I've always heard that cabinets will be the largest single part of the budget. That's not true for us because we are going with IKEA cabinets. Be sure to check them out if you haven't already. Good quality at a very low price. You can save even more if you install them yourself.

I'm in the starting stages of my remodel and the cabinets are going to be about 50% (hopefully) of the cost. I actually read that as a guide in terms of budgeting and it seems to work. My breakdown is $16K for cabinets with a goal of spending around $30K.

The national average amount spent on a replacement kitchen remodel is 30K. That's for a "like for like" replacement with very little systems tweaking. No moving plumbing lines or taking down walls.

For that 30K, about half or 15K us usually budgeted for cabinets/install of cabinets. The breakdown for the rest is 5K for countertops (installed price), appliances 5K, sink+faucet+lighting+paint are 3K and flooring is 2K.

This is just the national average. I've done plenty of full remodels under 15K, (And plenty over 60K as well) but usually with vinyl flooring and laminate countertops. If you're planning on higher cost items because you're in a neighborhood that supports it, be sure that you aren't overly skimping on one category to the detriment of the others. Cabinets are the most permanant and difficult to replace element of a kitchen design, so that's the last place to cut your budget!

Thanks for the good information. I had read some figures about amounts to spend on the various items, but this is a good refresher. I agree, that the cabinets and the floor will be my two big items. It sounds like my $15K estimate (cabinets only, not installed) is not too far off.

I do need to check IKEA, although we don't have a store here. I am single (DH passed 4 years ago), and I am finally in a financial position to work on the home we've lived in for 33 years. But it's a bit scary to be flying solo and my skill set involving tools is limited to putting them in the proper drawer in the tool box!

I look forward to lots of advice as I move forward!

I would also see if you can find a local cabinetmaker. I was surprised that 2 of my quotes for completely custom cabinets were LESS than my other quotes for semi-custom through kitchen stores.

In the end, I went with the semi-custom but ONLY because neither of the cabinetmakers could replicate the finish color I wanted....

I spent just over $14K on cabinets and $2K on install. My countertops will be $7,500 quartz.

Good luck - I have found so much inspiration & information from this site!

There are so many cabinet lines that are very affordable and good quality.
I pride myself in being able to keep a realistic budget for my customers, let them know what's a splurge, what's necessary, and how to make a stock kitchen look custom.
That said, I would shop around for a KD in your area that will work with you. Let them know what your budget is and get the best your money will buy. Shop around for things like tile and lighting. This forum, as you know, is a tremendous resource.
And, may I say I am very sorry about your husband. I can't imagine a life without mine.

Better Homes and Gardens had an article on this subject a while back. The remodeling industry suggests that remodeled kitchens should have a cost or value depending on how you look at is of 10-15% of the propertys market value. The suggested cost of cabinets is 40% of the remodeling budget. A home worth 100,000 should have cabinets worth 4,000 to 6,000

Again suggested guide lines. I would guess most people on this board are spending between 200 and $500 per lineal foot for their stock to semi custom cabinets.

This board throws around the term "custom" in suggesting using a local shade tree cabinet maker to get what is always called custom cabinets. The post above is a perfect example the desired finish was not available. How can you call a product custom which means you can get exactly what you want with out means of mass production making your cabinets? If things are not available it is not truly custom. It is localy made to the ability of the provider. That is the driving reason to being less expensive "localy made" not "localy custom"

this board is a good resource, but just as the advice from one store to the next changes so does it on here from one consumer to the next consumer. Be a smart shopper and compare your options from multiple sources and be upfront with your possible providers of products or services needed in your remodel. Ask all the people you interview the same questions and listen for the answers. Patterns will appear as you shop that will tell you a lot.

To add to Dave's comments....

Just b/c a local cabinetmaker is used, whether truly custom or not, does not mean you will get high quality. The only thing "custom" means is that you can get what you want and not be limited by stock sizes, etc. What it does NOT mean is that you will be guaranteed a quality product. You may or may not...it depends on the skill of the cabinetmaker.

However, when you look at cabinet companies, most often you will get a quality product when you go custom since cabinet companies generally improve the construction and quality of their cabinets as you go "up" the line. So, "builder grade" will have the lowest construction & quality of a company's cabinet line(s), then stock (may have a couple of "levels" within this), then semi-custom, and finally custom.

In addition, cabinet companies have quality control programs in place so most problem cabinets do not make it out the warehouse door. (No, not every single thing is caught, but most are...if the cabinet company has a decent QC program...and to succeed they usually have to.)

(This does not mean that stock cabinets, for example, are of poor construction or quality, it just means they're not quite as good as custom or even semi-custom. Stock may still have pretty good cabinets...both in construction & quality.)

Additionally, cabinet companies have warranties in case something goes wrong w/your cabinets. While a local cabinetmaker may also have a warranty, will s/he be around 10 or 15 years from now to honor it? They may have retired by then!

So, don't assume that b/c you're going with a local, "custom" cabinetmaker you will get the highest quality & construction...especially if you're trying to get the lowest price possible. Rather, do your research...look at installed kitchens (not just what they have in their workshop) and talk to their customers. Ideally, find at least one that had problems to see how the cabinetmaker handled the problems... Did they willingly address them? Did they give the homeowner a hard time? How quickly did they fix the problem? Etc.

Yes, you may very well get high-quality cabinets from a local cabinetmaker, but there's no guarantee. As with everything else, do your research, research, research!

And remember, if you're looking for:
Low Price, High Quality, & Fast Service
Pick two...you cannot have all three!

buehl,
I only got one out of three: high quality. It was not low price nor fast service.... I did get "good" service.
It took 12 weeks to construct after I signed off and paying kings ransom!

I completely agree about looking at "installed" kitchens in people's homes. I rejected several companies after looking at how the kitchens were doing after a few weeks/months of usage. This will give you a feel for how they wear.

I got two, for cabinets, at least...High Quality & Fast Service. High Quality: my cabinets are wonderful quality...build & finish. Fast Service: they were ready to ship two weeks earlier than the stated minimum ship time when I ordered! Price: Not really sure right now. They seemed comparable to other similar quality cabinets (Bertch) but they were higher than many of the prices I see on this Forum...but then again, I live in the Washington, DC, area...everything costs more here!

Install...none! Well, I ended up w/a quality install, but only b/c I insisted things be done right...and if they weren't I made them redo. Certainly not fast...they told me 4 to 6 weeks...it took 6 months! (In part b/c I would not "settle" for less than what I had ordered/specified.) They certainly were NOT cheap!

Oh well...at least I now have a kitchen I absolutely love!

We spent about 15k for cabinets, out of a total of about 40k for the remodel. We did not do "like for like", so the remodel total included some other work besides just cabinet install, and we upgraded appliances from what was in the kitchen before.

When you get quotes from multiple cabinet makers, try to be sure that the quotes you are comparing are based on the same assumptions. If you are getting quotes from designers, do not let them throw in their little personal touches on layout, special types of cabinets, etc. It can be tricky to do this, because you do not always know exactly what you want in your cabinets (super susans, rollout shelves vs. drawers, glass doors on uppers, etc.) when you first start working on the cabinet specifications. Still, try to keep the key elements the same in the quotes.