Kitchens Built Around What Was Already There
Kitchen remodeling in Scranton for homes where the original floor plan makes the work more complicated than a simple swap
Many Scranton homes were built in an era when kitchens were kept small and separate, tucked into corners of the floor plan with plumbing stacks and wiring that predate modern code requirements. Litvin & Sons handles kitchen remodeling in Scranton with that starting condition in mind, working through what the walls actually contain before any new material goes in. The owner runs the field work personally on every project, which means the decisions made inside the walls are made by the same person who will finish the trim.
The crew strips the room to the studs where the scope calls for it, which allows a full look at framing, plumbing lines, and electrical circuits before anything is committed. Plumbing and electrical work are handled before flooring goes down, and cabinetry and trim installation are included as part of the full remodel rather than sold as a separate contract. Pennsylvania contractor license No. 4498 covers the work, issued when the state licensing program launched because the business was already operating at that point.
Arrange an on-site walkthrough to identify what the existing floor plan and wall cavities will require before scoping your kitchen project.
How the Work Sequence Keeps the Project from Stalling
In a full kitchen remodel, the order of trades matters more than most homeowners expect. Rough plumbing and electrical need to be set and inspected before any flooring material is installed, because accessing those systems after the floor is down means tearing it back up. Litvin & Sons sequences the work so each phase is inspected and closed before the next one begins, which prevents rework that adds time without adding value.
Once mechanical rough-in is complete and the inspection is signed off, flooring goes in as a continuous field before cabinetry is set, which produces a cleaner finished look than floating cabinets over a partial floor. Trim and hardware are installed last, after cabinets are secured and any final adjustments to door swings and drawer clearances are made. The end result is a room where every component was installed in the right order rather than worked around after the fact.
Older Scranton kitchens in neighborhoods like Pittston often present drain lines that were run with cast iron and joined at angles that don't meet current slope standards, so the inspection phase frequently identifies corrections that would not have surfaced until after cabinetry was in place. The 30 years of remodeling experience behind this business means those conditions are recognized early and worked into the scope rather than discovered late.
What Property Owners Ask About the Work
The questions below focus on how kitchen remodeling actually gets done, particularly in homes where the original layout presents constraints that affect the sequence and scope of the project.
What happens when the walls are opened and the original plumbing or wiring doesn't meet current code?
Any wiring or plumbing that doesn't meet code once the walls are open has to be corrected before the project can proceed, and that correction is factored into the scope at that point rather than treated as a separate job.
How does the crew handle load-bearing walls when a kitchen remodel involves removing a partition?
A load-bearing wall requires a properly sized header and temporary shoring while the framing is modified, and that determination is made by physically examining the framing rather than assumed from floor plan drawings.
Why does flooring get installed before cabinets rather than cut around them?
Installing flooring as a continuous field before cabinets are set means the finished floor reads as a single surface, and it also makes future cabinet changes or replacements possible without exposing raw subfloor at the perimeter.
What does stripping a kitchen to the studs actually reveal in a Scranton-area home?
In homes built before the mid-twentieth century, opening the walls commonly surfaces knob-and-tube or early armored wiring, cast iron drain runs with incorrect slope, and framing notched for original pipe runs that no longer serve anything.
How is trim and cabinetry installation handled differently when it's included in the full remodel versus subcontracted separately?
When cabinetry and trim are part of one contract, the installer knows the floor condition, the wall plane, and the plumb of the framing firsthand, so adjustments for out-of-square rooms are built in rather than left for a separate crew to discover on installation day.
Litvin & Sons also completes kitchen remodeling in Wilkes-Barre, Dunmore, Clarks Summit, Pittston, and Lake Wallenpaupack. If your kitchen involves an older floor plan with walls that haven't been opened in decades, contact Litvin & Sons at (570) 909-4778 to schedule a site visit before finalizing your scope.