Discover The Cost Of A Kitchen Remodel in Tuscaloosa

For many of us, whether it's buying a new car, taking a vacation or planning a kitchen remodel, our decision comes down to one primary concern; “what is this going to cost?” When it comes to a kitchen remodel, the answer isn't always black and white. The size of your space, the scope of work, and the quality of materials are all factors that can dramatically affect your final costs. 

When you work with a design-build contractor, you're not going through the process alone. They can provide you with a solid jumping-off point and provide you with creative ideas for allocating your budget.

Breaking Down Kitchen Remodel Costs

Let's take a look at some average breakdowns based on the size of the space. At Toulmin, we distinguish between large kitchens (200 square feet or more) and smaller kitchens (those less than 200 square feet). Here's an example. This kitchen located in the Waterfall Neighborhood on Lake Tuscaloosa would be considered significant at 295 square feet.

We typically start by looking at the size of the space because the square footage will generally dictate the quantity of materials you'll need to spend money on, so it's a pretty good baseline measure. Again, many other factors come into play when creating an estimate. 

The following are some averages of costs for projects we've completed over the past couple of years to give you an idea of what you'll need to budget.

The Cost of Remodeling a Small Kitchen

Undertaking a major kitchen remodel of a kitchen that's less than 200 square feet averages $45,800 for our projects over the last few years. This includes demolition of the space, replacing all cabinetry, countertops, replacing or refinishing the flooring, new plumbing & light fixtures, sheetrock, painting, permits, and insurance. 

To dive deeper into your project, you'll need to consider those custom cabinets can increase costs by roughly 25% over semi-custom cabinetry. New state-of-the-art appliances are not included in the average number and will cost considerably more than, for example, floor units at a scratch and dent supplier, or those purchased at a big box store holiday sale. 

We consider a partial remodel as one that doesn't include replacing cabinetry. This is a much less complicated kitchen remodel that might only consist of new countertops, a subway tile backsplash and repainting the kitchen. For a kitchen that is less than 200 square feet, our average client cost is $15,700.

The Cost of Remodeling A Large Kitchen

Our average cost for undertaking a major remodel of a kitchen that is over 200 square feet or more has averaged $74,600 for the last two years–2017 and 2018. A minor or partial remodel of the same kitchen averaged $22,000.

Where to Splurge and Where to Save

Many homeowners have those special design elements or materials that are must-have items on which they're willing to splurge. Our experience has been that about 40 percent of our clients “splurge” on countertops for their kitchen remodel. Most are choosing engineered quartz, shown here, which has overtaken granite as the most popular countertop choice. 

Another favorite splurge is inset cabinet construction. More than 80 percent of our clients choose the better cabinetry option and splurge on having cabinets with inset/flush doors. It gives the kitchen a real English bespoke furniture feel. Here at Toulmin, we L-O-V-E it!

A little extra info... To allow our customers to select the products and materials that work best within their project design (and their budget), at Toulmin Kitchen & Bath, we provide a “good, better, best” pricing system with three pricing options on our preliminary kitchen investment analysis.

Our clients can find ways to save on elements like flooring, backsplashes, and light fixtures to allow them to splurge on inset cabinets or real marble countertops.

Staying Ahead of the Trends: What's Popular With Our Clients

If you're wondering where to put your money in terms of style, colors, or resale value, look toward the latest design trends. It can help to look at the most popular selections among other renovating homeowners out there.

Classic colors and finishes are classics for a reason. They have staying power, appeal to current (and future) homeowners and give you the ability to personalize their space in subtle ways, for example, a quick update in wall paint or accessories. 

As the kitchen has become a popular hub for not only cooking meals, but doing homework, organizing schedules, and sitting down to eat, homeowners are tending to gravitate toward colors that create a fresh, invigorating atmosphere. Moreover, cool neutral colors do that well.

This photo captures one of the most popular aesthetics our client are asking for: stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops, wood floors, white Shaker-style cabinets, white backsplash and soft greige walls — a truly classic look.

Here, the previous recipe gets tweaked to include Benjamin Moore Gettysburg Gray BM HC-10 shaker style cabinets, one of Dupont’s popular white engineered quartz countertops mentioned, white walls instead of gray and a paneled refrigerator to tone down the steel. In addition to the cabinet color, we amped up the space by introducing brick pavers on a herringbone pattern and vintage lighting over the island.  This kitchen also contains a Kohler Whitehaven Farmhouse sink, grey 2x8 subway tile backsplash and a Danze Melrose single handle faucet in polished chrome.

At Toulmin Kitchen and Bath we work closely with our clients to create their dream kitchen on a budget. We stay ahead of the trends, understand our client's lifestyle needs, and work to deliver outstanding quality, on time and on budget. We provide you with three levels of options (good, better, best) and can customize your kitchen to meet your aesthetic, functional and budgetary needs. If you're planning a kitchen remodel and live in the greater Tuscaloosa area, give our design team a call or stop by our showroom and let us show you the Toulmin difference!