How much should I expect to spend on a nicely done (but not super-high-end) two-bedroom renovation in a Manhattan apartment? –LS, NY NY

Originally published on August 23, 2012, here is another good barometer of how to figure out costs on your project.

As with all projects, this is merely a guideline; but it does frame -in realistic terms- good ballpark figures.

In general, a complete gut renovation will fall between 30 and 40% of your purchase price (or current home value). A kitchen renovation should fall around 20% of that figure.

Going back to the question at hand, first we would have to define what you mean by “nicely done.” Are you satisfied with Ikea cabinetry? Do you dream of bath fixtures from Waterworks? Or are you interested in re-purposing high-end cabinetry from a firm like Green Demolitions? Custom cabinetry, while more expensive, can often solve tricky spacial issues like diagonal walls, whereas the Home Depot product, costing less up-front, might still require retrofitting and cost more in the end than the custom product does to begin with! Does $600.00 for a powder room faucet offend you? Does $1000.00? What kind of flooring is being considered? Wood plank, vinyl, stone? Do you want hollow doors or solid? What type of hinges and pulls? What about your counter surfaces, kitchen and bath tile, appliances and lighting? Does your project require an architect? A contractor? Board approval? Department of Buildings filing fees? An interior designer? And all this before you talk about furniture!

There are myriad moving parts to any project and endless decisions to be made that will affect your life for a long time to come. Each item should be considered carefully for looks, for utility and for expense; and with professional input over the entire span of your project.

As a guideline, I would start with $400.00 per square foot; and know that the sky is the limit!

Advertisement

Figuring Costs for a Kitchen Renovation

Tags

design, real-estate

Following on the heels of  last week’s post, I thought it might be time for a refresher.  Below is a reprint of an earlier post, first published August 8, 2012.  I hope you find it helpful in making the decisions that will affect you in the years to come.  –Kent

HOW MUCH SHOULD MY KITCHEN RENOVATION COST –JK, Forest Hills NY

In a new home, purchased in the last 3 years where you are gutting the entire space, you can use the following guideline based on a medium or slightly above medium level project in the Metropolitan area:

Figure 30-40% of your purchase price for over-all design, demolition, construction and materials costs.  20% of that figure should be allotted for your kitchen.

In a home that you have lived in for more than 5 years and for which you are only renovating the kitchen, use the following guideline based on a medium or slightly above medium level project in the Metropolitan area:

Figure $600-$900 per square foot including the costs for an interior designer or kitchen and bath specialist, a registered architect, appliances & materials and all filing and contractors fees.

Materials can run in the following ranges, depending on your choices:

Appliances – $10,000-$30,000

Counters – $8000-$15,000 ($50-$150 per square foot)

Custom Cabinetry – $15,000-$50,000

Flooring – $10-$30 per square foot

Hardware – $1000-$3500

Lighting – $2000-$5000

Tile or Stone – $15-$80 per square foot

These guidelines are based on kitchens 80-150 square feet located in the Metropolitan area.  Additional costs may apply for Asbestos and Lead removal in buildings constructed through 1977 as well as any previously undetected and necessary mold removal in all construction.  In NYC many buildings require piping replacement to the branch line.  Requests for electrical upgrades must be cleared with building management and are likely to add significantly to the cost of your project.

© 2012-2013 Design Discourse / Ask Kent and Co. All Rights Reserved

I’m in the process of applying for Board approval but want to get my renovation moving. Can I get measured for my kitchen now, so that it’s ready to install when I move in in 8-12 weeks? –SF, New York NY

Well…yes…and no.

Assuming the following:

A. the seller is cooperative in allowing your designer inside their home
B. you’re not moving any walls or changing the kitchen layout in any major way
C. you’re willing to chance an imperfect result
D. you ultimately get approved by the building!

then yes, you could take some initial measurements now.

As for your kitchen then being ready for installation in a matter of weeks based on those measurements, ready for your move-in, I would have to say an emphatic NO. Generally kitchens are not made of Lego, they are generally not (though sometimes ARE) modular and they are certainly not “plug in” or “snap together.” Not even if they’re from Ikea!

Kitchen design is a complex set of steps that must all interlock (yes, like Lego and modular furniture) and function together as a whole, not unlike the inner-workings of the human body. Initial measurements are exactly that, initial measurements.

And while you may be able to order your cabinetry and appliances and have them available for delivery and installation in -sometimes as little as- eight weeks, that can only happen once a series of measurements are taken, re-taken and re-taken again. A 1/2″ mistake in a kitchen design is HUGE and could potentially leave the narrowest pass-through EVER in the middle of a wall of cabinetry. You could wind up with an inexplicable gap on one side of your dishwasher or an aluminum foil roll-sized space above your microwave!

Depending on your building, you will need to review your Alteration Agreement for allowances and restrictions, including work time start and stoppage, disposal of debris and so forth.

You may require the services of an architect, in which case you’ll have to file your plans not only with your building Board (and await their approval) but with the City. You may also go through several revisions on the drawings making adjustments or adding lighting or other details.

And demolition and construction can only begin once YOU are the proprietary lease holder.

Scheduling of trades, from the plumbers to the tile setters have to be carefully coordinated. Missing sinks, faucets or door handles have the potential to throw a project off course for 2-4 weeks…as do material discontinuations and unforeseen shipping delays.

In the open plan kitchen below, site conditions AFTER initial construction, forced a re-think of where to hang the glass cabinets: too far out into the living room would have made them difficult to reach from the kitchen side, while too far into the kitchen left a sharp corner protruding into the doorway where banged-up foreheads would have been a regular occurrence.

These are typical problems that arise on any construction site and cannot necessarily be guessed at or anticipated from a drawing. Sometimes you have to see it “in person.” And sometimes that means a re-fit, i.e. taking the cabinets down and re-hanging them!

Too, in any building of any age, the ceiling height is likely to vary, being 7′.6 7/8″ in one place, while 4 feet away it could be 7′.3 3/4″…but the real estate agent will tell you the ceilings are 8′ even!

What you decide to do for your floor covering will also impact your design, making those ceiling heights even tighter…and they’ll raise your appliances as much as an inch too, which in turn impacts your counter and base cabinet heights!

So, like the “sand in an hour glass” or the organs of the human body, FIT is everything. Don’t take it for granted…and don’t rush the preparation stage to accommodate a move-in or you may find yourself with a half-baked souffle!

© 2012-2013 Design Discourse / Ask Kent and Co. All Rights Reserved