Suggested budget for kitchen gut in our neighborhood?

[Anonymous]

We bought in '08 for $900k and homes over the summer sold for anywhere between $800-950k. The ones in the 9s were completely updated.

Our 80s kitchen has to go. I think that a complete change in layout and removing a wall could prevent us from having to bump out,
saving us some money. We expect to be in the house for 5-10 more years and would like to recoup most of the money from the kitchen remodel.

We're in NOVA, technically Vienna but Langley district. Metro will open nearby in 2013. A few neighbors have high end kitchen additions but they are almost all families who bought many years ago. My choice would be to go high-end (Christoper Peakock-type) with major appliances, marble etc. but DH thinks we'd be overinproving for the area and we'll never get our money back.

Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

sounds like overimprovement, but a nice kitchen.

[Anonymous]

What you paid for your house and what neighborhood it is in has absolutely no bearing on what it costs to remodel a kitchen. Contractors will price out a job based on labor, materials, and their markups. Architects will charge a fixed fee for plans, and to monitor the project if you choose to have them do that. A designer will charge an hourly fee for their time plus any markups if applicable on goods.

If you are doing a complete layout change, that means you're getting into electrical and plumbing changes, possibly hvac changes (though this can be avoided). If you move a wall, that isn't really a huge deal but you'd need to be sure it isn't structural. Any removal of walls or layout changes that are major like this can deal with load-bearing elements of your home.

In short, it sounds like you're looking at low six figures here at a minimum. Closer to 150K if you use high end finishes and appliances.

I do not recommend marble for a kitchen if you cook a lot. It is a very porous stone and can stain, even if sealed.

Hope that helps!

[Anonymous]

PP is wrong on one point. Six figures is only reasonable with a bumpout. You can spend $60-75k easy, but unless you're doing structural work or unless your kitchen is the size of a football field, I don't see any possibility of spending $100k+. But the PP is right on another - the price of your house won't determine what it costs to do your kitchen; it may influence how much you choose to spend. High end cabinets can run $30k easy; the poshest appliances maybe $20k (or even more.) I'd say neither of those upper limits is necessary or likely to be recouped at resale unless you're talking a $2m-plus home, but others may disagree. In my neighborhood of $800-900k homes, few if any houses have Subzeros, 48" Lacanche ranges, or super premium cabs. My friends with $1.5m houses don't have all this either, although their kitchens are definitely bigger and nicer. That's why I'm guessing $2m plus.

[Anonymous]

Thanks all. I understand that the cost of the remodel is fixed- just wanted to give you an idea of where we live so that you could offer advice about recouping our costs.

I can't imagine anyone paying $1m for our house in 10 years, even with a metro nearby. So, a $100k job is probably out.

[Anonymous]

OP, I agree w you, not your husband. Kitchens help sell your house. If you re-do the kitchen, you get two things out of it: 1) the immediate enjoyment out of it. 2) the kicker that it will make your house sell easier/quicker/hopefully for more money. If you spend $100K, will your house fetch at least $100K more? Not sure, and, really, how could one tell. But a nice kitchen can sell a house, w so many other issues which a buyer would consider as less important. Plus, some people want a new kitchen - there are many things you can do to save, ie, buy all appliances, fixtures on your own. PS, we live in Langley Dist also. Go w the nicer re-do!

[Anonymous]

Just try to go simple and sleek. Spending a fortune on ugly is not going to add value to your home.

[Anonymous]

If you're changing the layout in addition to gutting the current kitchen, you're probably looking at at least 40-50K. I would advise sticking with mid-range appliances; you will not recoup your investment if you go for Wolf and SubZero, but you can get very nice appliances from GE, KitchenAid, etc. that will do a lot to update the kitchen. As for marble, you can price out different countertop options when you are getting down to the brass tacks of the design. The finish on marble is hard to maintain--anything acidic will etch the finish. It may not bother you, but could be a problem for a potential buyer 5-10 years from now. A honed rather than glossy finish will make any etching less noticeable. There are some light-colored quartz countertops that I think get pretty close to the look of marble (e.g. Cambria Torquay) but are maintenance-free. May not end up being that much cheaper than natural stone, though. Might be worth consulting with a local real estate agent to see what they advise; they'll have insight into the things that buyers really care about and can give you a better sense of how much it is worth spending.

[Anonymous]

dont do marble it sucks

[Anonymous]

I've been out of the kitchen rehab business for quite a few years now, but I've nevere heard of a six figure job. Maybe for Michael Jackson or Elvis, but not for a normal suburban house. No way.

[Anonymous]

Personally, I wouldn't go that high-end. I don't think you'd get your money back. Definitely change the layout, use high quality materials, and maximize your space but I wouldn't do Wolf or SubZero. I'd probably go with quartz or soapstone over marble for the reasons noted above.

[Anonymous]

I would install a Subzero and high end appliances.

[Anonymous]

OP, we live in the same neighborhood and are in the same boat. We are in the process of planning our kitchen reno now. We are going for the Christopher Peacock look for "less" - we will do mid-range white cabinets with probably a marble-looking quartz countertop, stainless steel appliances (but not Wolf or SubZero), and will remove a wall to change the layout and make it more open. We are still in the process of getting quotes but are budgeting around 60K. That's our max that I hope we don't get anywhere near

[GreytPets]

Keys to a kitchen are as muchthe accessories as the cabinet doors. Strongly recommend self closing and soft close hinges on the cabinets. Also try and get as many pull out drawers vs standard shelves on base cabinets. There is no way you can spend $100k. I did a 7000sf house with a huge kitchen and it had custom cabinets, granite counters and high-end appliances and it came in under 100k and it was an unbelievable kitchen.