Overview: Kitchen Remodelers
A kitchen is won or lost on the layout. Where the sink, the range and the refrigerator sit in relation to each other is what you feel every single day. So is the counter you can set a hot pan down on, the drawer that clears the dishwasher door, and whether two people can cook without one stepping backwards into the other.
Cabinets set the calendar. Stock boxes come off a shelf. Semi-custom lets you change sizes and finishes inside a fixed catalog. True custom is built for your room and takes the longest. Counters cannot be templated until the cabinets are installed and level, so the stone shows up well after the boxes do, and the sink cutout depends on the sink being on site.
Pick the appliances before the electrician touches a wire. An induction range, a wall oven and a gas cooktop each want a different circuit or supply, the hood width follows the range width, and the refrigerator needs a water line. Moving the sink to an island means moving a drain and a vent, not just a faucet.
Start with the state list, then the city page, to see which kitchen firms work near you. A listing repeats the claims a company makes on its own site; ratings and quotes come from public reviews.
Cost of kitchen remodeling
Start with the kitchen layout and what will remain. Cabinets, counters, appliances, utilities, and allowances must be specified before a project price becomes useful.
| Service or scope | Planning range | What this covers |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh a 100–200-sq.-ft. kitchen | $18,000–$45,000per defined refresh of a 100–200-sq.-ft. kitchen | Refresh a 100–200-sq.-ft. kitchen while keeping sound cabinet boxes and major service locations; update the agreed cabinet finish or doors, counters and other finishes.A paint-only update is a smaller project. Specify retained items, door treatment and appliance allowances before comparing this range.Included scope and possible extrasScope used for this estimate: Agreed cabinet refresh; Specified countertop and finish allowances; Installation labor for the listed work Outside this estimate: Complete new cabinet boxes; Structural changes; Major plumbing relocation; Unlisted appliances |
| Replace a 100–200-sq.-ft. kitchen in the same footprint | $35,000–$95,000per same-footprint replacement of a 100–200-sq.-ft. kitchen | Replace cabinets, counters and specified finishes and appliances in a 100–200-sq.-ft. kitchen while retaining the main footprint and major service locations.Cabinet quality and appliance allowances can explain much of this wide range. Moving walls, major services or expanding the room needs a new project quote.Included scope and possible extrasScope used for this estimate: Listed cabinets, counters, flooring and fixtures; Installation labor; Specified appliance allowance Outside this estimate: Structural reconfiguration; Unlisted premium upgrades; Hidden-condition repairs |
| Quartz countertop, fabricated and installed | $50–$130per sq. ft. of finished countertop | Template, fabricate and install a standard quartz countertop on ready, sound cabinets, with the slab color, thickness and edge specified.Ask whether you pay for finished area or full slabs, where seams will fall, and which cutouts are included. This component may already be included in a whole-kitchen budget; do not add it twice.Included scope and possible extrasScope used for this estimate: Specified quartz material; Templating and fabrication; Ordinary delivery and installation; Specified standard edge Outside this estimate: Old countertop removal; Sink and cooktop cutouts unless included; Plumbing reconnection; Waterfall ends and full-height backsplash; Cabinet leveling or repair |
What changes the price
- Cabinet layout, construction, hardware, and countertop specification.
- Moving plumbing, electrical, ventilation, or structural elements.
- Appliance allowances, finish allowances, and hidden-condition work.
Ask before you book
- Which appliances, fixtures, and finish allowances are in the total?Unspecified allowances can create large differences after selection.
- Does keeping the current layout materially reduce this scope?A priced alternative makes the design tradeoff visible.
- How are discoveries and selection upgrades approved and priced?Use a clear change-order process before additional work.
Check the scope
Whole-project packages and component prices are alternatives for different questions. Do not add cabinet and countertop rows to a package that already includes them.
Compare quotes wisely
Ask for a same-layout alternative and finalize cabinets, appliances, and finish allowances before signing.
How to read these estimates
These ranges combine published U.S. prices and cost guidance for the stated work. They are budgeting estimates, not offers from listed companies or a statistical national average. Confirm the total, included work and additional charges in writing.
U.S. planning estimates. Local quotes vary by location and the scope of work.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead do cabinets have to be ordered?
Well before demolition, and further out than most people expect. Stock lines ship quickly, semi-custom takes longer, and a custom shop schedules you into its build queue. Order, then confirm the delivery date, then set the demolition date from that. Tearing out a working kitchen while the boxes are still in production is how a job turns into a long, cold autumn of takeout.
When do countertops get measured?
After the cabinets are installed, levelled and screwed down, never from the drawing. The templater measures the room as built, because walls are not straight and a corner that is off by a fraction ruins a slab. Then fabrication takes time, so plan for a gap with plywood on top of the boxes. Have the sink and the faucet on site for the template appointment.
Why do appliances have to be chosen so early?
Because the wiring and the openings follow them. An induction range, a wall oven and a gas cooktop each need a different supply, the hood has to match the range width and the duct route, the dishwasher needs a drain and a power source, and the refrigerator needs a water line for ice. All of that is decided at rough-in, when the walls are open and changes are cheap.
Ducted hood or recirculating?
Ducted, if the layout allows it. Cooking throws grease, steam and smoke into the room, and a recirculating hood filters some of the grease and puts the rest straight back. Ducting means a route to an outside wall or the roof, a cap with a damper, and a hood sized to the range. A hood that runs quietly gets used, and a loud one never does.
Can the sink move to an island?
Often, and it is not a small move. The drain has to run under the floor with enough fall to reach the stack, and it needs a vent, which on an island usually means a loop vent. Over a basement or crawl space that is workable. On a slab it means cutting concrete. Water and power to an island also have to come up somewhere inside the cabinetry.
How do you live without a kitchen for weeks?
Set up a camp kitchen somewhere else in the house before anything comes out: refrigerator, microwave, kettle, a folding table and paper plates. The dishes are the real problem, so keep a sink you can reach, even the laundry tub. Seal the doorway with plastic and run a fan, because drywall dust travels through a whole house and settles in every drawer.
