Durham County, North Carolina
Kitchen remodeling in Durham, NC
Durham has 136,837 homes, about half of the occupied ones lived in by their owners. Half were built before 1995.
The homes of Durham
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates for Durham city.
More homes in Durham were built in the 2010s than in any other decade, 21% of them, followed by the 2000s at 17%. A kitchen put in when one of those houses was new is now about 11 years old, unless it has been redone since.
30% of homes here were built before 1980. In a home built before 1978, a remodel that disturbs painted cabinets, trim or walls has to be done by a firm certified for lead-safe work by North Carolina’s own program, which EPA authorized. Ask for the certificate when you book the measure.
Detached houses are 51% of homes in Durham; the rest are townhomes, condos and apartments. In a condo or townhome the association may have to approve work on plumbing, walls or wiring, so ask for its rules before the measure.
ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Durham is the largest place
| ZIP code | Homes | Owner-occupied | Median year built | Built before 1980 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27503 | 1,565 | 90% | 1986 | 36% |
What kitchen trades earn here
Electricians in the Durham area earn a median $28.47 an hour and plumbers $28.90, against $30.38 and $30.67 across the country (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). That is what the workers are paid, not what a contractor charges for their time. All five kitchen trades: Durham area.
Before you sign: North Carolina
Ask the contractor for the license or registration number they hold and the agency that issued it, then look the number up on that agency’s own site. Ask who will take out the building permit, and get the price, the payment schedule and the scope of work in writing before any money changes hands.
Contracts, licenses and lead-safe rules in North Carolina · Permits · What it costs
Elsewhere in the Durham area
- Chapel Hill, NC23,581 homes · half built before 1988
- Carrboro, NC10,189 homes · half built before 1988
- Hillsborough, NC4,522 homes · half built before 2001
- Efland, NC632 homes · half built before 1991
- Pittsboro, NC2,009 homes · half built before 2002