Kitchen Remodeling in the Somerset Hills
Custom kitchens and baths for Chester, Mendham, Bedminster, Bernardsville, Basking Ridge, Far Hills, and Peapack-Gladstone. Free in-home design consultations.
Somerset Hills homes are not builder-grade. A 1930s center-hall colonial in Bernardsville, a 1960s split in Basking Ridge, and a converted farmhouse in Bedminster each carry their own set of constraints, and none of them behaves like a new build. Walls are rarely square. Joist bays are rarely where you expect. And the plumbing decisions available to you depend on something most homeowners never think about until a contractor raises it: whether the house is on public sewer or a private septic system.
We plan around those things before demolition starts, not after.
What we do
Kitchen remodeling. Full renovations, layout changes, island additions, and appliance reconfiguration. If the plan moves a sink, a gas line, or a wall, we handle the permit set and the inspections that follow.
Bathroom remodeling. Primary baths, powder rooms, and guest baths. Waterproofing done to spec rather than to whatever is fastest.
Custom cabinetry. Built to your walls rather than ordered to a catalog dimension. In older houses this is usually the difference between a kitchen that fits and one with filler strips everywhere.
Tile installation. Floors, backsplashes, and shower surrounds, with substrate prep that accounts for what is actually under the old floor.
The septic rule that changes kitchen plans
This is the one that surprises people.
If your home is served by a private septic system, Bernards Township’s health regulations do not permit a garbage disposal or an ejector pump to be installed — and that holds regardless of whether the rest of your project needs a construction permit. It is a health department rule, not a building code one, so it does not show up where homeowners think to look.
Plenty of Somerset Hills properties are on septic, particularly in Bedminster, Far Hills, and the outlying parts of Bernardsville and Peapack-Gladstone. If you have been planning a sink with a disposal, that plan needs to change before cabinets are ordered, not after the plumber is on site.
Neighboring towns handle this differently, and the local health department is the authority in each case. We confirm which rules apply to your address during the design phase.
When a kitchen remodel actually needs a permit
A surprising amount of kitchen work does not require a construction permit in Bernards Township, provided nothing structural, electrical, or plumbing changes. Replacing cabinets, swapping a sink or faucet without relocating the plumbing, or changing a light fixture without new wiring generally falls outside permit requirements.
What does trigger a permit:
- Adding or removing walls
- Adding or enlarging windows or doors
- Structural changes to floors or ceilings
- Removing or installing drywall or plaster across more than 25% of the dwelling
- Adding fixtures, outlets, switches, or extending wiring
- Adding or relocating plumbing fixtures or gas piping
That last one catches most real kitchen renovations. Moving a range, adding a pot filler, or relocating a sink all count.
Working without a required permit carries penalties of up to $2,000 under the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, and the penalty is mandatory rather than discretionary. It usually surfaces years later, during a home inspection when the house is being sold.
What we expect you to ask us
New Jersey requires anyone performing home improvement work for compensation to register with the Division of Consumer Affairs and to display a 13-digit registration number beginning with “13VH” on contracts, estimates, proposals, and advertising. Unregistered contractors cannot be issued municipal construction permits. You can verify any registration at newjersey.mylicense.com before you sign anything.
A few other things state law entitles you to:
- A written contract for any home improvement work over $500, signed by both parties, with specific start and completion dates and a list of the materials being used
- A deposit capped at one-third of the total contract price
- Three business days to cancel a contract solicited at your home, with a full refund due within 30 days
- Proof of commercial general liability coverage of at least $500,000 per occurrence, filed with the state
If a contractor asks for half down in cash and won’t put a completion date in writing, those are not quirks. They are violations.
Service area
We are based in Morris County and work across the Somerset Hills. Permit requirements, health department rules, and historic review all vary by municipality, so the first conversation always includes confirming what applies at your specific address.
- Chester
- Mendham
- Bedminster
- Bernardsville
- Basking Ridge
- Far Hills
- Peapack-Gladstone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen in the Somerset Hills?
It depends on scope. Cosmetic work — new cabinets, a like-for-like sink swap, new light fixtures on existing wiring — generally does not. Anything that moves plumbing or gas, adds electrical, changes walls, or affects structure does. Requirements vary by town, so we confirm with the local construction office before work begins.
How long does a kitchen remodel take?
Most full kitchen renovations run 8 to 12 weeks on site, with design, cabinetry lead times, and permit review adding several weeks ahead of that. Cabinet lead time is usually the long pole, not the construction.
Can we stay in the house during the project?
For a kitchen, usually yes, though you will be without a working kitchen for most of it. For a single-bathroom home having its only bathroom redone, usually no. We talk through this before scheduling.
Do you handle design, or do I need my own designer?
We handle design for most projects. For work requiring stamped plans — and in Bernards Township, plans must be prepared by a New Jersey Registered Architect unless you are the owner-occupant of a single-family home preparing your own — we coordinate with an architect.
What about older homes with plaster, knob-and-tube, or asbestos tile?
Common in this market and worth planning for. See the notes on our kitchen and tile pages.
