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Kitchen Remodel Cost Estimator

How much will your kitchen remodeling project cost? Our kitchen remodel cost estimator includes all pricing. Including cabinets, countertops, appliances, flooring, fixtures, and installation.

Calculating how much a kitchen remodel costs is not as difficult as most nonprofessionals might believe. Contrary to what most people might expect it is not the quality of the materials or added construction that makes kitchens significantly more expensive. Quality cabinetry can be inexpensive. Surprisingly, removing walls or moving doorways and plumbing adds only a small fraction to the overall cost of a kitchen.

Table against Peninsula

It is selecting professional appliances, unusual cabinet colors or styles and expensive counter tops that break budgets. Luxury windows, doors and other fixtures can make a budget spiral out of control.

Kitchen Remodel Costs Estimator

Below is a breakdown for kitchen remodel costs for each part of small, medium and large kitchen renovations.

All pricing uses quality materials such as solid wood cabinetry with soft close doors and drawers. As well as granite, quartz or other types of solid surface counter tops, and stainless steel named brand appliances. More expensive kitchens use professional or luxury appliances. Construction costs will vary greatly by location, so we have included a link below to help you adjust you cost to your location. These prices are based on our location in the Philadelphia Suburbs.

Blue Island Kitchen This kitchen remodel cost was around 70K

1) Semi-Custom cabinets

Starting cost $7,000 for a small kitchen Remodel. Large kitchen $14,000. Custom cabinetry or high end semi-custom cabinetry in a large kitchen cost would be at least $22,000. Stack wall cabinets to the ceiling in that large kitchen with 9 foot or 10-foot ceilings and glass doors above with beaded inset style cabinetry $35,000. Distressing cabinetry, unusual finishes and wood species, or hand drawn cabinet customization adds costs FAR beyond these numbers.

2) Countertops

Granite level 1 to 3 or simple quartz colors in small to medium kitchen $3,000 to $5000. Medium to large kitchen and level 5 or 6 granite, Quartz, or other stone $5,000 to $10,000. Large kitchens with exotic stone countertops, Dexton, glass, or other unusual tops. $10,000 to $15,000 or more.

3) Stainless steel appliance packages.

Small kitchen with name brands $4000. Large kitchen with counter depth refrigerators, slide in ranges, or cooktops and wall ovens. Estimate $7,000 to $12,000. For professions appliances like Subzero refrigeration, Wolf, Viking or other professional appliances. Spending $25,000 at least is common. For Ultra-luxury and imported appliances spending $50,000 and up should be expected.

4) Flooring, backsplash tile, sinks, faucets, handles, lighting fixtures

Small kitchen $2,000. Large kitchen more expensive tile and fixtures $4,000. Large kitchens with heated flooring, handmade tiles, stone back-splashes, etc. $8,000. Luxury and exotic surfaces, fixtures, and lighting. $12,000.

5) Construction remodel costs

For small kitchen including demolition, framing, drywall, electric, plumbing, lighting, tilework, flooring, finish carpentry and cabinetry installation, door and window replacement and painting $15,000. Large kitchen with wall and soffit removal and added construction changes $25,000 and up. Ultra-expensive selections for doors and windows and all other materials add an additional $5,000 plus the cost of the expensive doors and windows. Some contractors will be far above these numbers but typically they do not better a job and simply market to more expensive clientele. Home Additions or major home renovations such as moving staircases are significantly more.

Barn door and dining room table. One of the popular kitchen remodeling costs

Adding all the numbers above you will find that typical small kitchens can cost at least $30,000 using ALL quality materials.

Of course, if you do work yourself or have existing appliances or don’t need some of the items listed you can spend even less. However, it is rare that a complete kitchen ever costs much less than $25,000 without the customer doing at least tile work and painting.

Pot fill on blue backsplash This is an expensive feature in the cost of a kitchen remodel

A large custom kitchen with professional appliances and some luxury features could easily cost $80,000 to $100,000.

We have had customers spend $80,000 just on appliances, so there is almost no limit to how much a kitchen remodel will cost when you actively spurge on a large kitchen.

Houzz kitchen remodel costs estimator: Here is a link on Houzz.com that will give you a good guess as to what you will spend on your project for your location. Simply enter your zip code into the calculator and use the middle price number as the small kitchen price in your area. The high-end price will be close to the high-end costs we describe above.

Below is another relevant blog:

The 10′ x 10′ Kitchen and why the linear foot price i’s a lie. (mainlinekitchendesign.com)

Hoping you let Main Line Kitchen Design help you spend your kitchen budget wisely.

and of course . . . BON APPETIT!

Paul, Julie, Chris, Ed, Lauren, Jeremy, Juliet, Camilla, and Mark

Main Line Kitchen Design

15 Replies to “Kitchen Remodel Cost Estimator”

  1. Drew Lee

    Great share. It’s also interesting to know that we need simply enter the zip code into the calculator and use the middle price number as the small kitchen price in our area, thanks for Hyour link on Houzz. We’ve just kicked off a very unique loan for our kitchen remodeling providence ri, we did follow your tips and found some contractors in RI area based on your list, Thank you so much. Look forward to see more of your posts in the future. Goodluck!

    1. pmcalary[ Post Author ]

      Hi Drew,
      Thanks for the positive feedback. If you ever need more help than you can get from our website and blog. Consider our Friday question and answer podcast 2-4 EST

  2. Dianne

    Hi Paul,
    Thank you for the wealth of information on kitchen remodels. I am looking at Medallion and Tru cabinetry as options and have seen your ratings. Another option I have is KCB – Kitchen Cabinet Distributors out of Raleigh. Do you have any knowledge of their products? If so, what is your recommendation? Im looking at raised panel painted in their premier series. Thank you!

    1. pmcalary[ Post Author ]

      Hi Diane,
      You are comparing cabinetry that is at price level 1 and RTA to 3 and 5 assembled cabinets. While KCB assembled correctly would be well made there are assembled cabinets that would be just as well made and only a little more such as CNC, Fabuwood, Wolf, J&K, and many others. These other brands will be sold at a kitchen cabinet dealer and so give you the free design help that you need but might not realized you need. Getting RTA cabinets means that the person measuring, designing, and advising you on your kitchen is incompetent. This is because that person is you! As the comic strip Pogo said “We have met the enemy and they are us”. A complex kitchen renovation needs experienced people advising and managing it. DIYers generally do a terrible job on every part of a kitchen remodel remodel however due to the IKEA EFFECT they never realize it.

  3. Paul McAlary

    Sorry Barbara I just realized that I never responded to your comment. I always recommend 16 gauge undermount sinks over the thinner 18 gauge models. Artisan Sinks are an inexpensive well made sinks that we would recommend.

  4. Paul McAlary

    Hi Denise,
    The other designer is the type that you want to work with. I’m glad you found him. I would go with the Fabuwood over the Forevermark too.

  5. Denise

    Thank you for your prompt reply!

    I share your concern about the island. I’m wondering if it’s a “tell” regarding sales/designer? I want someone to provide me with helpful feedback, and steer me in the safe, practical and affordable direction. Not someone who is simply trying to please me, to make a sale.

    Thank you for the feedback regarding the pantry, as well. Very informative.

    I just returned home from an excellent meeting with a different designer. I appreciated his feedback, such as “These pantry shelves look good in brochures, but are terrible, from a practical standpoint.” He pointed out many other discrepancies between what “shows” versus *works* well. He spent so much time with me, discussing the pros and cons of various products, materials, layouts, styles, etc. I kept telling him that I would browse on my own, so that he could take his lunch, for goodness sakes!

    When I showed him my initial floor plan and renders (that I had created in a design program), he told me, “In all of my years designing kitchens, I have never seen a customer so well prepared, and with such detailed plans and photos.” He asked me if I was an interior designer. What a tremendous compliment!

    Nevertheless, I fully appreciate that I really don’t know anything about the complexities and intricacies of kitchen design. I told him about the Wellborn Forest quote, and that I will probably need to stick with stock (e.g., Forevermark or Fabuwood) cabinets (to stay on budget, given the medium-ish size of my kitchen). He had both brands in his showroom. To me, the Fabuwood seemed (ever so) slightly higher quality?

    Thanks again, for everything. You don’t even know me, and yet you have greatly improved my life, simply by your wonderful blog. I am so grateful that I was researching Forevermark cabinets, and found my way here…

  6. Denise

    Thank you for the link! I just typed in my zip code, and the budget that I created (based on 10-15% of my home value), was spot on. Thank you for this incredible website. It is a treasure trove of information. So far, I have visited one kitchen cabinet showroom. The first quote was well within my budget (Wellborn). However, I had asked for a kitchen island, and after taking the design home, I realized that the island (as much as I wanted one) simply did not fit the space well (my kitchen is long and narrow, 16.5 by 9.5), was a major “space suck” and impeded the work flow of the kitchen. So, I requested converting the island into a peninsula, which improved the plan greatly. When I received back the revised quote, the cost had nearly doubled. To my untrained eye, moving the island to create a pennisula did not seem to add any cabinets, or increase the counter surface area significantly (but I’m not sure). However, I did add two narrow “pantry” (floor to ceiling) cabinets on either side of the fridge. Nevertheless, I’m confused by the nearly doubled price, and reached out to the designer, to clarify. I’m going to heed your advice, and have set up appointments with a few different kitchen designers. I plan to select a kitchen designer that will guide me along this incredibly complicated process — and tell me when my “wants” and “expectations” are not safe, practical, or reasonable. Thanks again, for this amazingly helpful site.

    1. pmcalary[ Post Author ]

      Hi Denise,
      Thanks for the compliments. Tall narrow pantry cabinets with roll outs are expensive. Pantry pull outs where the whole bottom of the cabinet pulls out are crazy expensive and I do not recommend as the put your cabinetry under undo stress. This could explain the price jump. I find it troubling that you were the one that nixed the island. When a space is too tight for an island it is the designers responsibility to aggressively explain the problem to the customer. Prior to Covid, when we had three designers working with their customers in our offices at the same time, it wasn’t unusual for all three designers to be trying to convince customers to leave more space in their kitchen at the same time. Sometimes conversations would stop and everyone would smile at the similar discussions happening around all three desks and flat screen TV’s. Good designers do this, bad kitchen designers simply sell people whatever they request without discouraging bad design ideas.

  7. Barbara

    I’m using quartz countertops in my kitchen remodel and planning to have an undermount, single bowl, rectangular, stainless steel sink. Is the sink a place to economize? What brands do you like? Any brands to steer clear of?

  8. Paul McAlary

    Hi Chip,
    It is the standard grain oak cabinetry that is so unpopular now. Especially in traditional brown stains. Quatersawn Oak in white and grey stains or with wire brushed and other distressed finishes is very popular as are textured melamines with similar looking finishes on slab doors.

  9. Chip

    I’ve noticed you have said on a few occasions that Oak cabinets decrease resale. I was wondering what you thought of some of the higher end oak cabinets like rift cut white oak?. These have been seen as having a more high end contemporary look. I see that Plain and Fancy as well as Woodmode sell several versions of them, too. Thanks

  10. Laura

    Hi Paul,
    Thank you so much for your reply! After reading your site for several weeks now I had no doubt about working with a kitchen designer, and found one in my area based on your list of those outside your service area. I haven’t had a chance to meet with the designer yet but will do that this week or next. I’m not considering resale any time soon as the house was just purchased but at the same time I don’t want to design poorly. So, the soffits will go and I’ll hope they don’t serve a purpose that I’m unaware of right now! Thanks again for your wise advice!

  11. Laura Pertot

    Many, many thanks for the wealth of information on your website! Regarding this article on kitchen estimates, can you give me an idea of what is considered a small or medium kitchen? Also, is it OK to keep soffits? I think keeping them will be cost effective, even if I add crown molding to the top. I don’t need the added cabinetry so if I removed them it would be just for looks as I would like to avoid a gap between the cabinets and ceiling. Thank you!

    1. pmcalary[ Post Author ]

      Hi Laura,
      I would say that NOT removing soffits is a huge mistake. Soffits are so understandable and out of fashion that in almost all kitchens other than a rental properties leaving soffits destroys the value of the renovation you are undertaking. Using Oak cabinets or arched wall cabinets would be two other value killers. If you care AT ALL about resale value get good advice from a professional kitchen designer so that you don’t spend money on a renovation that has little to no resale value. I would consider a small kitchen one with 13 or less cabinets and a medium kitchen one with between 13 and 20 cabinets

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