Where the Money Goes in a Kitchen Remodel

An estimate is easier to read once you know what each line is paying for and what makes it grow. This page goes through the categories in a kitchen remodel budget one at a time. It gives no percentage split, because the split is different in every kitchen. Where JDI Construction publishes a planning range for an item, it is shown. The full size-and-tier tables are on the kitchen remodel cost page.

The categories at a glance

Add-on figures are JDI Construction planning ranges from its public cost calculator, before sales tax. They are not quotes.

Cabinetry

In most kitchens cabinetry is the heaviest material line, simply because there is so much of it. Three things set it: how many cabinets the layout needs, how they are built, and what goes inside them. Drawer bases cost more than door bases. Tall pantry units, panels for built-in appliances, roll-outs and trash pull-outs each add. Stock, semi-custom and custom cabinets differ in how far sizes and finishes can be adapted to the room, which the cabinet guide explains.

Countertops and backsplash

Countertop cost follows the material and the fabrication. A simple run with one sink cutout is a different job from an island with a waterfall end, a cooktop cutout and a mitered edge, even in the same stone. Tile backsplashes are priced by the tile and the labor to set it. A slab backsplash uses more material and more fabrication time. The countertop overview compares the materials.

Labor and the trades

This is the work of carpenters, cabinet installers, electricians, plumbers, drywall finishers, tile setters, painters and the person coordinating them. It grows with the amount of change. A kitchen rebuilt in the same layout needs each trade once, in a predictable order. A kitchen with a moved sink, a new gas line, a relocated range and an opened wall needs more rough-in work, more inspections and more patching of floors, walls and ceilings in the rooms around it.

Electrical

Electrical work is where older kitchens surprise people. Washington's electrical rules (WAC 296-46B-010) let existing lawful wiring stay as it is, but additions and alterations must meet the current code. In a kitchen that means the new or altered circuits pick up today's requirements for small-appliance circuits, ground-fault and arc-fault protection, and receptacle spacing along the counter. If the panel has no room for the added circuits, that becomes part of the job too. The details are in the kitchen electrical code guide.

Plumbing and gas

Reconnecting a sink, disposal and dishwasher in their existing positions is routine. Cost rises when a fixture moves, because the drain and its vent have to move with it, and rises again when the move is to an island. Adding a pot filler, a second sink or a gas line for a range each brings its own rough-in work and inspection.

Appliances and ventilation

Appliances are the line most under your own control, and the one with the widest spread between basic and luxury. Remember the costs that come with the appliance, not just the appliance: a larger range may need a higher-capacity hood, a ducted hood needs a route to the outdoors, and an induction or electric range needs a circuit sized for it. See range hoods and ventilation before choosing a hood on looks alone.

Flooring

Flooring cost depends on the material and on what is under the old floor. Subfloor repair around a sink or dishwasher is common. Because kitchens usually open onto other rooms, a decision to run new flooring through the adjoining space can turn a kitchen line into a main-floor line.

Design, permits and project management

Design covers measured drawings, the layout, elevations and the selections that let everything be ordered correctly. Project management covers scheduling the trades, ordering, inspections and keeping you informed. Permit fees are set by the jurisdiction, not the contractor.

Contingency

A contingency is money set aside for what cannot be seen until demolition: damaged subfloor, wiring that is not what the panel suggested, framing that was cut for an earlier remodel. It is not a slush fund for upgrades. How much to hold depends mostly on the age of the house and how much of it you are opening, which is covered in how to budget a kitchen remodel.

Sales tax

In Washington, sales tax applies to the full contract price of a remodel, labor included (WAC 458-20-170). It is a real budget line and a large one. Rates and a worked example are on the page about sales tax on a kitchen remodel.

Costs that sit outside the contract

• Meals and a temporary kitchen while yours is out of service.
• Storage for the contents of the cabinets.
• Furniture, window coverings and anything else not in the written scope.
• Financing costs, if you borrow.

Seeing your own numbers

JDI Construction provides an itemized plan after a free in-home consultation, so each of these categories appears as its own line for your kitchen. To see how size, tier and add-ons combine, try the kitchen cost calculator, or read more about kitchen remodeling in Vancouver.