About Tollandinn

Why We Spend So Much Time on One Wall

Tollandinn is a kitchen remodeling contractor working in Irvine. We do full kitchens, but the job we are asked about more than any other is the wall. In the two-story houses that fill the older villages, the kitchen sits behind a partition with a doorway, and the family room is on the other side. People want to stand at the stove and see their kids, their guests or the television. That means taking the wall out.

It sounds like demolition. In a two-story house it is often structure. The upstairs floor may bear on that wall, and the wall may hide drain lines, ductwork or wiring that feed rooms elsewhere in the house. We have learned to treat the opening as the first design decision rather than a step before the real work starts.

How We Work

We start in the attic or between floors, wherever we can reach the framing, and we do not give a number on a wall until we understand what it supports. When a wall is bearing, a structural engineer sizes the beam and posts, and those drawings go to the City of Irvine with the rest of the plans. Inspections happen before anything gets covered up.

Then we design the kitchen for the room that will exist once the wall is gone. That usually means moving the range or refrigerator, adding or resizing an island, and deciding where the sink should face. We would rather tell you that a smaller opening does the job than sell you a larger beam you do not need.

What We Will and Will Not Do

• We will show you beam options on paper, including the less expensive dropped beam, before you commit.
• We will explain when refacing sound cabinet boxes makes more sense than replacing them.
• We will not start work in a townhome or condo until your HOA has approved the plans.
• We will not close a ceiling before the inspector has seen the framing.

Get in Touch

Call (949) 693-0496, or find us at 8948 Jeffrey Rd, Irvine, CA 92612. Tell us which village you live in and roughly when your house was built, and we can usually guess what the wall looks like before we arrive.