Renovating your kitchen is one of the most cost effective home improvement upgrades you can do. In older homes, retaining the character of the space usually means remodeling the kitchen rather than replacing. Keeping the theme in wall and cabinetry features can easily be incorporated with the lastest in kitchen appliance technology.

Kitchen Remodeling Goals

How much you invest on remodeling your kitchen largely depends on the overall goals for the property.

If you are remodelling your kitchen as a face-lift prior to selling it, don't spend more than 10-15% of the cost of the house.
If you plan to live in your house for more than 5 years - spend 25% or more. You are likley to recover the total cost when you sell, plus it makes the property more attractive.
If the whole house is being upgraded, you may want more than a low cost cosmetic remodel to keep in line with the rest of the house. Spending a lot on a luxury kitchen will only make the rest of the property even worse. So keep the quality of the kitchen in line with the overall property.

As a guidelines, a kitchen renovation costs :

$2k - $3k - cosmetic facelift with no new cabinets, plumbing or electrical changes. Includes new cabinet doors, hardware, faucet, and fixtures.
$4k - $7k - includes new low end cabinetry, counters, appliances and maybe a few minor structural changes.
$8k - $10k - includes new low end cabinetry, counters, appliances, flooring, paint. Some minor structural changes and some upgrades available.
$11k - $20K - as above in medium quality, more structural changes, and some custom work.
$20K + - as above in a high quality, with custom work and many upgrades.

Kitchen Renovation Costs

Kitchen renovation can be expensive. Fortunately, there are ways to cut costs without sacrificing quality. It's a matter of knowing what to cut costs on and what not to.

Do Not Cut Costs On:

Design - a high quality kitchen that doesn't function well is a bad investment.
Appliances - you don't need to go super expensive, but cheap appliances not only look cheap, they have more problems and end up costing more in the long run.
Labor - kitchens are high detail areas, with lots of elements that need to fit flushly together. Workmanship really shows in kitchens so pay more for a better quality craftsman.

Do Cut Costs On

Kitchen Cabinets - use stock cabinets instead of custom work
Countertops - use laminates instead of corian
Unnecessary Replacement - for instance, keep you current appliances, existing plumbing and electrical.
Structural Changes - shifting a small wall, or enlarging an opening adds collateral costs for new paint, new wallpaper, new blinds and decorations.

Make sure that ALL planning is done before you start work. Any changes halfway through the process will be expensive.

Approximate Costs

Kitchen remodeling costs for low-end, medium quality, and high quality options.

Item Low Medium High

Flooring $15-20/ft² [vinyl] $7-10/ft² [tile] $20-30/ft²[ tile or wood]

Cabinets $3,000 $8,000 $15,000

Storage Inserts $150 $600 $1200

Countertops $15-20/ft [ laminate] $35/ft [ceramic] $200/ft [ granite]

Double Sink $250 $700 $1200

Faucet $100 $300 $800

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