29 cities and neighborhoods
Kitchen Remodeling Across Metro Phoenix
Phoenix is not one housing market. A 1950s block ranch in Tempe and a 2005 desert home in Anthem need different plans, different permits and different finishes. This page points you to the local notes for your city.
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Phoenix
- ArcadiaArcadia kitchens were built small, and many of them are still that size.
- BiltmoreThe Biltmore area covers 2 very different kinds of kitchen, a 1970s ranch and a newer infill house, and both carry a high finish standard.
- Desert RidgeDesert Ridge kitchens were built from the late 1990s through the 2000s with an open plan and an island, and the layout is rarely the problem.
- AhwatukeeAhwatukee was built out between the 1980s and the 1990s, so the kitchens here share a set of problems: soffits, 1990s counters and a wall of glass facing the preserve.
Northeast
- ScottsdaleScottsdale has three kitchen problems, split by the age of the house: 1950s and 1960s ranches south of Indian School Road, 1970s and 1980s houses through the middle of town, and 1990s and 2000s homes north of the Loop 101.
- North ScottsdaleNorth Scottsdale kitchens were built open, so the work is rarely about walls.
- Old Town ScottsdaleAn older Old Town kitchen can be as small as 8 by 10 feet and wrapped in block, so the room may not get bigger and the plan has to get smarter about light, storage and what the walls will allow.
- DC RanchAt DC Ranch the review packet goes in before the first cabinet is ordered, and that order of work is the project.
- McCormick RanchLow ceilings decide the budget in McCormick Ranch before any finish does, and the soffit is the first question the plan has to answer.
- Paradise ValleyParadise Valley kitchens sit in houses built to carry a big room, so the work is usually structural before it is cosmetic.
- Cave CreekCave Creek projects start with the land.
- CarefreeCarefree is small, custom and built on slopes, so a kitchen here answers to the lot and to the town lighting expectations.
- Rio VerdeRio Verde is a 55 plus golf community on unincorporated county land, and many of its kitchens were laid out before aging in place was a design category.
- Rio Verde FoothillsRio Verde Foothills is acreage country, and the kitchen is the easy part.
- Fountain HillsFountain Hills is mostly 1980s and 1990s custom housing, much of it on sloped lots, so a kitchen remodel here starts with the site and the glass before it starts with cabinets.
- AnthemAnthem was built from 1999 onward as one master planned community, so the kitchens share an era, a builder spec and a design review process.
West
- PeoriaPeoria holds two housing markets inside one city line, and the kitchen work splits with them.
- GlendaleA 1950s Glendale ranch kitchen is often 10 feet of counter with a walkway down the middle and no wall to borrow from.
- SurpriseIn Surprise the household decides the kitchen before the house does: a family in a 2000s subdivision needs storage and surfaces, and a 55 plus owner in a community like Sun City Grand needs reach, light and leverage.
- Sun CitySun City was built for 55 plus buyers from around 1960 onward, and its kitchens were drawn for a shorter reach than many of the people cooking in them today.
- GoodyearGoodyear's 1990s and 2000s kitchens were finished to a builder spec, and the same parts tend to fail in the same order.
- AvondaleAvondale carries a large rental share, and that changes what belongs in a kitchen remodel.
- Litchfield ParkOlder kitchens near the Wigwam in Litchfield Park can be small service rooms, closed off and finished in plaster.
- BuckeyeA lot of Buckeye kitchens were finished without an island, and that gap is the first thing the next owner notices.
East
- TempeMuch of Tempe was built between the 1950s and the 1980s, in ranch and block houses on small lots: the median home was built in 1984, and about 40 percent of the housing dates from the 1950s through the 1970s (American Community Survey 2024).
- MesaMesa's housing runs from 1970s tracts to Las Sendas and the newer east side, and each band carries a different kitchen problem.
- ChandlerChandler built most of its housing between the 1980s and the 2000s, so the kitchens here are open enough to live in and short on the things a family actually uses.
- GilbertGilbert grew from farmland into subdivisions in about 20 years, and the kitchens that came with that growth are large, open and built to a builder spec.
- Queen CreekQueen Creek built most of its housing in the 2000s and 2010s, so the kitchens here are open, builder grade and young enough that the layout still works.
01Service area
Which cities and neighborhoods do you cover?
We cover Phoenix and the metro cities around it. In Phoenix: Arcadia, Biltmore, Desert Ridge and Ahwatukee. Northeast: Scottsdale, North Scottsdale, Old Town Scottsdale, DC Ranch, McCormick Ranch, Paradise Valley, Cave Creek, Carefree, Rio Verde, Rio Verde Foothills, Fountain Hills and Anthem. West: Peoria, Glendale, Surprise, Sun City, Goodyear, Avondale, Litchfield Park and Buckeye. East: Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert and Queen Creek. If you are unsure which page applies, use the city that issues your permit. That is the page whose rules, housing notes and inspection process will actually apply to your project.
02Good to know
Why does the city matter for a kitchen remodel?
The city decides 3 things: who reviews the permit, what the housing stock looks like and whether an HOA gets a say. Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa and the other cities each run their own planning or development services department, with their own submittal portals and inspection scheduling. The housing stock changes block construction, slab type, ceiling height and cabinet layout. An HOA in DC Ranch, Anthem or Vistancia can require a design submittal before work starts. In unincorporated areas, Maricopa County handles the permit instead of a city (Maricopa County (opens in a new tab)). Same trade, different rules. The local pages exist because those differences change the plan and the timeline. The same cabinet package can need a different submittal in two cities. The housing changes too, from block to frame and from low ceilings to vaulted great rooms, and the plan has to follow.
03Service area
Which Phoenix neighborhoods have the oldest housing?
ZIP codes in central Phoenix and south Scottsdale have some of the oldest housing in the metro. The American Community Survey (2024) puts the median build year at 1970 in Arcadia (85018), 1971 in south Scottsdale (85257), 1977 in Biltmore (85016) and 1979 in Old Town Scottsdale (85251). Glendale's 85301 is 1977, Tempe's 85282 is 1978 and Sun City's 85351 is 1972. Older homes bring the same 4 questions: what is behind the wall, what is under the slab, what is the wiring, and what can the ceiling carry. In those homes, the wall behind the cabinets is often the biggest unknown. Old wiring, galvanized pipe and patched stucco show up when the room opens, and the budget has to leave room for them.
04Service area
Which suburbs have the newest housing?
Queen Creek (median build year 2012), Buckeye (2011), Goodyear (2007), Anthem's ZIP 85086 (2004) and north Peoria's 85383 (2010) have the newest housing in the metro, and Gilbert (2003) and Chandler (1997) sit in the 1990s and 2000s band (American Community Survey, 2024). Newer homes often need less structural work than older ones, and more attention to cabinets, counters, an island if the plan allows, and lighting.
054 questions
Questions people ask
Still have a question? Call (747) 243-2089 and describe the kitchen.
01Does this site cover cities outside this list?
The list covers the core metro. If your city is not listed, call and ask. Some edge communities get their permits from the county rather than a city.
02Does the city affect the cost?
Yes, mostly through permits, inspections and housing type. A block wall that needs a beam costs more than a drywall partition, and a hillside lot in Fountain Hills can add grading or retaining work. The local pages flag the cost drivers specific to each place.
03Do HOAs really review kitchen remodels?
Some do, especially in master planned communities. Interior work often needs notice, and any change to a window, door or exterior wall usually needs approval. Ask your HOA what the submittal requires before you order cabinets.
04How do I know which page applies to me?
Use the city page for your address. If you are in an unincorporated area, use the closest city page for housing context and expect Maricopa County to handle the permit.
06Keep reading
Related
- Kitchen remodeling services: lists every scope from cabinets to full remodels.
- Kitchen remodel cost: gives the ranges that apply across the metro.
- Scottsdale kitchen remodeling: is the local guide for the north and south halves of the city.
- Paradise Valley kitchen remodeling: covers large lots and structural work.
