National average is 68K. Less than half that cost is a bargain. But, are you doing floors, appliances, electrical, backsplash, etc? Demolition and debris disposal have costs too. A highrise is a pain to work in, and costs extra. https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2019/

I have heard good things about ikea, attached is a photo of a client's home; I believe the cabinets (or doors) are from Ikea.

One time Home Depot gave me a $6,000 estimate just to reface my old cabinets and replace the doors, I told them no and I did it myself; saved a lot of money that way...

Farmhouse Kitchen · More Info

I am not too concerned with the national average but what it is in NY for the square footage, if that is how they determine the price? The apartment is 600 sqft total so image how small the kitchen is. It is not average, quite small with only 10 cabinets. The 18k is only demo, cabinet installation, and labor. It does NOT include cabinets, countertops, backsplash, floors or appliances. I do not even think permits are included in that, it does not show but they are about $3k. Again, this is not manhattan but long island which is a different animal. I will look into Ikea too. I wish I was handy but I am not and do not know anyone that could help. I looked into cabinet refacing and they gave me a quote for $16k total including knobs, granite countertop, same appliances, nothing additional.

@happy_chrissy If you're on the NYC side and can make it to Woodmere or East Garden City, there are Lowe's stores in both places. I'd get a second quote from Lowe's. They offer the Schuler brand which is the same as Medallion (made by same the company, just marketed under different names), a lovely line of cabinetry. I would stay away from Kraftmaid due to lots of reviews I've read about quality issues, but Schuler would serve you well. Shenandoah (another name for American Woodmark) is another line carried by Lowe's, but I'm not too familiar with that brand other than to know it's more of a budget line compared to Schuler, and it's not going to be quite the quality you'd get with Schuler. Lowe's might offer you a better package deal on everything than Home Depot, so it might pay to check if you have time.

On installation costs, you can figure about 20% of the cost of the cabinetry, although they may charge more as a base rate given that you have a kitchen on the small side. More complexity such as intricate moldings can increase installation costs to as much as 50% of the cost of the cabinetry.

The quote for quartz countertops sounds right, but be aware that the cost of quartz has risen starting from late 2018 due to newly-imposed tariffs, so much that I was told by the sales department at one slab yard lately that the purchasing trends are actually shifting away from quartz and back to granite as a cost savings measure. Depending on the type of granite, you may some money there if you find granite you like instead.

You didn't mention what else you're doing for your renovation, but it's easy for the cost of a 7'x9' kitchen to come out to $20,000. One-bedroom apartments in NYC and toward the NYC side of Long Island are premium real estate, so you'll probably be able to recapture a decent amount of a reasonable renovation investment if you were to resell. If you were open to using IKEA, that would be a much greater cost savings with better quality per dollar spent than working through a kitchens & bath place in most cases. Another way to save might be to find a local handyman who could do some of the work, if you are doing more than just exchanging the cabinetry, rather than going through a major retailer since the retailer will be sub-contracting out construction work and putting a hefty markup on the labor costs. Congrats on your new apartment!

if you look at reviews of the Home Depot installation service they are full of disasters. They outsource this to companies who are not at the top of their game and I would never trust them to do something as complicated as a kitchen remodel. Once when I moved into a house some brand new carpet had been damaged by rainwater in the walkout basement. The owner had put in carpet from Home Depot to sell the house so I decided to go back there to match it instead of using my local flooring company and not have to replace the entire basement after putting in a sump pump. The installer they outsource to in my area is horrible at communication, will tell you different things than what the store told you, and Home Depot becomes the middle man holding you hostage. And this was for carpet in a portion of a basement.

I will make an appointment with Ikea. I am in Nassau close to the main mall in that area and I will just break even with the kitchen renovation in my complex. I will also make an appointment with Lowes. The only modification I would like to do if it is reasonable is to make a small rectangle pass through to open up the galley kitchen to the living room. Below is a picture of the design that i like with a pass through. Basically I currently have cabinets where the cutout is. If Lowes and Ikea CANNOT do that, then I can just renovate the kitchen without the cutout.

Any box store is a crap shoot, they have good installers and awful installers, as well as sales people, designers, etc. Part of your problem is the size of your kitchen. Smaller jobs carry a lot of the same overhead costs with a shorter duration but minimums apply especially in a city area and co-ops as the logistics get tougher and rightfully so you are paying for full days. IKEA while a good thought generally only works out to be a bargain if you are doing your own assembly/installation, assembly at the least. As soon as you pay someone that savings is kind of out the window. Only way to find out the going rate is to get other prices.

I would like to see the layout of the condo I mostly dislike pass throughs but without see the layout hard to comment on that. As for the cabinets Ikea IMO is way above HD for quality about 75% of my kitchen clients have Ikea cabinets and so do I never regretted that choice.The hood in your pic it that actually venting to the outside? BTW I love galley kitchens

The vent is an air circular, since i have people above me. I know Ikea does not do pass throughs but I am looking to have more space or seem to have more space.

Diamond atLowe’s or Kraftmaid at Depot are head and shoulders above IKEA. They are true mid grade cabinets with thousands of options. Or any cabinet shop also has many good options too. Labor will by far be the biggest number on a project like this. You’ll be exceedingly lucky to do this below 40K without a massive DIY input.

I can install the cabinets in a small galley kitchen in one day, two max. I wish I could make 9-18k a day. I could come to the island and do it for 14k.

Don’t forget that this includes a limited access building, with huge parking and delivery difficulties. Then there is the legal disposal of the construction debris. All through a freight elevator. I’ve dealt with condo projects here, and they are major headaches. The labor was always where the homeowner was surprised. It was a 5:1 ratio, or worse, because of the logistical issues.

What would take 1 day in a single family home would take 3-4 days in a condo. Every crown cut had to be taken down the elevator and into the back parking lot to the saw. Which meant that the trailer had to have a helper stationed at it, or every time you’d ride down, it had to be unlocked, and the saw set up. Then locked back up again. The guy asleep at the monitored entry point isn’t assuming responsibility against theft of 20K worth of tools.

And this was a building with a parking lot, where you were allowed to work from 9-4 only. With no parking area, I have no idea of how the logistics would have to be maneuvered. They would have to be more lenient and allow cutting somewhere within the building. But they’d likely require a dust abatement setup too. And maybe an interior saw shack with sound insulation. Or maybe the contractor would have to go back to hand tools instead of electric.

The "promotion" is a sales trap. Run.

"The "promotion" is a sales trap."

Then there is that for sure...........................

I have done Ikea kitchens in condos it is a 2 hour delivery at most and if the client wants to be involved they can put together all the cabinets and a one day install after everything is ready. and BTW you get a really good warranty too The demolition is the real pain and can be handled in a day . Most condos allow a certain amount of disruption during regular working hours as long as it is arranged before hand . I have never encountered the issues stated above but always worth checking out before any work is done. I have had clients refnish hardwood in condos with permission

Sounds suspect to me. Yes, condo's are more awkward to work in but from what you state for just the removal and cabinet install, $13,000 for about $5,000 worth of cabinets seems way out of line.

That's the "promotion" part of it.................discount the crap out of the cabinets and jack up the install cost.

HI . Reading through the tread I am still not clear on the total renovation involved. Can you elaborate on what is exactly being done? I was a GC specalizing in Boston renos for 15years - very similiar parameters. I could give you a rough breakdown with more details.

@RCKsinks Inc. Sure! I am looking to renovate my galley kitchen with same appliances, new cabinets, countertops and add a pass thru. The mock diagram is above where I am removing 3 cabinets for the pass through. The installation for the cabinets, demo, installing, labor is $18k, cabinets are $4500 and countertops/installation is $4200. It would total about $26k. I am questioning the $18k labor and if it is normal or should I look elsewhere and do no pass thru and redo the kitchen as is.

A passthrough involves relocating plumbing, electrical, hvac, framing, and drywall and trim work. IF it’s possible for any of that to be relocated. In many condos, it just isn’t possible, because all of that feeds your neighbor’s units too.

That pass through is a pretty good chunk of that budget. And might even be more due to hidden conditions that require a change order.

Can you post the estimate given for the labor charge? Several thoughts on this but would like to see what the contractor is saying he has to do. Depending on the extent of work -->outside of a simple cab swap,<-- it may be a case of the depot guy not set up for more than that swap- thus the bigger number than if you went to a regular kitchen renovator GC who does this all day long. Understand what I'm trying to get at?

Let me say that if your in a co-op or condo ...and you need to have your mechanicals fiddled with- new electrics or - god forbid lol- your plumbing ...that is a HUGE cost for what seems like not a heck of a lot of work.

I once had to move a gas line in a simple kitchen remodel ( much like yours) 3 feet. --36 inches--.. It cost me $2800 bucks from MY REGULAR GUY. And he was being nice about it. Turns out he had to shut the entire wing of the co op down due to lack of individual unit shut offs. It took 20 mins to do the actual work LOL.

@User This passthru is quite simple, there are no HVAC, no relocating plumbing.

You are getting good advice. I’d also add the advice to move in first and get to know the board. Find out if other units have done the pass through (can it be done). Knowing your exact scope of work BEFORE you get contractors bids is hugely important. They will pad their pricing (and rightfully so) if they think the design hasn’t been figured out (because they assume they will be handholding you more). Also, get 2 other bids - one from Lowe’s and one from IKEA. Ask the same questions of all and prepare a spreadsheet so you can make an informed decision. The end result may be you need to spend less (or more) to get what you want/need. So no need to rush the process. Good luck with your new home!

@thinkdesignlive Thank you for your advice. I already moved in and met with the board and the super and property manager of the building. I spoke with them all about the pass through and my kitchen plans. They say it is done all the time in the complex, so there will not be any issues.

@RCKsinks Inc. I will also contact kitchen renovation stores to get some quotes. thank you!

Good luck!

"if you look at reviews of the Home Depot installation service they are full of disasters. They outsource this to companies who are not at the top of their game and I would never trust them to do something as complicated as a kitchen remodel."

A buddy of mine just gave up installing cabinets for Lowe's to work on his rental properties full time. This guy had his own shop and is one of the best in the business. You would be lucky to call him out of retirement at nearly any price.

When I redid my kitchen, I went through Home Depot. The cabinets that I selected were reasonably priced (in my opinion) after getting estimates elsewhere. The extras added up big time!! I ended up playing general contractor by getting countertops and backsplash, electrical, plumbing, appliance installation, and other necessary things elsewhere. I ended up saving over $6,000 from Home Depot's quote. Also, make sure you do reviews on the contractors that work with Home Depot. Not all are of top quality when it comes to installations.

Don't get me wrong. I shop Home Depot a lot, but one needs to do additional comparisons to get the most bang for the buck.

"The extras added up big time!!" Yes, it's a subtle "bait and switch" especially if you have to buy the whole job to get the "free kitchen design".

Ask the Super and Property Manager for recommendations of contractors that have worked in the building. They hear things.

Congratulations on your new place! I love a galley kitchen myself.

About cost-cutting: If you aren't changing the base cabinet layout at all, I wonder if you could save some money (and create less waste, with its attendant costs) by reusing/refacing just the base cabinets? New wall cabinets would typically make sense for the advantages of running them up to the ceiling, adjustable shelves, etc.

I have noticed that those people who do the bargain kitchens often bypass the huge expense of quartz/stone counters, sometimes by using a gorgeous butcherblock wood. And then there is laminate.....the bargain kitchen people might just slip that into their plan and never mention it. Laminate can be super economical in a galley kitchen like yours. Will you be OK with that relatively low cost counter material? It's what I would do to save in an apartment kitchen. (I once used laminate for the counter and ran the same laminate covering up the wall behind it -- a nice cohesive finish and way cheaper than paying someone to install a tile backsplash.) As an example, take a look at this: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/ekbacken-countertop-concrete-effect-laminate-70335655/

(Yes, I am an Ikea fan.)

My other thoughts are about the proposed pass-through shown in the photo you posted. I'd be concerned that open space above the cooktop would interfere with proper ventilation of cooking odors and grease by the hood system. Since you are basically turning that area into an "island" perhaps there is another ventilation solution typically used in islands that an experienced kitchen designer could suggest for your space.

Finally, since we tend to 'grow into' our kitchens as time goes by, will you one day wish you had not given up the upper cabinet storage in the pass through area? Could the pass through be designed to keep the open area above the counter for stuff and light to pass through, but still retain some cabinets near the ceiling for storage?