TL;DR: The first bill in any kitchen renovation Montreal homeowners approve is demolition: from $1,500 for a selective strip-out and from $5,000 for a full-room gut, before any rough-in begins. In homes built before 1990, materials must be checked for asbestos before work starts. DemoPrep Montréal (RBQ #5826-5448-01) handles containment, removal, and disposal.
Budget the strip-out before you budget the cabinets
Kitchen renovation budgets in Montréal usually get built around the visible items — cabinetry, counters, appliances — and treat demolition as a line someone will figure out later. That’s backwards. The strip-out is the first money spent and the phase where surprises live: hidden water damage under the sink run, undocumented wiring in the bulkheads, three layers of flooring where the plan assumed one. Pricing the demolition properly at the start keeps the rest of the budget honest.
Two anchors cover most Montréal kitchens:
| Scope | Starting Price |
|---|---|
| Selective strip-out — cabinets, backsplash, flooring, non-structural bulkheads | From $1,500 |
| Full kitchen gut to the studs, including subfloor layers | From $5,000 |
| Load-bearing wall opened for an island or pass-through | From $1,200 (structural wall removal) |
Final quotes vary by Site Access and Tonnage. A third-floor Plateau kitchen with stair-only access prices differently than a ground-floor suburban one with the same square footage.
The pre-1990 rule: check before you cut
A large share of Montréal’s housing stock predates 1990, and Québec workplace rules on asbestos (CNESST) require materials likely to be disturbed to be verified before demolition begins. In kitchens of that era, the usual locations are plaster walls and ceilings, vinyl sheet flooring and floor tile, and insulation around pipe runs. Bulk sample testing starts from $350 and settles the question before a single cut is made.
If testing comes back positive, the affected materials are removed under sealed containment before general demolition starts. Our abatement crews work in MSA Advantage 3200 full-face respirators with P100 Flexi-Filters, with negative-pressure zones and 99.97% HEPA filtration keeping fibres out of the rest of your home.
Kitchen renovation Montreal context: The Plateau, NDG, LaSalle
- The Plateau: heritage duplexes and pre-1940 construction — lath-and-plaster walls produce roughly double the debris weight of drywall, and shared walls demand tight dust containment.
- NDG: pre-war triplexes and mid-century apartments — kitchens often sit mid-unit, so protecting the path from kitchen to street is part of the job.
- LaSalle: older multi-unit buildings and duplex conversions — past renovations mean undocumented framing and wiring behind the walls more often than not.
From strip-out to rebuild — one partner
A finished demolition phase means capped plumbing, isolated circuits, exposed clean framing, and a floor swept down to the subfloor — from there, DemoPrep runs the full kitchen rebuild — complete residential renovations are what we do — or coordinates directly with your build team as partners. Kitchen strip-outs are part of our interior demolition services in Montréal, and the handoff standard is the same on every job regardless of size.
Start with a firm demolition number
Get the strip-out priced before you commit the rest of the renovation budget.
Contact DemoPrep Montréal for a free kitchen demolition assessment
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I stay in my home during a kitchen demolition?
Usually, yes. The work zone is sealed off with containment barriers and kept under negative pressure, so dust stays inside it. You’ll be without the kitchen itself for the duration, and water to that zone is shut off while plumbing is capped.
How long does kitchen demolition take?
A selective strip-out typically takes one to two days. A full gut with multiple flooring layers or abatement in scope runs longer — the site assessment gives you a firm duration along with the price.
Does my kitchen renovation need a permit in Montréal?
Replacing finishes and cabinets generally doesn’t. Removing a load-bearing wall, moving plumbing stacks, or altering structure does in most boroughs. Requirements differ by borough, and we flag what applies during the assessment.
What if you find asbestos mid-demolition?
Work in that zone stops, the area is sealed, and the material is tested. That scenario is exactly why pre-1990 kitchens get tested up front — a $350 test is cheaper than a mid-project shutdown.