How much did you pay for you kitchen remodel?

[quickstepstar]

I realize this varies tremendously, I am just curious, because we just put in an offer on the house with a kitchen in pretty pour shape (the house was built in 1995, so it is just cheap..) We are in a HCOL area. I am just trying to get an idea...

[lishie]

We completely gutted our two back rooms, down to the studs, to put in a 350 SF eat in kitchen. We had to remove a load bearing wall and install a beam.

We got 90SF of granite for our counters. All the construction, cabinets, granite, tile backsplash, refinished wood floors and miscellaneous expenses cost us around 65K.

[Deleted]

Average full remodel in our hcol is 55k. We are starting to do some research for finishing our basement, and the new construction is less than a remodel because they do not nead to do any demo.

[ladygrey]

We are in the middle of a kitchen remodel right now and are hoping to stay under $15k for the following:

granite countertops
cork flooring
custom cabinet doors and drawer-fronts (we are keeping our current cabinets)
stainless-steel appliances (dishwasher, range, and fridge)
tile backsplash
light fixtures
misc. supplies: paint, paint sprayer, plumbing materials, under-mount sink, faucet, knobs/pulls, etc.

DH is doing all the work himself and has gotten some stellar deals on the most expensive items, which has saved us a lot of money in the long-run.

ETA: we live in a MCOL area and aren't moving any walls or appliances, which would add significant cost.

[thatgirl2478]

We did a DIY kitchen reno for about 12k.


The only thing we didn't DIY was the electric and the counters.

Cabinets were $6k
Counters were $2k
Appliances were $3k
Electric was $500
Faucet was $200
Backsplash was $200
Door pulls were $100

We didn't have to do any real demo - just removing cabinets & old appliances. There was no where to expand the kitchen to and no walls to take down to make it more open. We kept the same basic layout so there weren't increased costs to reroute utilities. The dry wall was in good shape so we kept that too.

Before:

After:

[definitelyO]

small kitchen - full remodel - home depot cabinets out of the box - ~ 10 years ago cost me $10K

[thatgirl2478]

FYI - If you go to HD/Menards/Lowes - they have 2 different types of cabinets - stock & semicustom (you order what you need). Within the semi custom lines, they usually have 3 grade levels of cabinets: low/med/high. The low end as well as their stock cabinets are going to be inexpensive but cheaply made (think particle board construction on the cabinet frames).

We got our cabinets from an online kitchen studio - cliqstudios. The boxes are all plywood construction (which is what you see on the semi custom high end cabinets) with soft close drawers standard. The doors are solid wood frames with mdf panels. I'd argue that their quality meets what I saw in the big box stores but their prices are significantly cheaper than the other guys. For example - we got quotes from the BBS for 10 - 15k JUST on cabinetry and we were looking at the mid grade lines. As I mentioned above, we paid $6k for cabinets (same # of cabinets).

My point in this is that you have to do your research! Don't just go to one place, comparison shop (and not just between the BBS).

[genet313]

Jan 18, 2013 12:52:11 GMT -5 @bluesky said:

A close friend of mine paid 40k for a nice kitchen, medium sized, HCOL. Full remodel.

Another friend paid 20k for a smaller kitchen, full remodel, HCOL, but lower quality finishes.

I can tell a HUGE difference in appearance between the two.

How so?  What made you notice the difference?  Particular areas where money is well spent?

[Bob Loblaw]

Thatgirl, your reno looks great!

[gtkim]

Ours was done by the previous homeowner, but it was easily $60K+.  We have high end cabinets and finishes, granite and professional grade appliances.

[randp]

Jan 18, 2013 13:59:39 GMT -5 Bob Loblaw said:

Thatgirl, your reno looks great!

 I agree!  Looks really nice!!

[genet313]

Jan 18, 2013 14:04:35 GMT -5 @bluesky said:

Jan 18, 2013 13:57:10 GMT -5 genet313 said:

How so?  What made you notice the difference?  Particular areas where money is well spent?

The tile on the floor and backsplash were not perfectly layed.  The kitchen cabinets looked cheap, like particle board stained.  I think most of the areas I noticed the difference was the installation, amateur versus professional.  Even the paint didn't seem as clean and smooth on the cheaper remodel.  The amateur installer didn't use transitions between the doorways when doing the tile.  Instead he layed the tile at an angle where it's a trip hazard and looks as if it'll crack.  So weird to me.  I'd personally spend the extra $$ to have things done right.  I'd rather wait and save up.

Good to know, thanks!

[jenjen]

We gutted our kitchen and DIY'ed (or had a friend help) with everything except the countertops. We spent about $17k. Gutted down to the studs and subfloor, new plumbing, electrical in kitchen, appliances, semi custom cabinets (at cost through a dealer friend for 1/3 of the retail price). I think if we had hired it out, it would have easily been $40k, LCOL, approx 300sq ft kitchen.

[DarcyLongfellow]

We spent around $30,000 to redo the kitchen in our old house. That we both miss SO, SO much!!!

The house was built in the mid-90's, so it wasn't awful, but the cheap builder grade stuff looked awful.

We did not move anything around. That gets expensive fast, so all plumbing and electrical stayed where it was. We didn't redo the floors at the same time (we did about two years later), so the cabinets also had to stay where they were (although we extended them a large amount, we weren't able to rework the shape of the island the way we wanted to because of the flooring issue).

What we did do:
- Completely new, all cherry cabinets with soft close drawers, pull out shelves, trash and recycling hidden behind a cabinet, etc.
- Modern cabinet handles/drawer pulls that we bought separately from the cabinets.
- All new appliances. Not super high end, but not cheap. Bosche dishwasher, Bosche range, GE Profile counter depth french door refrigerator, built in wine fridge
- Amazing super deep single basin undermount sink and high end faucet
- Tile backsplash
- Granite counters
- Electrical -- we changed the overhead lighting and added under cabinet lighting, but we didn't put pendant lights over the island because our ceiling was sloped oddly

[Deleted]

Jan 18, 2013 12:55:50 GMT -5 lishie said:

We completely gutted our two back rooms, down to the studs, to put in a 350 SF eat in kitchen. We had to remove a load bearing wall and install a beam.

We got 90SF of granite for our counters. All the construction, cabinets, granite, tile backsplash, refinished wood floors and miscellaneous expenses cost us around 65K.

Question: Did you hire a design-build firm or an architect? If so, is that included in the price? Or did you design it yourself? I am calling people about my own house this weekend and am not sure where to start but know I need a pretty extensive remodel.

Thanks!

[mrshabious]

We are looking at remodeling ours. It has a huge footprint and we will be moving around some of the appliances (fridge to where the pantry is, double ovens to where the fridge currently is, panty to where the double ovens currently are). We are doing this b/c the double ovens are not as wide as a normal oven, so I can't fit in regular baking sheets, roasting pans, etc.

We are replacing the yellow formica with granite, and updating the cabinets. We are in a HCOL and are looking at $30k.

We are currently getting quotes from general contractors

[Deleted]

Spent about $35K to redo the kitchen. Completely gutted & removed a wall to make it bigger. All the work was done by contractors. Cork floor, custom cabinets, new appliances, paperstone countertops & tile backsplash. I hired a designer to do the planning of the layout, I picked out all materials. I interviewed a number of designers, contractors & architects throughout the process, ended up going with a designer & a contractor rather than somebody that did it all.

[imojoebunny]

I think what you should look for is a person who Reps different lines of cabinets, so you can find someone at your price point.  We have done a complete kitchen rehab for $6k, probably $8K if you want all new appliances, and we have been quoted anywhere from $12k to $50k to do the same kitchen in The city, which is more expensive than the burbs, but still far lower than san Fran or new York.  If you keep your layout close to the same, you can save a lot.  Moving pipes is the most expensive, followed by electric and walls.  

We found better stuff outside of home depot type places for  less by using a guy who Installed the kitchen and reaped cabinet lines himself.  When you get into the quiet drawers and solid wood, you are going to pay more, I value functionality a lot more than those things, so I am happy with more the middle of the road.  I don't want to die with my kitchen, just make it nice for 20 or 30 years.  We also did our own demo and contracted our flooring to save money on one house.  These are pretty easy to do.  If you don't want to spend a lot, I also highly recommend a configuration the keeps the standard oven and range, together,  we have had a lot of problems and expense with our built in wall oven and range, so not worth it.  

[Deleted]

We paid $72k in HCOL. We didn't change the layout just new flooring (wood), cabinets, counters, island with butcher block top, backsplash, and appliances.

[drloretta]

In 2004, I spent $27K. This included an entire gutting, moving a sink (no plumbing), taking down a wall, adding a peninsula with cabinets above and below, new cabinets, floor, walls, appliances, window, granite, you name it.

[Deleted]

Where I live, an average size kitchen would start at $40k for purely cosmetic changes. Many of the renovation companies won't touch a job under $50k. We expect ours to be closer to $75k, moving a wall, changing out the island, etc.

[stretchad]

We paid about 45k to remodel. This included zero DIY, and replacing the floors in our Dining Room, Living Room and Hallway to hardwoods as well as in our kitchen. New appliances, cherry cabinets with soft-close doors, recessed lights, some rerouting of plumbing, granite, glass tile backsplash, new drywall ceilings & walls down to the studs. 

Before:

After



(additional photos here in our house listing: HOUSE PHOTOS)

[Deleted]

Jan 18, 2013 15:23:22 GMT -5 @spenjamins said:

Jan 18, 2013 12:55:50 GMT -5 lishie said:

We completely gutted our two back rooms, down to the studs, to put in a 350 SF eat in kitchen. We had to remove a load bearing wall and install a beam.

We got 90SF of granite for our counters. All the construction, cabinets, granite, tile backsplash, refinished wood floors and miscellaneous expenses cost us around 65K.

Question: Did you hire a design-build firm or an architect? If so, is that included in the price? Or did you design it yourself? I am calling people about my own house this weekend and am not sure where to start but know I need a pretty extensive remodel.

Thanks!

Here, the bigger Reno companies have in-house designers. Other contractors can give you references to designers they recommend. Definitely start with a designer. They will let you know if you need an architect. 

[wanderlustmom]

We spent 18K in a MCOL area, that included the demo, a smallish kitchen, all new cabinets (we bought non custom and added a lot of trim to make it look custom), under cabinet lights, backsplash and granite cabinets. We also added crown molding and new paint.

[barefootcontessa]

Ours is part of a whole house Reno, so I do not have the numbers of just the kitchen. We had custom cabinets made, which had a lot of specialized features for $8k. I was really surprised at how inexpensive they were. Marble countertops were about $6k. Backsplash was about $1500. Appliances were $12K. Shelving for the walking in pantry was $2k. Floors were HW and we just had them refinished. We added lighting and new plumbing for a prep sink and second dishwasher.

I ended up designing the kitchen myself by posting on the gardenweb kitchen forum. The posters there are fantastic. I told them about how I want to use the kitchen and got incredible feedback. The layout is terrific.

[Deleted]

We spent $20k on materials alone in 2004/5 for our kitchen remodel (13x13)j

Having had 2 kitchens now. One we gutted and designed ourself and one the builder did. I would do cheaper cabinets with high end hardware (what we did in the kitchen we remodeled) over higher end cabinets with low-grade hardware (I want to gut my kitchen and it is less than 10 years old--people come and and say how beautiful it is all time, but it is a PITA to open drawers and organize.

[kaylie]

Jan 18, 2013 21:18:56 GMT -5 stretchad said:

We paid about 45k to remodel. This included zero DIY, and replacing the floors in our Dining Room, Living Room and Hallway to hardwoods as well as in our kitchen. New appliances, cherry cabinets with soft-close doors, recessed lights, some rerouting of plumbing, granite, glass tile backsplash, new drywall ceilings & walls down to the studs. 

Before:

After



(additional photos here in our house listing: HOUSE PHOTOS)

Holy crap - this is an amazing kitchen. Nice job.

[sweetpea0514]

Hi- lurker here. We just finished our remodel a few months ago. We took out a wall,(not load bearing)to open up the kitchen and dining room to the rest of the downstairs, had custom cabinets built, granite countertops and backsplash installed, bought all new appliances, and did a few other things. Plumbing had to be moved and the electricity had to be rewired. It ended up costing around $45k. We are in a MHCL area.

[Deleted]

We spent less than $20k back in 2005. I designed it, served as GC & DIY'd much of it. I paid my friend to install the cabs, build a wall & subcontracted out the minimal plumbing/elect & tiling. We did mid-range for cabs & appliances with low cost floors, counters & higher cost hardware, fixtures & lighting. It was small & in a MCOL city.

[Deleted]

Jan 20, 2013 9:07:37 GMT -5 @songforyou said:

Jan 18, 2013 20:05:50 GMT -5 tigerlily said:

Whoa, this sounds super pricey for not changing the layout and having some butcher block.

Not really, cabinets alone were almost $35k, all high end finishes and appliances. As far as the butcher block, it's actually more expensive (per linear foot) than our granite. Although I did see wood blocks for significantly less, the quality reflected the savings. This is my feeling about the entire remodel. I do love our kitchen and feel that it was entirely worth the cost.

We are in a very HCOL area.