What a kitchen remodel really costs here

The ranges we actually quote

A cosmetic refresh that keeps the layout, with semi-custom cabinets and quartz, runs roughly thirty-five to sixty thousand in these suburbs. A full remodel that moves plumbing, changes the layout and uses custom cabinetry runs eighty to a hundred and fifty.

Taking down a wall between a kitchen and a family room, which is the most common request we get, adds structural work and typically puts a project above a hundred thousand.

• Refresh, same layout: roughly $35k to $60k.
• Full remodel, layout changes: roughly $80k to $150k.
• Wall removed and the space opened up: $110k and up.
• A kitchen inside an addition: priced as an addition, not as a kitchen.

Where the money actually goes

Cabinetry is consistently the largest line, usually thirty to forty per cent. Labour is next, around twenty-five. Counters, appliances, flooring, lighting and plumbing fittings divide most of the rest.

People expect appliances to dominate and they rarely do, unless the choice is a full professional suite, at which point they can equal the cabinets.

Cabinets are a third of the budget before anyone has chosen a tile.

The four choices that move the number most

In order of impact. The first two are structural rather than decorative, which is why they dominate.

• Whether a wall comes out, which brings a beam, columns and sometimes foundation work.
• Whether plumbing and gas relocate, which opens floors and ceilings.
• Stock versus semi-custom versus fully custom cabinetry, roughly a three times spread end to end.
• Counter material, where quartz to a thick exotic slab can triple one line.

The costs nobody budgets for

Older suburban houses give up the same surprises repeatedly. An undersized panel that cannot carry an induction hob and a double oven. Knob-and-tube in a ceiling that has to come out once it is exposed. A floor out of level by an inch across the room, which matters the moment cabinets go in.

None of these are rare, and all of them are cheaper to find during estimating than during framing.

• Panel or service upgrade, $2,500 to $6,000.
• Subfloor levelling and repair, $1,500 to $5,000.
• Venting a hood properly to the exterior, $800 to $3,000.
• Permit and plan review, $500 to $2,500 depending on the village.

Where to save without regretting it

Keep the plumbing where it is if the layout already works. Choose semi-custom cabinets and spend the difference on the boxes rather than the door style. Use a quartz that is not the headline colour. Keep the existing window openings.

Where not to save: waterproofing, ventilation, electrical capacity and the cabinet carcass itself. Those are the things you cannot upgrade later without undoing the kitchen.

Save on what is visible. Never save on what is behind the cabinets.

Reading a kitchen quote properly

Three quotes for the same kitchen will differ by thirty per cent, and almost always because they include different things. Compare the allowances, not the totals.

Ask each builder what the tile allowance is per square foot, what the cabinet allowance buys, who is paying for the permit, and what their written policy is when something unexpected appears behind a wall.