Around Seattle and Snohomish County this year, a same-layout refresh mostly lands between $25,000 and $45,000, a mid-range remodel between $45,000 and $75,000, and a full gut to the studs $75,000 and up. Kitchen remodel is a phrase that covers all three in the same breath. Nobody can bid your kitchen from a blog post; these are the lanes the local market runs in. Here is how to place your project on that scale.
Refresh: same layout, new everything
If the layout works, the lightest version keeps the walls and plumbing where they are and swaps in new cabinets, counters, and fixtures. It's the fastest and the cheapest of the three, usually in and out in a couple of weeks.
Mid-range: a few things move
Adding an island, opening a wall to the dining room, or moving the sink brings in some framing and plumbing work. It's a bigger number than a refresh and usually where a kitchen really starts to feel new.
Full gut: back to the studs
Taking it to the studs and changing the layout is the top of the range. New everything, walls where you want them, and the most time on site. This is where the number climbs, and where the drawing and a start and finish date on the contract matter most.
What moves the number inside each tier
Cabinets and counters are the big swing. Stock cabinets and a solid surface counter sit at one end, custom boxes and stone at the other. Appliances, moving plumbing, and any surprises behind old walls do the rest. The free design visit is where we pin down which tier you are in.
Common questions
An hour in the kitchen settles it. We measure, talk through what moves and what stays, and place your project in its tier with real numbers, so you're budgeting from your actual kitchen rather than a magazine average. The design visit is free.
