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Reddit
reddit.com › r/kitchenremodel › kitchen remodel estimate
r/kitchenremodel on Reddit: Kitchen Remodel Estimate
August 27, 2024 -

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.

Top answer
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This breakdown is very confusing to me and feels heavily inflated if it really doesn't include materials. $6K to install countertops?! We just purchased Silestone Quartz countertops through Home Depot, and spent $3.5K which included the actual countertop and installation for a ~ 9 ft X 9 ft u-shaped kitchen. All in, we spent ~36K to do a rip and replace renovation (ie. all new drywall, flooring, cabinets, countertops, and appliances, but didn't move any plumbing or electrical). We bought materials ourselves for around $20K for semi-custom cabinets (KraftMaid), Quartz countertop, mid-range tile for flooring and backsplash, and mid-range stainless steal appliances. We then paid a contractor to do all the work. Labor was around $16K which included all the demolition. I'm pretty sure we got a real steal on our labor/contractor because he was a family friend, but still, this estimate seems all sorts of confusing for not including the actual materials.
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10
Disclaimer: I don't know prices out your way in San Diego, I'm in Pennsylvania so take that into account. Your costs might be 5-10% higher out there. That being said... I am a kitchen remodeling contractor, I do all the carpentry work and subcontract the electrical, plumbing, hvac, and countertops. Most of my kitchens land around $60,000-75,000 and that includes me providing the cabinets, countertops, flooring, fixtures, appliances - essentially everything. That's for a decent sized kitchen. That being said I know nothing about yours, or how it looks. Other factors to consider that will greatly effect the price - are you moving or removing walls? Moving fixtures or appliances like the sink or a gas range? Are they updating all of your electrical circuits to arc faults? There are so many different factors to account for. If they're not providing cabinets and countertops, that's about $15,000-20,000 right there for good quartz counters and solid wood cabinets with soft-close doors and drawers. Also consider, they're raising your ceiling and upgrading your panel, that's got to cost them at least $5,000. Ending with a small final payment is common practice. It's not to inconvenience our clients, but rather it's a smart way to manage cash flow since we're buying materials up front, paying our subs, and our own employees. That's also why you're seeing big numbers like $10,000 for demo up front. If we end the job and leave a lot of money on the table for the final payment that positions us at a huge disadvantage with cash flow which can cause a lot of problems in smaller companies like my own. Considering everything I've said, you should really pay close attention to how they conduct themselves. Do they have detailed plans with specifications and selections (so you know exactly what you're getting)? Do they have a detailed scope of work to accompany the proposal (this will break down the details of each job phase)? Do they have a lot of great reviews? Are the salesmen polite and show up to appointments on time? Do they have good contracts (mine are usually 20 pages) that protect BOTH of you? Have they explained when they'll show up and leave your house on a normal workday? Will they work every weekday until the project's complete, or hop around from job to job and leave you stranded? Do they handle the carpentry work or sub it out? Does their contract mention leaving the worksite clean every day? Did they give you a 3 day right of recission (legally required)? Hopefully this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.
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Home Depot
custom.homedepot.com › estimator › kitchen
Kitchen Estimator
This free kitchen estimator allows you to accurately estimate the cost of your future kitchen renovation or remodel project without knowing any exact measurements or product choices.
Discussions

Kitchen Remodel Estimate
This breakdown is very confusing to me and feels heavily inflated if it really doesn't include materials. $6K to install countertops?! We just purchased Silestone Quartz countertops through Home Depot, and spent $3.5K which included the actual countertop and installation for a ~ 9 ft X 9 ft u-shaped kitchen. All in, we spent ~36K to do a rip and replace renovation (ie. all new drywall, flooring, cabinets, countertops, and appliances, but didn't move any plumbing or electrical). We bought materials ourselves for around $20K for semi-custom cabinets (KraftMaid), Quartz countertop, mid-range tile for flooring and backsplash, and mid-range stainless steal appliances. We then paid a contractor to do all the work. Labor was around $16K which included all the demolition. I'm pretty sure we got a real steal on our labor/contractor because he was a family friend, but still, this estimate seems all sorts of confusing for not including the actual materials. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/kitchenremodel
42
2
August 27, 2024
wtf $75k remodel estimate
The first estimate we got was $75k, and it ended up being closer to $40k after four other estimates. I’d get more estimates. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/kitchenremodel
61
14
February 29, 2024
How much would a remodel like this cost?
The hidden costs in kitchens are a lot of the little things. You can get quotes on cabinets and installs easily enough. But new sink, faucet, garbage disposal, appliances (if over the range microwave is moved), flooring and baseboard, cabinet pulls/hardware etc can easily add in another $7-10k. Choice of counters quartz your probably look at around $6k-$10k. Quartztite can easily be double. Painted cabinets or wood stained cabinets and wood choice differ a lot. I’m doing a kitchen remodel and I’m at about $55k without flooring. But did some custom cabinet sizes, removed soffits etc. More on reddit.com
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47
September 24, 2024
How much you think? Kitchen Renovation.
I think the real question is, what is your budget? More on reddit.com
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