The average for a low-mid end kitchen where you do no work youself is $20K.This is semi-custom cabinets you see at Home Depot/Lowes,least expensive all SS appliances,least expensive slab of granite,subway tile from big box store,flooring in the $2/foot range and basic recessed/pendant lighting.

The average kitchen reno in the US cost $56K.

The average high end kitchen with ultra premium appliances and materials is $116k. The kind of kitchen you see in kitchen magazines.

I just did a major kitchen reno. Gutted the old one down to studs, new electrical, did not move plumbing, and retained vinyl floor. No major structural changes like moving walls or replacing windows. New custom oak cabinets with lots of pullouts/rollouts, granite countertops, new hardware, Silgranit sink, high-end faucet, ceiling cans and undercabinet lights, pendants, marble backsplash, and tiled a wall in the pet area. Total cost $35K for all of above. I also spent another $5500 for new induction range, hood, DW, and freezer.

When you look for cost information, make sure you're comparing apples to apples in terms of the scope of the work done, especially structural changes. Also ask about area of country because costs vary considerably. (I live in rural northern New England.)

Given the choice, I'd find a house with a decent kitchen that you can renovate down the road and live with for the years until you can get to it.
I am a real estate agent and see every different level of house and kitchen. Life is much easier if you find something that you do not need to reinvent. I sure wish I had followed that advice when buying my current home. We were in a rush and figured we could always fix it up and make it our way. It is costing much more than expected and the stress is constant.

Bear in mind that if you buy a fixer-upper and renovate the kitchen you will have the kitchen that you want, so unless you see a newer or renovated house with a kitchen that you absolutely LOVE don't settle for the one that is already done.

My husband and I had a similar dilemma last spring when we were considering either remodelling our kitchen to make it bigger and add a bathroom, or buying another house with the features we wanted. We could not find a house with a kitchen we liked enough to make it worthwhile to move. Now we are remodelling and even though it is not a high end kitchen we chose everything and have a layout that works for us and will love it when it is done.

If you want to work every weekend and 3-5 hours after work and you are handy enough - we're going to be about $9k doing it all ourselves - DH is an engineer so I am a lucky girl (full gut, a few new tools, built new stud walls, permits, new electrical, new plumbing, new venting, Ikea cabinets, Marmoleum flooring, Ikea domsjo sink, Bosch dishwasher, grohe faucet, ikea lighting and one big box ceiling fan - we already owned an updated range/fridge) it's 158sq feet and galley style

I say buy a house that you'll be OK living with for a couple of years that isn't horrible to save some upfront money. Then plan your reno. And plan and plan and plan. Spend several months or more on this site to learn all you can before you make any reno decisions. You'll be surprised how much you'll learn, and your finished kitchen will be much better for it.

Like donaldsg, DH and I debated for a couple of years about spending a big chunk of money on a complete kitchen redo and masterbath addition or taking that money and buying a new house. I finally realized that I could never get the kitchen I want in a house that works for us in as great a neighborhood as we have for our garden, kids activities, private lake, and school district. It's true what they say about location, location, location.

Our new kitchen won't be my dream kitchen as I don't have the space and money that Kateskouros has (check out her fabulous kitchen in progress), but it will be made from the materials I choose with a layout that works for me.

Good luck and welcome!

You can do a really expensive kitchen remodel or you can do a really cheap kitchen remodel. I see here a lot of people have given you an idea of what you can do for more money. I can give you an idea of what you can do for less.

I have remodeled two kitchens. These were in homes that were in the $250K price range. All of my labor is DIY.

In the first home, I spent $5500 for a complete kitchen remodel in a 200 sq ft kitchen. That included ripping down a wall to expand the kitchen, new drywall on much of the kitchen, tile floor, new pantry closet built, new white refrigerator, new white dishwasher, new white microwave, new maple cabinetry, new laminate counters, new tin backsplash, new lighting, paint, and all the necessary details like trim. It wasn't high end, but it was by far the nicest kitchen in my neighborhood of old homes with old kitchens.

In my current home, we are just finishing a first floor remodel that included the kitchen. The kitchen was about $3K. That included black/stainless dishwasher, microwave, and gas stove, extra cabinetry bought in the same style as the original, paint and hardware for the cabinets, custom oak trim, new laminate countertops, new sink and faucet, new light fixtures. In my opinion, the kitchen looks phenomenal for this level of house.

Adding to this, from the perspective of a fearless renovator / perfectionist / outside the box solution adopter...

If you yourself are good with tools, if you have a handyman who is good and who you can rely on to come in when you need another hand, if you keep choosing the simplest options whenever you have a chance to complicate things, if you are willing to see progress move almost imperceptibly forward at various intervals, and if... (insert more ifs), then you can cut the above numbers in half. It is near impossible to do part pro / part DIY. Plumbers and electricians are professionals who can and usually do work well with homeowners. They know their field inside out, they take direction, they say no when they must, and they get things done that can be left alone as good enough.

Other trades / professionals handle stuff that could be called "things you want done". It's essentially more subjective topics. Other trades / professionals need to have an end in sight (an end to "the whole thing") or else they get discouraged and can be sloppy, or worse. It's as if you asked too much of them. Unless you are paying them full pay no questions asked just to have them show up and find out what new thing you want, each day. But then you've turned them into paid listeners and discussants, who won't have much to show for it at the end of 5 or 10 supposedly productive work hours. Reading up in advance is good for the process, but talking about what you just learned is bad for the process. This is how the budget balloons sky high. Even designers to whom you pay full hourly fees can be affected by this "discouragement" ailment. The talk goes in circles and you've spent a few thousand.

Details (mostly in the finishing) can cost more than all the other stuff, which means they can take more than half of the total budget once all is said and done. Details can also means changes. Changing your mind.

It is normal human nature to reevaluate what you want during the process. Sometimes you see ways to build something better within 12 to 24 hours of having it built; I tell the people I hire that I need them to build everything twice, with me, and that it'll be my fault not theirs. This makes them laugh and puts them on my side.

I have found that wall cabinets (uppers) can take more time to tweak just right than base cabinets that are required to be strong enough to hold a ton of weight. YMMV.

hth

You didn't give a description of what your expectation is from a kitchen. A lot of people on here are into elaborate style kitchens for high use.

We did one remodel in a house that cost $142,000 for $40,000. This was the kitchen and adjacent laundry room, gutting everything and using what was, for us, nice materials.

Here is the link for that kitchen:

our $40,000 remodel

We recently remodeled our kitchen and dining room in our $242,500 house from 1962. This remodel cost $75,000.

We could have done each remodel for WAY LESS! The actual work for the first one came to about $12,000-so we spent $28,000 in materials.

For this remodel, we spent about $25,000-$30,000 in labor.

Here is a link that might be useful: most recent remodel

Thank you soo much for all your input everyone. Lots to think about!

I'm not a realtor or anything, just bought a lot of houses in my lifetime. the most important thing you need to be thinking about is location and the second most important thing is layout or floorplan of the house, those are 2 things you CAN'T change.

if the kitchen is in need of repair or remodel, usually the price will reflect that or that will be a good negotiating point for you. I'd be prepared to spend $25,000- $50,000 on a complete redo. You'll save money if you can do some of the labor...

Like everyone's said, it very much depends on how much work you do and who does it. Ours is looking like it will land at around $8K in labor, $10K in cabinets, and $10K in materials--flooring, sink, counters, etc. (so ~$28K total for a 235 sf kitchen with mid-to-high end finishes/appliances). We did minimal structural work---just took out a partition wall and old flue---so only had to open the wall in a couple of places, which saved $$. We are also managing the project instead of hiring a GC, which cut the total cost in half but requires more time/energy from us. We could have saved more on the cabinetry had we gone with IKEA ($6K there), but wanted plywood boxes and some inset cabinetry, which costs more. We are pretty bare bones on the labor already, and couldn't have cut much more there since we have an old house where things needed to be updated per code. We could have cut out another big chunk by not going with a stone counter, too. It's basically a giant game of tradeoffs with your budget.

One thing to remember is that even homes in move-in condition need maintenance, some of which can be costly. We've spent a lot of time and money on projects like fences, new furnaces, etc.---not "renovations" per se, but the costs get up there quickly! So I wouldn't blow everything on a downpayment. Our house had been well-maintained over the years and was generally in good shape, but had some dated features. That was perfect for us as first-timers---nothing *had* to be done so we could take our time saving up and studying options, but we also didn't pay a premium for buying a house with a brand-new anything. As would-be DIYers who did not turn out to be especially good at finishing projects, that was a great balance for us.

(Oh, and our $10K in materials also includes $4K in appliances, which could have been cut down too.)

Hi, I left a cost breakdown at the end of my finished kitchen post for people like you who want an idea of costs. I came in at 18,000 if you take off the extra supplies I ordered for a future project. My kitchen is small and it was a complete DIY excluding countertops and we worked more or less in the same footprint. We did take it down to the studs because we had to put in reinforcements for the stacked cabinets. IâÂÂm not sure of the size of your kitchen but my kitchen could have been done much cheaper by going with Ikea, not stacking cabinets, getting cheaper cabinet finishes, less expensive countertops, and leaving out the angled under cabinet plugs and finding a backsplash for $10 a sf or less. However, it may give you a very basic idea âÂÂifâ you do not include labor. Is often the labor that gets ya.

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Here is a link that might be useful: finished yellow kitchen

I want to stress the wisdom in what northcarolina said so gently--"My advice, from the distance of a little age and experience (and living in an older house), is that you should not use all of your savings for anything. :)" Even after the most thorough inspection, any home can throw expensive surprises at you.

In answer to your question, ours is running about $80K: 250 sq.ft. room in a 1920's house in an upper midwest city--new plumbing and electrical, new wood floor with radiant hot water heat, custom cabinets (stained/shaker/inset), soapstone counters, some reframing of walls, some new window/door trim, mid- and upper-mid-level appliances/lighting/hardware. None of it is DIY. The cost of the renovation was very much factored into the purchase price of the house, because it was desperately needed, and not just for aesthetic reasons.

Get a fairly nice house in a nice neighborhood with a good sized yard, if you like to spend time outdoors. I would look for something you can live with for now, but has some room for improvement. There's a big difference between wanting to upgrade to stainless steel appliances and granite countertops...and having a working fridge and cabinets that open and shut :)

You can change a lot of things in your home, but you can't change your neighborhood, or the size of your lot. I would try to avoid spending all my savings on any house...but remember, move in ready does not mean everything is brand new. It just means (hopefully) that nothing has to be replaced, right away.

I agree with other comments: buy location, floorplan, and an overall style of home you like (victorian, midcentury, colonial, etc.)

We bought a house with a brand new kitchen and hated it. Wasted lots of money completely doing it over. It looked ok, but the layout was horrible and made no sense.

If the layout of the kitchen works, and you are just fixing it cosmetically to meet your taste, it will cost much less than if you do like us and completely rearrange the whole thing.

I have seen a LOT of homes with dated, but highly functional kitchens, and a lot of homes with really badly designed kitchens with stainless and granite. I looked at a ranch today with a friend which had it's original knotty pine kitchen, original (high end) appliances, etc. It was a very well designed and constructed kitchen. If I bought that house, I would just swap out the electric cooktop for a gas one, and call it a day.

By the way, my new kitchen was budgeted at $50000, it is coming in at about $58000. Of this, probably $40000 was just in labor, particularly related to moving around all the electrical, plumbing, and heating.

Hard to say, but look at the whole house not just the kitchen, the whole package actually. Location is primary, school district, do you want a yard, are you going to be there long term, plan to stay in that town or will your jobs or lifestyle maybe take you somewhere else. I also wouldn't use all my savings. Too many home owners got in over their heads doing just that the past few years.
Costs depend on where you live. I have a small kitchen, but all bids are coming in minimum 80K and I'm not talking structural changes. Just doing my master bath, which also isn't large will be about 20K and I'm not moving plumbing or putting in a bunch of showerheads because our shower is small.
It's nice to live in a home for awhile to figure out your style and how you want to live and cook and then renovate. My sister did that in PA. 13 years ago bought a non descript home with a good layout on a beautiful lot in a great area. It was in good shape, but hadn't been updated in a long time. They renoed the kitchen after a few years and her first child and followed with the rest, added on, etc. Now she has the dream kitchen and a beautiful home that could be in a magazine. Hard to believe it's the same home! Good luck.

northcarolina: "My advice, from the distance of a little age and experience (and living in an older house), is that you should not use all of your savings for anything. :)"

Ditto this. Hubby & I were just talking yesterday and both of us wish we had not started remodeling this house until we had lived here at least a year and gotten a better feel for what worked (plan wise) and what didn't. Would have saved us a lot of time and money in the long run.

Lots of good advice above - it's so hard to give much direction without knowing your specific choices. But to answer you original question about costs I can give you an approximate breakdown for my gut job kitchen reno.

We had to move the kitchen so I needed new windows, moved plumbing and hvac and venting and needed new flooring. We did not change any structural walls but we did need to put in new headers for the window opening. It's a 100 yr old house so of course new wiring.

Moved HVAC and venting for kitchen and bath exhaust $900.
Moved plumbing including waterline for fridge, new vent, dishwasher install, undermount sink and faucet install, sink (Swanstone and faucet(kohler) $1700.
New drywall $2300
Icynene insulation $1000
New wiring for kitchen including 8 recessed lights, 4 fixture boxes and xenon uc lights and halogen incab lights, inline fan for kitchen and another for a bath, running a chase to the attic and new outdoor and lighting $4700
New oak flooring installed and refinished and leveled floor $1700
QS oak cabinets, blum hardware, $20,000 for 40 linear feet.
Install cabinets (all toekicks built onsite) $2200
Cambria countertops $6700
Four new windows (kolbe) to match rest of house $3500
Install windows $2000.
Backsplash tile $1000
Reproduced QS oak trim $1000

We did our own tearout and garbage hauling ($100 for dump), some minor framing, plaster repair for walls not demo'd, window removal and exterior trimming, stucco repair to exterior walls, installed interior wood trim (almost done) and soon we will tile the backsplash. We also had to act as our own GC. The kitchen is in two parts - the 9x10 "working" part and the 9x12 eat in, hallway passthru part. The house is in a very nice older, middle class neighborhood in the midwest accessed at $250,000. I know the amount we spent is outside recommendations but the kitchen and appliances were 45 years old, nonstandard in size and the floor plan was so bad the house was most likely unsellable. Hope some of the info gives you better idea about costs

Speaking from experience:
Avoid a house with a truly flawed layout, no matter how easy it looks to fix it.

We bought ours because of the lot, which still remains a fabulous lot. The house, however, will always be a stupid house, even with all the good things we've done to it since 1972. Unless we had bulldozed the entire thing from the beginning, we had no choice but to accept and live with incredible awkwardnesses and now they're embedded within the structure irrevocably. In the new kitchen DIY addition, we wasted lots of time trying to undo some of the worst stupidities, such as basement stair and a door position, which really slowed us down. This cost us time, concentration, and money and the kitchen is still a Plan B kitchen because of other considerations.

I suggest you look at the Not So Big House books by Susanka. They help you keep ideas in perspective, esp. the scope of your dreams.

Do not assume that this economy will "recover" very soon. A jobless recovery means an economy in which hardship is still being borne by a very large group. If you have money, guard it and don't neglect your savings programs. As a young person, you have time on your side. Don't assume you need to "have it all" now. Ignore the commercials and the ads and the peer pressure. Growth is a learning experience and a virtue.