Renovating your kitchen is a big decision facing many homeowners throughout Greater Victoria. In this article, we’ll share a few aspects of the various kitchen renovation projects, from minor updates to major improvements. Keep reading to learn some of the essential components our team uses to complete a kitchen remodel, renovation, or restoration in Victoria.

1. How do you know when it’s time to renovate your kitchen in Victoria?
For many local homeowners, there are some pretty clear signs that it’s time to update your kitchen:
- Your family has outgrown the current space
- Your appliances have stopped working or can’t (or won’t) do what you want them to do
- Your cabinetry is broken, worn, or outdated – or all three
- You have a new-found passion for cooking (or entertaining) and need the right space and the right tools
- You’re tired of the boring cabinets, tired appliances, and worn flooring in your current home
- You love where you live and want to age-in-place and need a kitchen you can work in for as long as you want
Whatever the reason driving your search for a kitchen renovation, we’re glad you found us. We’ve been building and designing kitchens for families throughout Greater Victoria for over forty years, and we’re looking forward to helping you fall back in love with your kitchen.
2. What’s the difference between a refresh, a remodel, and a renovation?
A kitchen renovation for homes throughout Greater Victoria can cover a pretty wide range of possibilities. In some cases, we might be brought in to give the space a refresh: maybe update the cabinets, replace the appliances and flooring, update the lighting, and generally improve what’s already in the space.
Don’t get caught up on the definitions, as these terms are frequently interchanged.
A remodel is a bit more involved, and we’ll often work within the existing kitchen footprint as a starting point. We might move the plumbing and electrical around to fit the design, add new features — like a pot filler for your cooktop or appliance garage for your toys — to help you be more efficient in the space, and upgrade the appliances, cabinetry, and countertops to create your new kitchen.
A renovation is a significant project — we might move walls and windows, build an addition to provide additional space, or transform a different part of your home into your new kitchen. This project takes the longest but usually provides the most dramatic change to your home.
We’ve turned bedrooms into pantries, removed walls to open up extra space, and even moved a kitchen from a cramped setup in the front of a home to an expansive area at the back so the homeowner can enjoy the view while creating their culinary masterpieces. Whatever vision you have for your new kitchen, our design team can work with you to bring it to life.
3. Cabinet choices for your kitchen renovation in Victoria
Cabinetry choice is something you can look forward to when you’re planning the remodel. At MAC, we have solid connections to some of Victoria’s best cabinet makers, and we have worked with them enough times to know that they are great at what they do. We trust that they will deliver their best, every time.
We’ll help you choose the right cabinets that work for your design, budget, aesthetic, and lifestyle. For example, some of our clients use Shaker cabinets to frame their cupboards, while others prefer to show off their collections behind a bit of glass or with open shelves. Gold hardware can bring a hint of elegance to your kitchen, while white kitchens with black appliances deliver a timeless look. There’s no lack of options, and our design team will help you find what works best for you and your home.
Your new cabinetry, whether it’s built-in, customized, or pre-made, will look great while giving you the storage space for all of your kitchen accoutrements.

4. Choosing the Right Appliances
The appliances you choose for your new kitchen play a critical role in the design, and the possibilities to outfit your new space are nearly endless. If you’re the kind of person who loves to have the latest and greatest kitchen tools, you probably want a space to store them so they don’t clutter up your counters.
Do you dream of double ovens so you can roast the turkey and bake a pie at the same time? Does the thought of a new steam oven get you all hot and bothered? Or does the appeal of an in-drawer microwave help you feel safe? Will an industrial-look kitchen match your mood, or is your vibe coloured by stainless appliances and sleek accents? Whatever combination best fits your imagination, our design team can work with our local partners to find the right appliances for your new kitchen.
5. Planning Your Kitchen Renovation Budget
Building your dream kitchen is an investment in your home, and when done right, a kitchen remodel will often increase your home’s value. Instead of picking an arbitrary number to work from, we recommend that you chat with us to discuss your wants and needs, likes and loves, so we can help you come up with a realistic budget for your kitchen renovation.
It all starts with a meeting to learn about you and your family. What kind of cooking do you love to do? What’s missing from your current space? What’s your biggest frustration with your existing kitchen layout? Are you embarrassed to show your kitchen to your friends and family? Whatever the motivation behind your decision, we’ll use that to help conceive your new kitchen layout.
Then we dive into your likes and dislikes. Do you prefer quartz countertops over solid surface? Are you dreaming of a gorgeous butcherblock island or a porcelain waterfall? Do you love the simple beauty of stainless steel for your appliances and sink, or do you dare for some contrast to bring colour to your kitchen? Do you want open spaces to show off your collection of classic tableware, or do you prefer a space for everything, and everything in its place?
Once we’ve determined the right approach for the kitchen that best matches you, your home, and your lifestyle, we’ll work with you to identify an appropriate budget for the complete project. We’ll spend a lot of time with you in the early stages of your kitchen renovation to develop a realistic plan that covers everything you want and need. A solid plan is the best way to stick to a budget – it’s the last-minute changes that tend to lead to budget overruns or missed deadlines.
Bonus 6. Choosing a Contractor for Life
Here in Victoria, you have many choices for your kitchen renovation. We’ve been helping families love where they live since 1980, and in many cases, we’ve been able to work with them to renovate different parts of their homes over the years. We like to think this is because of the attention to detail we bring to every project, as well as the personal service we provide along the way. From the very start, we’ve always aimed to be your contractor for life, and we’d love to show you what that could mean for you and your family.
There are many other components of a home renovation that we haven’t addressed in this article, such as permitting for the various municipalities of Victoria, our approach to updating a heritage home, and the multiple trades and partners we work with to complete your kitchen remodelling project. These are integral parts of the process, but they’re things we discuss with you during the planning process.
Your dream kitchen is within reach! Whether you’re looking for a minor refresh or a full-scale renovation, our team at MAC Reno Design Build is here to help. Contact us to see what we can do for you.