Kitchen Remodel Cost Calculator
Enter your kitchen size, project complexity, finish selections, and labor scenario to build a transparent 2026 planning estimate. The result is a standardized model, not a contractor quote.
Kitchen Remodel Calculator — Default Example
For a 150-square-foot kitchen with the default selections, this model returns $44,449, or $296 per square foot, with a $35,559–$55,561 planning range. These are standardized model outputs—not observed national averages, local bids, or an appraisal.
Calculate Your Kitchen Remodel
Adjust the model inputs below. No address, email, or personal information is required.
Enter the kitchen floor area. The model uses it to infer cabinet run and countertop surface.
Enter a kitchen size from 50 to 500 square feet.
Your Kitchen Remodel Estimate
Assumes the full central estimate is financed with no down payment or fees. This is not a lender quote, approval, or offer of credit.
Use this estimate as a planning baseline
Compare it with itemized local quotes. A contractor must verify dimensions, site conditions, code requirements, selections, and scope before you rely on a price.
How the Kitchen Remodel Cost Model Works
This calculator does not yet use a verified national invoice corpus, a live material-price feed, or a representative set of contractor bids. It produces a standardized estimate from fixed 2026 model assumptions so the result can be inspected, reproduced, and replaced with real local data when available.
| Model input | Assumption used |
|---|---|
| Cabinet run | 3 × square root of kitchen floor area |
| Countertop surface | 2.5 sq ft × inferred cabinet-run feet |
| Cabinets | Inferred run × selected cabinet allowance |
| Countertops | Inferred surface × selected countertop allowance |
| Appliances | Selected package allowance |
| Backsplash | 1.5 sq ft × inferred cabinet run × $15 |
| Flooring | Kitchen floor area × $12 |
| Lighting / island | $1,500 / $5,000 when selected |
| Scope work | Kitchen area × selected complexity allowance |
| Labor | Eligible work subtotal × scope labor factor × regional factor |
| Planning range | 80%–125% of the central model estimate |
Formula
Central estimate = cabinets + countertops + appliances + selected features + scope-work allowance + modeled labor. Appliances are excluded from the labor base. The displayed range is a consistent model uncertainty band, not a measured confidence interval.
Finish and Appliance Allowances
These figures are internal model assumptions rather than independently observed market averages. Replace them with current supplier and contractor data when you have it.
| Selection | Model allowance |
|---|---|
| Stock / semi-custom / custom cabinets | $200 / $350 / $850 per inferred linear foot |
| Laminate / butcher block countertops | $35 / $70 per inferred sq ft |
| Quartz / granite / marble countertops | $100 / $125 / $200 per inferred sq ft |
| Budget / mid-range appliance package | $3,000 / $7,500 |
| Premium / luxury appliance package | $18,500 / $45,000 |
Complexity and Labor Scenarios
| Selection | Scope-work allowance | Labor factor |
|---|---|---|
| Finish replacement | $5/sq ft | 20% |
| Partial remodel | $25/sq ft | 30% |
| Full gut remodel | $60/sq ft | 40% |
| Layout change | $90/sq ft | 50% |
The labor-region selector applies 0.75×, 1.0×, or 1.35× to modeled labor only. It is a scenario control, not a location lookup and not a claim about any named city or state.
What the Estimate Does Not Include
The calculator cannot inspect a kitchen or determine what work is required. Ask contractors to identify these separately when they apply:
- Design, engineering, permits, plan review, inspections, and local code upgrades
- Hazardous-material testing or abatement, concealed water damage, rot, pests, or mold
- Electrical-service upgrades, plumbing replacement, gas work, HVAC changes, or structural work
- Demolition beyond the selected scope allowance, debris hauling, storage, temporary kitchen setup, or lodging
- Taxes, delivery, specialty fabrication, change orders, and product-price changes
Local authorities decide permit and inspection requirements. Verify them with the authority having jurisdiction and qualified professionals; this calculator does not make a code determination.
How to Turn the Estimate Into a Better Budget
- Measure the kitchen floor area, cabinet run, and countertop surface instead of relying on the model proxies.
- Write one scope covering demolition, layout, cabinets, counters, appliances, flooring, lighting, plumbing, and electrical work.
- Give the same scope and product selections to each contractor.
- Request itemized materials, labor, allowances, exclusions, permits, taxes, delivery, and cleanup.
- Replace the model assumptions with written local quotes before setting a final budget or financing amount.
Kitchen Remodel FAQ
How much does the default kitchen remodel model estimate?
With a 150-square-foot kitchen, partial-remodel complexity, semi-custom cabinets, quartz countertops, mid-range appliances, backsplash, flooring, and the standard labor scenario, the model returns $44,449, or $296 per square foot. That is a standardized planning estimate, not an observed national average or contractor quote.
How accurate is this kitchen remodel calculator?
It is a planning model, not an accuracy claim. BuildFolio has not validated these assumptions against a representative national invoice or contractor-bid dataset. Use the output to define a budget scenario, then replace its assumptions with measurements, supplier prices, and itemized local quotes.
How does kitchen size affect the estimate?
The model uses floor area to infer cabinet run as three times the square root of kitchen area, then estimates countertop surface at 2.5 square feet per inferred cabinet-run foot. Those are transparent proxies, not measurements of your kitchen.
What does the project-complexity selection change?
It changes both a per-square-foot scope-work allowance and the labor factor. Cabinet, countertop, appliance, and feature selections are still modeled separately, so the complexity control does not silently replace those choices.
Does the estimate include permits, hidden damage, or structural work?
No. It does not calculate permits, design, engineering, inspections, code upgrades, hazardous-material work, concealed damage, major utility upgrades, structural work, taxes, delivery, or change orders. Verify and add those items separately when they apply.
What does the kitchen remodel planning range mean?
The calculator displays 80%–125% of the central estimate as a consistent planning band. It is meant to make model uncertainty visible and is not a statistical confidence interval or a promise that bids will fall inside it.
How is the monthly payment calculated?
It is an amortization illustration using the full central model estimate, 10% annual percentage rate, and 60 monthly payments, with no down payment or fees. It is not a lender quote, approval, or offer of credit.
More Project Calculators
Turn the Model Into a Quote-Ready Scope
Review the inputs, record the exact selections, and give the same scope to each contractor so you can compare itemized quotes.
Review Your InputsPlanning how to pay? Compare kitchen remodel financing options after you verify the project cost.