Interesting question.

I think that the answer to your question usually relates more to the items you can see and touch, rather than to you entire budget.

What I mean is, I think most people judge that by what they see. But it's hard to know what you don't see.

I know we spent A LOT of money about 10 years ago doing an addition to enlarge our galley kitchen with 5 doors footprint, increase the electrical service to the house built in the 1930's, move HVAC lines and ducting, and then to put in the kitchen. About 2/3 of our large budget was related to getting the space larger, because of the architect, engineer, permits, and infrastructure expenses.

If you look at the fit and finishes of what is IN the kitchen, it is what most people would describe here as middle of the road. Whirlpool counter depth fridge, 36 inch gas Thermadore range (my big deal item) , black dishwasher, warming drawer, island with prep sink, and pantry closet. Semi-custom cherry cabinets, porcelain tile counters and BB island, and wood floors.

But the budget was so much more than that because of the work that was needed in the space.

The value of the house is relative to the valuation of a kitchen remodel. For instance, if a kitchen remodel costs $40,000 in a house valued at $140,000 - then that is likely to be considered high end. The kitchen remodel may exceed the value of the neighborhood. If the same $40k is in a home valued at $750,000 that is likely lower end.

I think that it all depends on your perspective.
It sounds like you are doing the same that we just did. I didn't want to change our footprint, just do some rearranging of the interior. The custom cabinets, quartz counters and flooring were all high end products. We choose all upper-middle appliances (IMO). We did not go over board with the lighting fixtures and I certainly cut some corners in my pantry/laundry room. We spent in the area of $65-70,000. The kitchen isn't large, about 12X17.

Thanks to this forum, I did not need to pay for a kitchen designer and I pretty much acted as my own GC. I did have a GC that did all the things that the electrician and plumber didn't do. He was a real bargain, I'm really glad he is also my neighbor. After reading this forum and what many have to pay, I'd say he saved us an easy $20,000.

We just had a friend over for dinner last night who had not seen the new kitchen yet. She was speechless and I know that she would classify the kitchen as high end. She loved it and studied every detail of what we had done. Yet, at the same time I know how much more we could have done and spent, if we had wanted to. I live in a area where over the top homes are common and are mostly just summer homes. I'm extremely happy with our modest improvement.

Nancy

It's a difficult thing to quantify since it depends also on property values where you live . For example, in my neighborhood (CA bay area) a $750,000 house is on the low end of the property value scale. Our house is a small ranch, although not a track home, slightly above the low end. We just spent $65K on what I would call a middle of the road kitchen remodel (semi-custom wood cabinets with few bells and whistles, new tile floor, new Wolf range (although a floor model), Kobe range hood, soapstone counters, new Anderson kitchen window, new cheap dishwasher, farm sink, new lighting). We probably spent a little more than a typical remodel in our neighborhood, but we wanted quality which would last since we intend to retire in this house (still 20 years away). It's a little overwhelming to think about what it cost...but I just keep reminding myself it's like 2 new mid-range cars...and it will last much longer than new cars.

Like juliekcmo our reno also included updating wiring (aluminum), insulation (none) and plumbing (leaking). We also pushed out the kitchen/dining room wall 4' (affordable because it went out onto a deck that already had the roof line continuing over it - if we had to add the roof it wouldn't have been done) to add more space and was well worth it. We went with function which also can add to the costs - all drawers, 2 sinks, extra windows, good lighting etc.
But the elements of the kitchen are middle of the road however we tried to add a couple of design elements that would lift it out of the ordinary. An antique copper mosaic backsplash behind the stove and a butcher block overhang on the peninsula.
It was part of a whole house reno but the kitchen part was probably $80,000 in an area of $1,000,000+ homes (we could never afford to buy here now - we've owned for 22 years).
I think the other thing to consider when setting a budget is whether or not this is your forever home (it is) and whether or not a cosmetic upgrade is ok for now (we did one 10 years ago) and if the money will be available to do a major upgrade in the future. (always the great unknown).

45-50k is alot of money......period. Thats not to say its not worth spending on a space, but it is a chunk of change! Have so much fun with your remodel.

The comparison to car prices, above, is interesting. When we first talked with our GC, he threw out as a very very ballpark figure that a bathroom cost a car, and a kitchen costs two cars. My husband immediately asked him, suspiciously, "What kind of car do you drive?" The telling thing, though, is what kind of car the homeowner is likely to choose.

Oops, forgot the dollar value. We are spending a little less than $65,000.

We had hoped to spend only $45 - 50k for a project similar to what you describe, and at the time considered that about middle of the road for our area (Seattle metro). In our case, we designed our kitchen (no KD), had a GC, and it was a demo down to the studs. We took down a large soffit and another small wall; we did change the footprint -- only a couple feet for the water, but we needed to add another electrical circuit on the island for the cooktop. Everything kind of crept up as we went, but 3 things swung us much higher than our original budget:
1 - our appliance selection: largely Miele, including a wall oven and cooktop which is more expensive than an all-in-one range/oven (which had been our original plan). And on top of that an island hood install that alone added more than $3k.
2 - our counter material: Basaltina, which was more than most granites, but it was our forever stone and we just went for it. Ka-ching!
3 - custom cabinetry: that was always our plan, and in and of itself it wasn't a budget buster, but we designed a large island that included a subtle curve, and there went another couple thousand.

We don't regret any of the decisions, but it was amazing how easy it was to go from middle to high end (and not even the highest end, by far!) So it's definitely difficult to quantify these categories when the decisions are many and any one of them can cost so much. But as others have said, the value of the house and the neighborhood and your intended time in the home all factor in. Along with just being so happy to have a new kitchen in the end!

We used a mix of materials that average out to middle of the road. I don't consider costs involved in moving plumbing, rewiring, etc... when considering if a kitchen is middle, low or high. I think those terms apply most to finishes, features and appliances.
Size is a major factor, but less so than the materials used when labeling. You can have a large low end kitchen or a smaller high end kitchen.
I figure the materials for our kitchen cost approx $20k, but that does not count the cost of the extension and installing all the plumbing, electric, floors, walls, etc...
I think ours is middle of the road by definition, despite looking and functioning like a million bucks ;)

Its contextual to the house and to the neighborhood.

Where my sister lives in a newish development with stock cabinets, laminate countertops and vinyl floors, a granite countertop, a counterdepth refrigerator, a convection oven would all be considered higher end.

Where the owner of the practice I work in lives, Subzero/Wolf and Thermador are the norm (He has 5 Subzero units of various configurations in his house)--higher end would be something really pricey like Pyrolav enameled Lavastone countertops at hundreds of dollars a square foot, and a LaCanche range.

In tight urban areas the price per square foot goes up dramatically for kitchen renos because tiny kitchens still need all the basics. In my neighborhood it not quite common but not unusual either, to walk into a relatively modest kitchen that has a Subzero Fridge or a Miele 18" DW simply because there are very high end apartment sized appliances, and low end apartment appliances and not much in between.

So is there a percentage of house value that one uses?

(Summerbabies-how awesome- I knew I should have gone over to Ultimate Electronics - I had just heard some horror stories, but if you were able to walk out with it, then you can't beat that!)

If I spent 10-15% of my home value, I would have spent 20K-60K more than I did. I don't think there is a "generic" percent value you can use. It depends on where you live and what things cost there. I think the best way to judge is ask your friends, neighbors who've remodeled. Talk to kitchen cabinet centers, KDs, contractors. Get estimates (even ballpark). Then you can begin to get an idea of what it will cost.

There is a rule of thumb that I think says no more than 20% but this is hard to adhere to. I bought my first condo for $40K and there was no way I could do a kitchen for $8K...I think I spend close to 50% of the market value on the kitchen remodel, and it was several years before the market changed and I could recoup the money I spent. It would be difficult to stick to under 20% in a house worth $100K.

On the flipside if you live in a $500K house, I don't think its necessary to approach the $100K mark for a kitchen renovation, although you could. It depends on what a $500K house is in your area. A $500K house in my area isn't all that special so there is little need for it to have an expensive kitchen.

Palimpsest is absolutely right.

I think the percentage of the house value only works in a typical generic suburban neighborhood. In a very rural areas where the houses (versus the lot) are undervalued and in an urban areas where they are overvalued, you really have to take only the "house"(and not the lot) into consideration, I think.

It really depends on the property, neighborhood, intent for the kitchen (long term for the owner, rental, vacation rental, quick turn around etc) and the condition of the existing house.

I just looked at a 100 year old "beat up" house with lots of intact charm in an up and coming neighborhood as an investment/rental. (I actually looked at alot of investment properties yesterday and my head is swarming because it is such a different market than my primary residence and I have to really switch gears to think in those terms..) The kitchen has the original metal cabinets in it. If I put in a kitchen there, I would try to do it for less than 10k including the labor since it is a rental. The listing price is $359,000. There is no way this house can carry 10 to 15% of the house value equation since I can't get the money out either as a resale or as a rental.

I am not buying this house (it is overvalued but charming!)but if I bought it, that is all this house can carry, 10k kitchen... If someone buys it with the intent to stay a long long time, that person will probably sink alot of sweat equity and $ that I would not!

Regarding the car price: we use the same analogy for a year of college education... (My 82 year old FIL who is a retired professor actually came up with it.) 1 year of college equals the cost of 1 car. What kind of car depends on what school you sent the kid to!

Is it a question of $$$, aesthetics (of the final product) or taste that differentiate "budget", "middle of the road" or "high-end"? In a place where "do what makes you happy" is an often repeated mantra we don't see many kitchens that take any big risks aesthetically and when we do they are very mediated by the the tastefulness (read expense) of the materials\elements. That need\want balance is hard to strike. As I plan my own kitchen reno I find myself really starting to question what would actually "make me happy" and what are my preconceptions of what is required to make the space seem "tasteful". I am probably to conservative aesthetically to really test the boundaries but I have begun to realize that my aesthetic sensibility (good or bad) is much more closely aligned with budget materials and the casualness they infer.

While I think the dollar figures are dependent upon your location, high end tends to mean the appearance and brand name of appliances, fixtures, counters, etc. However, the adage applies: appearances can be deceiving; infrastructure counts. I've seen pictures of and read about remodels/renovations that still have older single pane windows, no update to insulation, new lights but old wiring. These kitchens look "high end" because they have more expensive things in them, but, to my mind, the job was half-done.

My renovation will not be high end, but it will be cost like it because I have to level and get new floors, new windows, new wiring, new outlets, new plumbing, insulation because there is none, new dry wall, new trim, new paint. And all of these costs are before the items that make a kitchen a kitchen. In the end. someone may look at it and say - oh pretty stove but how could this have cost $30K? Or maybe that means that the renovation will be high end where it counts? For my home, I'd rather have R30 and triple paned fiberglass windows than an expensive stove, and with my limited budget, I have to focus on the house as a system instead of the pretty things - they have to be second and eventually.

These responses are so so interesting for me to read. Before I asked the question I hadn't really thought too deeply about it, other than trying to "quantify" a dollar amount on the different descriptions of type of kitchen. It obviously is so much more.

Honestly, in my crazy town, what we're doing is pretty much "budget" - way too many people here with way too much discretionary income for me to even be in the same league. For us, the amount we are spending is definitely what I would have THOUGHT was enough to get me "high-end" as far as materials are concerned. It's definitely not however - I'd love a 48" range with a beautiful hood, and I'd love to say money is no object when it comes to picking my countertops and everything else! I really didn't realize how much kitchens can cost and how many different choices/decisions there were.

If my kitchen looks like I'm hoping and imagining it will, to me I'll consider it "high end" as far as making me happy. That's all I can ask.

There is definitely some calculus involved when determining what scale a renovation is, that involves both price and taste/finish.

I think a middle-of-the-road renovation generally is around 10-15% of home value. But this frequently is retail cost, factoring in contracting labor, etc.

Had I paid retail all along, my renovation would not be taking so long (coming on 2 years, thanks to interruptions for school), but would also be completely unobtainable for me on a students budget.

Retail price for what I've done so far would be well over $60k. I've spent about $8k, through careful combing of craiglist and auctions, and free labor (dad). What I've gotten for my $5k* is amazing, however:

SubZero 611 (craigslist, owner was upgrading to a Liebherr)
SubZero 700BR (craigslist, never used)
Gaggenau EB270 (craigslist, barely used)
30" Black Kohler Gilford sink (craigslist, display sale)
40sf of countertop slabs (bankruptcy auction)
cork floating floor (craigslist, GC overage from a large job)
18 solid wood kitchen cabinets (friend upgraded her kitchen to Poggenpohl)
steel spiral staircase (craigslist), going to the work/sleep loft we built over to the kitchen.

*What about that remaining 3k, you ask? That went to a retail-priced 30" Bertazzoni Pro all-gas stove. Craigslist failed to deliver on a stove. There are some consolations- I absolutely love the range, and Bertazzoni had/has a free range hood promotion going on. So while I was never going to buy a $1200 range hood, I'm happy to get one for free.

I did cry a little before spending full price on that stove, and a lot of it has to do with the calculus of middle-of-the-road and high-end. I'd talked myself into being reasonable, and just buying a perfectly fine mid-range GE. (Which was still going to be over $1k.) But the fact remained that the GE would stick out like a sore thumb in the kitchen I was constructing. And since craigslist was not coughing up a $500 Viking or Wolf, I finally accepted that I needed to pony up for a good-looking stove, and the Berta hit the sweet spot of no electronics, pretty, and reasonable (for a designer stove) cost.

Being your own contractor is not easy, and craigslist is a minefield-- but even in it's half-assembled state, I'm completely in love with my kitchen now. (Possibly tinged with lingering gratefulness over the little things, like having a working sink to wash dishes in, or a stove that doesn't leak gas.)