New kitchen for $90,000 to $100,000???

[mistysue]

Look into doing the appliances yourself. When you are getting one appliance, they will always have a better deal for businesses, but getting a bunch of appliances you may get just as good a deal as they do- plus you won't pay the markup of the contractor/kitchen store.

Also look in your area for any places that actually produce the stone- the kitchen stores are buying marble and granite from somewhere- that place often does the cutting. The store is rarely the manufacturer. Some of the manufacturers will work directly with you, but you take on more risk. (if you measure 5" off, you are stuck with something the wrong size!)
Going through a retailer I wouldn't be surprised at granite being between $100-200/foot.

 

[clutter]

Find a GC. Talk to local people that have done their kitchens to get recommendations. The difference is that, rather than go to one showroom to pick everything out, you will have to go to multiple suppliers to do that.

When I redid my kitchen, I took out a wall (which led to asbestos abatement!), but I still ended up at about half of yours. Also did a U to an L with an island. However, $20k in appliances is oranges to my apples.

My Kraftmaid cabinets (3 years ago) were about $12k. So I'm guessing that, given your Thomassville estimate, you will have an equivalent amount of cabinets. I paid for everything separately. Cabinets. Hardwood. Tile for backsplash. Faucets. Sliding Glass Door. I paid the GC one flat fee, he tore down and installed.

However, given that you are doing the $20k appliances (I paid under $4k for mostly GE Profile), I'm gessing that your estimate has the $500 faucet, not the $120 that I used.

 

[mom2rose&john]

I need help from my budget minded disboard friends!! We are looking to gut our kitchen that is 22 years old. The cabinets were poor to begin with so refacing etc. will not work. The space is large so we are not adding any square footage, moving walls etc. Looking at granite, medium grade cabinets, upper end appliances. My first quote came in at about $70,000 to $80,000 not including appliances. Does that seem about right? I am going from a U shape to an L shape with a large island. I have a hardwood floor so that needs to be sanded down again. It seems exorbinant!

Are you changing the layout and adding or moving plumbing, gas or electrical. That can get expensive. The average Kitchen remodel is 10-15 percent of the value of the house. How much counter and the grade of granite can also increase the cost. Gardenweb kitchens has a wealth of knowledge that can help you.

 

[Tamar]

That doesn't sound high to me at all. You probably spend a lot of time in the kitchen, you said it's big....you want high end. If you can afford it, it is worth getting what you want, and not living with something that you settled for.

Having custom made cabinets will maximize your workspace and efficiency, and you'll love it. A general contractor will add about 20% to the cost for the project management,but it is worth it for a complete remodel.

 

[momtofour]

I am changing the locations of the ovens and the cooktop so electric and gas need to be moved. This quote is supposedly everything from the dumpster to painting the finished room. I am going to continue to investigate. Other kitchens in my neighborhood were really pricey. Neighbors are not too budget minded. Some are on their third kitchen in 22 years!!

 

[ilovemk76]

OP here. We live in the suburbs of Chicago. If I used a general contractor would I first hire a kitchen designer or architect to come up with the plan? Or do they do that? I am naive about this process. Then does the general contractor give me allowances for everything?

Our kitchen cabinet maker would not allow anybody but their own people do the install. Over 20 years ago they were doing kitchens where the cabinets alone were 100k. They were huge!! So it is possible that it will cost that much.


Do not confuse true custom cabinets with box store "custome cabinets".

Our custom cabinets are warrantied for life. They look the same as they did when they were installed over 20 years ago.

 

[ToodlesRN]

I'd get a few bids from remodeling contractors and compare those bids to the other bids you received. It seems high unless they put very high end items on the bid? My husband is a contractor and we remodeled our kitchen for $20k with handmade cabinets, granite, tile and stainless steel appliances. If my husband got paid to do it would be about $30-35k.

Like you mentioned your kitchen area is big, so maybe $50-70k would seem more practical?

 

[Pigeon]

Are you changing the layout and adding or moving plumbing, gas or electrical. That can get expensive. The average Kitchen remodel is 10-15 percent of the value of the house. How much counter and the grade of granite can also increase the cost. Gardenweb kitchens has a wealth of knowledge that can help you.

Gardenweb is great.

There are also a lot of little features that add up, like adding glazes to the cabinets.

I agree with the advice of coming up with a budget, sitting down with a couple of different places to see what they can do with that amount of money to get an idea of where you might save.

Kitchen renovations can be done nicely and fairly frugally or the sky can be the limit. I remember one lady on gardenweb who was doing a bathroom at the same time and was bragging about spending $30K for a faucet in her kid's bathroom.

 

[hsmamato2]

I guess I owe DH a couple of kisses when he gets home....he finished remodeling our kitchen/diningroom into one larger room a couple of years back, did all the work himself,and we got Ikea cabinets and appliances,plus premium flooring and Corian type counters....total cost for EVERYTHING was 7-8k. including a dining table and chairs.(yep,Ikea, solid as a rock for our family) I can't imagine that high an estimate for a kitchen....but again my entire house isn't much more than that... my oh my,he's getting some appreciation tonight!
BTW,he did a great job,and my kitchen looks,and performs,like a million bucks!

 

[hsmamato2]

I'm gessing that your estimate has the $500 faucet, not the $120 that I used.

this is most likely the case,oranges to apples,it all depends on type of house,etc. I'd say.....

 

[pocomom]

Seems high but it depends on how much is custom and how large your large kitchen is... I would check though and see if in this economy and in your area if it is smart investment. We really want to redo ours, but we are on the high end in a neighborhood that has taken a real hit- Since we don't know how long we'll stay here right now, and at the very least we know we'll downsize at some point as the kids start leaving, we've decided to live with our ugly kitchen for now. Mostly anyway, we bought new appliances, and I repaint every couple of years just to be a little happier with it

 

[ccgirl]

I need help from my budget minded disboard friends!! We are looking to gut our kitchen that is 22 years old. The cabinets were poor to begin with so refacing etc. will not work. The space is large so we are not adding any square footage, moving walls etc. Looking at granite, medium grade cabinets, upper end appliances. My first quote came in at about $70,000 to $80,000 not including appliances. Does that seem about right? I am going from a U shape to an L shape with a large island. I have a hardwood floor so that needs to be sanded down again. It seems exorbinant!

Our kitchen remodel was $40,000 8 years ago. It wasn't a huge place but we did silestone counters and we did medium grade cabinets as well. If you are moving plumbing at all that adds to the cost as does adding/moving any heading or duct work. Appliances are also a big difference. We went with lower grade appliances. We did not move any walls either. How large of a granite counter are you looking at?

 

[mrssmith06]

I would for sure get several bids/estimates. There is no way I'd spend over 80 grand on a kitchen! That price to me would mean high end everything, going ALL out, getting the best of it all.

This site might help: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/4228...ist/KITCHEN-COSTS--Budgeting-For-Your-Remodel

• Minor Remodels
o Average costs: $17,000 to $25,000*
o Scope of Work: Some kitchens can be laid out well and/or existing plumbing and electrical can already meet current building standards but the finishes are simply outdated and need to be updated. The layout of the space virtually remains identical to the original one.

• Major Remodels
o Average mid-range project costs: $50,900 to $59,700*
o Average high-end project costs: $103,500 to $115,500*
o Scope of Work: Some kitchens, due to poorly planned layouts and/or need major updates and/or repairs, will result in an overhaul with possible structural changes, new layout or expansion in size.

 

[Aliceacc]

I'm on Long Island, where things tend to be expensive. We're currently in the midst of getting estimates for our 60 year old kitchen. I'll tell you what we got.

We want to gut the 10 x 11 dining room, and the 10 x 10 kitchen, knocking down the wall between them.. We want quartz countertops (roughly the same price as granite.) And we're hoping to knock out the back wall to put in a 10 x 8 mudroom. We already got our appliances-- a 4 piece LG set on sale for about $4000.

First estimate for the whole job: $60,000

Second: $90,000

Third: he suggested instead that we bump out the front of the house for an 8x4 addition. HIs price was about $60,000. He also said the cheapest thing to do would be going to Home Depot for the cabinets and the floor plan. He said that for $150, they'll come up with a number of different plans, even come measure the space. And that the quality of their cabinets (Kitchenmade, I think) was great. (To clarify: his price was $40,000, plus ballpark $20,000 for cabinets and countertops.)

We'll probably end up going with the 3rd guy; he's gotten amazing reviews from several people. We're talking to him again next week for an estimate on the back room, then we'll decide exactly what the project will be.

It sounds to me as though your estimate for just a kitchen is high.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I always get three estimates, but don't necessarily go with the lowest bid.

I'm just curious (because we are planning on updating the kitchen), what brand and type of appliances are you considering?

The bathrooms are also on my list, but gee...they're are quite pricey too.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Aliceacc: I actually used the Home Depot Expo (which they ultimately closed, what a shame, loved the place) to do what you said, they came in for a nominal fee, and then I met with them to get a design and layout.
op:
I actually flipped my kitchen from an outside wall to an inside wall and instead put a HUGE bay window on my outside wall to view the yard..
Anyhoo, I then found a GC, who reviewed everything...I went with quartz, Silestone and love it...it is basically about the same price as granite now, but back a few years, it was actually a nice bit less.
I too had to change out plumbing and electric, but things were subbe out to specialists thru the GC (who was fully licensed and insured).
We also had a 1/2 bath gutted at the same time, and then had tile installed thru the kitchen, down a main hall, and thru the bathroom as well.
All that being said, the cost was about 40K-45....
the most important think I learned is that Spackeling is an ART...and after we saw what the guy did, we fired him and got someone else.....the dh is a person that is very picky with how paint looks, so the spackel guy was a big deal, lol
so, OP: get several estimates and compare apples to apples, because you get what you pay for, and since you work so hard for your money, you want to get the best you can within your budget.
Best of Luck, your estimate appears a bit high, but maybe they are top end people???

 

[momtofour]

Thanks for the opinions! I measured and would have approximately 30 feet of granite between my new island and the L. Moving the gas cooktop from an island to the L. New electrical for the ovens on a different wall other than the L. (no granite there) Existing flooring resanded. Looking for medium quality. If the $120 faucet can do the job.. great! I'll keep investigating.

 

[momtofour]

Concerning appliances I was looking at Wolf and Subzero. Astronomical in price with mixed reviews. Now I am considering Thermodor or to save even more KitchenAid. 2 ovens, a microwave, 6 burner cooktop, 36 inch side by side frig, and dishwasher. Should be between $10,000 to $20,000.

 

[starry_solo]

Thanks for the opinions! I measured and would have approximately 30 feet of granite between my new island and the L. Moving the gas cooktop from an island to the L. New electrical for the ovens on a different wall other than the L. (no granite there) Existing flooring resanded. Looking for medium quality. If the $120 faucet can do the job.. great! I'll keep investigating.

I would say a lot of this estimate is due to you moving things around (gas cooktop being moved, new electrical, etc.). Yup, that's going to cost a lot to do.

 

[momtofour]

I asked this kitchen designer about just keeping the existing floor plan so appliances would not be moved. I wanted to find out if I could save some real money. She didn't come up with a number but said it is not much to move it. When I asked her if I would save $10,000 she said no. If I am going through this I might as well get the floorplan I want.