Kitchen Remodeling in Union, NJ
Union is a big postwar township, and that is good news for kitchens. Rooms are squarer, framing is more predictable and walls open up more easily than in the prewar towns to the north. Fewer surprises, more of the budget going into the finished room.
- NJ HIC Reg. #13VH12107200
- Based in Irvington
- 14+ years in North Jersey
Union Township is one of the larger municipalities we work in, about nine square miles with more than 22,000 housing units. It is also one of the most consistent: the median home dates to 1956, about six in ten are single-family detached, and roughly seven in ten are owner-occupied. Only one in five predates 1940.
That adds up to a lot of ranches, split-levels, Cape Cods and modest colonials built in the fifteen or twenty years after the war.
- Median year built
- 1956of 22,068 housing units
- Built before 1940
- 20.4%60.6% before 1960
- Single-family detached
- 62.7%85.7% in 1–4 unit buildings
- Owner-occupied
- 71.5%9.05 sq mi, Union County
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates. Figures describe Union township, Union County, NJ.
Why postwar houses are easier to remodel
Nobody says this out loud enough, so: a 1955 house is a considerably more cooperative remodeling subject than a 1925 one.
Rooms are squarer. Framing is regular, dimensionally consistent and generally still in plane. Walls are drywall rather than plaster, which demolishes more cleanly and patches properly. Supply piping is more likely to be copper than galvanized steel. Ceiling heights are consistent. Cabinet installation still requires shimming and scribing, but not the amount that ninety years of settlement demands.
The practical effect is that more of your budget goes into the finished kitchen and less into dealing with the house. It also means estimates hold up better, because there is less that demolition can reveal.
What is worth checking early in a Union house is whether the kitchen sits over a basement or over a slab. Many of these houses have full basements; some, particularly the ranches, have slab sections. Where the kitchen is on a slab, the drain is in the concrete, and moving a sink is a different order of job.
What we handle in a Union kitchen
Demolition, framing, cabinetry, countertops, backsplash, flooring, and the plumbing and electrical work involved. Permits filed with the township and inspections scheduled.
The first useful question for a Union kitchen: basement or slab underneath? That decides a lot.
Call (862) 218-7292Kitchen Layout Changes in Union
Where there is a basement below, layout changes here are as straightforward as they get in our service area: accessible joist bays, regular framing and clear runs for supply and drain lines. Sinks move readily. Split-levels add a wrinkle worth knowing about. The kitchen usually sits on the middle level and the plumbing wall often serves the level above too, so a change on one level has consequences on another. Ranges move with a gas line extension or a new 240-volt circuit, with the hood duct route as the practical constraint. See kitchen layout remodeling.
Kitchen Islands in Union
Union is one of the towns where an island genuinely works rather than being forced. Postwar kitchens here are often wider than the prewar galleys nearby, and once the room reaches about twelve feet the clearances work: 42 inches of aisle on every side, 48 where stools go. A sink island needs supply, drain and a code-compliant vent through the floor, which is realistic over a basement. Any receptacles serving the island counter have to be roughed in before flooring goes down, and they need GFCI protection. See kitchen islands.
Open Concept Kitchens in Union
The wall between kitchen and dining room in a ranch or split is a common removal here, and the structural question is easier to answer than in an older house because the basement usually shows the load path clearly. Where it is bearing, the job is a sized beam, posts and support carried down. In split-levels, opening toward the lower level is a distinct question, since the half-wall or railing at the step sometimes carries load and the sight lines change more than people expect. See open concept kitchens.
Kitchen Cabinets in Union
Because the rooms are conventional and the walls are close to square, stock and semi-custom cabinetry fits well here and there is less need to pay for custom boxes built to an irregular room. Where the money is worth spending is on box construction, plywood at the sink base especially, and on drawer quality, since dovetailed boxes on full-extension soft-close slides are what still feel right in fifteen years. Soffit removal above the uppers is a very common gain in these kitchens. See kitchen cabinets.
Kitchen Countertops in Union
Straighter walls mean cleaner countertop installations, though templating still happens after the cabinets are in and level. Where an island is part of the plan, its top is often a single large piece and the overhang for seating needs support, steel brackets set into the cabinet framing beyond about ten inches of unsupported stone. That gets decided before fabrication rather than at delivery. Allow one to two weeks between cabinet install and counters. See kitchen countertops.
Kitchen Flooring in Union
Subfloors here are typically flatter and stiffer than in the prewar housing, which opens up large-format tile as a realistic option without extensive preparation. Luxury vinyl plank remains popular for the warmth and the cost. Where a kitchen sits over a slab, tile or LVP directly over a properly prepared slab works well, and radiant heat mats are worth considering in that situation since a slab floor is cold underfoot. See kitchen flooring.
Kitchen Backsplashes in Union
Flatter walls mean less preparation before tiling, which shows up directly in cost. That makes it easier to justify a more demanding pattern (herringbone, vertical stack, or full height behind the range) because you are not spending the labor budget flattening plaster first. Outlets still need box extenders so the devices sit flush with the tile, and the counter joint takes flexible sealant rather than grout. See kitchen backsplash.
Permits and inspections in Union
Union Township's Building Department issues and inspects construction permits under New Jersey's Uniform Construction Code. Kitchen work altering plumbing or electrical requires one, and removing a bearing wall brings in the building subcode along with a sealed drawing from an engineer or architect. Rough work is inspected before it is covered.
Township of Union, Building Department
- Department: Building Department
- Address: 1976 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
- Phone: 908-851-8509
Contact details verified September 2026. Permit requirements depend on your specific scope of work and can change, so the department above is the authority on what your project needs, not this page.
Where we work in Union
Across the township, including the Vauxhall section near the Irvington and Millburn lines, Battle Hill, Putnam Manor and the neighborhoods running down toward Elizabeth and Cranford.
Kitchen work in Union
Postwar houses hold fewer surprises, which makes the conversation more concrete. Give us a call.
Where Union sits, and where we work
Union Township covers about nine square miles of Union County, bordering Hillside, Irvington, Maplewood, Springfield, Elizabeth and Cranford.
Union boundary map not yet published.
Import maps/kml/union-nj.kml into Google My Maps, then paste the embed URL into
src/_data/locations/union-nj.json.
Township of Union covers about 9.05 square miles of Union County. Boundary drawn from U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line data.
Kitchen questions from Union homeowners
Is a split-level kitchen harder to remodel?
Not harder, just different. The kitchen usually sits on the middle level with a half-flight down to the family room and a half-flight up to the bedrooms, and the plumbing runs in a wall that also serves the level above. Layout changes within that level are generally straightforward. What requires more thought is opening toward the lower level, since the half-wall or railing there is sometimes doing structural work.
Our kitchen is on a slab. Does that change things?
Substantially, and it is worth establishing early. Where there is no basement or crawlspace under the kitchen, the drain runs in the slab, and moving a sink means cutting and patching concrete. Most Union houses have a basement or a lower level under at least part of the footprint, but not always under the kitchen. It is the first thing we check.
Can we get an island in a 1950s ranch kitchen?
More often here than in most of our service area, because these rooms are frequently wider than the prewar galley kitchens nearby. The arithmetic is 42 inches of clear aisle on every side, and 48 where seating is, so you need roughly twelve feet of room width before it works comfortably. Where it does not, a peninsula gives you most of the same benefit.
Is the wall between the kitchen and dining room load-bearing?
Sometimes, and in these houses it is often easier to find out than in an older one, since the framing is more regular and the basement usually shows the load path clearly. Where it is bearing, the job is a sized beam, posts and a load path down, normal work with an engineer's drawing and a permit. Where it is not, it is a straightforward removal.
What condition is the electrical usually in?
Better than in the prewar towns, though still short of what a modern kitchen expects. Houses from the 1950s were commonly built with 100-amp service and a kitchen on one or two circuits. Adding the dedicated circuits a current kitchen needs is straightforward while the walls are open, and whether the panel has room is the question to answer before demolition.
Call about your Union project
Postwar houses are cooperative. Describe the kitchen and we can usually be specific quickly.