Hi all, we are in discussions with a remodel company for our 13x9 kitchen. We have one other estimate which is a bit lower (but we didn’t like their vibe), have a third company coming out soon for another, but we liked these guys so wanted to get a gut check. Overall IMO, it seems fair except I am a bit hung up on the countertop fabrication and install cost.

Kitchen: 13x9 (45 sq feet of counter tops) Location: HCOL, west coast

• Demo: $2,250

• Kitchen install: $13,000 (Installation of cabinets, sink, appliances (existing), HVAC for built in microwave, hardware, clean up)

• Cabinets estimate: $15,000 (semi custom)

• Countertop fabrication and install: $10500

• Quartz slab: $2-3k

• Backsplash Install: $3k (+$500 for tile)

• Kitchen electrical: $4k (Update outlets, under cabinet lights, electrical to island for microwave, add 3 pendant lights, add 2 can lights)

• Paint ceiling: $2k (600 sq ft)

Overall: give or take $53k

Appreciate the input.

Just purchased my first home and we’re looking to do a complete remodel of our kitchen. We’ve met with several contractors and have been consistently been given estimates in the $50-$70k range. I know there’s a lot of variables in play in terms quality of materials, replacing all appliances, etc.

We received a more formal quote (picture included), and I’m looking for some guidance on if these prices seem reasonable or are heavily inflated.

Here’s some additional context:

This estimate doesn't include anything for materials (cabinets/floor/counters)/appliances... all of that we purchase on our own or with them (at the cost they get it for)

Kitchen is small/medium

This does include them raising the kitchen ceiling ~8 inches to be flush with the living room ceiling that is a connected room

This does include them replacing our 100w electrical panel to 200w; instead of giving us a "discount" on the final quoted price, he offered the electrical panel + raising the ceiling as mentioned above as the discount... which seems pretty solid, but not if all the costs in the attached picture are massively inflated

$10,000 for demo seems crazy

We will need to pay for the permits out of pocket as they will be doing plumbing/pipe electrical adjustments

Any insight or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Title ^. I live in the same floor plan as this house and would love to do this to my kitchen. Any idea how much a remodel like this would cost? Keeping my appliances. Don’t need custom cabinets (Home Depot/Lowes is great)

Note my current house has a wall where the kitchen opens up to the living room in the video. So would need to get that removed. Thank you!

My 2009 kitchen needs a remodel. (No! Not my design, we bought last year!) It isn’t a large kitchen and I will keep basically same layout. Same floor. Larger island. Transform that stupid “desk” to cabinet space and get rid of that stone monstrosity. I went to a local highly rated kitchen & bath remodel place for an estimate. He didn’t ask my budget. Estimate (includes appliances) $75k, which is more than a lot of the houses around here go for. The designer said it wouldn’t be much less to reface the cabinets (which are great quality and excellent condition). I really wanted to spend only about half that (not including appliances). Am I dreaming?

We really want to remodel our kitchen, but the quotes we are getting seem to be really high. (We live in NJ)

We were hoping to keep it under $20K.

-New cabinets, backsplash, countertop, flooring (Layout does not need to be changed)

-Only appliance that needs to be replaced is the fridge

-Our kitchen is small too- we have 5 cabinets and a small island

First company told us $35-40K and flooring is an additional $15K. They were super professional though and high end.

Second company was not as professional, barely gave any details and said their kitchen renos usually START at $50K. He talked about demoing our whole kitchen. Taking it down to the studs/ adding insulation etc.

Third company wants us to measure the kitchen ourselves first and we haven’t gotten around to that yet 😭😭😭

-Why do we need to demo our kitchen if we aren’t changing anything electrical or plumbing?

-We bought our house for $315K. I don’t think it’s worth it to spend more than $20-25K on just a kitchen renovation

-We wanted an easy remodel and to get a company to help take care of the process, but I’m willing to just buy the cabinets, countertop, etc and have a contractor we trust install it for us and manage the installation ourselves.

Thanks for the advice!

Hey all. I’m looking for honest, candid disclosures of prices paid for a kitchen remodel on a home similar to mine.

My house was built in 1925. The kitchen is approximately 8x13. I’ve had three estimates over the last couple of years coming in at $50-80k. This is for new cabinets/counter, floor, and possible ceiling.

I’m finding it terribly hard to accept these prices as true and real for remodeling a kitchen like mine. Am I living in a fantasy world thinking I should be paying $30k or less?

I’m attaching pics of the kitchen as-is today.

My wife and I bought house in Eastern NC in 2021 for 310k. It is probably worth 400-425k now. The home is in good condition but the kitchen is dated. The kitchen is original to the house and was built in the late 1980s. We are working with a contractor who is known for her work on luxury homes in the area. She probably is used to working with homes that are 400k-1M in value, which is high end in our area. At our first meeting, we told her that we hope to keep the kitchen renovation budget to 60k. It is a full gut job. Ideally, cabinets, flooring, lighting, and countertops would be replaced, but no walls need to be moved or anything.Yesterday, the contractor told us that she is waiting on a couple more firm estimates from subs, but that she expects the project to cost 150k. We told her that there is no way we could even close to that and that is way out of our budget.Am I wrong here for thinking that 60k could get us close to a full kitchen remodel? Do I need to adjust my expectations? Or, is 150k for a kitchen model as absurd as it sounds to me?

Edit: Thank you all for the insight and diverse perspectives! We can't afford 150k on a kitchen reno so you don't have to worry about us spending that amount of money on this project! We are in a LCOL area about 60 miles from Raleigh NC. I have not been provided with any formal quotes yet from the contractor so I don't yet know what is driving up the cost. The contractor has not yet given us different options for different types of materials which I am learning can make a world of difference in terms of price. She essentially told us the types of materials/finishes we would want without discussing pricing. The quote did include custom cabinets, but I was not told what type of materials would be used; apparently high-end haha. I am most frustrated that we were up front about our budget/expectations, but then her estimate was 3x as much without any conversation along the way.

Moving forward, I plan to adjust my expectations; 60k could be low but 150k is waaay too high. I will request formal quotes from her and the subcontractors she plans to use so I am better informed. I will ask the contractor to get me different estimates for various aspects of the job from different subs and/or different materials. I may also be looking for a new contractor to see what someone else can come up for us in our budget range.

Edit 2: This post got a decent amount of attention. Thanks for all the thoughts and anecdotes. After about 2 years from this post, our kitchen remodel is finished! We ended up shopping contractors and got some better prices. We remodeled the kitchen as well as the adjoining half-bath and laundry room. All in we spent $74,500. This got us custom cabinets, paint, trim, new appliances, electrical, plumbing, countertop, and flooring. We tried to save some money in a few areas. We went with a tile-looking LVT rather than tile (saved about $8,000), countertops, and appliances. I've seen others spend tons on high-end appliances. We've been happy with out GE, fingerprint resistant black slate appliances and spent about $5,000 on fridge, dishwasher, and oven. Hope this info helps anyone who visits this post. Kitchen remodels are expensive and a bear. My advice is to make your budget, take your time, and find a contractor you feel comfortable with.

Obviously, a lot of the pricing will depend on specifics, but I'm trying to get the roughest sense of what kind of numbers I'll be hearing. It's not a massive kitchen, but it likely has not been renovated since our house was built in 1948. We need new cabinets, new flooring, everything. We live in northern Marin and are considering reaching out to contractors in Petaluma/Santa Rosa because we think they will be more competitively priced.

We are remodeling our kitchen in east bay . The kitchen is quite small 12*12 , and we are doing tiles on the floor . The contractor feels that if we need to get the permit (as the electrical is not up to the code) we will spend extra . Given my past experiences with insurance I want to get the permits for kitchen remodel .

He is asking for 35k for labor ( install cabinets, flooring for 400sq ft , electrical.. ). If you add material we are looking at 60k remodel . Is this fair in Bay Area currently for this size of kitchen.

Hey everyone,

I am looking to put a offer in on a house but the kitchen is dated. I am wondering a rough cost I should budget for? Looking for new appliances,Flooring, New doors on cabinets and paint the boxes, new countertops. I am in Canada not sure how much of a difference that would make

guys! we moved into a new house almost a year ago ... recently evaluated our options and settled with a renovation plan for our 40 yr old 200 sqft kitchen with Ikea cabinets. We designed the kitchen using IKEA kitchen planner. I've got a total of 3 quotes and 2 of those are specific to IKEA kitchen installation labor costs with some add-on work, such as, flooring, electrical work, outside venting hood, etc. I am providing the lower-end estimate below (see Table) and wondering if you see any gaps or ways to reduce cost further down or opportunities for negotiations. I know I may be able to accomplish some of the listed work myself but DIY might be a long shot given my demanding job and other family responsibilities.

Note that the IKEA kitchen cabinets may cost another $10k, tiles may cost around $2k, and kitchen appliances, including refrigerator, dishwasher, range, lighting, sink, etc. may end up being an additional $5 to 6k. So, overall, I am looking at $30k for the entire renovation.

Any advice or insight to keep down the overall cost would be appreciated :)

Need a sounding board. I am looking to renovate my kitchen. Not changing the layout other than expanding one wall into an existing room to create a pantry. I intend to update bottom cabinets, put shelves instead of uppers, and update the island. The water line for the sink and gas line will remain in the same location. The bottom cabinets will be all drawers with nothing special inserted. Is $94,000 a reasonable price? This quote does NOT include appliances (range, hood, fridge, freezer, or microwave). Flooring stays the same.

Edit 1: Thanks for all of the feedback. I do live in a HCOL area (Northern VA). The home is newer and everything is up to code, so I don't forsee any issues arising. Once the area is opened, I’m looking at approximately 405 sqft. However, much of the newly acquired space will be devoted to a dedicated pantry and will not have any new cabinetry. I did have another quote from Block Renovation for ~$125k—not including appliances—which also did not encompass building a space for a pantry. Overall, based on the chosen materials, mainly custom KraftMaid cabinets and quartz countertops, I think the quote may be justified. Thanks again guys!

Once I decide to go forth with this renovation I will post before and after photos.

Just trying to judge how much could this potentially cost? I don’t need a fancy kitchen, just something that works, looks and feels nice for now. Only 27 and inherited a farm. Trying to judge what I’m up against. I think kitchen is one of the first parts I want to get done.

I’m not even sure if I have a gas line for a gas oven. Might have to be all electric.

My galley kitchen is 6 x 12. I wanted to replace the floors, cabinets, and countertops.

I have been waiting over 3 months for an estimate from one contractor. Another one vanished and the third wouldn’t put an estimate in writing.

I received a staggering estimate today from a 4th contractor. The total was twice my budget and it didn’t even include flooring. I had refinanced my mortgage to get equity funds to cover the cost. The bank and I both thought I had more than enough money to complete this project.

I am so discouraged. I have no idea of what to do.

We are eager to do a full kitchen renovation (new floor, cabinets, countertop, backsplash, refinishing walls, etc). Our kitchen is very old and in very bad shape. The quotes we’ve revived have ranged from $45-$60k. The latest one we got was $31k for labor and $19k for materials + appliances (stove, small dishwasher, new sink).

Our kitchen is very small (approx 9x7 ft) and we aren’t changing the layout. We’ll need electrical and plumbing done which has been quotes as $6k and $3k, respectively.

I am shocked by these quotes but they’re remained consistent. Does this seem reasonable? All of the companies we have received quotes from have a “design team or person” and work with preferred vendors, which I feel isn’t necessary but it’s part of the package. I know exactly what appliances I want and cabinets/fixtures so don’t need someone to consult on that.

Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated!

Hey guys we are starting our kitchen remodel. Old tile from the 90s we need busted up and removed and then we plan to install new porcelain tile. Our kitchen measures 220 square feet and we are looking at tile that is around $2.29 a square foot which seems reasonable. Then charges for grout, mortar, thinset, molding, fiber board, etc. that seemed okay from a price standpoint. Then the labor charge blew our budget away lol.

We were quoted $3,325 all-in for labor. They didn’t break down how much was for removal and how much was for install but $15.11 per square foot for labor seems excessive to me. This quote is from Lowe’s by the way. Am I correct in thinking this labor charge seems high? Thanks.

We are looking to completely gut and remodel our 10'x20' kitchen. Including moving appliances and water/gas lines. This would also include new floors in an adjoining room which is probably 20'x20'. This does not seem absurd at all to me but my husband sure thinks so. He thinks it should cost $20k. He has no background to defend this but his argument is that I have no background to defend $50k. Which is also true.

I'm in upstate NY, US. I am working on a kitchen remodel project with a design company. I have the costs from that side (parts, hardware, design, etc.), which includes the high costs of cabinets nowadays. In the past, NKBA estimated 17% of kitchen remodel projects are the labor costs. I had budgeted about 20-25% to be labor costs.

I've started getting quotes (3 so far) for the labor side. The contractors are giving me estimates that are 35-50%+ of the entire project.

Is this the expected labor/install cost nowadays?

I tried posting this yesterday, but didn't follow the rules so it was pulled...so I'll try again (still new to Reddit).

When my wife and I first moved into our house last year, updating the kitchen was at the top of our priority list as we both love to cook. We had a lot of other things to do in the house though, so the budget was tight at $10k. Thankfully, doing most of the work ourselves and really shopping around for appliances led us to a kitchen we both love. We missed the mark a little, but five months later the the all-in total came out to just under $13k.

Kitchen Renovation

Edit: It was suggested that I move the cost breakdown to the main post. Below are both the projected and actual cost of the renovation.

Projected Cost

    Appliance package – $3,500
    Garbage disposal – $100
    Granite countertops including labor – $4,500
    Sinks/faucets – $600
    Window trim – $0 (not part of original plan)
    Blinds – $200
    Tile backsplash – $500
    Cabinet paint – $100
    Cabinet hardware – $100
    Under-cabinet lighting – $150
    Labor
        Plumber to lower sink drain – $0 (didn’t plan for this)
        Electrician to add wine refrigerator outlet – $150
    Misc supplies – $100

Total Projected Cost – $10,000

Actual Cost

    Appliance package (including wine fridge) – $3,575
    Garbage disposal – $117
    Granite countertops including labor – $5,104
    Sinks/faucets – $1,273
    Window trim – $104
    Blinds – $98
    Tile backsplash – $1,483
    Cabinet paint – $127
    Cabinet hardware – $86
    Under-cabinet lighting – $73
    Labor
        Plumber to lower sink drain – $208 (didn’t plan for this)
        Electrician to add wine refrigerator outlet – $295
    Misc supplies – $128

Total Cost – $12,671