The Number Everyone Wants to Know
Whenever I mention that we remodeled our kitchen, the first question is always the same. Not "what color are the cabinets?" or "did you keep the original floors?" — but "what did it cost?" I understand the impulse. Kitchen renovation numbers are famously opaque. Contractor quotes range from "reasonable" to "what does that even include?" and design magazines rarely print prices next to the pretty photos.
So here it is. The real budget for our 1920s bungalow kitchen, completed in 2025 on a stay-at-home-mom-plus-teacher-salary, with every dollar accounted for and every corner cut deliberately.
The Big Picture: What We Spent
Our kitchen is approximately 180 square feet. We didn't move any plumbing stacks or exterior walls, but we did widen the opening to the dining room and steal a pantry's worth of space from an underused mudroom. We acted as our own general contractor, a decision that saved money and cost sleep.
Category | What We Chose | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Cabinetry | IKEA Sektion with Semihandmade fronts (Sage) | $5,200 | Self-installed over four weekends. Derek learned European hinge adjustment. |
Countertops | Caesarstone "Fresh Concrete" quartz | $3,800 | 35 sq ft installed. One seam, nearly invisible. |
Backsplash | Basic white subway tile, 3x6 | $340 | DIY install. $2.50/sq ft at Home Depot. Grout was $40. |
Appliances | GE Cafe Series range, Bosch dishwasher, LG fridge | $4,600 | Range was the splurge. Dishwasher open-box. Fridge on sale. |
Sink and Faucet | Kraus 30" undermount single-bowl, Delta Trinsic faucet | $480 | Stainless steel. Faucet in matte black. |
Flooring | Engineered hardwood, white oak | $1,900 | Matched existing floors. Pro install. |
Lighting | Cedar & Moss semi-flush and under-cabinet LED strips | $620 | The one design moment I refused to trim. |
Plumbing and Electrical | Subcontracted | $3,200 | Required moving one outlet and adding GFCI. Plumbing stayed in place. |
Drywall, Paint, Trim | DIY + one hired finisher | $1,100 | Paint: Benjamin Moore "Simply White" in washable matte. |
Permits and Disposal | City of LA + dumpster rental | $900 | Permits took six weeks. Dumpster sat in the driveway. |
Total | $22,140 |
Where We Saved
The two biggest savings came from the same decision: IKEA cabinets. I've specified custom cabinetry in five-figure client kitchens, and I can tell you honestly that the Sektion system, paired with aftermarket fronts, performs at 85% of custom quality for about 30% of the price. The Semihandmade fronts are real wood veneer, beautifully finished. We installed them ourselves, which was a steep learning curve, but four weekends of labor saved roughly $4,000 in installation costs.
We also kept the sink and dishwasher in their original locations. Moving plumbing is one of the fastest ways to blow a kitchen budget, and in a house this old, opening a wall to move a pipe often reveals three other problems behind it. We left the pipes alone.
Where We Didn't Cheap Out
I spent real money on the range. Derek cooks every night, and he wanted a gas cooktop with a convection oven that could handle a Thanksgiving turkey and Tuesday-night pizza with equal competence. The GE Cafe Series wasn't the most expensive option, but it wasn't cheap. I've never regretted it.
The countertops were the other non-negotiable. I'd lived with cheap laminate and I'd lived with stained marble. Quartz was the quiet, maintenance-free middle ground that made our daily life easier. At $3,800, it was our second-largest line item after cabinets. Two years in, with grape juice and coffee grounds and hot pans all testing its resolve, it hasn't blinked.
What the Total Doesn't Show
That $22,140 number is honest but incomplete. It doesn't include the eight weeks of takeout that inflated our food budget. It doesn't include the three trips to Home Depot in one day that Derek still jokes about. It doesn't include the cost of the marriage therapy we didn't need but probably came close to.
It also doesn't capture what we gained: a kitchen that works exactly the way our family does, designed by someone who knew what mattered — not because she read it in a magazine, but because she lives here.
If You're Doing the Same Math
If you're staring at your own old-house kitchen and a spreadsheet that keeps growing, here's what I'd say: decide early where your splurge lives. Ours was the range. Yours might be the counters, or the cabinets, or the one light fixture that makes you smile every time you walk in. Spend there, and let the rest be modest. A kitchen doesn't need to be expensive to feel generous. It needs to be thoughtful.
Take your time — your house will still be here tomorrow.
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