Kitchen Remodeling in Highlands, TX | Franco BuildWorks

This page covers kitchen remodeling for Highlands, TX homeowners. For the full step-by-step guide, see our Kitchen Remodeling service page — or explore all our work in Highlands.

Kitchens in Highlands’s older ship-channel-era homes

Highlands grew up with the refineries and plants along the Houston Ship Channel, and a large share of the housing east of the San Jacinto River off Main Street, Thompson Road, and Wallisville Road went up between the 1940s and the 1970s. That era shows up in the kitchens: closed-off galley layouts, a single window over the sink, soffits dropped to hide ductwork, and 30-inch base runs sized for a much smaller family. A remodel here is usually less about a fresh finish and more about opening a cramped footprint without weakening a wall that may be doing structural work.

Before we talk finishes, we look at how the house was built. Some of the older Highlands homes are pier-and-beam, which gives us access underneath for plumbing and lets us feel how level the floor really is; many of the later homes are slab-on-grade. That single fact changes almost every downstream decision, from how a new island gets plumbed to whether a floor needs leveling before cabinets go in. We would rather find that out on day one than after the countertop template is cut.

Clay soil, slab movement, and cabinets that go out of level

The soil under most of Highlands is the heavy Beaumont-series clay common across the upper Gulf Coast. It swells when the ground is saturated after a wet San Jacinto season and shrinks tight in a dry August, and that shrink-swell cycle moves slabs and pier-and-beam alike. In a kitchen you see it as a base cabinet run that reads level at one end and drops a quarter inch at the other, or a countertop seam that has opened up over the years.

We check the floor with a laser or long level across the full run before we set anything, then shim and scribe cabinets to a true level line rather than to the floor. Stone countertops are unforgiving here: a slab set on cabinets that follow a dished floor will show it at every seam and can crack over a span. Getting the boxes dead level first is the un-glamorous step that decides whether the finished kitchen looks right in five years.

• Full-run level check before cabinets, not after
• Cabinets shimmed and scribed to a true line
• Counter seams and overhangs planned around known slab movement

Humidity, the floodplain, and materials that hold up here

Highlands sits low and close to water, the San Jacinto River on one side and Cedar Bayou and the ship channel nearby, and much of the community is inside the FEMA floodplain. A lot of these kitchens have been through high water at least once, Harvey in 2017 being the one most people name. That history should steer material choices. Particleboard cabinet boxes and MDF toe-kicks wick water and swell if they ever get wet again; where the budget allows we favor plywood boxes and moisture-tolerant substrates so a future leak or event is a cleanup, not a gut.

The same logic applies to the floor. Laminate has a fiberboard core that swells permanently once water gets into the seams, so on a Highlands ground floor we steer toward tile or a waterproof-core luxury vinyl plank instead. Gulf humidity also means ventilation is not optional: a range hood should duct to the outside, not just recirculate, so cooking moisture and grease leave the house instead of feeding mildew in a climate that already runs damp most of the year.

Plumbing, gas, and electrical behind old kitchen walls

Once we open a wall in a mid-century Highlands kitchen, we usually find systems that were correct for their day and are due for attention now. Supply lines may be galvanized steel that has narrowed with scale; drains may be old cast iron. Some homes from a certain window used aluminum branch wiring, and older panels often do not have the spare capacity for a modern range, dishwasher, disposal, and microwave on their own circuits.

We treat these as things to inspect and price honestly, not to paper over. Code today expects GFCI protection at kitchen counter receptacles and dedicated circuits for the big appliances, and licensed electrical and plumbing trades handle that work. If we open a wall and find a problem, we show you the actual condition and let you decide, rather than closing it back up and hoping.

Permits and the Harris County floodplain question

Highlands is unincorporated, so there is no city hall with its own building department; permitting runs through Harris County. Most cosmetic kitchen work in unincorporated Harris County does not trigger a county building permit the way it would inside Houston or Baytown, but the trades still matter and the floodplain rules absolutely apply. Because so much of 77562 is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, structural changes can require a floodplain development permit through the Harris County Engineering Department.

The rule most homeowners have not heard of is the substantial-improvement threshold: if the cost of the work reaches roughly half the structure’s value in a floodplain, the county can require the whole home be brought up to current floodplain standards, which can mean elevation. A kitchen alone rarely gets there, but a kitchen bundled into a larger renovation can. We flag that early so nobody is surprised, and we point you to the county’s floodplain office as the authority rather than guessing on your behalf.

How Franco approaches a Highlands kitchen

We work as a service-area remodeler out of the greater Houston area, and we try to earn a Highlands kitchen the plain way: look at the actual house first, sequence the demolition, rough-ins, and finishes so the family can live around it as long as possible, and keep dust and debris contained in a home that is usually still occupied. In an older home the honest answer is sometimes that a wall you hoped to remove is bearing, or that a slab needs leveling before cabinets, and we would rather say that up front than discover it mid-project.

We do not promise a number over the phone or a look we have not measured for. What we can do is walk the space, tell you what is realistic for that layout and that foundation, and give you a clear picture of the decisions in front of you before any commitment.

Kitchen Remodeling in Highlands: FAQ

Can you open up a wall between the kitchen and living room in an older Highlands home?

Often yes, but in a 1950s or 1960s home the wall may be load-bearing. We check what it carries before we plan removal; in most cases a beam and proper support can open the space, and we will tell you honestly if a wall has to stay or needs engineering.

My kitchen floor slopes. Do I have a foundation problem?

A slope is common here because of the expansive Beaumont clay under Highlands, and it can be normal seasonal movement or something that needs a foundation opinion. We measure the deviation and, if it looks structural rather than cosmetic, we recommend a foundation evaluation before we set new cabinets.

What flooring holds up best in a Highlands kitchen?

In a floodplain community this close to the San Jacinto, we typically steer toward tile or a waterproof-core luxury vinyl plank. Laminate is not a good fit on the ground floor here because its fiberboard core swells permanently if water reaches the seams.

Do I need a permit to remodel my kitchen in Highlands?

Because Highlands is unincorporated, permitting goes through Harris County rather than a city. Cosmetic work often does not require a county building permit, but electrical and plumbing should be done by licensed trades, and floodplain rules can apply to structural changes.

Can you keep my kitchen usable during the remodel?

We try to sequence the work so you keep a working sink and appliances as long as possible and set up a temporary spot, but there is usually a stretch with no kitchen. We give you that timeline before starting so you can plan around it.

Other services in Highlands

• Bathroom Remodeling in Highlands
• Full Home Renovation in Highlands
• Room Additions in Highlands
• Drywall Repair in Highlands
• Tile Installation in Highlands
• Vinyl Plank Flooring in Highlands
• Interior Painting in Highlands

Zip codes served in Highlands: 77562.