Kitchen Remodeling · Guides

Kitchen remodeling guides

A kitchen remodel goes well or badly based on decisions made before demolition. Fix the budget with 10–20% held back, lock the layout, choose and order cabinets and appliances, then start work. Cabinetry is about 40% of a typical budget and labor 50–60% of total cost, per Fixr — which tells you where the planning attention belongs.

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The correct order is: budget, layout, selections, contractor, permits, order, demolish. Most homeowners do it backwards — they hire someone, then start choosing things — and every decision made after work begins costs more than the same decision made before.

Set the budget as a total you can actually pay, then subtract 10–20% and design to what is left. That reserve is not optional. Older homes hide problems behind cabinets, and a project without contingency turns every discovery into either a financing decision or a compromise on finishes at the worst possible moment.

Then decide the single biggest cost question: are you keeping the layout? Reusing existing plumbing, gas, and circuit locations is the largest available saving. Once the layout is fixed, selections follow: cabinets first, since they are about 40% of the budget and have the longest lead times, then appliances (which determine cabinet openings), then counters, flooring, and lighting.

Only then do you hire. Bring three contractors a defined scope and identical selections and ask for itemized bids. A contractor pricing a vague idea will pad or lowball; a contractor pricing a defined scope gives you a number you can actually compare.

How to choose

Design to your budget minus the contingency: Hold 10–20% back before you start choosing. Money you have already allocated to tile cannot fix the rot found under the dishwasher.
Settle the layout question first: Keeping the sink, range, and refrigerator in place is the biggest single saving available. Decide it before you fall in love with a floor plan.
Make all selections before signing the contract: Allowances are estimates. Actual product choices are prices. Bids built on real selections are the only ones you can compare.
Bid the same scope three ways: Same cabinet line, same countertop, same appliance list. Different scopes produce different numbers and tell you nothing.
Do not demolish before the cabinets are ordered: Lead times run regardless of whether your kitchen is torn out. Order first, then demo.

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FAQ

Kitchen Remodeling guides — common questions

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What order should I do a kitchen remodel in?

Budget, layout, selections, contractor, permits, order materials, then demolition. Decisions made after work starts cost more than the same decisions made before.

How much should I set aside for surprises?

10–20% of the project budget, held separately from your finish selections. This covers what demolition reveals, not changes of mind.

Where should I spend and where should I save?

Spend on cabinet construction, drawer slides, the faucet, and storage inserts. Save on decorative finishes, specialty appliances you won't use, and anything easily changed later.

How many bids should I get?

Three, all pricing an identical, itemized scope. Anything less and you have no basis for comparison; anything more and you are mostly wasting contractors' time.

Sources

Where these figures come from

Fixr — Kitchen Remodel Cost (budget and labor shares) · retrieved 2026-07-26