxed fluorescent ceiling light. — Golden oak cabinets, teal laminate counters and a peninsula that cut the room in half. The basement stair opening took the wall that should have held the range.

The homeowners described it plainly: the kitchen was tiny. Not dated — though it was that too — but genuinely short of the square footage a working kitchen needs.

Cabinets ran shallow and high. A peninsula ate the only clear path through the room. Countertop landing space came in short stretches, broken up by the sink, the range and the corner. Two people could not cook in it at once.

The usual fix — new doors, new counters, new backsplash — would have produced a better-looking version of the same problem. The layout was the problem, and the layout was pinned in place by the basement staircase.

What it actually took

Three structural moves, made in sequence

Each of these had to happen before the one after it could. That order is why the project reads as one remodel rather than three separate jobs stitched together.

Relocate the basement stairs

The stair opening was the single thing preventing a functional kitchen footprint. Moving it released the wall run the new layout needed — and with it, room for a full island instead of a peninsula.
Bring the laundry upstairs

With the stairs repositioned, laundry no longer had to live in the basement. It moved up to the living floor — no hauling baskets down a flight, and one more reason the family never needs the lower level day to day.
Trade the tub for a walk-in shower

The existing tub was removed and the footprint rebuilt as a tiled walk-in shower — marble-look vertical stack on the walls, hexagon mosaic underfoot, brass drain and fittings.

Where we finished

The kitchen the house always had room for

Finished kitchen with floor-to-ceiling dark stained cabinetry, a large quartz island with seating overhang, stainless steel appliances, gas range and recessed lighting. — The peninsula is gone. In its place, a full island with a quartz top, seating on the open side, and clear circulation on all four sides.

Cabinetry now runs to the ceiling in a continuous stained run, so storage climbs rather than sprawls. Window walls picked up base cabinets and a bench-height counter that had nowhere to go in the old plan. Recessed lighting replaced the boxed fluorescent, and the appliance wall finally sits where a cook would put it.

The work carried past the kitchen. New hardwood was laid through the entry and dining area with a contrasting stained border and a diamond medallion at the door — a detail that ties the new floor to the home's existing woodwork instead of fighting it.

Entryway with new red oak hardwood flooring featuring a dark stained border inlay and a diamond medallion set into the floor at the front door. — Entry: red oak with a contrasting stained border and diamond medallion.

Dining area viewed across the new quartz island, lit by three black spiral cage pendants, with an iron baluster stair railing behind. — Dining, seen across the island. Three cage pendants over the new counter run.

Living room with a light brick fireplace, wood mantel and a deep teal accent wall. — The living room the new kitchen now opens toward.

In the client's words

“They transformed our tiny kitchen into a spectacular one.”

Valerie Jackson Google Local Guide Read the full review on Google →

“PH Design did a fantastic job in our remodel! Everyone there is so good to work with, helpful and talented. They transformed our tiny kitchen into a spectacular one! Moved our basement steps to make this happen. Moved our laundry upstairs and took out tub to make a walk in shower.

Sarah has such a knack for the design and is so helpful with helping pick just the right components to make the finished product up to date and beautiful. So glad we went with her suggestions! Nick ran our job efficiently and was always helpful with our questions and concerns to make sure all was taken care of to our liking. Julie and Aaron are there offering help as well.

The whole team made our remodel wishes come true. The products they use are great quality! They want to do a great job and have happy clients. Thank you all so much for all you did! Highly recommend!”

Detail work

The rooms the structural moves made possible

Relocating a staircase is invisible once the drywall goes up. What you see instead is everything it allowed: a shower where a tub used to be, laundry on the floor people live on, and built-in storage in rooms that previously had none.

Walk-in shower finished in vertical stacked marble-look wall tile with a hexagon marble mosaic floor, a built-in corner bench and a square brass drain. — Where the tub was: vertical stack walls, hexagon mosaic floor, brass drain and a built-in bench.

Upstairs laundry and utility cabinetry with deep teal shaker drawer fronts, brass cup pulls, a stone countertop, tall greige upper cabinet and stacked tile running to the ceiling. — Laundry brought up to the living floor, with a full folding counter and tile to the ceiling.

Built-in mudroom lockers with vertical beadboard backs, arched cut-out rails and a stone bench over open cubbies, above a dark herringbone tile floor. — Mudroom lockers built in place, with a stone bench and open cubbies below.

Kitchen with deep teal perimeter cabinetry, pale upper cabinets, a white oak island with marble countertop, brass dome pendants and a custom wood range hood over fluted tile. — Cabinetry, hood surround and island built to the room rather than ordered to fit it.

Upper-level bonus room with deep teal vertical shiplap wainscoting, dormer window seats, wall sconces and a sloped ceiling. — Vertical shiplap wainscot carried through the dormer returns.

Upstairs landing with a stained wood stair railing, painted balusters and a brass lantern pendant above the stairwell. — The landing above the relocated stair run.

Who worked on it

Named by the homeowner, not by us

Design Sarah

Drew the new layout and selected finishes. The homeowner credits her with the component choices that made the finished rooms feel current: “so glad we went with her suggestions.”

Project management Nick

Ran the job day to day and fielded the homeowner's questions through the structural work. “Ran our job efficiently and was always helpful.”

Studio Julie

Part of the team the homeowner singled out as available and helpful across the length of the project.

Co-founder Aaron Phillips

Part of the team the homeowner singled out as available and helpful across the length of the project.

Questions this project answers

What homeowners ask before a job like this

Can basement stairs be moved during a kitchen remodel?

Yes. Relocating a basement stair opening is a structural change, not a finish change — it involves reframing the floor system, rebuilding the stair run and re-routing anything in the affected joist bays. On this project it was the move that made a full-size kitchen possible, because the original opening occupied the wall the new layout needed. It is the kind of change worth pricing early, since everything downstream depends on it.

Can laundry be moved from the basement to the main floor?

Usually, yes — it depends on where water supply, drain and vent lines can reasonably be run, and on finding a footprint that does not cost you a closet you need. On this remodel the laundry came up to the living floor as part of the same phase that relocated the stairs, which is generally the cheapest time to do it: the floor is already open.

Is it worth replacing a bathtub with a walk-in shower?

For households that do not use the tub, a walk-in shower usually returns more daily value from the same footprint and is far easier to get into safely as people age. The trade-off is resale: buyers often want at least one tub in the home. If you have another full bath with a tub, converting is a straightforward call — which is why it made sense here.

How much of a remodel like this is structural versus cosmetic?

More than most people expect. On this project the visible result is cabinetry, tile and flooring, but the work that made those possible was framing: a relocated stair opening and re-routed plumbing. That split matters when you are comparing quotes — a bid that only prices the finishes is not pricing the same job.

Start a project

Bring us the layout that isn't working

If the room you have will not hold the room you want, that is the conversation to start with — before finishes, before budget ranges. Tell us what is in the way and we will tell you honestly whether it can move.

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