Kitchen Remodeling Costs

For many people, figuring kitchen remodeling costs quickly becomes a major headache, what with all the competing manufacturers of kitchen products out there vying for your attention and (certainly lot's of) dollars.

Sifting through the myriad kitchen remodeling advertisement haze can be an exhausting, and confusing process.

If you're goal is for a complete upgrade, whereby you replace all the old cabinetry, counter tops and flooring, as well as installing new lighting and updating the electric and plumbing, you will need a solid plan in place to achieve success.

Add to that a fresh coat of paint and new appliances, and you've got brand-spanking new kitchen.

Suffice it to say, that the kitchen is one of, if not the most important room in the house. So you certainly don't want to skimp on the details, and especially the quality of the materials.

While we can't actually buy and install the remodel products for you, we can help you figure out the cost range you will be looking within, as well as what a reasonable cost estimate for kitchen remodeling might be with regard to professional installation and materials.

Average Kitchen Remodel Cost

To get a firm handle on your kitchen remodeling costs, try to have in mind a pretty good idea of exactly the type "look" you're trying to achieve. What is the look and feel you're trying to convey?

Is having a lot of counter space important? What about the eating area. Should you consider an eat-in bar area?

Other things to think about when considering the cost of kitchen remodeling, include:

Does you're project have a lot of room modification? In other words, are you knocking a wall out here, and building one there? By doing that you're significantly adding more cost in your kitchen remodeling cost estimate in the way of framing, drywall, painting, trim, and mechanical installation.

Do you want new cabinetry? If so, do you want cherry, oak, or all-white cabinets? If you prefer cherry, oak, or some other wood cabinets, do you want them to be made of natural wood, or is a veneer fine with you?

What about the counter tops? Depending on how much counter space you'd like to have, you can spend a small fortune on exotic (although very popular) granite (or concrete, stone) tops. Or, if you would like to save a little money, you could install formica tops. Be careful, because the type of material you decide to use for the tops could be very expensive to buy and install.

Another potentially expensive item is flooring. Do you prefer ceramic tile or hardwood, as opposed to installing a less-expensive high quality vinyl?

For appliances, you could spend a little, or a lot depending on size, look (finish), and number of bells and whistles involved.

The point being is that with all the different styles and materials to choose from, your kitchen remodeling cost can trend up rather quickly.

Kitchen Remodeling Costs Breakdown

The following breakdown is to show what kitchen remodeling costs might be for an average-sized (150 sq. ft.) kitchen in a $200K house:

Paperwork/Management Costs

• Financing the project. If you use a home-equity loan, for example, you'll be making monthly payments. Depending on total amount used, payments could be anywhere from $150 per month, and up.
• Any architectural renderings and/or draftsman costs, along with the price of the many sets of blueprints or general drawings to be printed. The use of draftsman and especially architects do not come cheap. Expect to pay a minimum of several hundred dollars and up, for their services.
• Obtaining permits. If you are expanding and knocking out walls, and/or erecting new walls, you will need to get a building permit from your local governmental permitting agency. $25 to $150
• Your personal time invested. Most people overlook these types of kitchen remodeling costs if they manage the job themselves. Don't be afraid to put a price on your time invested. $25 to $35 per hour

Subcontractor Rates

Demolition
To remove and dispose of the old materials (cabinets, sink, flooring, lighting, appliances), you should expect to pay anywhere between $500 and $750. Add another $100 if a wall or two needs to be removed.

Framing
If you are installing new soffits, or adding new walls/ceilings, this is the time to do it. A good (insured) carpenter will cost you about $25 to $35 per hour, plus material.

Mechanical Contractors
Typically, for bigger jobs, they would give you an estimate based on the total square footage. However, in smaller kitchen remodeling costs projections (such as this one), they will probably want to charge by the hour. Look for all of the mechanical sub contractors to charge an hourly rate somewhere between $65 to $90. If you want them to furnish the job with materials, let them know so that they will add that to their estimate.

Insulation
This can be installed by yourself for the cost of buying stock insulation (and a couple of hours of your time) at one of the big-box home improvement stores. Bags containing R-13 insulation (covering approximately 40 square feet) will cost about $15 a bag. Estimate how much open space (square footage) there is in the exterior walls you want to insulate. Buy the corresponding number of bags per square footage, and install.

Drywall (hanging and finishing/skim coat)
Look for this to be accomplished by the sheet $45 to $65 per sheet, or by the job, at a cost of $50 to $75 per hour, plus materials.

Trim Carpenter
Usually is paid by the lineal foot of trim installed at $2, or by the hour at $25 to $35, plus materials.

Painting
price is determined by the number of different colors used and whether the color is light or dark, if you're covering new drywall versus just a repaint, and whether or not your using oil on the trim work. Look for a prices to be around $50 to $60 per hour. This price should include the cost of paint and other materials.

Flooring
A few different ways to choose from when it comes time to do the flooring.

1. For vinyl flooring, look to pay anywhere from $10 to $13 per square yard for moderately-priced, high-quality vinyl. Labor will run you $5 per square yard to install. This should include any minor floor prep. If there is major prep work to do such as repairing, or installing new sub floor, that could run you another $150 to $200, plus the cost of the lumber to be used.
2. For tile installation, look to pay around $6 to $7 per square foot for labor to install, plus the cost of the materials.
3. For hardwood flooring, it will cost around $10 per square foot to install, stain, and finish new hardwood flooring. To refinish existing floors, it will cost about $3 per square foot.

Final Clean
This should include a thorough cleaning of all cabinetry, inside and out, ductwork, walls, floor, windows, and light fixtures. Expect to pay 15¢ per square foot, if cleaning the whole house.

Some cleaning services prefer to charge by the job with prices ranging from $75 to $250 depending on need.

Materials Cost

• Cabinetry and new Counter Tops (with sink/faucet) - $7500 to $12,500.
  Since this will be one of the largest of your kitchen remodeling costs, there will be many different styles and wood surfaces to choose from. Some will be pricey, others not so much. Also, the type of counter top you want will greatly affect the total cost. Granite tops, for example, are much pricier than a standard formica counter top.
• Lighting - $200 to $500 depending on styles and number of fixtures.
• Appliances - If replacing all major appliances, you could spend as much as you want in the way of kitchen remodeling costs. But for a modestly-priced renovation, look to pay around $2500 to $4000 for all new items:
• Refrigerator - $800 to $1500
• Range - $500 to $900
• Vent - $250
• Microwave Oven - $200 to $500
• Dishwasher - $350 to $600

The Bottom Line

If the renovation in question is for your primary residence, total kitchen remodeling costs for an average size (150 - 200 square feet) room could vary from the upper-teens ($18,000) to the mid/upper twenties ($25,000) depending on styles and quality of materials used.

If you decide to use custom cabinetry, you should expect to pay substantially more than stock cabinets purchased at the major home stores. Add to that the cost of custom counter tops using material such as granite, and you're now adding many more thousands of dollars to the kitchen remodeling costs budget. Add to that several more thousands in cost if you're project includes a large eat-in dining area (within the overall kitchen space) with more counter space and finished flooring.

The quality of the finished (and rough) sub-contractor work will also play a major factor in the image that you're trying to project. Work done "on the cheap", will show. If you want quality results, you will certainly have to pay for it.

For you house flippers out there, you're main goal is to hold down kitchen remodeling costs within budget while maintaining a quality remodel. You're bottom line depends on it. Don't be cheap in your approach to pricing, but don't do something will not add value to the remodeling that you cannot recoup with the sale of the house. In other words, don't spend $1500 on a spiffy refrigerator when $450 for a reasonable model will do.

This is where using stock items will really help you to not only determine you're kitchen remodeling costs up front, but will also enable you to actually do the remodeling for less money (as opposed to the custom route), with equally beautiful results.

Since flips involve, in many cases, whole-house renovation, the cost may be a little different as if you were remodeling just one room (kitchen), because you're integrating total expenditures such as wiring and plumbing into the total cost of the renovation.

With this in mind, look to spend anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 for total kitchen remodeling costs.

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