Skip to main content
Mark Tivey · Licensed CGC1511598 · Veteran-Owned Since 1988(904) 850-6070
Kitchen Remodeling outcome

Open kitchen to family room

Opening the kitchen to an adjacent family room is the most-common kitchen remodel scope in Northeast Florida's 1970s–90s housing stock.

What this project is

How open kitchen to family room actually works.

Opening the kitchen to an adjacent family room is the most-common kitchen remodel scope in Northeast Florida's 1970s–90s housing stock. The wall is sometimes load-bearing, sometimes not — verifying that with a structural engineer is the first step. After removal (or beam install if load-bearing), the kitchen's electrical and HVAC need re-work to suit the now-open zone, the flooring needs continuity planning, and the lighting design has to treat the combined space as a single zone.

The project typically includes cabinet replacement, counter upgrade, and appliance refresh; the wall removal alone is rarely the entire scope.

What Mark watches for

The execution details that decide outcome.

  • Structural review before any cabinet design. Beam profile (flush vs. dropped) affects the cabinet plan.

  • HVAC return relocation if the return is in the wall coming out.

  • Flooring transition between original kitchen and family room. Plan the seam at design, not at install.

Cost & Permit Guide

Read the Clay County kitchen remodeling guide.

Tier-by-tier costs, the full permit walkthrough, and the FAQs Mark hears most often.

Read the guide
Want this on your home?

See your range in 90 seconds.

Tell me about your project — you'll see a real budget range mid-flow, and I'll call within 24 hours with a fixed quote.