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of your dreams.

Cost Ranges

Let's say your kitchen measures about 10x12 feet. How much would it cost to remodel it yourself? In most areas of the country, you can get a cosmetic kitchen upgrade for as little as $2,500 in products. That includes new cabinet doors, laminate countertops, vinyl flooring, a stainless-steel sink and a chrome faucet.

A mid-level do-it-yourself kitchen from the home center could bump the starter cost to over $6,500. At this level, you're getting better-grade hardwood cabinets, ceramic tile countertops and flooring, a coated-steel sink, a faucet with pullout head, new appliances, and track lighting.

Moving up the price scale to about $15,000, your do-it-yourself home center kitchen could include pricier semicustom cabinets, laminate or ceramic tile flooring, a cast-iron sink, a designer faucet, better appliances, and canister lighting. Granite or solid-surfacing countertops could also make it into this budget, but neither is a do-it-yourself feature.

Installation, plumbing, and electrical work would not be covered by the low or midrange budget, but the high-dollar version would likely allow for some of those services. It really depends on the choices you make for cabinetry, countertops, fixtures, and other big-ticket items. The same goes for appliances. Outfit a typical kitchen with new residential appliances, and you can keep those receipt totals at less than $2,500. Splurge on high-end professional units, and your entire $15,000 budget can disappear before you even pick a color scheme for the cabinets and countertops.

If you have your new kitchen professionally installed, the numbers will look a little different. Generally speaking, the biggest slices of your remodeling budget will go towards cabinets, countertops, and installation costs. Depending on style and features, cabinets can account for as much as half the cost of a professionally designed and installed kitchen.

But these are, after all, the choices that will be made during your planning stage. The actual renovation will always contain surprises, so sort out whatever details you can up front. And leave a little padding in the budget. Just in case.

These costs are based on two kitchens: one is a moderate 15x15 size. At the low end of the budget scale, you will spend at least $14,500 to $17,000 on ready-made cabinets, budget appliances and flooring. Premium appliances, custom cabinets and other quality materials can push your expenditures from $21,000 to nearly $40,000.

For a larger kitchen (more than 300 square feet) you will likely spend at least $20,000 for standard cabinets and appliances. If money is no object, the costs of a new kitchen could easily reach $38,000 to $75,000.