Kitchen Remodel in Reston, VA — Case Study
A Completed $120K+ Kitchen Remodel in Reston, VA
A complete kitchen transformation in Reston — where 1970s and 80s planned-community homes hide serious potential behind closed-off original layouts.
The Numbers
The Reston original-layout problem
Reston’s original homes — built through the 70s and 80s as the planned community grew — almost universally share one trait: kitchens designed as separate workrooms, walled off from the living space. Beautiful lots, smart community planning, dated interior thinking.
This kitchen was exactly that: functional, enclosed, and completely disconnected from how the family actually lived.
What we changed — and one honest tradeoff
A full remodel that opened the kitchen to the main living area: new cabinetry, stone surfaces, an island where a wall used to be, and a lighting plan that replaced a single ceiling fixture doing all the work.
The tradeoff: opening a Reston original layout usually means dealing with a load-bearing wall. That adds an engineered beam, a structural permit, and real money to the budget — worth it here, but it is why two similar-looking Reston remodels can be $40K apart.
The Finished Kitchen — 8 Photos
28 Design Awards. Four-Time National Winner.
Nearly 2,000 remodels across Northern Virginia, five-star rated on Google, Houzz, Yelp, and Facebook. Licensed VA Class A #2705157182.
What EA Home Design Clients Say
“EA Home design came to us with a great recommendation when we were initially thinking of a complete home remodel and they went above and beyond our expectations.”
Where This Project Is
Project completed in Reston, Fairfax County. Exact address withheld for the homeowner’s privacy.
Questions Reston Homeowners Ask
What does it cost to open up a Reston kitchen?
This full remodel ran $120K+ including structural work. Removing a load-bearing wall typically adds an engineered beam, permits, and several thousand dollars minimum versus a same-layout remodel — the single biggest budget variable in Reston’s original housing stock.
Does Reston Association approval apply to kitchen remodels?
Interior work generally doesn’t require RA design review — that applies to exterior changes. You still need Fairfax County permits for electrical, plumbing, and structural work, which EA files and manages.
How long did this remodel take?
About ten weeks of construction. Layout changes with structural work sit at the longer end of kitchen timelines; a same-layout Reston remodel typically runs six to eight weeks.
Thinking About Your Own Kitchen in Reston?
Start with a free in-home design consultation. You’ll see your kitchen in 3D — with a real price range — before you commit to anything.