What Does A Kitchen Renovation Cost?

What DOES a kitchen renovation cost?

This is it. This is the article you’ve been looking for if you’ve been trying to research the cost of custom kitchen renovations in Winnipeg. We know how much time you spend researching before you make a major investment, and we also know that this is one of your most important questions, so we’re not going to dance around the answer, and in the interest of full honesty and transparency, we’re going to give you all the real numbers.

A note about Gateway Kitchens: We fully recognize that we are among the most expensive custom cabinet makers and home renovation specialists in the area. Our cabinetry is the product of over 40 years of experience, and is built to a high standard of quality and durability, often surpassing industry standard on multiple metrics. We also stand behind everything we build and offer a warranty that covers all Gateway-built products in the event of defect for as long as you own them. We provide full-service renovation from conception to completion with creative designers, an experienced team of project coordinators, carefully chosen tradespeople, and skilled craftspeople. Gateway kitchens are an investment in your home, and while there are many cheaper options, our work will stand the test of time. As Pierre-Alexis Dumas (heir to the Hermes empire) famously said: “It’s not expensive, it’s costly. The cost is the actual price of making an object properly with the required level of attention so that you have an object of quality”

What wasn’t working in this kitchen:

Functionally, at only 18’x12’, this kitchen packed as much storage as possible into a very small space, resulting in small walkways, a tiny island, and some less-than-ideal storage. There was no extra space to walk around open dishwasher, oven, or refrigerator doors, and minimal clear countertop workspace. With a separate dining room next door, the area designated for a kitchen table was mainly unused.

Aesthetically, this 80’s oak kitchen resembled many of the kitchens we’re asked to update. The cabinet boxes were made of particle board and featured oak doors that had darkened into the classic orange hue of that time period. The door profiles were dated, and the white laminate countertops were chipped in areas and had lost their protective coating, resulting in a surface that was prone to staining.

What did we change?

With limited space available, we decided to forgo a kitchen table, and make better use of that area, moving both the refrigerator and range to that wall and creating a new bank of cabinetry to encompass both. This allowed us to remove the cabinets from the wall where the fridge once stood, use the added width to expand the island for more functional workspace and seating, and also open up the wall between the kitchen and dining room.

The cabinets would be replaced with Gateway-built, fully custom painted cabinetry with a classic shaker profile, extending them to the ceiling with functional storage, deep drawers, and a garbage/recycling pullout. To add visual interest, the island would have a stained light wood finish, echoed by the floating shelves around the range.  The island would feature seating for four, deep storage drawers and a large workspace. The countertops would be updated to feature custom stone, and tiled backsplashes would accent the walls behind the sink and range areas. Electrical, plumbing, lighting, and flooring would be updated to accommodate opening the wall, moving the appliances, adding lighting fixtures, and replacing the sink and faucet.

The actual renovation cost:

Demolition (including removal of materials), wall removal (and framing out the new opening), removing the old cabinets, and all drywall repair/taping/patching came to $5,412.93

The new custom cabinetry was the largest single expense, coming to a total of $30,157.63 including the hardware. Full installation of the cabinets, floating shelves, LED under-cabinet strip lighting, and range hood added an additional $4,545.53.

While countertop costs can vary depending on the chosen material, we added an average countertop allowance that would cover custom stone countertops in either quartz or granite (including custom templating, fabrication and installation), totalling $11,217.90. The tile backsplashes, including all materials and installation added $2,517.50 to the total, and new plumbing and electrical fixtures (sink, faucet, and recessed light fixtures) came to $1,054.38 and $766.70, respectively.

Because we don’t directly employ our own electricians, plumbers, painters or flooring installers, at Gateway we have established many partnerships with contractors we trust in Winnipeg. These partners have been chosen carefully for their quality work, prompt service and understanding of our expectations. The cost of all the trade work for this kitchen totalled $14,735.50, which included all electrical installation and materials (wiring, new outlets) plumbing installation and materials (new plumbing lines for the dishwasher and refrigerator), new paint, and an allowance for all flooring materials including installation.

The final charge on this kitchen quote is our Design and Project Management Fee. While we could build this fee into our totals by marking up other aspects of this kitchen renovation, we prefer to be transparent about where your money is going. The design and project management fee includes the complete design of this kitchen, (site walkthroughs and measurements, design package, and engineered CAD drawings for all cabinetry and trade requirements) as well as project management throughout the entire renovation (schedule creation and management, coordination and communication of trades and construction professionals and constant communication with the homeowner). This fee adds an additional $1,950.00 to the total.

For the complete design, demolition and renovation of this kitchen, working with the homeowner from conception to completion, the total cost of this kitchen renovation came to $79,422.85 (including taxes, GST: $3,617.95, and PST: $3,446.93). If you would like to take a look at the complete quote to see what you’d receive from us in your design package you can click to see it here.

As you can see, this cost does not include the cost of any new major appliances the homeowner would like to integrate (refrigerator, range, dishwasher), and does not include the cost of the pendant lighting above the island (we have it listed in the quote as “customer supplied”, however their installation is included).

As we noted at the beginning of this article, custom kitchen renovations vary in cost, so while THIS kitchen renovation cost nearly $80,000, the renovation of this specific kitchen can vary significantly due to many choices made during the design process. We made choices in this kitchen to demonstrate a common renovation where the homeowner wanted to make significant changes, but there are many ways to update a kitchen that can reduce the overall cost. If you are looking for a quality renovation, and would like to keep your costs lower, here are some suggestions:

• Avoid moving fixtures and appliances. There’s no secret here—whenever you move the working parts of a kitchen, the renovation cost increases. Moving appliances and fixtures require added materials and trade work that have a tendency to add up quickly. While it’s tempting to go for the big change, it’s best to think strategically about which modifications will get the best bang for your renovation dollars. Focusing on the flow and function of your kitchen space, and understanding how you personally use your kitchen will help you determine which components (if any) need to move. It’s possible you’ll be just as happy with an aesthetic update as you would be with a major rearranging.
• Pay attention to your finishes and materials: We know you’ve been online looking for inspiration and while those incredible handmade tiles look great in that photo on Instagram, they aren’t usually advertised with the cost. It’s very easy for a total budget to spiral out of control by falling in love with specific materials without understanding the cost. Considering kitchen renovations can have half a dozen or more different materials, a small upgrade on each one can take your budget from doable to problem very quickly.
• Be honest with us about your budget: This one can seem counterintuitive, but the reality is if you don’t tell us what your budget is, we will guess and guessing brings along a special risk. As luxury kitchen renovators, we have access to every sample and finish and hardware accessory, and while we have gotten fairly good at guessing, as we established above, the cost of materials can add up very quickly. While we know that there are lots of budget friendly options, our Design Team is also made up of talented artists, who want to build something special that they know you’ll love. The danger lies in the very real possibility that you’ll fall in love with a design that you can’t afford. It’s easy to add to a design, and a lot harder to identify things to take away once you’re already emotionally invested. Be smart, be strategic and be honest.
• Try to be decisive and stick with your choices: Once the design process is complete and we’ve started your renovation, it’s expensive to make changes. While there are always those moments where you realize you’ve chosen the wrong material (or the real-life version doesn’t look like how you imagined it), if you need to stick to a budget be cautious about making changes mid-reno. We’re happy to make changes for you to ensure you’re happy with the finished product, but changes equal delays and added cost. If materials have been partially installed, we can’t return that material, and the time it takes to order new material can result in rescheduling all the upcoming work that can’t continue until that step is done.
• Don’t invest every penny into your design: ALWAYS keep a bit of budget aside for unexpected complications. Unless you are the builder of your home and know every change that happened since it was built, the chances are never zero that we’ll find something we didn’t expect once the walls start opening up and demolition is complete. Building codes change over the years, and improperly-done prior renovations can expose problems you may not have been expecting that will eat into your budget. We’re responsible for ensuring that every home system we modify or expose follows the building code and can pass inspection, so we can’t overlook issues even if we didn’t create them, but we’re also going to work through every issue with you to find the best resolution.
• Do some of the work yourself: This recommendation comes with big caveats. It only saves your budget if you already know what you’re doing AND have the capacity to plan your labour into the schedule. It takes us approximately 8-10 weeks to plan out and prepare for your kitchen renovation, and every step and detail is meticulously scheduled in the most logical progression. If you are an electrician, or you’re fully confident in your painting skills, there’s no reason you need to have us take on that part of your project as long as you estimate your time correctly and stick to the plan. If your portion of the project isn’t completed during the allotted time (we get it, life gets in the way), it can cause delays and rescheduling of other trades. While we do our best to reshuffle as efficiently as possible, we do have multiple projects on the go at any given time, so it’s unlikely you’ll finish on the same timeline as originally estimated.

While it can be tempting to look at each individual line of a renovation quote and attempt to cut costs, it’s important to note a few things:

• Trade costs can feel high (and like something you might want to negotiate separately for yourself), but we choose our trades carefully, and have very specific and documented expectations of those we partner with. Because of the amount of steady work we offer, we can be guaranteed certain timelines, quality work and competitive pricing. While it may seem doable to negotiate a lower-priced electrician (and we will still work with you if you do), in our experience, more often than not, doing this results in delays, mistakes or lower-quality work, and the possibility of higher costs for you. Proceed with caution.
• We’re not a not-for-profit organization. We have staff to employ, power bills to pay and costs to cover so we have everything we need to work on your project. Yes, we have markups on the materials and services we quote for you, but we run as efficiently as we can while still providing top-notch service. While writing this article, we took a look at the books for the last few years, and thought it might interest you to know that the net yearly profit of Gateway Kitchen + Bath ranged from approximately 1-5% of total billings. This profit can be invested back into the company to facilitate growth and a portion of it is shared with our employees at the end of the year. It’s a lot of work for a small return, but we love what we do.
• We believe in honest and accurate quoting. We don’t leave costs off our quotes to compete with a lower cost and then increase them once you’re committed. This means that unless you make changes to the project mid-stream or there are unforeseen complications when we open up your walls (in both instances we’ll be open about any added costs), we do everything we can to ensure that the price we quoted you is the price you pay.

So there you have it, the cost of a custom Gateway kitchen renovation laid out as clearly and accurately as we can. We hope that this information will help you make confident decisions as you plan your renovation, and please know that we are always here to answer your questions. We’ve been doing this a long time and our team is happy to share from their expertise.

If you’re thinking about starting a home renovation project, and would like to talk to a member of our Design Team about how to get started, you can contact us using our web form or make an appointment for a free one-hour consultation using our online appointment tool. Let’s build something!