How Much does it Cost to Renovate a Kitchen

How Much Does it Cost to Renovate a Kitchen?

Last Updated: 2021-08-12By

Average kitchen renovation costs $24 850 with all materials and labor included.  Other resources may say otherwise, but with our technique and design format you will save at least 35% on all work and materials. Appliances have to be purchased separately and can have wide range of costs.

In this post we explain how kitchen design and entire renovation can be simplified with tons of money saved for home owners. Our team broke down all steps and costs which all readers can use for their own projects. Read below how our method can be used to transform kitchen area without much effort.

Here is a table of how much does it cost to renovate a kitchen and update living space:

Budget/SmallAverageHigh End/Large
Design$1 100$1 450$2 180
Demolition$450$900$2 200
Plumbing$700$1 200$1 850
Ventilation$250$300$500
Electrical$800$1 300$2 700
Flooring$2 400$4 150$7 800
Walls & Ceiling$400$650$1 200
Cabinets$7 000$12 000$19 500
Countertop$750$2 400$6 200
Backsplash$300$500$2 000
Total Cost$14 150$24 850$46 130
Not every kitchen renovation has all steps listed. Some of them can be skipped.

As we already mentioned, appliances for new kitchen are not included in this calculations. Read below explanation on kitchen appliances and tricks on how to spend less money on them.

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Design and Layout that Saves Tons of Money

At first you may think we sell regular design drawings for kitchen, but it is far more intense than that. Remodel on point packages for kitchen renovations include set of drawings, complete outsource of materials and step by step process that will save you at least $6000 on average kitchen project.

Visit our page for several kitchen design packages that can help you renovate it for less.

Remodeling of kitchen simplified

Awesome contemporary kitchen with tiles on the floor and retro lights.

How are we able to save so much money and beat all the quotes from local contractors? Actually it is not complicated. There are four factors that our team was able to break down and let home owners keep the profits of material suppliers and kitchen renovation companies.

For those home owners that want to simply refinish kitchen without replacing it, we recommend skipping this article and reading posts about resurfacing cabinets.

Kitchen Cabinets Have Different Surface Material and Associated Costs

To average home owner the cabinets may all look the same or at least similar. Our idea is to explain how different materials can be used for manufacturing cabinets and costs change with your selection of style and type of wood used.

Another and more recognized factor is the actual size of kitchen. Prefabricated kitchen cabinet’s cost calculated by linear feet of manufacturing and installation. Custom kitchens have more complicated system. Each house has different height, depth, length for cabinets. All of these are reflected in our cost table for kitchen cabinets.

8 Feet Height9 Feet Height10+ Feet Height
MDF$250$280$310
Solid Wood$400$450$500
Veneer$340$380$425
Steel$800$900$1000
Laminated$310$350$390
These are starting costs and can be increased with complexity of cabinets and inside boxes

Do You Need General Contractor to Renovate Kitchen?

First let’s look at what is the main role of general contractor or kitchen renovation company? They organize entire work process by hiring trades, outsourcing materials and ensuring quality of work.

Technically if you have no time what so ever and do not want to get involved in any of these, we recommend hiring the best and most reputable company to do the work. A good example of that is when you have very high paying job or business and don’t want to waste time for saving $5000-$10000 renovating and installing new kitchen.

To save time and stay away from work process please hire general contractor, otherwise use our technique to renovate your kitchen space.

Kitchen renovation requires knowing the details of work and hiring trades to do that. Remodel on Point creates entire package of clear details that plumbers, electricians and other installers need. You would not even need to explain them anything. See the page for our kitchen custom designs.

Install new kitchen for Less

Just finished assembling cabinets, ready for countertop measurements.

Our system of design and complete breakdown of work helps eliminate knowledge, experience and even need of general contractor that charges at least 30% of all costs. Compare how much does it cost to renovate a kitchen with general contractor and without.

Cost of Appliances for New Kitchen Project

We cannot simply say how much appliances cost. There are houses that have all appliances for over $100 000, and others that budget for under $10 000. But what we can do is list most popular appliances in kitchen with range of costs. In our table below we do not include the cheapest ever as well as most expensive in the world appliances.

Our recommendation is to spend 2%-3% of entire house cost on kitchen appliances for homes under one million dollars and 1%-2% for homes over that one million mark.

BudgetAverageLuxury
Fridge$1 300$3 200$6 500
Stove$900$2 100$7 200
Wall Owen$1 000$3 700$11 500
Cooktop$850$2 150$8 100
Hood Vent$500$900$2 200
Dishwasher$450$860$2 150
Microwave$280$420$1 300
Keep in mind that not all listed appliances will be used in kitchen upgrade

How Much Does it Cost to Renovate a Kitchen and All Working Steps

Even small kitchen require several crews of workers to be involved in renovation process. Here is a list of work steps in average kitchen remodeling. It helps home owners and investors understand better how much does it cost to renovate a kitchen and how long it will take.

Demolition – Can be completed in a day or two. Hiring professional company costs slightly more, but they insure safety of other areas and protection during the work. We also recommend donating kitchen cabinets to organizations or sell online. You can even get them to remove entire kitchen for free.

Plumbing – Includes rough ins and installation lines for sink, pot filler and water lines to fridge. Keeping drain and water exactly where they previously were saves cost of rough ins. Do not attempt to do plumbing without appropriate license required by bylaw. Drain and water lines need to be tested at completion.

Ventilation – Used mostly for exhaust fan that is located above stove. Aside from purchasing appliance, it has to be connected and vented to the outside of the house. The work can be completed in few hours and does not cost more than $200-$300 per vent line.

Electrical – Once again you will have advantage without moving positions of appliances and outlets. In complete kitchen renovation we often see restructuring of everything with additional lights on ceiling and under kitchen cabinets. This work has to be done by licensed workers and inspected.

Walls and ceiling – With all demolition and repositioning of rough ins for lights, wires and plumbing pipes, there will be damage to walls and ceilings. Afterwards contractors have drywall or plaster crew to finish off walls and ceiling. All wholes are filled with walls being painted at the same time.

Flooring – This step is required when with kitchen cabinets, floors are getting replaced as well. During demolition stage old floors are ripped out and new installed shortly after. Today its popular to have engineered hardwood throughout the main floor going into kitchen without separation.

Cabinets – Installation of cabinets is probably the most interesting part of the job. Everything is delivered to jobsite and installed in place. Necessary cuts and adjustments are made before screwing it together and securing on the wall. Experienced crew does it in 1-2 days. Cabinets mainly tell the idea how much does it cost to renovate a kitchen till the end.

Countertop – For custom kitchen allow 1 week to put in the countertop. You can select exact stone or other material for counters way ahead, but measuring for cut is done after kitchen cabinets are installed. Same stone can be installed as waterfall feature on island or edge of kitchen.

Backsplash – One of the last touch ups to complete overall look of the kitchen is backsplash. Tiles are used as backsplash material for over 90% on all kitchen renovation jobs. High end builders and home owners prefer to use same stone as countertop to complete the look. It costs way more than regular tiles.

Appliances – Supplier can install new appliances for better price than most contractors. They also provide warranty for their work. New kitchen may include stove, cook top, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, oven, vent hood, microwave and several more that we will skip for now.

Implement Schedules for All Work and Delivery of Materials before Job Starts

Every renovation project requires proper schedule for all steps of works. This helps ordering material on time and telling each trades when they need to start work. Good scheduling saves time of work and general contractors charge tons of money for ability to do just that.

Hiring responsible trades will make sure that schedules are met and their part of work completed exactly as you need it to be. Our recommendation is to agree with installers not only on price, but on time completion too. For example when talking to plumbers tell them your budget for rough ins and final installations are $1000, with 50% due on completion of rough ins. They are to come in on specific date and finish it in 2 days.

We have all the tips and schedule templates for exact custom kitchen renovation. Following step by step process saves time and money. Want to know how much will it cost to update your kitchen?

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Each building has some sort of driveway or at least should have. The main reason is for vehicles to come closer without need to walk all the way. Some homes are residential with small driveway for their car to come in and park before garage or front entrance, and others can be large commercial buildings with loading docks, delivery entrances and casual parking entrances. On Point Remodeling was asked for suggestions on residential driveway for new home construction, and we decided to write detailed article for all our readers. Using this guide you can select the material for your driveway and see what works for your budget. Here are the materials for driveway we will be discussing in our guide:
  • Asphalt
  • Concrete
  • Paver Stone
  • Crushed stone
  • Brick
  • Seashell
  • Gravel
To find good contractor for your driveway, you can either ask our team by email or try to find someone local that worked with neighbors or nearby buildings.

Installation process of any material surface on your driveway

a) Demolition and Excavation – Before anything is done, your contractor will get heavy machinery and scratch off old layer of driveway. They need to go down at least 5-6 inches to insure proper layering before your final layer of material is installed. b) Material Purchase and Delivery – At this point your contract is signed and you already know how the surface will look. Contracting company purchases necessary materials and delivers them to site. Double check if material is correct and not damaged. c) Preparation of Sublevel – Whatever you place as final material, it cannot just be installed directly on top soil. Gravel is the first choice of material that goes down at this stage. Other preferred material is screen sand that can go on top of gravel and works better with stone and bricks. d) Compaction of Ground – To prevent your driveway from moving and changing shapes, all the layers from bottom up have to be properly compacted. Do not leave any spot untouched while doing this or you can get small holes and cracks in driveway after installation. E) Final Installation – This is when all the magic happens. After all preparations and dirty work the final installation is made literally within hours and you can enjoy new driveway. Stone and brick is set up by hand, while other materials require some sort of machinery with manual labor to even out surface.

1. Asphalt

Probably the most used material for road top surfaces as well as driveways is asphalt. This is a mix of gravel and sand that is mixed in and combined by asphalt cement with crude oil. Pros of Asphalt Driveway
  • Very popular and easy to find materials/contractor
  • Completed in 1 day and you can drive on it after
  • Patches and small holes can be fixed fast
Cons of Asphalt Driveway
  • Easy to damage and cracks appear in few years
  • Almost everyone else has same surface
  • Oily surface and chemicals used in mix
Prepared for asphalt driveway will cost you around $5 per square foot to finish. The contractors that take care of entire process from taking out old driveway surface, install subsurface and compact the ground with new asphalt on top, will charge on average $5500 per regular size driveway at single home property.

2. Concrete

What we call concrete is a mixture of Portland cement, aggregate as well as sand with gravel. Suggested thickness of concrete for driveway is 6 inches. The mixture needs to cure without being touched or driven on top for several days. Pros of Concrete Driveway
  • Durable material for large weights
  • Long lifespan if installed properly
  • Winter and summer friendly
Cons of Concrete Driveway
  • Has marks and stains over time
  • Hard to repair without replacement
  • Super hard to DIY
To hire contractors for concrete driveway it will cost around $7-$9 per square foot. This will include site preparation with gravel spread and new concrete installation. They will order full truck of concrete (or several for larger driveways) to pour inside forming. Smoothening and curing is required after installation.

3. Paver Stone

The most luxurious material that you can use to create driveway path with is paver stone. It is made out of natural stone with uneven rough shapes that have different line patterns. Paver stones are very heavy and are perfect for weights on top of them. Almost every city in Europe has roads and walks made out of stone that were installed centuries ago. Pros of Paver Stone Driveway
  • Creative designs can be done
  • Personal looks, can match the house
  • Can replace single stone in minutes
Cons of Paver Stone Driveway
  • Weeds growing through
  • Stone can move over time
  • Most expensive material
There is wide selection of stone that can be purchased for your driveway. On average we recommend settling with $17-$20 per square foot for stone with installation included. Working with this material is very intense labor and we recommend hiring professionals that do this type of work every day.

4. Crushed Stone

Our readers sometimes mistake crushed stone with gravel, but this is not the same material. Crushed stone material is achieved when machine is mechanically crushing larger pieces of unused stone for this specific purpose. It is larger than gravel and can have smooth finish. Crushed stone can also have a mix of colors, which is much pleasant to eyes than gravel. Pros of Crushed Stone Driveway
  • Low maintenance required
  • Fits rural area style
  • Can be reused for other purposes
Cons of Crushed Stone Driveway
  • Gets very hot during summer
  • Can be messy after many drives
  • Hard to remove snow and ice
Buying crushed stone and installing it on your driveway is as easy as it gets. Similar to other rough materials discussed in this post, only small tools like shovels, dolly and buckets are required to spread it on the road. The cost of crushed stone driveway is between $4 and $6 per square foot from professional local contractors that can finish the job in several days.

5. Brick

The same brick we see being used in wall construction can be installed as top driveway surface. Brick is manufactured by compressing clay with plastic mass. It is heated to extreme temperature and dried up to become as solid as you know it. Pros of Brick Driveway
  • Variety of selections in shapes and shades
  • Bricks are recyclable
  • Slip resistant with rough top part
Cons of Brick Driveway
  • Needs regular maintenance
  • Change color over time
  • Old fashion looking
Installing brick on driveway costs $10 per square foot, which is not too far from masonry brick laying as part of the wall. To save money you can use or purchase old brick, that was part of a wall before. Do not mix these two jobs and contact landscaping professionals instead of masonry contractors that work with bricks.

6. Seashell

This material is popular on the coast line where shells can be found near the water. Construction companies use seashells to add in other materials as well as spread them on driveway in rough condition, without adding anything else. It usually comes in white or pearl color and darkens within year because of mixing with sand and dirt. Pros of Seashell Driveway
  • Environmentally friendly
  • Has natural drainage
  • Creates worm vibe of beach house
Cons of Seashell Driveway
  • Break and crack under light weight
  • Sharp and very hard to walk on
  • Gets stuck in shoes and tires
To deliver and spread seashells on driveways costs below $4, which is only slightly more expensive than rough gravel. As you go further from coast line, cost of material increases due to delivery. This material is elegant and very soft. We recommend adding edge lines with darker color landscape material to create visual path.

7. Gravel

This material is used in other construction mixes and underlayment systems. It’s literally fragments and small crushed stones that are put on top of soil. It is easily spread out by hands and anyone can do it. Pros of Gravel Driveway
  • Cheapest of them all
  • Easy DIY Job
  • Can install another material on top
Cons of Gravel Driveway
  • Needs to be graded very often
  • Will mix with dirt and leaves
  • Washes up with heavy rains
It is rough material and can be purchased in bulk (by metric tons or cubic meters). The cost of driveway with gravel should not exceed $3 per square foot, but you can save tons of money by purchasing materials and doings installation by yourself. You do not require specific tools or heavy equipment for the job and delivery of gravel can be arranged directly to your project.

Conclusion

To properly finish any and all of these driveways requires skills and experience. There is no way you can complete any of these projects without heavy equipment and tools that regular home owner’s just store in their garages. Most of those who will read this post will prefer to install asphalt driveway, because of its popularity and low costs. We want to encourage home owners to go for personal preference and what matches your house, rather than getting the most affordable and popular items. Driveway jobs have to be completed fast; otherwise you will need to park elsewhere while the project is running. To not overpay, ask us for quotation sample on material you prefer in specific region where the work need to be done and our team can provide some numbers.

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