Remodel a kitchen that actually works for how you cook, eat, and move through your home every day.
Most kitchen remodels begin with a specific frustration: not enough counter space, a layout that makes two people dodge each other, or cabinets that are always full but never have what you need. The kitchen works against you instead of with you.
What most homeowners do not realize until they are already into it is how many systems live inside a kitchen. The plumbing, electrical, ventilation, and structure all have to be reworked together when the layout changes. Pull a wall out without accounting for what is carrying the load above it, and you have a much bigger project than you planned. Move the sink without checking the drain slope, and you are cutting into the floor. These are not rare problems. They happen when planning doesn’t happen up front.
At C-U Under Construction, we work with homeowners across Central Illinois as a kitchen remodeling contractor focused on getting those decisions right before work starts. We handle everything from full gut remodels and open concept conversions to cabinet replacements and kitchen additions. Our in-house plumbing and electrical trades work alongside the build team from the start, so we plan the layout, systems, and finishes as one project rather than handing them off to contractors who have never spoken to each other.
A lot of the homes we work on in Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, and surrounding areas were built 40 or 50 years ago. Older kitchens often have panels not sized for modern appliances, plumbing that has never been touched, and ventilation that doesn’t actually go anywhere useful. We find those things during planning, not after the walls are already open. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and start your kitchen remodel with confidence.
People’s Choice 2026: #1 in Kitchens & Baths, decided by local homeowners and businesses.
Wonderful, professional, competent and trustworthy. While I’m an Illinois resident I primarily live and work out of state. Wish we had contractors like this around us!
A look at kitchen remodels completed for homeowners across Central Illinois.
Here is what we actually plan and coordinate so the finished kitchen works the way you need it to.
We plan around how the space is actually used, where two people cook at once, where groceries land, how the room connects to the rest of the house.
Opening up a kitchen requires working out load-bearing structure, beam sizing, and what sits above the space before anything comes down.
Cabinet layout, drawer configurations, pantry space, and island storage are planned before materials are ordered so the finished kitchen actually has room for everything.
Sink locations and drain routing are planned before the floor goes down, especially in older homes where moving plumbing gets complicated fast.
Circuits are sized for modern appliance loads early in the process, including panel updates if the existing service cannot support the new kitchen.
Range hood exhaust routing is planned before cabinets go in so ventilation actually works instead of recirculating air inside the cabinet above the range.
Countertops cannot be templated until cabinets are set, so finishes are scheduled in the right order from the start.
The work order is planned to keep trades moving efficiently and avoid the stalled gaps that push a kitchen remodel from six weeks to twelve.
Kitchens are out of use longer than most rooms during a remodel, so we plan around temporary setups and work zones to keep the disruption manageable.
When you hire a contractor who subs out the plumbing and electrical, those trades show up when they are available, work off whatever information they were given, and leave. If the layout changed since they got their instructions, it is usually nobody’s problem until it becomes yours.
We have been remodeling kitchens across Central Illinois for more than 20 years. Our plumbing and electrical trades are in-house, which means the people doing that work were part of the planning conversation from the start.
If you want to check water quality before or after the remodel, C-U Trade Services — our HVAC, plumbing, and electrical branch — offers free water testing and whole-home water treatment. Hard water is common throughout Central Illinois and shortens the life of new fixtures and appliances if it goes unaddressed.
A kitchen remodel involves a lot of decisions. Talking through the layout and systems early helps avoid the ones that cost the most to fix later.
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