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read our blog posts about BUDGETING
Cabinetry will always be the largest portion of your budget, and the amount depends on variables such as the square footage, the number of cabinets, the cabinet material, finish, and door style. The next largest portion will be the appliances, then countertops, flooring, lighting, fixtures, and other materials. As a design-build contractor, we have an extensive knowledge of real costs and can design a project that fits your budget perfectly.
One thing you should be aware if is the industry talk about "a running foot." You will often hear about the cost of cabinets in a price per running foot. In our showroom, we often have to clarify the question, “What is considered in a running foot?” If you were to take your kitchen (ie. an L-shape kitchen) the running foot length runs from the corner of the cabinet wall to the first corner, then from that corner to the other end. You do not deduct any inches for appliances or windows because that is all taken into account in the measurement average. You will see a swing in price within the four cabinet categories: assemble yourself cabinets (ready to assemble), stock cabinets (assembled), semi-custom cabinets, and custom cabinets.
If you go to a big box store to price things first, note that the price per linear foot is only an estimate and can be deceiving. It will increase if you purchase taller wall cabinets or anything other than the basics. It also does not include any options, moulding, toe kicks, or hardware. Generally, you need to add 50% to their “sample kitchen” price to get closer to a real price for a basic, no-frills kitchen with no options, moulding, toe kicks, or hardware. Oh, and by the way, installation costs are additional. In a recent visit to a local big box company, the price per linear foot that was on the counter of the display turned out to be half the equation when we talked to the sales rep. Their price shown was for the wall cabinets (top only) and they were doubling it as they went over the same wall for the base cabinets, which is not the norm in the industry. This was their marketing strategy to put a lower price on the display sign. They were literally giving you half the equation, so it is important you ask to get all the facts. We want you to be informed and know that what we will bring you is VALUE. If you were to have the big box store layout your kitchen, they’re going to plug in say 7 stock cabinet sizes and give you a price. If you were to bring us that estimate, and we were to price those same 7 cabinets (exactly the same layout) you will be pleasantly surprised that we will be very competitive on price, and many times we can do it cheaper with a better quality cabinet. However, if you give us the same space to work with, we will design a better, more functional, more intricate design that will include more parts and pieces, and yes, it will be more expensive because of that (not because we’re more expensive than the big box store). So, you need to decide… Do you strictly want the room filled with boxes at the lower price or do you truly want the very best use of those inches designed in the very best way, and are you willing to pay that difference to get better performance out of the same space? What we do in design adds VALUE but can add expense. You have to decide between the two.
It is important to consider that if you have a strict budget, you will absolutely get more value within that budget working with a professional designer. You will get a higher quality product, a better design, and more options and features. We will give you much more for that same budget, and because we’re experts at what we do, we don’t go over that number. We are often shocked to hear that people are afraid to talk to us because they think we are expensive. Yes, we do very high-end custom cabinetry for those that have that kind of budget; however, most people don’t realize that our specialty and expertise truly help those on a smaller budget, and we love to do these jobs as well. It gives us even more opportunity to be creative. We want you to get the job done right. It gives us tremendous pleasure knowing we gave you the highest quality possible for your investment.
There are many modifiers such as wood species and finish that can alter the price of your cabinets. For example, cherry or rift oak adds 10 percent to the price. Stains and finishes can add up to 40 percent, and paints and glazes can add 5-20 percent. Further exotic looks such as burnishing or distressing can be up to a 40 percent upcharge. We were recently asked to write an article for a national magazine featuring one kitchen designed and priced for two budgets. We will post it here as soon as it is published. In the meantime here is a basic guide to help you define a basic package versus a premium package.
A basic package would include 30" high wall cabinet height (or 84" finished height from floor) with a single piece of crown moulding, a 1/8" toe kick, and no internal accessories inside the cabinets, no integrated panels on appliance fronts, and a smooth finish on the sides of the cabinets.
A premium package would include 36" high wall cabinet height (or 90" finished height from floor) with a three-piece upper crown moulding, light valence molding, 3/4" thick solid wood toekick, and a cross section of the most popular internal accessories such as a lazy susan, pull out double garbage, roll-out base pot drawers, cutlery and tray dividers, etc. It would also include decorative door panels on the dishwasher and refrigerator as well as decorative end panels (fake doors) at the ends on finished sides.
Let's talk about your appliance budget: A frequently asked question is "How do I select my appliances within my budget?" We encourage you to go shopping to determine the quality and the features of what you're looking for so you can help yourself establish a budget. Once you have established a general category you want to be in, we can help you refine your final choices based on our knowledge of those appliances. We can give you a good comparable that might be a better choice, or fill you in on our customer feedback and tell you what previous clients like or don't like about features of the appliances they selected. Because there is such a broad range in price, we like to send you out there to get an idea first. Do you want a Fisher Paykel $900 refrigerator, a Kitchen Aid $3,000 refrigerator, or a SubZero $7,000 refrigerator? ... You need to determine how much money you want to allocate and what features are important to you.
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What Goes Into Your Budget. Consider each of the following costs in your renovation budget. We will discuss each with you in depth to keep you on budget:
Room Prep (Plastic protection of doorways to other rooms and set up temporary kitchen)
Demolition
Carpentry --(Are there structural changes involving walls, doors, windows, etc?) Are we gutting to the studs in a complete demolition or just replacing cabinets and doing minor patching? Consider the age of the house, was ever updated, and what it takes to bring it to code.
Rough electrical, rough lighting, rough plumging, rough heating
Insulation
Sheetrock
Tape & Spackle
Flooring (Wood, ceramic, other?)
Cabinet selection and purchase
Appliance selection and purchase
Countertop selection and purchase
Cabinetry installation
Appliance installation (setting appliances)
Countertop installation
Drill and Install Hardware
Backsplash Tile Purchase
Backsplash Installation
Finish Plumbing, Electrical, Lighting, Moulding & Trims, and Finish Punchlist
Painting or Wallpapering
Note: The entire project as shown above is about a 7-week process for a typical installation.
•kitchen planning questionnaire
•closet and wardrobe planning questionnaire
•office, study, family room, media room planning questionnaire
•measuring for your new kitchen
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