Kitchen Remodel Budget Calculator
| Footprint | Refresh | Mid-range | Upscale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 sq ft (galley) | $7-10k | $15-25k | $35k+ |
| 120 sq ft | $12-18k | $25-40k | $60k+ |
| 200 sq ft | $20-30k | $45-65k | $100k+ |
Kitchen remodel budgets price out on two axes: the kitchen's footprint and the finish tier - a refresh that keeps the layout runs 10 to 15 thousand, a mid-range rebuild with stock-to-semi-custom cabinets runs 25 to 40 in a typical kitchen, and the upscale tier with custom everything starts at 60 and climbs with every inch of countertop.
Bottom line: labor eats 20 to 35 percent of any tier, the surprise contingency is 5 percent at minimum, and the classic planning error is spending on the kitchen without checking the ceiling - the rule of thumb caps the whole project near 15 percent of the home's value, past which the next buyer stops paying for it.
The honest part: the layout is the budget. Keeping the sink where the plumbing is and the range where the gas is saves five figures; moving either turns a cosmetic remodel into a structural one with permits, and the cabinets-plus-counters line everyone focuses on is half the story. The other half is the trades behind the walls.
How to use
- Enter your kitchen's rough footprint and pick the tier honestly - the tier describes the cabinets and counters first, because they are half the budget.
- Read the tier range for your size, then add the 5 percent contingency line before comparing against the house value cap.
- Decide the layout question first - keep or move the sink and range - because that single choice moves the whole budget by a tier.
Frequently asked questions
What does a 10x10 kitchen remodel cost?
The classic 10x10 sample: a refresh with paint, hardware, counters over the existing cabinets runs 10 to 15 thousand; a mid-range rebuild with semi-custom cabinets, new appliances and quartz lands 25 to 40; the upscale custom run starts at 60. The 10x10 is an industry fiction - a standardization for pricing, not your kitchen - so treat it as a tier ruler, not a quote.
What percentage of home value should a kitchen remodel cost?
The long-standing rule caps the whole project near 15 percent of the home's value - beyond that, the next buyer stops paying for the difference. The honest version runs the neighborhood: the remodel that fits the street returns at resale, and the 80-thousand-dollar kitchen in the 300-thousand-dollar house is a donation to the future owner.
How much of a kitchen remodel budget is labor?
Twenty to thirty-five percent depending on the trades involved: keeping the plumbing and electrical where they are keeps that share low, and moving either - or load-bearing walls - pushes it up fast. The DIY share that actually works is demo, paint and hardware; the trades to hire are plumbing, electrical and anything gas.
Where does a kitchen remodel budget go first?
Cabinets and counters are half the budget in every tier - which is why refinishing or refacing existing cabinets is the single biggest lever in the whole project. Appliances run 15 to 20 percent, flooring and electrical share the rest, and the 5 percent contingency is not a suggestion: every opened wall in a kitchen finds something.