I’d get another estimate so you have a direct comparison.

It depends where you are and what you're putting in. I am in the Chicago suburbs with a 150 sq ft kitchen and putting in mid-priced quartz counters, maple cabinets from a regional maker (partially custom), porcelain tiles, mid-range appliances, custom made hood and shelves, decent lighting fixtures, and using a GC and I am looking at about $52K (barring any surprises).

Painted cabs will drive it up. Are you moving lines and doing electrical and plumbinG and it’s included.....If this is demo /install /and turnkey not bad. Prices are escalating . But you want drawers more than painted fancy door style. That can help. Counters are expensive . Maybe a tweak there but that can’t be the critical piece. If this is soon /the gc has the crew /you like them and it is not over scale for the value of your home and area I might be ok w it.

There’s no information on the scope of work or level of products that you are using. For our lower cost area, it’s an average price for an average middle of the road kitchen, with some structural work being done. And nothing done by a homeowner at all. That includes electrical and lighting updates, and a complete skim and redo of the ceiling to deal with that and the structural changes.

Appliances should be another 8-10K for a kitchen in that range. A high level project with higher grade build products commensurate with the choice of a built in fridge and pro level range would be an appliance budget in the 20-40K range. If you’re looking in a lower priced segment, appliances would be in the 4-5K range, with the project to have no structural changes, and other entry level material choices.

I also have a small approx. 150sqft kitchen. Needed a full gut remodel including partially demolishing the adjoining wall with the dining room (not load bearing and not a full wall removal either, just opening it up with a large doorway/new peninsula).

First quote from a highly reputable local remodeler was 75k not including appliances. Second quote was around 70k not including appliances. This is in Baltimore. In both cases, they were not offering top of line cabinetry but midrange places.

I ended up being my own GM and working with a great contractor. We're about halfway through and when the dust settles I'll likely have spent $30k for everything (initially budgeting $25k). This includes inset cabinets, wood and marble countertops, new wood flooring, Bosch/Fisher & Paykel appliances, all electricity and plumbing works and new gas pipe for the stove, new soffit, drywall, painting, and rebuilding/restoring the back door and the misc hardware and trim.

I did spend about $7,000 on the three appliances and could have gone for cheaper but still nice enough appliances for about $5k. The real unknown factor so far are the cabinets - they are RTA from Cabinet Joint/Conestoga but I have confidence from the reviews. It is saving me big bucks over fully assembled cabinets and I inspected enough brands to get the impression you're spending a lot more for something that isn't necessarily much better (if at all), whereas the cabinets that did genuinely impress me in terms of quality and appearances were outrageously expensive. So it was worth the gamble.

Id recommend getting more quotes. You’ll usually see them group around one price range. You can then ask questions if some quotes are significantly higher or lower to understand what the differences are.

This is all great info - thank you all so much! I'm in LA - Sherman Oaks. Kitchen is small side - under 200 sq ft - and the cabinets would be custom. Probably moving some electrical and plumbing and a gas line. He said most of the cost is labor and his guys are lovely - I just wasn't sure about the 85k with NO appliances or flooring. Thank you so much - I'm trying to get other estimates - it's just a challenging market - everyone here is booked!

Yep Tiffany - labor costs right now in LA are insane. For comparison sake, I did a complete gut in West Hollywood three years ago of a similar size - but with semi-custom cabinets (not custom) and mid-range appliances (meaning KitchenAid, not integrated, etc.), no major structural work or layout changes, some electrical (lights, but no upgrade to panel required), in a condo vs. SFH - all in for $70k. You'll have folks in other cities/markets on these forums have an understandable reaction to those numbers, but with the permitting and building code restrictions in our state/city, the constant demand for qualified labor and trades and the overall high value of land/homes in certain areas, the cost to remodel or build here is just higher than other places (and can still merit a significant ROI if done well). Given the resourcing issues here (labor costs are up 15-20% in LA county for construction at the moment) and supply chain issues (lots of delays for key materials and it seems like so many finishes and appliances are back-ordered), your quote sounds like a steal. Which, when you're dealing with construction, usually isn't a great thing. I'd double and triple check the contract terms and inclusions, search for any and all reviews or references on the contractor and do as much due diligence as possible. Hiring a good contractor in LA is hard enough during the best of times, and right now is especially challenging. Good luck with your project!

Thank you! It's so hard to have an informed perspective when it's not my area. And research online is all over the map. To clarify though the 85k is WITHOUT appliances - flooring -or fixtures. So demo - cabinets/island - wall removal and beam - installation of everything. So it will probably end up about 100K for 121 sq, ft. kitchen.

Does that include moving the plumbing, electrical, etc.? Are you on a slab? How are you removing walls and not doing flooring? Or are you just bidding that out separately?

I'm going to do floors - he just said it wasn't included in the bid. He's my neighbor - but more of a really high-end contractor. Malibu etc. Nothing written down yet - he's pretty causal - he just said 85k. We've sat in the room and looked at it a few times - measured area - and he just goes, yep. 85k. We'll build all the cabinets custom. Electrical and plumbing included. There is a second level under the kitchen but most of it is crawl space. Does that help? Thank you so much for your thoughts!

I'm not a pro, but I've remodeled several kitchens here, and every single time that I've attempted to do something outside of the larger scope of work on my own, I've had issues - either the hassle of just finding the qualified person to do it or managing the transition from one trade to another and the push-back on being able to complete an installation based on a previous trade's work. My advice is to get something all-inclusive from him (especially if he's a higher end GC) - he should have a flooring person he works with routinely - someone who is motivated to deliver good work to get more work in the future. It's not necessarily a deal-breaker, but it can make your life a lot easier. Also, before you react to any bid, make sure you have something detailed on paper vs. a verbal estimate. You'd be surprised how different your impression of what's included can differ from someone else's. Given he's your neighbor. this is especially important to make sure expectations are aligned and to avoid unnecessary conflict. As an example, "custom" cabinets can just be boxes, shelves and doors. You might want drawers, appliance garages and inserts and all of the bells and whistles - to him, that might push the quote by a few thousand. Did he quote countertops? What level/grade - does $85k get you marble, or something else? Fixtures/faucets? Hardware? Light fixtures? All of that stuff can add up if it's not included.

I asked about the slab because it can make moving anything in your kitchen (like putting water or electric in a new island, for example) more labor intensive and expensive (especially if you are in the hills on a reinforced slab, like a lot of properties are).

If you're making structural changes (or taking on a project of this size), please don't be convinced by any contractor to avoid pulling a permit. In fact, that's a red flag if a potential contractor suggests it IMO. Yes, it's an additional expense and a hassle, but it's also good to have another qualified set of eyes sense-checking the work that's been completed.

Do you need all custom built cabs? Is there a plan? Is he sending you to a design team or are you just going on words? It might work fine but then if you aren’t going thru the normal processes w a good kitchen designer ....who in the heck knows how this would go? The piece I’d look for if I liked him would be his explanation of process: project manager/ kitchen designer / to meet w you ....or equivalent.

Great advice!! It's more the "we do this all the time" kind of thing - they're doing custom because he says thats their normal process - build as they go - as opposed to Lowe's etc. and a long lead time for pre-fab.

I’ve renovated a number of homes in NorCal and that is high to me...I literally did a gut remodel of a 2 family home 2 years ago (I’m talking to the studs, removing walls, 10 new structural beams, all new windows (in different sizes and locations), whole house rewire, replumb, new HVAC x2, 2 new kitchens including a higher end one with Taj Majal counters, 5 new baths, all new flooring, new siding, new roof, new paint in and out, 2 new gas fireplaces....you get the idea. Total SF 3800 total cost $300k. So yeah almost $100k for one small kitchen sounds high. (We did do our own interior demo, I was permit holder and dealt with inspectors, and I got a break on electrical as my son is an electrician).

WOWOW! That's beautiful! Pretty much exactly hat I want to do! Love those floors, too! It seems high to me - but then I hear CA so expensive that its fine. I think I need him to write it all out - also - permits weren't discussed.

This was one of my remodeling projects in 2019 in Cary, NC. There was a support column and wall between the kitchen and the great room. You can see that in the first and second photo. In the next two you can see a new beam installed. The last two show the open kitchen. I provided the cabinets and countertops and my contractor did the rest. The budget was $60K, not including appliances, sink, lights, hardware and flooring. If you consider everything, it was probably close to $80K. We had the structural engineer assess the situation, we pulled permits and all sub contractors on the job were licensed. Cabinets were from Fieldstone and Countertop was Et. Staturio Suede finish. Island posts were from Timberwolf. I advised the customer on the pendant lighting and she picked out the backsplash which is hand painted tiles from France. Hope this helps.

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The floors are LVP. I know there are haters out there but I love them- they stand up to our crazy household with grandkids, dogs, a pool, etc. Just today a contractor (on site to redo my pool) admired my ‘wood floors’ and was shocked when I told him they were vinyl.