Kitchen

How Much Does a Kitchen Remodel Cost?

Barstools | Refrigerator | Island Pendant Lights | Pantry Doorknobs

Since the kitchen is probably where you’re going to spend the majority of the money on a home renovation, this is an important question to answer. So let’s cut right to the chase! A median range kitchen remodel can range anywhere from $25,000 to $80,000. There are many factors determining this amount including who is doing the remodel, the extent of the remodel, and what types of material you will be using.

We are in the planning stages of a renovation project, so we have already been working on our budget and specs for the new kitchen. I am quickly reminded of how much money it takes to make something look great. I thought during this process, we would try and share lots of our breakdowns and budgets. Hopefully, this will be helpful to you.

Our Budget

Electrical$2,200
Plumbing$1,500
Cabinetry$17,000
Countertops$15,000
Lighting$3,500
Appliances$10,000
Other$2,000
Grand Total$51,200
All category breakdowns include installation, labor, and material.

Electrical and Plumbing

Thankfully, electrical and plumbing are both a small amount of the budget, but the electrical can really make a huge difference in the kitchen. This is the part of the budget that allows for relocating and adding in more light fixtures. We all know you can never have too much lighting in a kitchen.

Preliminary 3D mockup of kitchen in our flip house.

Luckily, we aren’t having to go all out and replace all wiring. Doing this would have made this line item of the budget go up significantly. Starting from scratch would certainly be a lot more work. We are only tweaking and adding to the existing wiring and plumbing.

This estimate will include all labor and materials including recessed lighting(normally provided by our electrician), but excluding two wall sconces beside the hood, two pendant lights above the island, and a couple more wall scones.

Cabinetry

I’m sure there is no surprise that the cabinets would be the biggest part of the budget allowance. What is a kitchen without stunning cabinetry? Although this is true, I will have to say our budget isn’t really all that much or steep for a kitchen of this size. This was dependent on two major factors. One being we don’t actually have a lot of upper cabinets. We will be doing open shelving. The open shelving will be DIYed by Henry and will actually be pretty inexpensive. This small amount will be budgeted under the line item other.

We’ll also be saving by going with manufactured cabinets instead of custom handmade ones. Custom cabinets are usually 50% higher than factory-made. But we still choose quality cabinets. Ones that are all wood and have the option of being painted a custom color.

We’re also cutting cabinet costs by designing a more simple kitchen without upper cabinets. This allows us to add custom touches in the form of open shelves, hardware, and custom wood island finishes.

Countertops

Countertops are another area that consumes a large part of a kitchen remodel budget. We almost always go with quartz countertops for a great look and durability. Quartz also seems to be in a medium price range, more than granite and a little less than marble depending on what quartz you choose.

Our budget is allowing us to purchase 3 slabs of quartz which is what we should need for the entire kitchen we are designing for the flip. We will be using quartz for the entire perimeter including a coffee bar, an eight-foot island with waterfall edges, a pantry, and a backsplash behind the range.

Lighting

Lighting may be a small fraction of the budget, but it will make a huge impact. We never allow for a huge budget in this area because I like to shop around for deals. I never buy an overpriced light without trying to find something on sale first. You can find very reasonable priced, stylish lighting without breaking the bank.

Our allowance includes two pedant lights over the island, two wall sconces beside the range hood, and a few more scones throughout other parts of the kitchen that are not yet determined. The recessed lighting is in the electrical part of the budget which are always provided by our electrician and charged by the light when installed.

Appliances

Good looking and functional appliances are a must-have for me. Although this budget isn’t too large, I do think we should be able to get mostly what we need and want.

Range | Jute Runner

The two most expensive items will be the range and fridge, but I think it’s ok to spend a little more money here.

Other

This “other” category includes a few materials and labor that we didn’t include in another line item. This is where the open shelving material will fit in along with the labor for demolition. It also gives a little cushion in case we go over in a couple of areas.

Update

It was a little over a year ago since we came up with a budget and plan for our flip house kitchen. We are getting ready to install the kitchen cabinets and should be wrapping this up in few short weeks. So, how is the budget going? Did we stay on target? We came in pretty much on target in all items except for appliances. We will be going over around $1,500 due to a more expensive range and adding an addional refrigerator in the pantry.

The other added expense that we did not budget for was the kitchen vault. This added another $2,000 to the kitchen renovation, but we definitely think it was well worth it!

All together for the entire kitchen renovation we will end up spending $54,700.

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18 Comments

  • Reply Susan

    Does your budget include your vaulting of the ceiling? We are in the midst of a remodel that includes vaulting a ceiling and that is a significant piece of the budget that I can’t believe is covered in your line items.

    January 18, 2021 at 12:58 pm
    • Reply Henry

      No, it doesn’t include the vaulted ceiling. We didn’t include it here since it’s not a common thing for a kitchen remodel. That will go into our framing and millwork budget.

      January 18, 2021 at 3:44 pm
      • Reply Penny Lewis

        We’re currently building a custom home and to create cost savings we’re want to purchase manufactured cabinets in our basement. Can you recommend a good quality brand that offers color and door/drawer style options.
        Thank you! Penny

        January 23, 2021 at 3:39 pm
  • Reply Kelsey G

    What brand of cabinets are you planning on using?

    January 18, 2021 at 1:47 pm
  • Reply Christy

    I love the color of your floor. What is the color or where did you buy it? Thanks!

    January 21, 2021 at 8:37 am
    • Reply Henry

      Thanks! It’s called Sea Smoke from ADM Flooring.

      January 28, 2021 at 10:16 pm
  • Reply Penny Lewis

    We’re currently building a custom home and to create cost savings we’re want to purchase manufactured cabinets in our basement. Can you recommend a good quality brand that offers color and door/drawer style options.
    Thank you! Penny

    January 23, 2021 at 3:38 pm
    • Reply Nikki Bui Nguyen

      It’s perfect. Clean and cool! Can you share the white paint colors you used here?

      February 26, 2021 at 3:02 am
  • Reply Cynthia Gatterdam

    Do you mind sharing what quartz product is shown in the island? It looks almost solid white but may have some veining.
    Thank you.

    January 28, 2021 at 10:03 pm
    • Reply Henry

      It is called Statuario Maximus from Caesarstone.

      January 28, 2021 at 10:21 pm
  • Reply Beth

    Beautiful kitchen! We are building a custom home and are looking for quality manufactured cabinets. Would you happen to recommend any? Thank you much!

    January 30, 2021 at 11:59 pm
  • Reply Jolene

    This is random, but how are you liking the Zline range? I have gone around and around and up and down on the appliance budget… I can not decided on a line of appliances. I love the look of the Zline and definitely the price point! Was just curious if you would have went into a higher luxury brand if price allowed?
    Thanks, it’s a beautiful kitchen!

    February 4, 2021 at 3:47 pm
    • Reply Henry

      Hi Jolene. So far we have loved the ZLine range. No issues at all.

      February 26, 2021 at 9:54 pm
  • Reply Claudia

    I love this kitchen! Drawing a lot of inspiration for my own remodel and your blog is so much help! Can you share where you bought your manufactured cabinets from? I am trying to lower costs as you suggested by not going to a custom cabinet maker but not sure which option would be best for pre fab cabinets. Thank you!

    February 15, 2021 at 4:21 am
    • Reply Henry

      Thanks! Glad we can provide you with some inspiration. We bought ours from a local kitchen shop. I would recommend finding a local shop in your area and comparing the different options that they offer.

      February 26, 2021 at 9:56 pm
      • Reply Loretta

        I’m local and would love to know the cabinet brand option you’re going with. Thanks Henry!

        March 21, 2021 at 2:29 pm
  • Reply Kara

    Hi! What fridge did you get and is it counter depth?

    May 16, 2021 at 8:18 pm
  • Reply Universal Stone

    No doubt, quartz countertops are the best way to add value to a space without breaking the budget. Thanks for sharing this information!!

    March 11, 2022 at 12:11 pm
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