As our bathroom renovation continues (current status: more demo, the vanity, tub, and toilet have arrived, and the plumber and electrician are scheduled to rough in so we can prep and tile), we thought it would be useful to share a clear, SEO-friendly breakdown of the duplex kitchen budget. For anyone asking about renting the duplex this fall, there’s an update about availability near the end of the post.
Kitchen renovation costs vary widely, so consider this post a reference point—not a rule for how much a remodel should cost. For context, the average kitchen renovation in 2019 was around $24,000, and industry professionals often quote ranges that span tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on scope. Our duplex projects landed far below those extreme figures, but there are still places where we could have saved money if our priorities were different.
The list below includes the major materials and appliances for one kitchen only—the two sides are mirror images and cost essentially the same. We excluded whole-house items like drywall, electrical service upgrades, and floor refinishing since those were billed as duplex-wide projects. Later I’ll give ballpark labor numbers based on past jobs so you can see a fuller estimate.
We went from an empty box of a room to a completed kitchen with new cabinetry, countertops, appliances, tile to the ceiling, and refinished hardwoods. Below are the hard costs for one kitchen (no labor, since we installed most items ourselves):
- Ikea cabinets (including hinges and drawer slides): $2,100
- Hardware: $100
- Quartz countertops (sink and installation included): $2,850
- Appliances (oven, fridge, microwave, vent hood): $2,550
- Backsplash tile: $475
- Floating shelves: $90
- Horizontal planking: $31
- Faucet: $155
- Pendant light: $140
- TOTAL: $8,491
The biggest budget drivers were countertops and appliances. We have no regrets about choosing quartz counters—they perform well, resist staining and scratching, and feel worry-free for renters. That said, for a rental property there are cheaper countertop options that would lower the overall cost.
Appliances presented some opportunities to save. Stainless steel looks more “updated” than white, but white appliances are usually cheaper. We also chose models without icemakers or water dispensers to avoid potential leaks. The largest appliance price increases came from choosing integrated or cabinet-fronted options to keep the look seamless. For example, the in-cabinet recirculating hood and a cabinet-front dishwasher cost significantly more than visible, standard models. We were happy with the built-in look, but it added several hundred dollars compared with more basic options.
Because we installed most items ourselves, the list above excludes labor. To give you a fuller picture, here are representative labor costs from our projects and typical market ranges:
- Floor refinishing: we typically pay about $3.50 per square foot. This kitchen (11.5′ x 10′) would be roughly $402 to refinish the floor in that room alone. Adding that would raise the total to about $8,893.
- Electrical work: past kitchen projects on other houses ranged from $455 to $900 depending on scope. If you assume a middle value of about $700 for electrical labor and parts, the total would be about $9,593.
- Plumbing: when moving sink and dishwasher locations or adding a fridge water line and gas stove, costs vary. In one recent project we paid $650 to move sink and dishwasher locations, run a fridge water line, and extend a gas line. For this duplex kitchen, a simpler estimate of $500 for plumbing would bring the total to about $10,093.
So is a roughly $10,000 kitchen cheap? Not exactly—but it’s reasonable given that we started with an empty room and ended with two full walls of cabinets, quartz counters, integrated appliances, tile to the ceiling, and refinished hardwood floors. Characterful elements like the existing brick chimney and hardwoods helped the result feel richer without adding cost.
Keep in mind labor and material costs vary widely by region and job complexity. Factors such as access to crawlspaces, slab foundations, wall composition, and local labor rates all change estimates. Use the numbers here as ballpark figures and adjust for your circumstances.
For an impartial sense of local costs, sites that aggregate contractor pricing and averages can be helpful. They’ll show regional variations for services like hardwood refinishing and electrical or plumbing work.
Rental update: for those who asked about booking the duplex this fall, most dates are already reserved. The end of this week is still available on the left side, and the end of next week has openings on both sides. We require a minimum three-night stay in the off-season, so the calendar reflects check-in day options; once you choose a check-in date the calendar will expand to allow checkout selection. We’ve posted a guide that highlights local activities and another post that shows the duplex before-and-after if you want more context on the area and the whole renovation.
If you want additional reading about kitchen projects, here are a few related posts we’ve shared: a budget-friendly kitchen refresh from a friend, our 2015 kitchen remodel, a roundup of mistakes we made during renovations, our first house kitchen and its budget breakdown, a guide to installing a subway tile backsplash for about $200, and posts on planning and organizing kitchen cabinets.
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