Renovation · Kitchens

The Kitchen Remodel Library

The kitchen remodel is the single most expensive renovation most homeowners will do. We cover them the way a general contractor briefs a client: with a layout decision tree, a real budget range, an appliance spec sheet, and an honest note on where the money actually goes.

Budget Reality

What a Real Kitchen Remodel Costs in 2026

Cosmetic Refresh
$18K – $45K
Cabinet paint or reface, new hardware, new counters and backsplash, new fixtures. Keeps the existing layout and appliances. Six-to-ten week timeline.
Full Remodel, Same Footprint
$65K – $175K
New cabinetry, all new appliances, full stone, new lighting and electrical, possibly one wall moved. Twelve-to-twenty week timeline.
Gut & Reconfigure
$150K – $400K+
New layout, walls removed, plumbing and HVAC rerouted, structural steel. The renovation that changes the house, not just the kitchen. Sixteen-to-thirty-two weeks.
Real Projects

Case Studies, Annotated

Brooklyn · Cosmetic

A Prewar Galley, Reset for $39K

Scope: cabinet refinish, counters, hardware, backsplash

A 1920s kitchen that didn’t need a gut — just a reset. The paint-and-pull decisions that made a decades-old kitchen feel current without a teardown.

See the case study
Austin · Full Remodel

A Ranch Kitchen, Same Walls, New Life

Scope: full cabinetry, appliances, counters, one wall relocated

All new cabinets and appliances. The single wall that got moved was the one behind the range — and the cost of the hood rerouting was the surprise of the project.

See the case study
Pasadena · Gut & Reconfig

The Craftsman Kitchen That Lost a Wall

Scope: gut, steel beam, new layout, new systems

Removing one load-bearing wall changed the entire house. A full accounting of what that wall cost in structural, mechanical, and schedule terms.

See the case study
Chicago · Gut & Reconfig

A Prairie-Style Kitchen, Honestly Updated

Scope: full gut, new layout, systems overhaul

Honoring the Prairie School bones while updating absolutely everything underneath the finishes. The millwork research alone took six weeks.

See the case study
Charleston · Full Remodel

A Single House Kitchen That Finally Fits

Scope: cabinetry, appliances, counters, one window added

Charleston Single Houses have famously narrow kitchens. One thoughtful window addition and a cabinet reconfiguration changed the whole room.

See the case study
Denver · Cosmetic

A Tudor Kitchen, Refreshed Without the Remodel

Scope: paint, hardware, counters, fixtures

The under-$30K renovation that bought this family another ten years in their kitchen — without touching the layout or cabinets.

See the case study

The Kitchen Remodel Playbook.

A 40-page playbook covering layout options, cabinet decisions, appliance specs, stone selection, and the order of every decision you’ll make. Free for subscribers.

Get the Playbook