A main level renovation is a coordinated remodel of the spaces on a home's ground floor — typically the kitchen, one or more bathrooms, and connecting areas like the mudroom, laundry, or living and dining rooms — completed as a single project rather than room by room over several years. For homeowners in Peterborough and the Kawarthas planning to update their kitchen and bathroom, tackling the main level together is often the more efficient and better-value approach.

What Is a Main Level Renovation?

A main level renovation covers every space on a home's ground floor that gets daily use: the kitchen, main bathroom or powder room, mudroom or laundry area, and often the flooring, lighting, and sightlines that connect them. Unlike a single-room remodel, it's planned as one project, with one design vision, one construction timeline, and one crew moving through the home.

For most Peterborough homes, that means the kitchen and a full or half bathroom form the core of the project, with mudroom, laundry, or open-concept living updates layered in depending on the home's layout and the homeowner's budget.

Why Renovate the Whole Main Floor at Once?

Renovating the kitchen, bathroom, and adjoining spaces together means one disruption to daily life instead of two or three spread across different years, one cohesive material and colour palette instead of mismatched updates, and often lower overall cost, since design, permitting, and trade scheduling are shared across the whole project rather than duplicated for each room.

It also matters for resale: buyers respond to a main floor that reads as one finished space rather than a patchwork of renovated and untouched rooms sitting side by side.

Key Elements of a Main Level Renovation
The Kitchen

The kitchen is almost always the anchor of a main level renovation, and it's where 2026's design direction shows up clearest: built-in functionality (walk-in pantries, beverage stations, banquette seating) that keeps the space clutter-free, smart cabinet storage (pull-out waste systems, vertical baking-sheet storage, integrated spice drawers), and statement surfaces like slab backsplashes and large-format tile with minimal grout lines and natural veining.

The Bathroom

Bathrooms on the main floor — whether a powder room or a full bath — are trending toward furniture-style vanities with turned legs and warm wood tones, full-height ("floor-to-ceiling") tile for a cohesive, spa-like feel, and freestanding soaker tubs as a focal point where space allows.

Mudroom & Laundry

For homes with main-floor laundry or an entry mudroom, these spaces are increasingly designed as an extension of the kitchen's storage and finishes rather than an afterthought — built-in cubbies, closed storage, and matching cabinetry tie the whole main level together.

Flooring & Sightlines

A single, consistent flooring material carried through the kitchen, bathroom entry, and connecting hallways is one of the simplest ways to make a main level renovation feel intentional rather than piecemeal, and it's one of the first things a buyer or guest notices.

How Much Does a Main Level Renovation Cost in Ontario?

Costs vary widely by scope, but as a general Ontario guide for 2026: a cosmetic kitchen refresh (refacing, countertops, backsplash) runs roughly $15,000–$25,000; a mid-range renovation with semi-custom cabinets and quartz countertops runs $28,000–$65,000; a full gut renovation with layout changes runs $55,000–$90,000; and a luxury, fully custom kitchen runs $110,000+. A main level project that includes a bathroom and connecting spaces adds to that total, since it's effectively two or more rooms renovated at once.

These figures are general provincial estimates, not a quote — actual pricing depends on your home's layout, material choices, and scope. A consultation is the only way to get real numbers for your project.

How Long Does a Main Floor Renovation Take?

Timelines scale with scope: a cosmetic refresh can wrap in 1–2 weeks, a mid-range renovation typically runs 4–5 weeks, a full gut renovation 5–7 weeks, and a luxury custom project 12–16 weeks. Combining a kitchen and bathroom on the same main level project usually adds time compared to a kitchen alone, but less than doing the two rooms as separate projects years apart.

Main Level Renovations & Aging in Place

A growing share of main level renovations in Peterborough are planned with long-term, single-floor living in mind — wider doorways, curbless or low-threshold showers, and a main-floor layout that works whether a homeowner is raising a family now or planning to stay in their home without relying on stairs later. Building these features in during a full main level renovation is far more cost-effective than retrofitting them room by room down the road.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's included in a main level renovation?
Typically the kitchen, one or more main-floor bathrooms, and often the mudroom, laundry, and connecting flooring or lighting — planned and built as a single coordinated project rather than separate renovations over time.

Should I renovate my kitchen and bathroom at the same time?
For most homeowners, yes — it consolidates disruption into one timeline, keeps design and materials consistent across the main floor, and is typically more cost-efficient than renovating each room in a separate project years apart.

How much does a main floor renovation cost in Ontario?
General 2026 ranges run from about $15,000 for a cosmetic kitchen refresh to $110,000+ for a full custom kitchen, with a bathroom and connecting spaces adding to that total. A personalized quote reflects your home's actual scope.

Is an open-concept main floor worth it?
It depends on the home's structure and the homeowner's goals, but an open, connected main floor is consistently one of the features buyers and design trends favour for how it makes a space feel larger and more livable.

Can a main level renovation help me age in place?
Yes — features like curbless showers, wider doorways, and a main-floor layout that avoids stairs are far easier and more cost-effective to build in during a full renovation than to retrofit later.

Why Peterborough Homeowners Choose Anden Kitchen and Bath Centre

Anden Kitchen and Bath Centre has been part of Peterborough's renovation community for about 35 years. Our showroom at 686 Crown Drive and our team of installers focus on high-end kitchen and bathroom renovations, with every finished job walked through for quality before we call it done. We're proud to have been recognized with multiple Readers' Choice Awards by the Peterborough community we've worked in for decades.

If you're planning a main level renovation, visit our showroom or book a consultation to talk through your kitchen, bathroom, and main floor goals.