How Much Does a Kitchen Remodel Cost? A Showroom and Contractor Breakdown
A kitchen remodel costs $25,000 to $180,000 depending on whether you replace the cabinet boxes and whether you move plumbing. Here is what each tier includes and what pushes you into the next one.
A kitchen remodel costs $25,000 to $180,000. The single biggest cost driver is whether you replace the cabinet boxes: keeping them holds most projects between $25,000 and $45,000, while replacing them puts you at $55,000 or more. The second driver is whether you move plumbing, which typically adds $2,500 to $6,000 plus permit time.
That range is uselessly wide until you know which tier you are in. This article exists to place you in one, quickly, using the two questions that actually determine the answer.
The two questions that set your budget
Question one: do the cabinet boxes stay or go?
Everything follows from this.
If boxes stay, you are doing a refresh. New doors and drawer fronts, new countertops, new backsplash, hardware, paint, possibly lighting. The plumbing stays. The layout stays. Most of these land between $25,000 and $45,000.
If boxes go, you are doing a renovation. Countertops must come off, the backsplash comes off, flooring usually comes up because the old floor stops at the old cabinet footprint, and electrical typically gets updated to current code. Most of these land between $55,000 and $95,000.
There is no meaningful middle. Once the boxes leave, the connected work follows automatically.
Question two: does anything that carries water or weight move?
Nothing moves: you stay in the range above.
Sink, range, or dishwasher relocates: add $2,500 to $6,000 for plumbing and electrical rough-in, more in slab-on-grade homes where concrete must be cut.
A wall comes out: add $8,000 to $20,000 for engineering, beam, temporary shoring, and permit review. This is the most commonly underestimated line in kitchen remodeling.
Cost by kitchen size
Cost does not scale linearly with square footage, because the expensive elements cluster in the work zone. A galley kitchen and an open kitchen of the same area can differ by 30 percent based on linear feet of cabinetry.
| Kitchen size | Linear feet of cabinets | Refresh | Full renovation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small, under 100 sq ft | 10 to 15 | $18,000 to $30,000 | $38,000 to $58,000 |
| Medium, 100 to 200 sq ft | 15 to 25 | $25,000 to $45,000 | $55,000 to $95,000 |
| Large, 200 to 300 sq ft | 25 to 35 | $40,000 to $65,000 | $85,000 to $140,000 |
| Very large, 300+ sq ft | 35+ | $60,000+ | $120,000 to $180,000+ |
Measure linear feet, not area. Cabinets are quoted by the box, and boxes sit along walls.
What each tier actually buys
$25,000 to $45,000: the honest refresh
You keep the layout and the boxes. You get new doors, new counters, new backsplash, new hardware, paint, and usually new lighting. Done well, this reads as a new kitchen to anyone who did not live in the old one.
This tier works when the boxes are plywood, the layout functions, and you are not fighting the kitchen daily. It is a poor investment when the layout is the problem, because you will spend $35,000 and still have a kitchen that does not work.
$55,000 to $95,000: the standard full renovation
New semi-custom cabinets, quartz or granite counters, new flooring throughout the kitchen, new appliances, updated electrical, new fixtures and lighting. Layout can change modestly within the existing plumbing footprint.
This is where most Montgomery County kitchens land, and it is where cabinet selection matters most. The spread between an entry semi-custom line and a premium one on the same layout can be $8,000 or more, which is why we recommend seeing the boxes before you decide. Our cabinet comparison guide covers how the lines differ.
$100,000 to $180,000 and up: custom and structural
Custom cabinetry built to your dimensions, premium stone with slab matching, relocated plumbing and gas, removed walls, new windows, professional appliance packages, and often new flooring extending beyond the kitchen for continuity.
At this tier the design phase itself takes months, and the cost of a mistake is high enough that showroom-level material verification stops being optional.
Cost per square foot, and why it misleads
Kitchen remodel cost in the DC metro runs roughly $150 to $350 per square foot, and higher for custom work. That number is useful for a first sanity check and dangerous for planning, because two kitchens with identical square footage can differ by 40 percent based on linear feet of cabinetry, appliance package, and whether plumbing moves.
Use per square foot to test whether a quote is plausible. Use linear feet and a line-item breakdown to actually budget.
Where the money goes
Roughly 52 percent of a full kitchen renovation is cabinets plus labor. Countertops, appliances, and flooring together account for another 30 percent. The remaining 18 percent covers plumbing, electrical, lighting, tile, permits, and contingency. For the detailed line-item table, see our Maryland kitchen renovation cost breakdown.
Getting a number you can trust
A quote that arrives without a site visit is a guess. A quote that arrives without specified material lines is a placeholder. The estimates that hold are the ones where somebody measured the room, opened a wall panel or looked at the electrical panel, and priced named products rather than allowances.
We build estimates against specified products because we stock them. When the quote says a particular cabinet line in a particular finish, that is a real price, not an allowance that gets revised upward after demolition.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a kitchen remodel cost in 2026?
A kitchen remodel costs $25,000 to $180,000 in 2026. Cosmetic refreshes that keep cabinet boxes run $25,000 to $45,000. Full renovations with new cabinets run $55,000 to $95,000. Custom and structural projects run $100,000 to $180,000 or more.
What is a realistic budget for a small kitchen remodel?
A small kitchen under 100 square feet typically costs $18,000 to $30,000 for a refresh and $38,000 to $58,000 for a full renovation with new cabinets. Small kitchens cost less in materials but carry similar fixed costs for plumbing, electrical, and permits.
Why are kitchen remodel quotes so different from each other?
Quotes differ because of scope assumptions and allowances. One quote may assume the layout stays and use generic material allowances, while another prices named cabinet lines and includes electrical updates. Compare quotes only when the specified products and the scope of trades match.
Does a kitchen remodel add value to a home in Maryland?
Kitchen remodels in the DC metro typically recover 60 to 75 percent of cost at resale, with mid-range projects recovering more of their cost than high-end ones. Kitchens that correct a bad layout tend to affect saleability more than kitchens that simply update finishes.
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Want your number instead of a range? Bring dimensions and photos to our Derwood showroom. Call (301) 939-0009 or book a visit.
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