Kitchen Remodel Cost Calculator: How to Estimate a Kitchen in 2026

What a kitchen remodel actually costs in 2026

Before you can estimate a single job, you need a feel for the market. A full kitchen remodel in the US averages roughly 27,000 to 35,000 dollars, but the real spread is wide — anywhere from about 15,000 dollars for a cosmetic refresh to 75,000 dollars or more for a gut renovation with custom cabinetry and high-end appliances.

Here is roughly how that budget breaks down by category:

- Cabinets: about 29 to 40 percent of the total - Materials (countertops, flooring, fixtures, finishes): about 30 to 40 percent - Labor: about 20 to 30 percent - Appliances, permits, and misc: the remainder

These percentages are your sanity check. If your cabinet number comes in at 10 percent of the job, you have probably missed something. If labor lands at 50 percent, your hours are likely off. Use the ranges as guardrails, then build the real number from the components below. A calculator that starts from the room itself, not a national average, is always going to win you the job. See our kitchen remodel cost guide for a deeper component-by-component breakdown.

Step 1: Cabinets — usually your biggest line

Cabinets are the single largest cost in most kitchens, eating 29 to 40 percent of the budget, so this is where accuracy matters most. The number swings hard based on three choices: stock vs semi-custom vs custom, the linear footage of run, and door style or finish.

To estimate, measure your linear feet of base and wall cabinets, then apply a per-linear-foot price from your supplier:

- Stock: lower end of your per-LF range - Semi-custom: mid-range, most common for remodels - Custom: top of the range, plus longer lead times

Formula: (linear feet of base x base price per LF) + (linear feet of wall x wall price per LF) + tall units and islands priced individually.

Do not forget the extras that quietly add up — soft-close hardware, crown molding, toe kicks, filler strips, and installation labor (often quoted separately at a per-cabinet or per-LF rate). Getting the linear footage right by hand is tedious and error-prone. A scan that captures exact wall dimensions removes the guesswork, which is exactly what LiDAR scanning is built for.

Step 2: Countertops

Countertops are priced by the square foot of material plus fabrication and installation. To estimate them, calculate your total counter area: multiply each run's length by its depth (a standard counter is about 25 inches deep, or roughly 2.1 feet), then add the island.

Material drives the price more than anything:

- Laminate: the value option - Butcher block: mid-range, warm look - Quartz: the volume favorite, durable and predictable pricing - Natural stone (granite, marble): higher and more variable

Formula: total square feet x (material price per SF + fabrication per SF + install per SF). Then add edge profiles, sink and faucet cutouts, and a backsplash if it is the same material.

Always add waste. Slabs come in fixed sizes, and seams, sink cutouts, and overhangs mean you rarely use 100 percent of a slab. Budgeting 10 to 15 percent material overage protects your margin when the fabricator yield comes in lower than the raw square footage suggests. The cleaner your measurements, the tighter you can set that overage without eating a surprise.

Step 3: Flooring and backsplash

Flooring is a square-footage game. Measure the floor area (length x width, minus the cabinet footprint if you are not running flooring underneath), then price by material installed:

- Luxury vinyl plank (LVP): popular, durable, mid-low cost - Tile: wide range depending on the tile and the labor to set it - Hardwood: higher material and finishing cost

Formula: floor square feet x installed price per SF, plus 10 percent waste for cuts and pattern matching (more for diagonal or herringbone layouts).

The backsplash is its own small line. Measure the wall area between counter and upper cabinets — typically a band about 18 inches tall — then price by square foot for material plus tile-setting labor. Decorative tile, mosaics, and tricky patterns push setting labor up fast, so price the labor by the difficulty of the install, not just the area.

Do not skip transitions, underlayment, and trim. They are small per-item but they are the kind of thing that turns a clean estimate into a change order later.

Step 4: Labor, appliances, and the rest

Labor typically runs 20 to 30 percent of a kitchen remodel, and it is the line that sinks the most bids because it is the hardest to feel by eye. Build it from hours, not a percentage: estimate days for demo, rough-in, cabinet set, counter template and install, flooring, tile, paint, and trim-out, then multiply by your crew loaded hourly or daily rate.

Do not forget the trades you sub out:

- Plumbing: sink, dishwasher, disposal, any relocations - Electrical: outlets, under-cabinet lighting, dedicated circuits - HVAC: range hood venting if it is getting moved - Permits and inspections

Appliances are often homeowner-supplied, but if you are providing them, list each unit at cost plus your markup and account for delivery and installation.

Finally, dumpsters, protection, and cleanup are real costs — bake them in rather than absorbing them. Add every sub bid, every permit, and every disposal fee as its own line so nothing hides inside a round number you will regret on day three.

Step 5: Add contingency and your margin

Two numbers separate a professional estimate from a hopeful one: contingency and margin.

Contingency covers the surprises every remodel hides — rotted subfloor, out-of-square walls, old wiring that fails inspection. Add 15 to 25 percent on top of your direct costs. Older homes and gut jobs sit at the high end; clean cosmetic refreshes at the low end.

Margin is how you stay in business. Most remodelers target a gross margin of 25 to 40 percent, which translates to a markup of about 1.4x to 1.7x on your total costs. Remember the difference: markup is applied to your cost, margin is a percentage of the final price. A 1.5x markup is a 33 percent margin, not 50 percent. For the full breakdown, see how to price a remodeling job.

The order matters: total your direct costs, add contingency, then apply markup to reach the client price. The whole sequence — measure, cost each component, contingency, markup — is exactly what Alcovia runs automatically. You scan the kitchen, the AI remodel engine generates the design, and the Growth plan turns measurements into a material takeoff and an instant estimate from your own price list.