cost of moving kitchen?
Could anyone give me a ballpark figure of how much it might cost to move a kitchen from the garden level of a brownstone to the parlor level? The new kitchen would be in the same location, just one flight up. And is this a fairly straightforward renovation, or would it require massive amounts of replumbing, permits, tearing up walls etc?
cobblehills
in Bath & Kitchen 13 years and 4 months ago
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10 replies
brucef | 13 years and 4 months ago
RH, Sorry if my nixing of re-use of kitchen cabinetry “never” works was too final. I try to share many years of experience with posters who are asking. A more telling way to phrase it would be – “In most cases if one is springing for the major expense of kitchen relocation, the increased utility and satisfaction that comes from a thoughtfully laid out design rarely allows the re-use of existing cabinetry”. There are exceptions to every rule, and we are now considering if the re-use of some nice maple cabinets we have will work in another location. If one can live with non-matching cabinets, (meaning that most old cabinets are re-used but some additional new cabinets are purchased in different dimensions to maximize the new location), then there is no reason to get rid of existing cabinets, I absolutely believe in waste not want not. I have installed in my shop a wall of Woodmode cherry cabinets that came out of a kitchen from the 50’s that were quality built. So ultimately there is nothing functionally wrong with old cabinets, just that a kitchen is such a heavily used, important part of the house, that do the job “right”.
bostudio | 13 years and 4 months ago
Of course the cost will vary depending on kitchen size, quality of cabinets, appliances etc. 30-50k is a safe range. The plumbing cost (moving sink up one flight) will be negligable compared to the cost of a new kitchen. You will need a DOB permit for the work, too.
rh | 13 years and 4 months ago
Oh, Bruce. I was in agreement with you with location of rooms until you had to go and say that re-using cabinets never works. My apartment is the lower duplex, with a tenant’s duplex upstairs. I moved the kitchen from the garden back to the 2nd floor and put my bedroom down in that room. Will add a deck to get to the backyard this spring. Painted and re-used the cheap Home Depot cabinets and they’re still in good shape after 6 years, so poo on you, Bruce.
brucef | 13 years and 4 months ago
In regards to re-using kitchen cabinets, that never works.
brucef | 13 years and 4 months ago
A kitchen is the nexus of many vital systems, exhaust venting, plumbing feed and waste, electricty, traffic flow, cooking gas, etc etc. It will be pricey regardless of location, so take this opportunity to do it right, so you will be happy with the results. From a feng shui perspective, bedrooms and especially master bedroom should be furthest in, away from water feature and entrance. So a master bedroom in the rear of a garden floor might work, with a kid bedroom facing street. Unless you have yard access from parlor floor you have to go through master to get to yard. A side benefit is having a 2nd entrance under the stoop for stroller/??? There was an extensive post a few weeks ago regarding kitchen design in middle or rear of parlor floor. They faced a narrow width house issue, but you should research that thread.
cobblehills | 13 years and 4 months ago
Thanks brucecf. All the 2 family houses I’ve looked at (mostly bed Stuy) have the kitchen/living room of the owner’s unit on the plain or even ugly garden level, and bedrooms on the much nicer parlor floor. Makes no sense to me. Is there some construction advantage to putting kitchen on lower floor. Would I be opening myself to a lot of problems by moving it up to parlor?
brucef | 13 years and 4 months ago
Sorry, I forgot countertop – 3K.
brucef | 13 years and 4 months ago
In terms of plumbing, if there are plumbing fixtures on upper floors above the present kitchen location, it is likely that a waste line continues up above garden level. This they will be able to tie into, if it is there, way cheaper and less destructive than having to run new wste lines. Presumably the existing kitchen is properly vented (2″ or larger wste line continuing up thru roof), but in an old house, you never know till you open the walls. So basically your question has so many variables, it is difficult to ball park. Assuming you need trades to perform all the work, and the waste lines are already there as above, then I would say new Home Depot style cabinets $8K, Fixtures 4K, electrical 2K, plumbing 6K, finish surfaces 5K, installation labor 10K, appliances 5K. You could easily spend twice that, and high end would be three times that. if you are handy and will do a lot yourself, maybe shave 5K off.
cobblehills | 13 years and 4 months ago
Probably not, although I might use the cabinets if I can paint them. Would likely replace appliances.
bostudio | 13 years and 4 months ago
Are you going to use the same cabinets and apliances and plumbing fixtures?