How Much Does It Cost To Remove A Kitchen Soffit?

Remove and Disguise

Once a homeowners decides to remove soffits, they must decide what they'll do with what's behind them. They often hide ducts that extract air from a cooktop, wiring for all of the electronics and possibly water or gas pipes. Depending on what's behind them, it may be possible to remove them and disguise the underlying parts in a more streamlined way.

Cost Factors

If there are too many pipes, wires and ducts behind the soffits, it will often be difficult to hide them without putting up new ones. It's possible to reroute these parts, but that can add many hours to the job, which increases the cost. Replacing the existing ones can take a long time because all adjacent cabinets and crown molding must be removed first. For homeowners who aren't replacing the soffits, the amount of finish work required to integrate the open space with rest of the kitchen can also significantly impact the project cost.

Professional Help is Recommended

It is possible to remove kitchen soffits yourself, given the appropriate tools, time and knowledge. However, it's a long and arduous job that involves a lot of disassembly and reassembly, as well as cutting through drywall and timber supports. Hiring a contractor who has experience with this type of job is highly recommended.