Cost Of A Kitchen Remodel: A Guide To Help You Save

A fresh kitchen remodel can bring new life to the place where you store and prepare food every day, but it won’t come cheap: the average kitchen remodel cost can run up to $18,500 for minor changes, while a full kitchen renovation costs an average of $54,000. Planning your kitchen remodel project carefully, as well as knowing what goes into the cost of a kitchen remodel, and understanding the ways that you can save money on the project will help enhance your renovating experience.

Planning Your Kitchen Remodel

Before you begin remodeling your kitchen, you need to decide what your highest priorities are and which parts of the remodel are lower on the list. You may be mainly concerned with cabinets, but less concerned with countertops or you may have perfectly nice cabinets that could simply be painted or refinished, but really need new countertops, making you more willing to devote a larger part of your budget to that area. Knowing these priorities right away will guide the whole process, ensuring your money goes where it really needs to go, rather than wasting money on costly alterations you don’t really need and therefore keeping your kitchen remodeling costs at a minimum.

Do careful research and interview potential contractors to find out about their qualifications and the kind of services they could provide to you. Hire the most experienced contractors who will give you the best deal for their services. Share your budget with them and make sure they explain to you exactly how much their services will cost and where each part of that cost is going. For a detailed process on hiring a contractor see our tips in EverythingYou Need To Know About Hiring A Contractor.

Planning carefully with contractors can help you avoid incurring unexpected costs later. If you don’t hire professional and licensed contractors, you may need to hire someone else to redo work that has been done, which means extra cost outside of your budget. If you don’t hold your budget and expectations to contractors firmly, they may surprise you with extra costs that you will have no choice but to accept once the project is already underway. To avoid surprise costs ensure that everything is down in writing in a contract before work begins. Educate yourself on what the costs should be for your kitchen remodel, and make sure your contractors are keeping as close to that cost as possible.

Materials Costs

Materials generally account for about 80 percent of the cost of a kitchen remodel. This can include, from highest cost to lowest cost: cabinets, counter tops, appliances, flooring, lighting, windows or doors, plumbing fixtures, and materials for new walls and ceilings. Custom features will always cost more than stock features, as raw materials will be needed as opposed to fixtures that have already been manufactured, so keep this in mind when deciding exactly what you need in your remodeled kitchen.

If you have hired someone to supply all of these materials for you instead of purchasing them yourself, expect hirer costs. You will be paying contractors to use their expertise to pick out the best (or most convenient) materials for you, in addition to the costs that they incur for actually purchasing the materials and bringing them back to your home. Save money by purchasing supplies yourself when you can. You can find great deals on kitchen remodeling materials online or from a building surplus store. Buying your own materials allows you to get kitchen remodeling supplies for the best price and quality, while still getting the kitchen that you want.

Labor Costs

Labor costs account for about 20 percent of a kitchen remodel. A number of contractors and subcontractors are needed to build or install new cabinets and countertops; deliver, haul and install new appliances into your home; install flooring, lighting, windows, doors and plumbing fixtures; and build walls or remodel ceilings. All of these installers need to be paid for their time and expertise, so costs will add up quickly.

While examining exactly what you want done during your kitchen remodel, remember that you can choose certain parts of the kitchen renovation to complete yourself in order to cut down on costs. Refinishing, painting or staining cabinets, for example, is something you can easily do yourself with the right materials.

Be Smart and Save On Your Kitchen Remodel

Hiring the best, qualified contractors for your kitchen remodel will save money because you will be paying for quality work that will last many years. If you have the expertise and time to buy some of your own materials and complete some of the kitchen remodel labor yourself, it can save you thousands of dollars. Although as soon as you don’t feel confident in a project, hand it over to a professional who will complete it correctly and safely.

To get started check out your local listing of professional kitchen remodel contractors here.