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Renovated kitchen in Belmont, MA with white cabinets, a dark wood island with marble-look counter, pro range and oak floors
Belmont, MA · Cushing Square

Belmont 3-in-1 First Floor Renovation

3 rooms
kitchen, dining and family room joined
~500 sq ft
of first floor renovated
1 new
gas fireplace in a framed bump-out

The project

The kitchen in this Belmont home was its own small room, with a door to the dining room and another to a step-down sunroom the family used as a family room. Three rooms sat side by side, but they didn't work together.

We measured and photographed the house, then worked through layouts in 3D, testing a peninsula against an island and moving the sink, before settling on one open plan with a big island. Opening the walls meant carrying the floor above, so our structural engineer sized new LVL beams, set on posts down to new footings. We added a powder room, a new back door to a small deck, and a gas fireplace in a framed bump-out on the family-room wall where the TV used to hang.

Once the walls were open, we found the sunroom ceiling wasn't level, so we reframed it. We also moved three steam risers and padded out a kitchen wall so the new cabinets would sit right. The result is a kitchen, dining room and family room that read as one space.

What's included

KitchenPowder roomFamily roomDeck

Add-ons

LVL beam opening (engineer-sized)Gas fireplace in new bump-outFamily-room ceiling reframed levelNew back door and windows200-amp electrical service

Before and after

Before: Dining room: a single door into a closed-off kitchen became a wide-open view to the new island kitchen and family room.BEFORE
After: Dining room: a single door into a closed-off kitchen became a wide-open view to the new island kitchen and family room.AFTER
Dining room: a single door into a closed-off kitchen became a wide-open view to the new island kitchen and family room.
Before: Family room: the step-down sunroom got a reframed level ceiling, a gas fireplace and an open connection to the kitchen.BEFORE
After: Family room: the step-down sunroom got a reframed level ceiling, a gas fireplace and an open connection to the kitchen.AFTER
Family room: the step-down sunroom got a reframed level ceiling, a gas fireplace and an open connection to the kitchen.
Before: Kitchen: the old electric range by the back door gave way to a full-glass door to the new deck, a pro-style gas range and a subway backsplash with a herringbone panel.BEFORE
After: Kitchen: the old electric range by the back door gave way to a full-glass door to the new deck, a pro-style gas range and a subway backsplash with a herringbone panel.AFTER
Kitchen: the old electric range by the back door gave way to a full-glass door to the new deck, a pro-style gas range and a subway backsplash with a herringbone panel.

The floor plan, before and after

Existing floor plan
Existing first floor
New floor plan
New first floor with the kitchen, dining and family room opened up
Belmont, MA kitchen opened to the family room, with white cabinets, wood island and fireplace beyondKitchen island in Belmont, MA looking into the dining room with wainscoting and a lantern lightView from the family room into the open kitchen in Belmont, MA with peninsula seating, wine fridge and glass-front cabinetsFamily room in Belmont, MA with gas fireplace, mounted TV and windows, open to the kitchen

Finishes we used

Cabinets
Schrock Trademark cabinets in the Morgan square door style, maple, with five-piece drawer fronts. The perimeter is painted Coconut, and the island is maple stained Tundra, with paneled ends and a furniture-style base molding.
Glass cabinets
The glass-front wall cabinets have clear glass mullion doors with matching interiors.
Powder room vanity
The powder room has a Schrock Trademark vanity in the Pleasant Hill square door style, maple, painted Maritime, with an undermount sink.
Appliances
Thermador 36-inch Pro Harmony gas range, Thermador Freedom 36-inch bottom-freezer refrigerator, Thermador Masterpiece 30-inch wall oven, Thermador MicroDrawer microwave, Thermador Emerald dishwasher and a Thermador under-counter wine reserve. A Zephyr Tempest I pro-style hood vents the range.
Sink and faucet
A single-bowl stainless steel undermount sink with a Brizo Artesso touch pull-down faucet.
Powder room fixtures
An undermount sink with a Brizo Baliza two-handle widespread faucet.
Fireplace
A white painted Stanford mantel with an Ivy Green surround.
Projects like this
Kitchen opened to adjoining rooms, 16 projects we built 2020–2025
$130k–$225k
Typical range (middle half of jobs), change orders included. Your price is set in a fixed-price agreement before work starts and changes only if you change the job.
Get a range for your house

Questions about this project

What did this Belmont renovation include?

We opened a closed kitchen, the dining room and a step-down sunroom into one space with a big island, added a powder room, a new back door to a small deck, and a gas fireplace in a framed bump-out.

How were the walls opened?

Opening the walls meant carrying the floor above, so our structural engineer sized new LVL beams, set on posts down to new footings.

Were there surprises once the walls came down?

Yes. The sunroom ceiling was not level, so we reframed it. We also moved three steam risers and padded out a kitchen wall so the new cabinets would sit right.

What do projects like this cost?

Kitchens opened to adjoining rooms that we built from 2020 to 2025 typically ran $130k to $225k. Your price is set in a fixed-price agreement before work starts.

Planning something similar in Belmont?
Start with a design meeting. We design it, price it and build it with our own team.
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