
Kitchen cabinets Renovation
Name: Jennifer Pade
Type of Project: Kitchen remodel
Location: West Village, New York, New York
Type of building: 300 square foot apartment in a co-op building
Jennifer's kitchen renovation is finished, and it is beautiful. Some of you are probably wondering: how much does it cost to transform a broken-down NYC apartment kitchen with falling-apart walls into a dreamy space like this? Let's break it down.
From Jennifer:
As much as I would have liked to save money on this project, I don’t have any experience doing renovation work. So I knew that this wasn’t going to be a DIY project, which meant a bigger budget for labor. And our co-op requires the use of licensed electricians and plumbers for all alteration work, so I couldn’t use experienced-but-not-professional friends or referrals on the project.
One surprise hit on the budget was the electrical work, which was almost $1, 700 more than the preliminary estimate. Because of new city codes, the electrical panel had to be replaced and relocated, which meant a great deal more electrical work than was planned for. The other surprise was the cost of the cabinetry. It came in $2, 200 higher than the original estimate, mainly because I didn’t take into account all the extra pieces (side panels, door pulls, hinges, etc.) that would have to be purchased separately for each cabinet — because IKEA sells everything separately. And of course, there’s the cost of labor and materials in New York City, which can be much higher than in other places in the country.
It seems amazing to me that such a tiny little kitchen could end up costing so much. But the costs shown here also include the (beautiful) flooring for the kitchen, living room and bedroom, as well as a new closet to replace the one that was demolished in order to expand the kitchen into the living room. Both great investments, since my floor looks fantastic and the closet goes all the way to the ceiling, providing much more storage space than the old one!
Budget Specifics:
LABOR:
- Projected:
Contractor Labor (Includes demolition, construction, flooring, cabinetry, installing sliding door): $12, 250Electrician: $5200
Plumbing: $4200
Total: $21, 650Actual:
Contractor Labor (Includes demolition, construction, flooring, cabinetry, installing sliding door): $14, 105
Electrician: $6875
Total: $25, 180Difference: +$3, 530
DESIGN AND PERMITTING:
- Projected:
Architectural/design/filing fees, $3, 950
Co-Op Fees, $500
Total: $4950Architectural/design/filing fees, $4, 530
Co-Op Fees, $500
Total: $5, 030Difference: +
$580
APPLIANCES:
-
Projected:
Jenn-Air Speed oven: $1750Miele Cooktop: $979
Fisher & Paykel Dishwasher: $760
Fisher & Paykel refrigerator: $1549
Actual:GE Advantium oven: $1, 746
Miele Cooktop: $980
Fisher & Paykel Dishwasher: $760
Summit refrigerator: $1, 215
Tax on Appliances: $303
Total: $5, 004Difference: -$122
FIXTURES:
CABINETS AND COUNTERTOPS:
- Projected:
IKEA Cabinets, $3000Caesarstone Countertops, $1400
Backsplash tile: $225
IKEA Cabinets, $5, 205
IKEA Caesarstone Countertops, $2, 123
Backsplash tile: $378
Total: $7706Difference:
+$3, 156
OTHER BUILDING MATERIALS:
-
Projected:
New window security gate: $300Actual: $0 (security gate omitted)
Difference: -$300
OTHER PROJECT COSTS:
- Projected:
Apartment rental for two months: $3600 Actual:
Apartment rental for two months: $3600Difference: $0
Difference:
And a quick note: although this wasn't included in the original budget estimate, Jennifer received $5400 from the co-op to cover repairs to the walls and ceiling. Good news for anyone considering remodeling in a co-op building.
Readers, Check out the full series to see the whole renovation process, step-by-step. And tune in next week for Jennifer's final thoughts on what she learned during the renovation.
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