We finished our kitchen remodel eight months ago. The total came to $47,000, which was $12,000 over our original budget and took three weeks longer than estimated. We cooked on a hot plate in the garage. My marriage survived, barely.
The kitchen remodel cost numbers you see online are useless if you don’t understand what they include. A $15,000 kitchen remodel and a $150,000 kitchen remodel can both be accurate, just describing completely different projects.
Here’s the breakdown of what actually costs what, based on our experience and the three friends whose kitchen renovations I’ve watched closely over the past two years.
Average Kitchen Remodel Costs in 2025
Let’s start with the ranges you’ll see everywhere:
Minor kitchen remodel: $10,000-$25,000
Resurfacing or painting cabinets, new hardware, updated lighting, fresh paint, possibly new countertops if you go with laminate or butcher block.
Mid-range kitchen remodel: $25,000-$60,000
New cabinets (stock or semi-custom), mid-grade countertops like quartz or granite, new appliances, new flooring, updated plumbing fixtures, fresh lighting.
Major kitchen remodel: $60,000-$150,000+
Custom cabinetry, high-end countertops, professional-grade appliances, possibly moving walls or plumbing, structural changes, premium finishes throughout.
These ranges are national averages. Your actual cost depends heavily on where you live, the size of your kitchen, and what you’re starting with.
Our kitchen is 180 square feet, which is slightly above average. We kept the footprint the same but replaced everything except the floor. That mid-range category? That’s where we landed.
What Actually Costs Money
Here’s roughly how our $47,000 broke down:
Cabinets: $14,500 (31% of total)
Cabinets eat more budget than almost anything else. We went with semi-custom from a regional manufacturer. Stock cabinets from a big box store would have saved us around $6,000, but wouldn’t have fit our slightly awkward corner configuration.
Custom cabinets would have added another $8,000-15,000. For our space, the semi-custom route hit the sweet spot between fit and budget.
Cabinet costs range from:
- Stock cabinets: $75-400 per linear foot
- Semi-custom: $150-650 per linear foot
- Custom: $500-1,500+ per linear foot
Our kitchen has roughly 25 linear feet of cabinets. That math gets you to our $14,500.
Countertops: $5,800 (12% of total)
We installed quartz, which runs $50-150 per square foot including installation. Our 42 square feet of counter space, including the island, came to $138 per square foot.
Countertop cost ranges:
- Laminate: $10-40 per square foot
- Butcher block: $40-100 per square foot
- Granite: $50-200 per square foot
- Quartz: $50-150 per square foot
- Marble: $75-250 per square foot
- Quartzite: $90-200 per square foot
The fabrication and installation often costs as much as the material itself. Those edges and cutouts for sinks and cooktops aren’t free.
Appliances: $8,200 (17% of total)
We replaced the refrigerator, range, dishwasher, and microwave. Went mid-range on everything except the refrigerator, where we splurged on a counter-depth model because our kitchen couldn’t handle a standard depth fridge without blocking the walkway.
Appliance ranges vary wildly:
- Refrigerator: $800-8,000
- Range: $500-10,000
- Dishwasher: $400-2,000
- Microwave: $150-800
We spent $2,400 on the fridge, $1,800 on the range, $1,100 on the dishwasher, and $500 on the microwave. Plus $2,400 for a range hood we hadn’t originally budgeted for. Oops.
Labor: $11,400 (24% of total)
This covered demo, installation, plumbing updates, electrical work, and painting. We did zero DIY. Some people save significantly here by doing their own demo and painting. We knew our limits.
Labor typically runs 35-50% of a kitchen remodel budget if you’re hiring out everything. Ours came in lower partly because we weren’t moving any walls or plumbing.
Everything else: $7,100 (16% of total)
This bucket included:
- Plumbing fixtures (new sink and faucet): $1,200
- Lighting fixtures: $800
- Backsplash tile and installation: $2,100
- Electrical updates (additional outlets, under-cabinet lights): $1,400
- Permit: $350
- Miscellaneous (hardware, paint, dumpster rental, unexpected problems): $1,250
That “miscellaneous” line is where budgets die. Something will go wrong. Budget 10-15% for contingency on any remodel.
Why Kitchen Remodels Go Over Budget
Ours went $12,000 over because of three things:
The range hood. We hadn’t budgeted for replacing it. Ours was ancient, loud, and didn’t actually vent anywhere. The contractor pointed out that running it without proper ventilation was basically useless. A new hood plus the ductwork to vent it outside added $2,400.
Electrical upgrades. Our house was built in 1987 with electrical that reflected that era’s expectations. The new appliances drew more power than the existing circuits could handle. Upgrading the electrical panel and adding dedicated circuits: $3,200.
Scope creep. Once the cabinets were out, we could see the condition of the walls. Some drywall needed replacing. While we were at it, we decided to add under-cabinet lighting, which we’d originally cut from the budget. Then we upgraded from vinyl tile to porcelain. Each choice seemed small. They added up.
This is the pattern. Every kitchen remodel involves discoveries once demolition starts, and those discoveries cost money.
How to Control Kitchen Remodel Costs
Based on our experience and regrets:
Get three quotes minimum. Our quotes ranged from $32,000 to $58,000 for essentially the same scope. The differences came down to contractor overhead, material sourcing, and subcontractor relationships.
Set your must-haves versus nice-to-haves before talking to anyone. For us, the must-haves were new cabinets, quartz counters, and a functional range hood. Nice-to-haves included under-cabinet lighting and a pot filler. Knowing the difference helped us make decisions when money got tight.
Keep the footprint. Moving plumbing or walls costs real money. Thousands of dollars for even minor repositioning. If your sink can stay where it is, leave it there.
Consider refinishing cabinets instead of replacing. If your cabinet boxes are solid and the layout works, professional refinishing can save 50-70% compared to new cabinets. It’s not the same as new, but it transforms the look.
Time your appliance purchases. Holiday sales, especially around Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Black Friday, often include significant appliance discounts. We saved $700 by waiting for a sale.
Do some work yourself, if you’re capable. Painting is the obvious candidate. Demo is labor-intensive but not complicated. Installing hardware takes patience, not expertise. Just be honest about your skills. Bad DIY work costs more to fix than hiring pros from the start.
Build in contingency. Whatever number you settle on, add 15-20% for surprises. If you don’t use it, great. If you do, you won’t be scrambling.
Kitchen Remodel Timeline: What to Expect
Timelines depend on project scope and contractor availability:
Cosmetic refresh (new paint, hardware, light fixtures): 1-2 weeks
Minor remodel (refaced cabinets, new countertops, new appliances): 3-5 weeks
Mid-range remodel (new cabinets, counters, appliances, some electrical and plumbing work): 6-10 weeks
Major remodel (moving walls, reconfiguring layout, high-end everything): 3-6 months
Our mid-range project was quoted at 6 weeks and took 9. The extra time came from appliance delivery delays and the electrical work that wasn’t in the original plan.
During the remodel, your kitchen will be unusable. Plan for that. We set up a temporary kitchen in the garage with a folding table, microwave, hot plate, and mini-fridge. Nine weeks of that was rough, but doable.
How to Find Kitchen Contractors
Start with referrals. Ask neighbors, friends, coworkers who’ve done recent kitchen work. Personal recommendations beat online searching.
Check reviews, but read critically. Look for patterns in complaints. One unhappy customer might be an outlier. Multiple people mentioning timeline delays or communication problems is a signal.
Verify licensing and insurance. Legitimate contractors carry liability insurance and are licensed in their trade. Ask to see documentation.
Get detailed written quotes. A vague quote is useless. You need itemized costs for materials, labor, fixtures, and any subcontracted work. Allowances should be specific, not just “countertops” but “42 sq ft of quartz at $110/sq ft installed.”
Check references. Ask for contact info from recent clients. Call them. Ask about timeline accuracy, communication, problem-solving, and whether they’d hire the contractor again.
Watch for red flags. Asking for more than 30% upfront, unwillingness to provide a written contract, pressure to decide immediately, no physical business address. These suggest problems ahead.
Is a Kitchen Remodel Worth It?
The short answer from someone who did it: yes, but not for the reasons you’d think.
Return on investment statistics say you’ll recoup 50-80% of your kitchen remodel cost when you sell. But we’re not planning to sell soon, and honestly, those numbers didn’t drive our decision.
We remodeled because our kitchen was dysfunctional. The layout forced awkward traffic patterns. The cabinets were falling apart. The appliances were dying one by one. We were going to spend money replacing things anyway, and we decided to spend it thoughtfully rather than piecemeal.
Eight months later, I cook more. The space works better for our family. I stop noticing it, which is actually the goal, that it’s just functional instead of something I fight against daily.
Was $47,000 a lot? Absolutely. Would I do it again knowing the stress and budget overrun? Probably. But I’d add more contingency money next time.
Getting Started
If you’re serious about a kitchen remodel:
- Set a realistic budget range. Be honest about what you can afford and build in 15-20% contingency.
- Create a scope list. What must change? What’s optional? Prioritize ruthlessly.
- Research contractors. Get multiple referrals, check reviews, interview at least three.
- Get detailed quotes. Compare them carefully. Understand what each includes and excludes.
- Plan for the disruption. Where will you cook? How long can you tolerate chaos?
- Make decisions before demo starts. Changes mid-project cost money and time.
- Document everything. Photos before, during, after. Written communication with contractors. Receipts for everything.
The kitchen is the heart of the house, or so they say. Renovating that heart is expensive, stressful, and worth it if you approach it with realistic expectations.
Just budget more than you think. Trust me.
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Meta Title: Kitchen Remodel Cost 2025: Real Budget Breakdown ($10K-$150K)
Meta Description: Honest kitchen remodel costs from $47K project: cabinets (31%), counters (12%), labor (24%) + how to control budget and find contractors.
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