How much do you think (very approximate) it would cost to move a kitchen?

[Anonymous]

Right now our kitchen sits upstairs and it is very inconvenient. I hate going up there just to make a cup of tea. I have two little kids who demand that I carry them up and down when they want a snack. I might be getting grab exercise, but I'd rather join a gym. I'm not sure why it was designed so poorly. And honestly I did not think it would be a huge deal but it is. We did get a great deal on the house so we are happy with most everything. Except kitchen. The bloody kitchen itself is dated and we have not replaced anything. The appliances need a serious upgrade.
So now we are thinking of making changes. We would love to move the kitchen onto the first floor and have the second floor more of a family room/ playroom space.
We had some financial setbacks this year so we are wondering if this change is something we should sit on for now or if it is in our budget.

[Anonymous]

So are you going to build a whole new kitchen? Or move the cabinets to another room? This sounds more like a total gut and remodel and since there are two rooms involved I'd have to guess it would be somewhere between 40K and 70K depending on what type of cabinets and appliances (and flooring etc) that you are choosing. This assumes no structural changes and minimal shifting of water and gas lines. Otherwise probably closer to 80K. I'd get a few quotes from some kitchen reno places and see what they say. We're not going to be able to tell you.

[Anonymous]

What about keeping some snacks and a small microwave and mugs, teabags, etc. - and whatever else keeps you going up and down the stairs - on the first floor? Or even put in a minibar type of thing like some people have in their basement?

[Anonymous]

$50K

[Anonymous]

What style house is it? I'm trying to picture how a kitchen would be on the second floor. Is it a split level or split foyer? What other rooms are on the same level as the kitchen? Would you be converting an existing room into a kitchen?

[Anonymous]

i dont get this, what kind of house is this?

[Anonymous]

My guess is you are in a townhouse?

Are you serious that you would spend upwards of $50K bc your kids "demand" to be carried up the steps? Your kids are going to grow up and this is not going to be as big of an issue - at least one hopes when then are 5 that you will insist they walk up.

In the meantime, what about a microwave/fridge combo for the lower level?

[Anonymous]

Do you have a split level, w/ kitchen on the upper level and family room, etc., on the lower level? If so you are talking about adding in all new plumbing, electrical and gas line to the oven, correct? In that event, I would say you are talking $50--100K depending on how big the space is and how nice you want your finishes and fixtures to be. Our architect uses $200-250/sf as a rule of thumb for new construction with "average" finishes in MoCo, for one. We tend to select "better than average" finishes, so for our back-of-the-envelope budgeting on our new kitchen w/ new electrical and mechanical we are using $300/sf as a very, very rough rule of thumb. If you will be tapping into existing electrical and mechanical (i.e. putting the new kitchen where a bathroom currently sits, which at least would get you existing plumbing access, though not gas line access), you will likely have some savings and possibly keep it in the $50K range.

You should also evaluate the electrical capacity you currently have (110 panel? or 220?) as if lower capacity, you may need to heavy-up, which is not cheap, if you need more electirical capacity to run a bunch of new appliances, the AC, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about keeping some snacks and a small microwave and mugs, teabags, etc. - and whatever else keeps you going up and down the stairs - on the first floor? Or even put in a minibar type of thing like some people have in their basement?

This. Put a bar fridge downstairs with a microwave on it. You can get one of those plug in kettles for hot water. Then periodically just restock the storage downstairs with the basics that you need. You only need to go up to the kitchen for full meals.

Unless it is easy to move the plumbing, gas lines and electrical downstairs, it can be pricey. That plus renovating two complete rooms may be much more than you'd like to invest.

[Anonymous]

We moved the location of our kitchen and it cost about $100k. You could certainly do it for much less if you don't go with high-end cabinets and appliances, but it's not cheap to move the gas, water lines, exhaust system, etc.

[Anonymous]

the only way this won't be insanely expensive is if you move it to the exact same location on another floor.

[Anonymous]

Like 13:29 we moved our kitchen but from the middle of the house to the back of the house and it cost around $120 including all new everything - custom cabinets and so on. I suppose you could do it for half that price if you went with middle range everything. If the old kitchen is below the new kitchen it might not that bad to move the plumbing and electrical but this is a big undertaking (permits, architect dravings etc).

[Anonymous]

Do you live in london?

[Anonymous]

$120, I'll take 2