Full kitchen renovations designed around your home's character — not a catalog. One craftsman, from design through the last cabinet door.
Kitchen Remodeling Near You
The kitchen is the room homeowners renovate first and remember longest — and in the older homes of Chestnut Hill and Wyndmoor, getting it right requires more than picking cabinets from a showroom. It requires a builder who understands the home's architecture, its proportions, its original materials, and how a modern kitchen can fit naturally into a house built in 1905.
Fred Beese has been designing and building kitchens for over 30 years. He does everything himself — design, demolition, custom cabinetry, lighting, finish carpentry, and final trim. There's no crew you've never met, no project manager in the middle. When you talk to Fred, you're talking to the person who will build your kitchen.
For homeowners in Chestnut Hill (19118), Wyndmoor (19095), Glenside, Flourtown, and the broader Springfield Township area, Fred is the kitchen remodeling contractor who treats your home the way it deserves to be treated.
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Full Scope Kitchen Renovation
01
Cabinets built specifically for your kitchen — not stock boxes modified to fit. Face-frame or frameless construction, inset or overlay doors, painted or stained finish. For historic homes, period-appropriate profiles and hardware that match the home's character rather than fighting it.
02
Removing walls, relocating islands, reconfiguring traffic flow. Fred manages structural considerations, permits where required, and integrates the open kitchen with adjacent dining and living spaces so the result feels intentional — not just opened up.
03
Quartz, marble, soapstone, butcher block, and custom live-edge slabs — selected and installed to work with your cabinetry, your light, and how you actually use the kitchen. Fred also fabricates custom wood components that no countertop shop offers.
04
Most kitchen remodels get lighting wrong — a grid of recessed cans that illuminate the ceiling more than the counters. Fred's film lighting background means your kitchen gets a real layered lighting plan: task, ambient, and accent working together the way a professional lighting designer would do it.
05
Updating the kitchen in a Victorian, Tudor Revival, or Craftsman home without destroying what makes it special. Fred designs kitchens that feel modern in use but belong to the house — preserving original millwork, matching period profiles, and integrating appliances without visual disruption.
06
Plumbing, electrical, tile, flooring, and appliances coordinated by Fred so you have one point of contact for the whole project. No juggling multiple contractors. No communication breakdowns. The job runs the way the design was intended — because the same person is responsible for both.
Selected Work

Montgomery County, PA

Montgomery County, PA

Montgomery County, PA

Montgomery County, PA

Montgomery County, PA
Why Fred Beese Builds
Most kitchen contractors aren't equipped for the specific challenges of older homes — irregular walls, plaster substrates, original millwork to preserve, period proportions to honor. Fred has spent his career working in exactly these homes. He designs kitchens that belong to the house, not ones that look transplanted from a new build.
Fred's background as a Hollywood lighting professional means kitchen lighting isn't an afterthought — it's a core part of the design. Every kitchen remodel includes a proper layered lighting plan. It's the one thing that separates a kitchen that looks great in photographs from one that feels great to live in every day.
When something isn't right in a kitchen remodel, the question is always: whose fault is it? With a large contractor using multiple subcontractors, that question rarely gets a satisfying answer. With Fred, there's one person responsible from design to punch list — and that person cares about the outcome the way only an owner-operator can.
How It Works
Fred visits your home, assesses the kitchen, listens to what you want, and gives you an honest picture of what's possible and what it will cost. No pressure, no sales pitch.
Fred designs your kitchen specifically for your space — layout, cabinetry, lighting, surfaces, and flow all considered together as a system, not separate decisions.
Fred manages the full scope of work — demolition, rough trades, cabinetry installation, countertops, tile, lighting, and finish carpentry. Coordinated, not chaotic.
Every detail finished before Fred considers the job done. Hardware aligned, cabinet doors adjusted, trim scribed tight, lighting tested. The kitchen you designed is the kitchen you get.
Common Questions
Kitchen remodeling costs in the Chestnut Hill and Wyndmoor area typically range from $18,000 for a straightforward update (new cabinetry, countertops, and appliances in the existing footprint) to $75,000+ for a full gut renovation with custom cabinetry, layout changes, and premium finishes. Historic homes with original millwork to preserve or structural considerations tend toward the higher end of that range. Fred provides a detailed, itemized estimate after a design conversation — no vague ballparks, no surprise additions mid-project.
A mid-range kitchen remodel — new cabinetry, countertops, lighting, and appliances in the existing layout — typically takes 4–6 weeks from demolition to final trim. A full gut renovation with layout changes, custom cabinetry, and structural work can run 8–14 weeks. Fred works with a small number of clients at a time, which means your kitchen gets focused attention rather than being squeezed between other jobs.
Yes — and this is one of Fred's specific strengths. The Victorian, Tudor Revival, and Craftsman homes of Chestnut Hill and Wyndmoor have original character worth preserving: millwork profiles, plaster walls, original flooring, period proportions. Fred designs kitchens that are fully modern in function while remaining authentic to the house. That means preserving original elements where possible, selecting materials and profiles that complement the home's era, and avoiding the "transplanted from a new build" look that plagues so many historic kitchen renovations.
Yes — Chestnut Hill (19118) and Wyndmoor (19095) are Fred's primary service area. He also serves Glenside, Flourtown, Erdenheim, Springfield Township, and the surrounding communities in Eastern Montgomery County and Northwest Philadelphia. Fred's hyper-local knowledge of the architectural character of these neighborhoods — the specific home styles, original materials, and renovation challenges — makes him uniquely well-suited for kitchen work in this corridor.
Yes. Permits are required for structural changes, electrical upgrades, and plumbing relocations. Fred manages the permit process for work that requires it and is familiar with the specific requirements of Philadelphia and Montgomery County jurisdictions. If your project doesn't require permits (cosmetic updates, cabinetry replacement in the existing footprint), Fred will tell you that too — no unnecessary bureaucracy.
Yes. Fred serves homeowners throughout Montgomery County including Ambler, Blue Bell, Jenkintown, Cheltenham, Glenside, and the surrounding communities — in addition to his home base of Chestnut Hill and Wyndmoor. Many of these towns have older homes with the same architectural character Fred specializes in. Request a free estimate through this website.
The biggest factors are scope (cosmetic refresh vs. full gut renovation), the age and condition of the home (older homes in Chestnut Hill, Jenkintown, and Cheltenham often need plumbing and electrical upgrades behind the walls), material choices (stock cabinets vs. custom cabinetry, laminate vs. stone countertops), whether the layout is changing (moving plumbing and gas lines adds cost), and permit requirements. Fred provides a detailed, itemized estimate after seeing your kitchen — no ballpark guesses, no surprises mid-project.
Ask who will actually do the work (Fred does it himself — no subcontractors), whether they provide a fixed-price estimate or bill hourly (Fred quotes by the project), how they handle unexpected conditions behind walls (common in older Montgomery County homes), whether they pull permits, and how they handle the design process. Ask to see completed kitchens in homes similar to yours. A good contractor welcomes these questions — be cautious of anyone who doesn't.
Start Your Kitchen Project
Fred works with a small number of clients at a time — which means your kitchen remodel gets his full attention from design through the last cabinet door. If you're ready for a kitchen that belongs to your home, reach out to schedule a conversation.
What Clients Say
“We initially hired Fred to build a bedroom closet for us, and his work has been truly exceptional. His attention to detail, combined with a strong sense of aesthetics, is rare to find. He takes the time to refine every aspect of the work.”
“We had a fantastic experience working with Fred Beese! His communication was incredibly clear from start to finish, so we always knew exactly what to expect. His prices are reasonable, but what really sets him apart is his vision — he offered suggestions that elevated the final result.”
“Fred is truly an artist. He built a fence for me and collaborated every step of the way. I highly recommend him especially if you want the end result to be outstanding and beautiful.”
“Fred is an outstanding contractor. His communication skills are excellent. He keeps you informed every step of the way and is extremely easy to work with. His attention to detail really sets him apart, and it shows in the quality of his work.”
“Fred Beese has done much work for me on my house over the years both as a craftsman and as a contractor. His work is uniformly excellent. He is responsible, meticulous, very knowledgeable across the range of construction skills.”
“Fred does excellent work! He can do pretty much anything you need done from electrical to carpentry. He is a pleasure to work with.”
Tell us about your project and Fred will be in touch within 24 hours.