A lower grade project using import RTA and vinyl floors would rarely have expensive and difficult details like waterfall counters. Match like level to like level, and you can do a budget project for $200 a square foot. Match high level to high level and you can be at $1000 a foot.

I think you're going backwards. Figure your budget and see how much of your dreams can be accomplished with it. If any contractor you contact doesn't ask for your budget immediately, he's an idiot. And if you don't know your budget when he asks, he'll think you're a time-wasting tire-kicker.

i got a quote to do my kitchen (everything i mentioned above) plus renovating my 140 sqft office (taking down a wall installing barn doors, new flooring and paint) total is 38,500. is that a fair pricing? again im in SoCal. thanks

Just to clarify, the one quote is less than $40k for labor only?

38500 includes labor and materials like countertops cabinets flooring barn doors for my office hood and sink

Way way too low. Beware!

@kupeps that seems really low. I removed/moved a pantry, refinished the floors underneath the subfloor, added a 6' beam did custom cabinets, new lighting, sink, quartz, et al and I was closer to 60K in upstate NY.

Seems way low to me too. I did my kitchen a year and a half ago in Northern California, higher end than you on cabinets but no structural changes, and only 234 square feet (more like 200 if you don't count the hallway and closet that only got new flooring with no other work). Mine was close to $100k all in.

This seems very low especially for CA. But what are the breakdown prices on the RTA cabinets, flooring and countertop material?

Way too low. Doing a kitchen remodel in the Seattle area, and our lowest bid was $48k for labor only. Cabinets, countertops, hood, sink, tile, flooring material, light fixtures--all of that is extra.

That quote is unbelievably low for what you are planning to do.

A word of warning: we had an experience working with (for a very short time, until we fired him) a guy whose quote was quite low compared to others. It was a complete disaster, and he was a scammer. Check out this guy's background (in addition to standard checks also do a criminal background check) very, very thoroughly.

I don't think there is enough information to determine whether the bid is too low.

The issue is that really none of the specifications are adequate or meaningful.

For example, exactly what kind of cabinets will be installed. You can get very basic cabinets with no drawers and the cheapest style of doors - like the bait and switch kitchen stores that price cabinets by the linear foot. However once you actually configure cabinets so that they are functional the price will double or even triple

A kitchen sink can be $100 or it can be $4000.

I remodeled relatively recently in Los Angeles and I have some finish type of stuff that I am trying to get done and my GC and the tradespeople are so busy that it is impossible to schedule them and I suspect that any decent GC or tradesperson is not giving "low ball" bids because they can be booked solid by people who are willing to pay top amounts for quality.

My advice to you would be to do some actual real life research. Go to several kitchen/cabinet stores and look at cabinets in person. If you bring your approximate measurements most of them will provide an estimate of what the cost would be - while it wouldn't be 100% accurate it would give you a starting point. Many of them can also give you leads on reliable GC's or installers.

California (or at least SoCal) has a unique system in that consumers buy the stone directly from the stoneyards. Either visit the yards (in Los Angeles they are clustered along Sherman Way more or less) or drop into one of the retail sources. For example, Emser in West Hollywood has their manmade solid surfaces located - you can take a look at what is available and get some idea of pricing for your actual layout.

Go to a flooring store and look at flooring options - again you will get a realistic idea of exactly what you like and how much that costs.

Go to Snyder-Diamond or Fergusons to look at fixtures - sinks, faucets etc. Again the range of quality and prices is not reflected in your stating that a "farmhouse sink" will be installed. I mention these stores because they are large and give a good sense of what is available including realistic pricing.

Visit tile stores in person to look at what is available for a backsplash

You don't go to a GC and say build me a kitchen and assume- you get an actual designer to design the kitchen and draw up a very specfic blueprint with all of the finishes and designs and that is what the GC "bids" on. When I remodeled this design was actually the one that was done by my designer and submitted to the City for permits.

I had a great team - designer and GC and the artisans and tradespeople they hired - but it was a collaboration and the end result for any remodel is also going to depend on how much work you put into it which includes spending time in stores prior to even getting bids and then working with a designer so that you are providing the GC with the specifications so that the bids reflect apples to apples and so that it is the kitchen design you actually want

That quote seems low to me, unless it is a local handyman type. I live in LA proper and most of the decent and above licensed contractors are really busy. My reno, which was done years ago, cost more than that. However, I did have some things moved that required plumbing, and included more appliances that required more electrical work. We went down to the studs.

"I don't think there is enough information to determine whether the bid is too low."

Seems stupid low to me as well, you sneeze in Ca and the clean up will cost you more than that.....................

I'd uhh...get an item breakdown on that quote and see if it's missing anything. See if they're planning to pull permits. That will flush a few out.

Dang thank you all for your advice & inputs ill reevaluate

We're spending that budget on custom cabinets for a similar size.

Doing a build in Los Angeles area and curious what thoughts are around an average range to expect for custom cabinetry/mill work? Exclusive of any materials, labor, etc. just the custom cabinets - would be interesting to know just what we should expect to pay for this. Thanks

@christinekim, you should start your own thread, not tag onto this older one.

@Christine Kim - it all depends - how much cabinetry, with what features (all drawers, or with shelves/doors, etc.) and in what finishes/materials (species of wood, painted vs. stained, etc.)? It's way too variable to get quotes like these online unfortunately - heck, even the guys that give you the quotes often seem to pull them out of thin air.

I don't mind christine tagging on to other threads, I don't see the harm, or a rule stating she should start a new thread sheriff.

You can look at $150 to $500 a linear foot or even more depending on the size of the kitchen, the level of finish and material, and if you're just changing the cabinets or changing the floor plan moving things around.

changing the electrical or plumbing $$, flooring $$ glass to the ceiling $$$, so you see it's not an easy question to answer. I had custom cabinets built from a shop 300 miles from me in a small town and did a fabulous job built old school with NO staples, particle or MDF board, and cabinet grade plywood sides, top and bottom cheaper and better then if I had them done locally, keep this option in mind.

If you want a lot of pullout drawers in the lowers, or shelves which pull out and pop up, these items are expensive and add to the price. Permits and labor taxes can add up but depends how LA and California tax the labor installed and taxes on the fabrication of the cabinets. My state charges sales tax on cabinets built for you but doesn't charge tax if they are installed by the company. In LA a $15K build would cost $1450 in taxes. I'm sure there are bribes required in LA too, or so I heard.

@https://www.houzz.com/user/christine-kim652

I remodeled in Los Angeles and had custom cabinets for kitchen, bathrooms, a wall in my home office and a room divider. The guy also did some miscellaneous stuff like my interior doors which were a custom design.

I don't think anyone can give you a ballpark figure because it is going to be dependent on the design including the configuration, the wood species and the door.

I will say that I had the guy come back relatively recently to reconfigure the interiors of some of my cabinets. He constructed and installed rollouts for the upper shelves of my pantry to make them more accessible and an additional shelf rollout in one of my bathroom vanity cabinets. He also changed one of the doors in my sink cabinet (the one that held the trash container) so that the door pulled out in one motion instead of how it had been originally configured which was open the door and pull it out. He also had made a custom ceiling medallion for a vintage chandelier.

The cost for this - including installation was $1800 - the medallion was $500 so the other stuff was $1300. I wasn't charged tax on the items or the installation nor did I pay tax on any of the cabinets or other stuff he made and installed during the remodel.

However, there is sales tax payable for the services of an interior designer in California.

$38.5K is super low--like, suspiciously, alarm-ringingly low. Our recent remodel was in a less pricey area of the country and still cost a lot more than that.

I agree with those saying that you need a breakdown of what is covered in that bid. Get several more bids to get an idea of how it compares to other contractors' pricing in your local market. And definitely don't hire a contractor simply because (s)he gave you the lowest bid; research their experience and reputation. With todays online resources, you should be able to learn more about that contractor; if you don't see reviews and ratings from previous clients, that too is a major red flag.