Soffit Removal and Cabinet Extension

Reclaiming the Top Foot of Your Kitchen

Walk into almost any original kitchen in Woodbridge or University Park and look up. Above the upper cabinets there is a boxed out section of drywall, usually twelve to fourteen inches tall and as deep as the cabinets below it. That is the soffit, sometimes called a bulkhead or a furr down. On an eight foot ceiling it takes a big bite out of the wall, and it is the main reason those kitchens feel lower and hold less than they should.

Taking it down and running cabinets to the ceiling is one of the most useful changes you can make to an older Irvine kitchen. It adds a full shelf of storage along every wall run, it makes the room look taller, and it gets rid of the dust ledge on top of the old uppers. It can also be done without a full remodel, which is why we treat it as its own job.

Why We Open It Before We Quote It

A soffit is a box, and nobody knows what is in the box until it is opened. In the homes we work in we have found three broad situations.

The empty soffit

Common in single story plans. The builder framed a box to close the gap above standard height cabinets and nothing runs through it. Removal is a matter of demolition, patching the ceiling and wall, and matching texture. This is the low end of the price range.

The soffit carrying a duct

The range hood duct often runs through the soffit to an exterior wall or up through the roof. Sometimes it is a proper duct, and sometimes the original hood recirculated and the soffit holds only a short stub. We work out whether the duct can be moved into a ceiling joist bay, whether it needs a smaller dedicated chase, or whether this is the moment to replace a recirculating hood with one ducted outside.

The soffit carrying plumbing or a bath fan

In two story plans, a bathroom above the kitchen can send supply lines, a drain, a vent or a fan duct down through the soffit. Some of these can be rerouted in the ceiling. Some cannot be moved at a sensible cost, and the right answer is a smaller, cleanly finished chase over part of the run rather than the whole length.

So before you get a firm number, we cut a small opening at a spot that will be hidden or easily patched, look inside with a light and a camera, and close it again. It takes minutes, and it turns a guess into a quote.

Extending or Replacing the Uppers

Once the soffit is gone there are a few ways to use the new height.

• Stacked cabinets above the existing uppers. If your oak cabinets are staying, a second row of shorter cabinets sits on top. Matching decades old oak is almost never exact, so we usually suggest glass doors or a finish that is clearly different on purpose.
• Replacing the uppers only. Taller uppers, typically forty two inches, replace the old thirty inch boxes. This pairs well with refacing or painting the base cabinets.
• Full cabinet replacement. If the bases are also due, the soffit removal simply becomes the first step of a larger project.

On the highest shelves, think about what goes there. Holiday platters and rarely used appliances are ideal. Everyday dishes belong lower, and a small step stool stored in a toe kick drawer is worth considering.

Ceilings, Texture and Lighting

Removing a soffit leaves a strip of raw ceiling. In older homes that ceiling may have acoustic texture, which is tested for asbestos before anything is disturbed. We patch the drywall and match or skim the texture so the repair disappears. Many clients take the chance to replace the fluorescent light box at the same time, since the ceiling is already being worked on. New lighting is installed as high efficacy LED to meet California Title 24, and under cabinet lighting is easy to add while the uppers are down.

What It Costs and How Long It Takes

In Irvine, soffit removal with upper cabinet extension commonly runs from about $6,500 to $18,000. An empty soffit with stacked cabinets sits near the bottom. Rerouted ducts, moved plumbing, full height new uppers and a replaced light box move it toward the top. Most jobs take one to two weeks on site, plus whatever lead time your cabinets need. Call (949) 453-7721 to schedule a walkthrough and the inspection opening.