Labor Cost for Kitchen Reno
My husband and I recently bought a co-op in Brooklyn and are doing a basic kitchen renovation. We are not moving walls, changing the location of any electrical or moving any plumbing. We will just be installing new cabinets, new appliances and new flooring. I know that each job will vary based on complexity, etc.,…
My husband and I recently bought a co-op in Brooklyn and are doing a basic kitchen renovation. We are not moving walls, changing the location of any electrical or moving any plumbing. We will just be installing new cabinets, new appliances and new flooring. I know that each job will vary based on complexity, etc., but I am interested to hear what people think we should be paying our contractor for labor and costs. Any thoughts regarding the range of what we can expect would be much appreciated.
I should add that we didn’t relocate the plumbing or gas line – with the exception of running a water supply hose from the sink and dishwasher hookup through a wall channel to the opposite wall of the kitchen so we could connect the water/ice dispenser on the new fridge.
We did our 9×7 galley kitchen a few years ago for about $12k when all was said and done. Cabinets from Ikea (which we still love) with high-end hardware (which I got very cheaply on craigslist), mid-range stainless steel appliances, cork floor, glass tile backsplash, Silestone counters, Elke under-mount sink + Grohe faucet. We did all of the materials sourcing ourselves and got some amazing deals, which impressed our contractor (who we loved working with) very much. By doing a lot of the groundwork, design work and behind the scenes stuff ourselves, and leaving the physical labor and technical aspects to the contractor and his crew, we got the kitchen we wanted at the price we wanted and couldn’t be happier with the results. We originally wanted to stay under $10k, but we decided to splurge on the floor and the backsplash and it was worth it. Only thing we left out was the overhead lighting (3 recessed cans were already there and we didn’t change them), which I’d still like to replace. The under-cabinet lights were a nice touch, though (and so cheap from Ikea).
We completed two kitchen renovations about 6 months ago. The main kitchen was a high end reno done by a licensed contractor; the other was a rental kitchen and budget reno which was done by a handyman. Even in the latter case, the cost of labor and labor-related materials exceeded $5k.
Having read all of 60designers’ posts, I would have to agree with him/her. Often is the case when you think you’re saving money, you actually end up spending much, much more. By all means, get at least 5 quotes from licensed contractors for your job. (Get the contractor’s actual license # and check it out with DCA; ask to be included as a direct insured on the GC’s insurance policy).
By all means, you can get your kitchen done for less than $5k. But be careful!! In our experience, we’ve run into problems with contractors who quote high as well as those who quote low. But we’ve had way more problems when we’ve made hiring decisions based on the lowest quote. To date, we have yet to find the competent, professional “dream contractor” who bids low (and stays at that price), finishes the job on time and completes it to our satisfaction.
Good luck!
Thanks to everyone for the comments.
My guy’s number is 347-583-0523. His name is Oleg. If you need to have a licensed contractor, you can definitely hire him and will need to go through his boss and obviously pay a premium but maybe you can work it out with him.
If you want to see his work, please feel free to contact me and I’ll gladly show what he did in my house as well as the mistakes I made :o). He also done a bunch of jobs in my parents, sister’s and a few friends houses that I am sure I can arrange for you to look at.
BTW, I am on a co-op board of my building and we only require licensed and insured contractors if any electrical or plumbing work is done. I also know that for a few other co-ops but I am neither an architect or a contractor or in that trade at all so I cannot comment for most or any other buildings in NYC.
Perach…Who knows…maybe you’ll find a gem of a contractor as some people on this site claim to have found. I’ll just add that pricing is all over the place nowadays. Either pricing is coming back really high because contractors are trying to make up for lack of work, or pricing is low because they’re desperate to get work. I’m sure you’ll receive a whole range of prices. The point is, get numerous prices, make sure the contractors have reliable references, and hopefully you won’t break the bank doing this work.
Best of luck.
Kensingtonian – I want your guy’s number.
Thanks for the clarification regarding the permits-our understanding is that for this type of reno we will not need any permits at all. Our co-op requires a licensed contractor, so there is really no way we can go with someone who is unlicensed. I suspect that could prevent us from getting some of the deals people have listed here, perhaps the discrepancy in estimates here is partly based on whether a licensed or unlicensed contractor was used? Or am I way off on this?
Kensingtonian,
Most co-ops require licensed contractors to perform work, even simple kitchen renovations. And, some of them even require DOB filing whether the DOB requires it for that scope of work or not. Perarch should confirm their co-op’s requirement.
It’s a different story if it’s not a condo or coop.