Kitchen Remodel Cost in Portland, OR

A Portland kitchen remodel can be priced honestly only as a range until someone has measured the room and drawn the plan. The figures below are the planning ranges JDI Construction publishes in its kitchen cost calculator. They are the same ranges JDI uses on the Washington side of the river, they cover the Portland/Vancouver metro, and they are before any taxes. They are planning ranges, not quotes.

JDI planning ranges for a Portland kitchen

Start with the size of your kitchen, then pick the finish tier that sounds like the project you have in mind.

JDI Construction planning ranges for the Portland/Vancouver metro, from its public cost calculator, before any taxes. Not a quote or an offer.

• Essential covers an updated layout, mid-grade materials and standard cabinetry.
• Signature covers custom-built cabinetry, premium quartz or tile, and name-brand fixtures.
• Luxury covers fully custom millwork, high-end stone, luxury appliances and designer finishes.

The tier is about finishes, not how much construction is involved. If you are unsure whether you are planning a refresh or a full gut, read kitchen remodel levels explained first.

Add-ons priced separately

JDI Construction planning ranges, before any taxes. Not a quote.

What moves a Portland project within its range

Two kitchens with the same size and tier can finish at opposite ends of a range. These are the reasons that usually decide it.

The age of the house

If your Portland house has decades behind it, expect the house itself to push the price up within a tier. Walls opened for the first time in decades can show wiring that has to be brought up to current code, plumbing that is past its service life, and floors that are out of level. Older paint and building materials may also need testing and careful handling before demolition. The page on lead paint rules explains what that involves. None of this is visible on a first walk-through, which is why a written estimate should say how hidden conditions are handled.

Whether the layout stays or moves

Keeping the sink, range and refrigerator in place keeps the plumbing, gas and most of the wiring where they are. Moving them means new rough-in work, more permits and more inspections. Taking out a wall adds structural questions, especially if the wall carries load. See opening a kitchen wall for what that involves.

Electrical and gas work

New circuits, outlets and lighting, and any change to gas piping, are among the most variable parts of a kitchen budget. A kitchen that has already been rewired needs far less than one still running on its original circuits. Switching from gas to an induction range, or the reverse, changes what has to be run to that wall.

Permit scope

The more trades a project touches, the more permits it needs. Portland Permitting & Development (PP&D) lists these rules for homes in the City of Portland:

PP&D also says you must be both the owner and the occupant of the home to do electrical work yourself. If your project falls between two rows, ask PP&D before you assume no permit is needed.

What is different on the Oregon side

No sales tax line

The Oregon Department of Revenue states that Oregon does not have a general sales or use tax. In Washington, a contractor collects sales tax on the full price of a remodel, as the Vancouver, WA cost page explains. A Portland contract has no sales tax line. That does not mean a Portland kitchen costs less overall, because Portland's permit costs are added instead.

Permit fees are based on project value

Portland building permit fees are based on the value of the work, not a flat amount. PP&D says fees are based on the fair market value of all construction work covered by the permit, using a valuation method the State of Oregon requires under OAR 918-050-0100. For alterations, the City's fee schedule counts the full value of the permitted work, including finish work, electrical, plumbing and the contractor's profit. Several charges are built on that value:

• The building permit fee, from a table that steps up with project value.
• A plan review fee of 65% of the building permit fee for the original submittal.
• A residential development services fee, also based on project value.
• A 12% State of Oregon surcharge on building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits have their own fee schedules. All the City of Portland schedules in effect as of October 2026 took effect on July 10, 2026, and PP&D says it updates fees annually. Look up the current schedules on the PP&D fee schedules page before you budget.

The Construction Excise Tax

Portland City Code Chapter 6.08 imposes a residential construction excise tax of 1 percent of the value of the improvement, paid before the building permit is issued. Improvements valued at $100,000 or less are exempt. As amended effective January 1, 2025, the code defines an "improvement" as work that creates a new structure, adds square footage to an existing structure, or adds living space. On that wording, a kitchen remodeled inside its existing walls does not add square footage, while a kitchen addition or bump-out could. The City does not address kitchens directly, so ask PP&D whether the tax applies to your permit.

An Oregon license, not a Washington one

Under ORS 701.021, anyone who bids on or does contractor work in Oregon must hold a current license from the Construction Contractors Board. A Washington registration does not cover Oregon work. JDI Construction's Oregon CCB number is 176101, and you can check it on the CCB's license search. The page on hiring a kitchen contractor in Portland covers what to check before you sign.

How to get a written, itemized estimate from JDI

A range helps you decide whether a project is feasible and which tier to aim for. A real number comes from looking at the house. JDI Construction is a family-owned design-build remodeler, so the design and the construction price come from one team. The steps are:

1. Free in-home consultation. We measure the kitchen and look at the walls, wiring, plumbing and floor.
2. 3D design layout. You see the cabinet plan and appliance positions before anything is ordered.
3. Itemized plan. The estimate lists what is included, what is excluded and what is carried as an allowance, so permits and any excise tax are visible.

JDI handles permits and project management for you. Before the visit, you can run your own numbers in the kitchen cost calculator, read about kitchen remodeling in Portland, and see where the money goes in a kitchen budget. When you have estimates in hand, how to compare kitchen remodel estimates shows how to line them up. When you are ready, request a consultation.