Free Kitchen Remodel Calculator (+ Guide)

What is a kitchen remodel calculator?

A kitchen remodel calculator adds up every cost of redoing a kitchen, from the contractor's quote to the appliances you buy yourself.

It shows the total with a contingency, the cost per square foot and what's left of your budget.

How it works

The cheapest of your quotes goes in the total, next to the costs it doesn't cover.

What to budget for in a kitchen

A kitchen quote rarely covers everything, so list the rest beside it.

• Cabinets and countertops: often the biggest lines, and the ones that vary most between quotes
• Appliances: bought by you or by the contractor, but never in both lines
• Plumbing and electrical: every sink, outlet or gas line that moves is work to price
• Permits: ask your town's building department which work needs one

Put each on its own line, and the chart shows which one moves your total most.

How to compare contractors' quotes

The Federal Trade Commission gives this advice before you hire anyone.

• Hire only licensed and insured contractors, and check the license with your state or county
• Get several written estimates, each with the work, the materials, the completion date and the price
• Don't automatically pick the lowest bid, and ask why if the estimates differ a lot
• Get a written contract with the contractor's license number and the start and finish dates
• Never pay the full amount up front, and make the final payment only when the work is done

It also warns that a contractor who asks you to get the permits, or who only takes cash, may be running a scam.

How much contingency to add

A contingency is money set aside for what you find once the walls or the ground are open.

HUD requires one on its 203(k) renovation loans: 10% to 20% of the repair costs on a home 30 years or older, and at least 15% when the utilities don't work.

On a newer home, it's up to the lender, to a maximum of 20%.

A worked example

Here's the example the calculator loads: a 150 sq ft kitchen with 3 quotes of $32,000, $28,000 and $35,000, plus appliances, a sink, a backsplash, lighting and permits.

The cheapest quote is $28,000, $7,000 less than the dearest. Your other costs add $8,800, so the project comes to $36,800 before the contingency.

A 15% contingency adds $5,520, for a total of $42,320. That's $282.13 per square foot, and $2,680 left of a $45,000 budget for the kitchen remodel.

Mistakes to avoid

These are the slips that come up most.

• Counting the appliances in a quote and again on their own line
• Choosing the lowest bid without asking why it's lower
• Paying most of the price before the work starts, which the FTC warns against

Who is the kitchen remodel calculator for?

It's for anyone planning a kitchen, from new fronts to a new layout, and these tools help around it.

• Flooring calculator – for the floor
• Tile calculator – for a backsplash
• HELOC calculator – if you borrow for it

Price every choice before you order, and the kitchen you get is the kitchen you planned.