New Orleans Kitchen Renovation Contractor

The kitchen is the most-used room in the house, and in New Orleans, it tends to carry a lot of weight — family gatherings, late dinners, holiday cooking for a crowd. When it stops working for you, everything feels it. MLM Custom Homes & Renovations has been renovating kitchens throughout Greater New Orleans for over 17 years, from focused updates in Metairie and Old Metairie to full gut renovations in Uptown, Lakeview, the Garden District, and the Northshore.

We were named one of GQ Magazine’s Top 5 Kitchen Remodelers, and have earned Best of Houzz awards in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Our kitchen work ranges from contemporary open-concept layouts to historically sensitive renovations in HDLC districts.

What a Kitchen Renovation Can Include

No two kitchens are the same, and neither are the projects we build. Depending on your goals and budget, a kitchen renovation might involve some or all of the following:

Custom cabinetry, from painted shaker to flat-front contemporary. Stone countertops in quartz, marble, soapstone, or granite. Professional-grade appliances and ventilation. Tile or hardwood flooring. Backsplash design and installation. Undermount or farmhouse sinks with updated plumbing fixtures. Recessed lighting, pendant fixtures, and under-cabinet task lighting. Layout changes including island additions, wall removals, and pantry buildouts. Structural work, permitting, and electrical upgrades where required.

We work with your architect or designer, or can connect you with local professionals we trust. Either way, we coordinate the full build from permit to punch list.

Types of Kitchen Renovations

• Kitchen Refresh Not every kitchen needs a full gut renovation. Sometimes new countertops, updated cabinet fronts, a fresh backsplash, and modern lighting are enough to completely change how a kitchen looks and feels. A refresh is a good fit when the layout works but the finishes are dated. Most refresh projects run 4 to 8 weeks and stay well within a modest budget.

• Layout and Functionality Changes If your kitchen feels cramped, poorly lit, or disconnected from the rest of the house, the issue is usually the layout. We handle wall removals, island additions, pantry buildouts, window relocations, and the structural and electrical work that comes with them. These projects take longer and require permits, but the result is a kitchen that actually works for how you live.

• Full Kitchen Renovation A complete gut renovation starts from scratch — new cabinets, countertops, flooring, plumbing, electrical, appliances, and lighting, with the layout reconsidered from the ground up. This is the right approach when the existing kitchen has significant deferred maintenance, an inefficient footprint, or finishes that are beyond updating. Most full renovations run 10 to 14 weeks.

• Historic Kitchen Renovations Many of our kitchen projects are in older New Orleans homes with narrow footprints, plaster walls, outdated electrical, and layouts that predate modern cooking habits. If your home is in an HDLC or Vieux Carre Commission district, we handle the Certificate of Appropriateness process as part of our standard scope. We’ve renovated historic kitchens across Uptown, the Garden District, Mid-City, Marigny, and Lakeview, balancing preservation requirements with modern performance.

• Open-Concept Kitchen Renovations Opening a kitchen to a dining room or living area is one of the most requested projects we see. It typically involves removing a load-bearing or non-load-bearing wall, adding a beam or header, extending flooring, and updating lighting to suit the new footprint. Done well, it changes how an entire floor of the house feels.

• Outdoor Kitchen Additions New Orleans’ climate makes outdoor living genuinely practical for most of the year. We build covered outdoor kitchen additions with weatherproof cabinetry, gas connections, and proper drainage, typically as part of a larger backyard or addition project.

What It Costs and How Long It Takes

Kitchen renovation costs in New Orleans vary based on scope, materials, and whether the project involves layout or structural changes. A focused refresh with new countertops, hardware, and lighting runs significantly less than a full gut renovation with custom cabinetry and appliance upgrades. We’ll give you real numbers early in the process so you can make informed decisions before committing to a full design.

Most kitchen renovations run between 8 and 14 weeks. Smaller scope projects with stock cabinets and no layout changes tend to finish closer to the 8-week mark. Projects with custom cabinetry, structural work, or permit requirements take longer. Lead times on cabinets and appliances are the most common driver of schedule, so locking in selections early matters.
We also offer financing options including zero-fee terms for up to 12 months and low-interest loans with no prepayment penalties.Here are some of the most important factors that impact kitchen renovation costs.

How We Work

Every kitchen project follows the same process. We start with a site walkthrough and consultation to understand your goals, your space, and your budget. From there we develop a scope with real options and pricing before any work begins. Once you’re ready to move forward, we handle permitting, coordinate your design selections, and manage the full build.

Throughout construction, you’ll receive daily progress updates with photos, real-time budget and timeline tracking, and centralized communication through Buildertrend. Every change order, note, and conversation is archived and accessible for the life of the project.

Service Areas

We renovate kitchens throughout New Orleans, Metairie, Old Metairie, Lakeview, Uptown, the Garden District, River Ridge, Elmwood, and the Northshore including Mandeville, Covington, and Slidell.

Ready to Get Started

Contact MLM Custom Homes & Renovations to schedule a consultation. We hold an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and 55-plus five-star Google reviews. We’d be glad to walk your space and talk through what’s possible.

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