Kitchen Remodel

[Rose Pink]

What would one expect to pay for a kitchen remodel? I know, I know, it depends on size, the type of cabinets, countertops, etc. I am looking for an average, ball-park figure that most people could expect to pay for a total do-over, including floor, cabinets, counters, backsplash, appliances. We are not going for expensive Sub-Zero type appliances but will most likely opt for a separate stove top and wall oven. We already have a dishwasher and refridgerator. I am not going the do-it-yourself route as DH has not the time and I have not the talent or muscle power. I am thinking this is going to cost around 35K. Does that seem reasonable? I know I can get a kitchen for much less but I want something nicer than the standard tract home model. I was talking with one kitchen remodel company in Dallas and he said the average remodel that his company does is 100K.

 

[Jeni]

Hi- we are in the middle of our remodel. We completely gutted the kitchen and started over. The big box stores wanted about $35k just for the cabinets...some other places wanted $50-75k. We found a VERY reputable contractor with 40 years in the cabinet making business, found the subcontractors on our own (plumber, electrician), used a local granite dealer, and used a wholesaler for appliances, plumbing, and lighting. All said and done, including new furniture, we will have a gourmet kitchen next week- cabinets, lighting, bar, granite, wall oven, cooktop, dishwasher, fridge, flooring, barstools, dining set, etc...for right about $20k...maybe a little over. Hope that helps.

 

[Avery]

What would one expect to pay for a kitchen remodel? I know, I know, it depends on size, the type of cabinets, countertops, etc. I am looking for an average, ball-park figure that most people could expect to pay for a total do-over, including floor, cabinets, counters, backsplash, appliances. We are not going for expensive Sub-Zero type appliances but will most likely opt for a separate stove top and wall oven. We already have a dishwasher and refridgerator. I am not going the do-it-yourself route as DH has not the time and I have not the talent or muscle power. I am thinking this is going to cost around 35K. Does that seem reasonable? I know I can get a kitchen for much less but I want something nicer than the standard tract home model. I was talking with one kitchen remodel company in Dallas and he said the average remodel that his company does is 100K.

Without knowing the size of your kitchen, and what materials you want, it's impossible to guess. And whatever estimate you come up with, add at least 15% to 25% to that for "upgrades." We have places here that give you estimates based on running feet by different cabinet styles, etc... then you've got to add specialty cabinets (lazy susans, etc...), countertops (500% fluctuation depending on material), floor tile and backsplash (again, a HUGE range in price), and appliances. Plus labor, electric, plumbing, painting.

Whatever you do, don't try to put a wall oven directly underneath a gas cooktop... I just made that mistake :ignore:

 

[gdeluca]

We have a 100 year old home and we had a non-working kitchen in 2001. We gutted it completely. My DH did a lot of the electrical and plumbing work himself. We purchased all new Frigidaire stainless steel appliances and a general contractor did the rest of the work. Total cost was $20,000.

 

[abbekit]

We've done two kitchen remodels in two homes over the past ten years. Both were somewhat budget projects (we installed the cabinets, appliances, lighting ourselves-contracted out the countertops). With a few splurge options (Corian in one, granite in the other) spent about $15K each time.

Your estimate of $35K is probably on target for what you've described.

The best site I've found for this type of info is this one. I found the info on their forums invaluable as we were doing our last remodel.

 

[JLB]

My wife recently re-did the countertops using a process similar to the refinishing kits. They look great and are holding up well.

The only real expense was a few days of her time. I have not missed whatever dollars it cost.

 

[trishpmc]

We did a kitchen makeover last month. We had the following done by a contractor: granite countertops and desk top, tile backsplash with mural, new sink, faucet, garbage disposal, and range hood. Our cabinets are well made and in good condition, so my husband spruced them up using a cleaner and refinisher. We bought new kitchen cabinet hardware, and they look very nice. The total cost was just over $6000.

 

[Rose Pink]

Thanks, everyone. I'm finding the biggest expense is the cabinets. I was leaning towards cherry with a special finish and that is adding more cost. I may need to rethink the wood species. I am also leaning towards granite countertops and a hardwood floor--not pergo stuff--to match the rest of the house. DH has matched the hardwood in another part of the house, so I feel confident he could do the kitchen. His biggest problem is lack of time. The sample bid I received from a cabinet company actually did not cost very much for labor to install (under 2K if I recall). It was the actual cabinets themselves that was so impressively high.

The granite is not cheap, either, and I am wondering about mixing different types of counter materials such as having granite by the cooktop but something else for the other counters. I've heard of this being done but I am not able to imagine it looking good. Laminates are much less expensive and some of them look very nice. They have the bonus of being affordable enough that if I get tired of the look, I could replace them in 10 years give or take. Granite I am stuck with. I don't think I would get tired of it, but one never knows. I am leaning towards a very dark color to go with the cherry (have a picture that I love) but what if I tire of that?

I have a strong tendency to overthink things and drive myself (and everyone around me) crazy. But with such a large (to me) capital outlay, I don't want to make a mistake.

 

[Fern Modena]

I don't know if you want to or can go this route, but how about resurfacing your cabinets instead of replacing them? You'd get new fronts and outsides, and new hardware for a fraction of the cost. I've also seen a new product that is a granite "skin" that goes over formica, etc., instead of replacing it. I don't know how good this is or if you are interested, but thought I'd mention it.

When you add appliances, think about adding a set of double ovens. We wouldn't be without ours.

Fern

 

[Jeni]

Rose Pink-

Have you checked into a cabinet maker? The one we found does beautiful, custom work at about 1/2 the price of places like Lowes and Home Depot.

 

[elaine]

from someone with high-end taste:low-end budget, my advice

I love to redecorate friends houses (and have advised on a few). Here are some rules:
1st--what is the price range of your neighborhood--and what do kitchens look like? If everyone has granite and you are in a high-end area--then you need granite for future resale and nice cabinets(but not necessarily top of the line)--same for appliances, etc. But, if you are in a mixed area, or non-high-end place, then there are some places to scrimp and save.

those fancy Italian cabinets are what is costing you the $$. I would buy hardwood in toffee-stained maple, alderwood, hickory or natural cherry---several friends used the cheapest Lowes special order (Shenadoah) in hickory and natural cherry--they were cheap and looked great (4 lower cabinets for $900 total). Not that you need THAT cheap, but just an example.

Personally, I would go with granite--but a cheaper color and price it out--big difference amongst places. But, you can get a mid-size kitchen with small island for $4K and a large one for $6-7K---so worth it for the WOW factor.

Decide on color scheme and stick with it--and do not be wedded to your old appliances--they are so cheap, relative to your kitchen remodel--don't build a kitchen around them.
For a cooktop--get a cheaper versions of the 5 burner higher-end ones--they are only about $800-1300 for the lower priced ones and you will SOOO love it in the future.
For floor--I hate the wood b/c it gets so dirty and worn in the kitchen--but since you have wood already (as I do), it's a great look and I think the slate/tile stuff will get dated--so get the wood to make your house more flowing.

If you can't find a contractor to do this work--you could sub it out yourself--you larady found a cabinet installer; I would ALWAYS have the granite installed by the seller (I ordered mine from Lowes for $49 ft for a basement bar); you do need an electrician and maybe a plumber to hook up gas if you are moving stove/oven lines--but, the appliance place would have people to recommend; and lastly, hardwood floor places have installers--the key is timing everything---but if you are not moving walls or any major redos--and are just ripping out and redoing, it could be done--esp. if cabinet people could also rip out and haul away old stuff.
Price-wise--totally depends on materials--select your cabinet--multiply price times number you need (ave kitchen is about 20--so for $500(decent mid-range) a piece--about $10K), granite (low end) is $3-6K, floor a few 1000.
good luck and don't spend 100k! Elaine

 

[elaine]

ps- my decorator friends said dark counters very "in"--BUT

I told her that I thought they would be dated and she said probably so--virtually EVERY new, high-end home I have gone in has dark. However, a few homes of people that have REALLY good taste have sort of fossilized looking ones in tones of beige, browns, mustards and golds with walnut brown (fancy italian) cabinets and it it is timeless, elegant, European look.
I would not mix laminate with granite--it will look like you tried to save $. AND, again, if you get a lower-end granite color, the cost difference is not that much. I would get less expensive cabinets first. Get make sure to get real wood and a warm tone.

 

[Malibu Sky]

We are at the very end of our kitchen re-model...been going on since last June!! Don't even asked what took so long...all I have to say, is what ever you budget....add a minimum of 10-20% over that!! Oh, and good luck!!

 

[JoeWilly]

...Granite I am stuck with. I don't think I would get tired of it, but one never knows. I am leaning towards a very dark color to go with the cherry (have a picture that I love) but what if I tire of that? ...

RosePink,

My brother has cherry cabinets, dark granite countertops, and cherry floors in their large kitchen. It is beautiful but very dark. Now he wants to re-do the countertops because it's too dark.

 

[Rose Pink]

Again, thanks to all. Resurfacing is not an option for me. Our current cabinets have particle board shelving that is deteriorating. The alderwood fronts could be sanded and refinished but there aren't enough cabinets in my kitchen and the style the previous owner chose is apparently not made any longer and so I can't just buy more. We have minimal counter space and would like more. The house was built in the 50s and the kitchen was remodeled in the 80s. The finish has worn off the drawers and they are falling apart. There is hardwood flooring in part of the kitchen and vinyl on top of vinyl on top of who-knows-what in the rest of the kitchen. It was apparently supposed to be a small kitchen with small dining area. We are wanting to incorporate the entire area as one functional kitchen. We had to update electrical when we moved in as we couldn't fry an egg and toast bread at the same time without tripping a breaker. These older homes just weren't built to accomodate all the modern appliances and other stuff we have in kitchens these days. Maybe I just need less stuff! We bought a couple of those $99 cabinets many years ago just to put food in. My kitchen is so ugly that my younger sister actually videotaped it and sent the tape to the Oprah show for the ugliest room in America contest.

I've been living in this wreck for 15 years. Never intended for it to go on this long but there was always something else that needed attention first or was cheaper to remodel than the kitchen. Now it is down to the kitchen. DH and I don't agree on how to proceed. (DH) We could use a new car --(Me) we could drive the one we have until it falls apart. I don't want a cheap remodel to replace a cheap kitchen. We live in a nice area and could put $50k into the kitchen and still sell the house for more than the purchase price plus remodeling costs. I'm not talking about crystal chandeliers, European cabinetry, viking ranges, etc. I just want something nice. In other words, I'm not talking Ferrari. But I do want something nicer than an old Ford.

The cabinets I priced are from a cabinet shop in our area and they are made to order. They are not from Home Depot or Lowes. They don't seem to be as expensive as other kitchen stores in our area. I will look into independent cabinet makers to see if anyone is any less expensive.

Again, thanks for your ideas and for sharing your experiences.

 

[pcgirl54]

Rose
We have 140 yr big old house with a large 20 x 22 kitchen/w dining area and the same worn cabinets done in the mid 70"s and cannot be salvaged. They are pretty sad. Our high end Armstrong flooring that is 10 yrs old needs replacing after standing up to boys and big dogs. Kids are grown and the pets are no longer with us. Ceiling need to be redone it could stand insulation in the walls. Kitchen is the coldest room in the house so we cannot use tile and thinking of wood floors $$$$. Too expensive for heated floors. This room is also the major traffic area from the back door to all the other rooms in the house.
We too are starting to research and know whatever the price is I am factoring another 20%. Although there are plenty of free services to design kitchens I am thinking of hiring an architect to map this out. Since I am not an expert there will be lighting,cabinet placements and ideas that I never would consider that would be cost effective. I want to avoid major errors from lack of experience. DH is not a handy man so we cannot save there. We can demo things just not put it back together. Not moving walls but will need plumbing and electrical work done. Former owner redid the overhaul in 1974. We updated a floors and countertops in the 90's.

Our other big issue is we plan to sell our house in a couple of years and know that the kitchen is "the" big selling point and major return on investment. I have also been told also that independent cabinet makers are far less expensive than Lowes/Home Depot route because there is no middleman. I want good quality drawers ,no particle board interiors and a good surface.

We also have an walkin inlaw apt with a tired kitchen from the 80's that needs cabinets repainted ,new countertops ,sink and small dishwasher. I am going easy on that redo because a new owner could rip it all out to make one giant room/office.
I wonder if granite and stainless will be outdated in a few years as just about every redo kitchen has this look now. I love the look of a lighter cherry and the dark granite and it is what buyers want.

My SIL just built a new beautiful new house and added a spa tub to the bathroom just for resale value. She will never use it. Her kitchen has a 10-12 ft island with dark granite and white woodwork with no sink insert like many do. Great surface area for entertaining guests and it looks wonderful. It has bar stools and the end units for cookbooks or knicknacks. White cabinets,stainless appliances and a Viking cooktop. What a kitchen!

 

[Glynda]

Granite

I love the dark brown granite with our lightly stained cherry cabinets. Didn't go with the natural cherry as there were too many white/yellow streaks in it and it just looked unfinished. Went with the lightest stain instead. We have a light maple in our other home with gray/beige corian countertops. While I like the maple cabinets, I don't like the light colored countertops. The dark has so much more of a WOW factor.

 

[Jaybee]

Just an added comment. Fern mentioned the "granite skin". I think she's talking about the granite overlay that is installed over existing countertops. Some of our kids had that installed when they remodeled their kitchen, and it looks beautiful. They love it. It wasn't cheap, but had to cost less than solid granite, since there was no demolition required. Jean

 

[debraxh]

A friend recently had granite tiles installed which apparently saved them quite a bit over slab. The grout lines are very thin and dark (charcoal?), so staining shouldn't be a problem. Not my taste (sort of green/black marble look) but looks nice. They also had their functional but ugly cabinets painted white, and refinished the hardwood floor in a medium stain.

 

[elaine]

for resale--I would not advise granite tiles--cabinets makers

If you can spend $50K and recoup it in sale, then do not do granite tiles--although nice, any buyer will discount it as not "real" granite and everyone knows it is much cheaper--you would be far better to get a lower grade granite for $39-59 vs. $109 per sq ft. and get granite slabs.
Also, I would not use a cabinet maker. My mom did this for her bathroom b/c she needed custom work. They look great, but I still feel that the finish that you get from the factory hold up better and is more uniform looking. Go to Lowe/HD and look at the variety of prices---choose simple, classic styles with raised panels and curved tops--ditch the fancy scrollwork, etc. Then compare prices against your local store--chances are, your local stoer could be higher than Lowes. Also, toffee stained maple looks very good with dark counter--several of our friends have this.
If you choose a cabinet maker---INSIST on seeing some homes/work he has done.

 

[pcgirl54]

Rose,I agree with Elaine. The houses we have been in with granite tiles rather than a solid piece of granite do not look as nice IMHO. First thought is someone wanted to try and get the look without doing it right. It just does not look the same.
My cousin did this with a backsplash. She had someone strip her solid wood cabinets and then stain them cherry. They did a terrible job and the cabinets are streaky. Stainless appliances and a hardwood floor and added stackable water efficient washer/dryers in what used to be a closet off the kitchen. They hired someone who did her son's new home. Subcontractors who were not efficient and sloppy with multiple delays. So be careful who you hire and their work habits. Too bad they did such a poor job. House is about 50-80 yrs old.

 

[Linda74]

A friend just redid her kitchen and used large granite tiles in a black/brown pattern, very closely spaced with black grout..It is almost impossible to tell it is not one full slab of granite and she said she saved $5,000 over single pieces of granite. And....should she want to change it down the road, she can because it did not cost that much. She went for a very beautiful granite pattern and it is real granite just in tile. She had a choice of wood edging to match the cabinets or granite bull nose type tiles. She used the granite and it really is beautiful.

 

[kjgrain]

For our new kitchen I really loved the look of Cherry but I was worried because Cherry will tend to darken with time and the cost was more than Oak. I choose quarter sawn oak with a custom stain. By using the quarter sawn Oak the grain of the wood is hardly noticable similar to Cherry and we picked a reddish brown stain so the wood is very rich looking similar to cherry.

 

[kjgrain]

If you like the look of granite you can really save yourself a lot by staying in the first color group for your area. Don't get special edges or polishes these just add add add to your cost and are really only for show. When using granite the fewer cut outs you have the better. In our original bid for our counter tops they failed to see the bar sink by the refrigerator. It cost us an additional 295 for this cut out (a cooktop is more expensive to install than a range). Also with a range you can use smaller pieces or reminents if your counter top is cut up.

 

[Jeni]

Something else to consider if you don't like the cost/darkness of cherry, but aren't crazy about oak, maple is a nice alternative. We selected maple with a coffee stain and it really looks beatiful without breaking the budget.