When it comes to kitchen refresh decisions, “How long are you staying in the house?” is the the BIG question - that along with budget and your lifestyle, will determine what and how much to do.

How much will a kitchen renovation cost?

In terms of budgeting, HGTV is fun, but not a very good gauge for how much things will cost in the real world!

Expect to spend 10% to 20% of the value of the house on a whole kitchen remodel.  If you are thinking ahead to resale, do make sure the quality level of the kitchen matches the price tag of the house.

The median sale price of a single family home in Massachusetts is approaching $800,000, that means a new kitchen should cost in the range of $80K to $160K and in fact the high end of that is the average cost of an upscale kitchen remodel in Boston right now.

A big chunk of that cost is, of course, labor, and that can vary widely depending on who you hire, where you are, and if you are moving/adding anything (plumbing, electrical, wall, windows, doors).

Kitchens, like bathrooms, require ALL the trade specialties - carpentry, plumbing, electrical, painting, tiling, and possibly plastering, flooring, and wall covering specialists.  Unless you are a super experienced and proficient DIYer, something as expensive as a kitchen should probably be hired out.

Contingency Funds

And always, always, always factor in a 20% buffer for the unexpected.  Anytime you move anything or open walls, there WILL be surprises, and not the good kind, mostly just the expensive kind.

If you’ve planned for these from the outset you won’t be as dismayed by the unexpected expense.  If it turns out, by some miracle, you don’t need to spend it, then YAY!  Buy some champagne or go on a vacation!

Biggest Ticket Kitchen Items

Other than labor, The three big ticket items for any luxury kitchen renovation are:

• cabinets,

• counters, and

• new appliances.

Cabinets

Even in moderate lines using stock and semi-custom decent quality cabinetry with plywood boxes, a kitchen can easily run $30K and up for cabinets alone - if the kitchen is large enough to have an island, or you outfit those cabinets with organizer features, or you want more customized solutions, that number will likely be much higher.

Counters

There are so many options for countertops - laminate and ceramic tile are the least desirable these days.  Hardwood and poured concrete are other options that appear occasionally.

But most buyers expect a quality kitchen to have slab counters of stone, quartz, or porcelain - and those you can expect to start at ~$5K and go up from there again depending on the size and configuration and the particular material and finish you choose.

Appliances

Depending on your needs and wish list, appliances can add up fast!  An average bare bones appliance package can easily be $10K. Special features like customizable colors and hardware, craft ice cubes, steam or air fry cooking, and ‘smart’ features will add to the cost.  Do you want a cooktop and separate wall oven(s) or a range? Refrigerator/freezer or separate columns or drawers? Separate ice maker? Wine fridge? Wine dispenser? Decorative vent hood? Dishwasher(s) or dishwasher drawers? Trash Compactor? Garbage Disposal? Microwave? Built-in coffee system?

Sadly, most appliances now (except maybe the REALLY high end $15K+ European stoves which I covet) will have a limited lifespan of probably 10 years at best.

My Own Kitchen Refresh

I am in the throes of my own mini kitchen refresh of sorts, and I have wrestled with all these save vs spend questions.

In my case, I am probably staying here 5-10 more years and would like to upgrade my kitchen to enjoy while I’m here AND have it ready for resale when I need it to be.

I love to cook and entertain and consequently spend a good deal of time in my kitchen.

I have a staggering amount of baking and serving pieces stored in my little 120 square foot kitchen.

And I never added a proper backsplash when we first put in these builder grade oak cabinets 35 years ago (I know…I was young and stupid) BUT, I can’t justify the ticket price on an all new kitchen, even a mid range one.

SO I am doing what I call a ‘light refresh’

I decided to save on those big three expensive items:

My Cabinets

The layout and storage solutions are reasonable as is, and the cabinets are actual wood, so reasonably decent.

I’m keeping the basic cabinet configuration and most of the cabinets and just upgrading them with paint and trim and new hardware.

I’ll paint the boxes myself (heaven help me!), but I’ve just sent the doors and drawer fronts out to be painted by a professional so at least the most obvious bits will be done well!

I have a handyman that will add trim to the tops to fill the gap to the ceiling.

Altogether, this will cost me less than a fourth of the cost of new cabinets - big savings there!

My Counters

Changing the dilapidated formica counters to solid surfacing of some kind, has been on my wish list for YEARS and I’ve been waiting until I decided what to do about the cabinets. I selected a pretty marble-look modestly priced quartz, rather than the gorgeous quartzite for nearly twice the price.

My Appliances

I’ve selected moderately priced appliances - given the limited lifespan of most appliances these days, I’ve opted to not pay more for bells and whistles I don’t actually need, or to get the pretty handles I love, or the pricey 48” La Cornue I covet…it doesn’t fit in my little kitchen anyway… *le sigh*.

I decided to splurge on…

A new bay window 

My kitchen window needed to be replaced anyway (it’s one of the only original 50+ year old windows left in the house) and I wanted more light and views in the bargain.  I paid dearly, but it adds a lot and would have cost not THAT much less for a standard one.

A pretty hood

Central to my vision is a new hood to replace the currently demon possessed over-the-stove microwave.

I sent out my fantasy custom hood sketch for bids all of which came back staggeringly high for my little refresh project and would have eaten up most of the budget.

I’ve blessedly found a bargain version that will give me most of the look I want, but it is still a splurge and a terrific upgrade in the look of the kitchen.

Sink and faucet

A new deep single bowl sink and a new bridge faucet in polished nickel, which I adore. Changing from double bowl to single bowl necessitated some plumbing work, which cost more than the faucet and sink, but still worth it - and I did get to reuse my relatively new garbage disposal.

I am about to embark on the cabinet painting phase…pray for me (or maybe for my cabinets) 😂

Other posts you might like:

My Kitchen Plans

Where to spend where to splurge when remodeling, building, or decorating

Has HGTV been lying to us? How much does a bathroom renovation really cost?