KITCHEN REMODELING BUDGET
How much to budget for kitchen remodeling? Well, there are a few things to consider:
- Kitchen cabinetry – most likely will have the biggest price tag in your budget. Before you start searching for the cabinetry you should determine if you planning to stay in your house for more then 5 years. If yes, we do not recommend our clients to buy Chinese made cabinetry brands. We admit, those cabinets look great when they are newly installed but do not expect them to look that great for a long time, finish process is not the same as the cabinets made in USA – they are cheap for that reason. Check out this American vs Chinese post regarding the difference between them. Also there are different ways the cabinets are built: framed vs frameless construction; different overlay styles for doors: full over lay, half overlay and inset Stop by our kitchen & bath showroom and we will show you the difference between all of them. As a reference the cabinets should be about 25-35% of your remodeling budget.
- Construction part – is another big piece of that pie. If you planning to completely remodel your kitchen which, in most cases makes the most sense, the general scope of work will include: complete gut of the room to the studs, bring new electrical circuits to meet today’s National Building Code, replace all plumbing connection such as valves and drains, install new insulation and wall board, paint the whole room, install new flooring, install new cabinetry, install and reconnect all appliances, and final touch – install your beautiful backspalsh. As you can see the remodeling process involves at least 3 different construction trades and you definitely should use only licensed contractors. Pull all appropriate permits (our company does that for you) so the project will be done in compliance with National Building Code. Do not be fooled by the low price, contractors with great knowledge and experience will not work for 15$ an hour. If they do, it means they don’t value the time invested to learn the trade and don’t take time to pay attention to every detail of this complicated process. As we all know – details matter the most! I don’t think you want the people like that build the kitchen which supposed to last 20+ years. Very important to check for liability and workman’s compensation insurance to make sure your property and you are protected in case of any accidents. As a reference construction part of the project can cost around 30-40% of your remodeling budget depending how much labor is involved.
- Countertops – nowadays you most likely will get one of two choices available – granite or quartz counter tops. On rare occasion we will get the request for concrete counters which will more more unique look compare to everything else out on the market. There is difference between granite and quartz countertops and both have it’s pros and cons. Countertop is a small portion of the budget – approximately 6-8%.
- Appliances -The price for the appliances very so much that it’s hard to predict the cost for that. For example – GE 30″ double oven = sale tag $1992 vs Viking 30″ double oven = sale tag $8493. On average you should be good with 6-8% of you remodeling budget if you planning to get general brands.
- Now you have a few things left – new flooring for the kitchen, backsplash tile, sink and faucet . This should cover 3% percent of your budget