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.
Why would hanging cabinets and detaching and attaching stove and fridge need filings with DOB and contractor needs to be licensed?
Neither was done for me since I didn’t move ANY electrical or gas lines and my work was spotlessly done. Trust me, I am very anal when it comes to these things and the guy who did my work was great and actually loves what he does so he is pretty anal as well.
I did do some mistakes trying to save money. I paid very cheap ($1,600) for my formica kitchen cabinets and countertops which I saw in the showroom and they looked great there BUT when I actually got em, they were horribly made and didn’t really fit and were supposed to be custom. I wouldn’t recommend the guy who made them to my worst enemy. They do serve their purpose though and I was 26 years old when I bought the place and learned from my mistakes. For the money that I spend on them, I can still afford to throw them out and get it redone nicely now but I wont bother for this apartment.
perarch…I misread. I thought you were changing plumbing. You certainly don’t need to file even a plumbing repair application unless you’re moving or adding 2 or more plumbing fixtures.
60designers, I had very wide range of estimates. For my bathroom for example, I had qoutes ranging from 4K for the work to 22K for the work. That’s a HUGE difference.
Also, just past week our co-op got estimates for cement work outside the building. We had 2 guys give us quotes for 16K and one guy came in and quoted the SAME EXACT work for 2.5K. We took him. Quality work was done as promised, on time, with no hassles. He was licensed and insured with all of the paperwork necessary for department of building. As mopar said, yeah its possible to find someone less expensive to do a good job.
The guy I hired to do the kitchen works for a very high end contracting company in the city that does a lot of multi-million dollar penthouse apartments. He is not a “contractor” per se so he did my job on the weekends and some plastering work on evenings and that worked out for me because his boss would charge me 15K for the same job and pocked 13K of it for himself. Meanwhile, this guy charged me what he would have made for the job with a little premium for himself. Nothing wrong with that.
Mopar…That’s truly unbelievable. If I were to break down costs for each trade I don’t know how it’s possible to come to 2K for that work unless it was an unlicensed contractor, not filed with DOB, and poor craftsmanship. I’ve never had labor costs that low for a kitchen renovation, even with modest renovations…and I’ve done dozens for a variety of clients.
Note on filing: if plumbing fixtures are just being upgraded (and will remain in same locations), it isn’t necessary to file the work.
that being said, make sure your plumber is licensed and has proper credentials.
Note on filing: if plumbing fixtures are just being upgrade (and will remain in same locations), it isn’t necessary to file the work.
that being said, make sure your plumber is licensed and has proper credentials.
Well, I have something to add to Kensingtonian’s post. My kitchen is the same size. Last year, my landlady paid someone to demo the existing kitchen, install top and bottom cabinets and a tile counter and a sink along one long wall, and disconnect and reconnect the existing stove and fridge. He also installed a tile floor. What’s more, he also primed and painted the entire apt (about 800 sf) using one color for walls and another for ceiling and wood trim. He also refinished the floors throughout the apartment. Total labor cost: $2,000.
Isn’t that insane?
Unsurprisingly, the contractor complained he cannot make any money at these prices and charged her more for the same job upstairs six months later (I don’t know how much).
I feel bad for the contractor.
But it does go to show that things don’t always have to be as expensive as you think.
I’m genuinely surprised by Kensingtonian’s numbers. Do us favor…after you get pricing from several contractors, please come back and post the range of numbers you receive. Then after the renovation, post how much the whole job ended up costing when all was said and done. I’d be very curious if you can have a GC execute all this to your satisfaction, including filing costs, below 10K.
My personal experience….
My kitchen is small (4.5 by 9). I paid 2.5 grand in labor costs to get the floor tiled, walls plastered and painted, cabinets hanged, countertops installed, sink installed and plumbing connected, stove installed and connected to gas line. No walls were broken or gas/water lines were moved. Just a standard kitchen renovation that seems similar to yours.
If you want my guy’s number, let me know.