Discover the kitchen remodeling cost for your upcoming project, what takes the most money, and ways to keep the costs low during the entire process.
Look, we get it.
The kitchen is the heart of your home.
It’s a spot where memories are homemade.
But it’s also a place where a slew of other things unfold:
- Cabinets malfunction
- Doors and windows loosen
- Sinks clog
- The flooring wears off
- Countertops peel off
Whenever you witness these changes in the kitchen, one thing pops up in mind: a remodel.
Ah, that’s easy, right?
Not so fast.
Sure, you may have the best contractors on speed dial and a list of stores to get the renovation materials.
But there’s one thing you can’t easily guess here: the kitchen remodelling cost.
Knowing how much it takes to remodel the kitchen saves time and helps you get the best deals on the project.
Curious to know what a kitchen remodel might cost you?
Start by Asking Yourself These Questions
When planning a kitchen remodeling project, questions come in floods. We recommend you ignore most of the other questions and just focus on these five:
- Why am I modeling the kitchen?
- Is the main purpose of my kitchen to cook meals, entertain guests, or be family-oriented?
- Can I just upgrade the finishes?
- Does my current kitchen layout look good?
- What are the main things that the kitchen’s design ought to accomplish?
Now that you’ve answered the above questions, what factors determine the remodeling cost so you know how to start saving costs right off the bat?
Top 5 Factors with the Largest Impact on Kitchen Remodeling Cost
Here’s a snapshot of the factors that affect the kitchen remodeling budget:
1. Your Location
Where you live can greatly affect the cost of remodeling the kitchen. The cost varies depending on the state.
But that’s not all:
Revamping a kitchen in a metropolitan area may cost more than a rural area.
Generally, kitchen remodels in the Northern and Western areas tend to cost more than in the Southern areas.
2. The Kitchen Type
Depending on your preference, you may select a luxury or an economy kitchen. Besides, you may be interested in a kitchen with commercial-grade appliances or standard quality ones.
If you don’t cook a lot, you might keep the kitchen small. On the other hand, if entertainment makes you tick, you might want a spacious kitchen so people can mingle trouble-free.
Each of the decisions above will influence the kitchen remodel cost.
3. Kitchen Cabinets
The quantity and quality of cabinets you choose can have a huge impact on the new kitchen’s cost.
Cabinets come in three major categories: semi-cushion, stock, and custom.
Each cabinet comes with a broad array of construction grades. High-end appliances will cost more than low-end options.
4. Kitchen Appliances
Like cabinets, the quantity and quality of your kitchen appliances greatly impact the kitchen renovation cost.
Simple kitchen remodels have a microwave, refrigerator, dishwasher, an oven, or a cooktop consisting of one wall oven.
Major remodels feature double ovens, wine coolers, large stove with grill tops, full-size freezers and refrigerators, trash compactors, stand-alone ice makers, hood fans, and more.
5. Countertop Type and Size
Countertops are the most upgraded kitchen elements.
Image Source: Houzz
The countertop area and material you select affects the cost by a significant amount.
These days, most homeowners prefer natural stone countertops, with marble and granite being the most popular.
The cost of natural stone countertops varies depending on the stone’s thickness, grain, the area covered, color, and the sizes to form one piece, the place of origin, and more.
Quartz countertops are popular, but they aren’t 100% natural.
Why so?
While they contain natural quartz, it’s ground and bound using synthetic agents. That said, the quartz-to-binding-agent ratio is lower in low-cost quartz.
Generally, low-end quartz costs more than low-end natural stone. But the price of high-end quartz is similar to that of high-end marble or granite.
As a rule of thumb, the cost of quartz countertops is approximately double that of granite tops. .
With that in mind, let’s look at:
What’s the Most Expensive Part of a Kitchen Remodel?
Cabinets are the most expensive component of a kitchen remodel.
Look at this chat, for example:
Image source: Cliq Studios
While an economic and high-end refrigerator may have a cost difference of at least $2,000, the greatest difference maker in kitchen remodeling is cabinets.
Mid-range stock cabinets do cost anywhere between $10,000 and $20,000, for a complete kitchen remodel. On the other hand, high-end cabinets cost $20,000 and above.
But that’s not all that cabinetry costs.
There’s an installation fee as well, which is $5,000 – the national average.
Other expensive elements of a kitchen remodel
After the cabinets, most of the money goes to the countertops. There’s a close connection between their product and installation prices.
Typically, stone and solid-surface countertops cost three to five times as much as laminate ones. The higher costs go towards materials, installation, and fabrication.
Granite countertops may cost you approximately $40 by $60 per sq. ft. The total cost for materials and installation amounts to anywhere between $2,000 and $4,500.
On the other hand, marble countertops cost between $75 and $250 per sq. ft. Next, is Quartz at $55 per sq. ft, butcher block at $55, and concrete at $70.
Kitchen Remodeling Average Cost
Maybe, it’s your first time to do a kitchen remodel.
Or, like this user, you did it over a decade ago and are wondering what’s the current average cost.
Either way, here’s what it’d cost you, on average, to renovate a kitchen:
Home Advisor gives the average price for remodeling a kitchen in the $12,500 to $34,000 ball park.
Remodeling a small kitchen may cost as low as $4,000. But, a high-end remodel can cost up to $60,000.
That said, the national average for a kitchen remodel stands at $25,485.
Typically, most homeowners spend $23,000 on kitchen remodels.
Recommended Budget
The National Kitchen and Bathroom Association (NKBA) recommends that kitchen remodeling takes 15 to 20% of your home’s value.
Example:
| Home Value | Kitchen Remodel Budget |
| $500,000 | $75,000 – $100,000 |
| $250,000 | $37,000 – $50,000 |
After establishing your budget, cut it by approximately 25% and set this money aside to take care of unexpected surprises later.
NKBA association recommends the following cost breakdown for an average kitchen-remodeling project:
- Installation: 17%
- Design fees: 4%
- Cabinetry and hardware: 29%
- Flooring: 7%
- Countertops: 10%
- Appliances and ventilation: 14%
- Doors and windows: 4%
- Walls and ceilings: 5%
- Faucets and plumbing: 4%
- Lighting: 5%
- Other: 1%
Now, take the average budget for remodeling your kitchen and multiply it by each of the above percentages to find out what it’ll cost.
Maybe, even after looking at the above breakdown, you’re still asking yourself:
Can You Remodel a Kitchen for $5,000?
Yes, it’s possible to remodel a kitchen for as little as $5,000.
But that means you’ll be doing most of the work yourself.
But make no mistake, at this budget, many homeowners have been able to transform their dull and boring kitchens into sparkling and attention-grabbing spaces.
How?
Here are useful tips to give your kitchen a dramatic look at just $5,000:
Reface the existing cabinets
Like we already mentioned, cabinets take the most money on a remodel.
So, to save costs on this, paint the cabinets with a different color or change the doors.
Here’s another powerful trick to try:
Replace your wall cabinets with open shelving. It won’t cost much. Trust me.
Paint the walls
Painting can work wonders, especially if you use a new color. But if you like your existing paint color, no worries. Just add a fresh coat of the same.
To make everything stand out, we recommend using a different paint color for the walls and cabinets.
Give the countertops a facelift
Other than painting the walls and cabinetry, changing the countertops is another change that’ll quickly alter your kitchen’s appearance.
Shop around and you might find granite countertops at friendly prices.
Swap the light fixtures
Replace your light bulbs with energy saving ones. By all means, avoid a dimly lit kitchen, as it would make the space look super outdated.
You can visit a nearby store and find new and pre-owned light fixtures at great prices.
Change the hardware
After painting your cabinets, it makes sense to change the knobs or pullers. It’ll make a great difference in the kitchen.
How about replacing the faucet?
Depending on what you’re looking for, you may find new or salvaged faucets, and it won’t be heavy on your pocket.
Bottom line?
You don’t need to make major changes to give the kitchen a dramatic look.
How Much Does It Cost to Replace Kitchen Cabinets?
To completely replace your kitchen cabinets, you need between $2,000 and $20,000 and above.
That said, here’s a summary of the breakdown of cabinet replacement pricing:
Removing and disposing: $300 to $500
New cabinets: $100 to $1,200 per linear foot
Labor: $50 to $450 per linear foot
But this cost differs due to several factors.
Factors that May Affect Cabinet Replacement Cost
As you plan to replace the kitchen cabinets, keep in mind that various factors might affect the overall price. These are:
- The number of cabinets: If your current kitchen has many cabinets, the project might take a longer time. As a result, the labor costs will rise.
- Kitchen size: As a rule of thumb, cabinet installations are priced according to the number of cabinet boxes.
- Old cabinets’ removal and disposal: The cost of dismantling and disposing the existing cabinets may vary according to the project size and the time required to complete the work.
- Geographical location: The cost of replacing cabinetry varies according to location across the U.S. Be sure to ask the service provider for region or state-specific estimates.
- Trim and moulding: The cost needed to install trim and moulding may depend on the level of detail and amount of layers required.
How Can You Save Money on Kitchen Remodeling?
Remodeling a kitchen can be expensive. But with some creativity, you can save up, big time.
Here are practical ways to keep costs down:
1. Refurbish the appliances
Some years back, most homeowners could send their appliances to a landfill during a kitchen remodel.
But things are no longer the same, as there are restrictions on the same.
Now, there’s plenty of information on how to fix kitchen appliances with a thriving marketplace for service parts online.
This enables most homeowners to refurbish appliances instead of spending on new items or paying a professional.
Here are examples of items you can refurbish:
- Microwave
- Refrigerator
- Dishwasher
- Water heater
- Garbage disposal
- Water softener
2. Refresh rather than replace cabinets
Generally, projects that require complete replacement of cabinetry cost more than those that require keeping most of the items.
New kitchen cabinets are costly, particularly when going for custom units.
But there are eco-friendly and cost-effective ways to refresh existing cabinets. You can try the following:
- Updating the hardware, especially knobs and handles
- Painting
- Installing open shelving
3. Maintain the kitchen layout
Changing the layout of your kitchen space will certainly plummet the remodeling costs. For example, to move the plumbing for the dishwasher, sink and refrigerator, you’ll need to hire plumbers.
This task will cost you more in terms of labor and materials.
But, if you choose to keep the kitchen layout the same and update other elements, you will save more in costs.
Generally, you don’t have to introduce new plumbing or electrical.
You can keep the current flooring type if you desire to.
4. Do some of the work yourself
The benefit with DIY projects is that they allow you to pay for kitchen remodeling materials while reducing the labor costs.
Some of the remodeling tasks that don’t require a lot of expertise include:
- Tiling
- Changing light fixtures
- Interior painting
- Hanging drywall
- Flooring installation
- Installing baseboards
You can watch YouTube videos on how to carry out these tasks or learn from hardware store employees.
While DIY projects will save you money, you also need the time to attend to them. If you have a tight schedule, you’ll need to hire professionals.
But if you aren’t busy, you may do most of the remodel work yourself.
Concluding Thoughts
Investing in kitchen remodeling increases your home’s resale value. So, it’s a worthwhile project.
To know your kitchen remodeling cost, take 15% – 20% of your home value and then list all the expenses as recommended by NKBA with each expense taking a specified percentage of the total budget.
If you’ve got time on your hands, do most of the work to keep the costs low. Follow the tips in this guide and your remodeling project won’t be too costly or hectic.