Every homeowner wants a number and every honest contractor is reluctant to give one before seeing the space. That is not evasion. Two kitchens of identical square footage in the same neighborhood can differ by a factor of three depending on decisions that have nothing to do with size.
So rather than invent a figure, here is what actually moves it — roughly in order of impact.
1. Cabinetry, by a distance
Cabinets are typically the single largest line in a kitchen budget, and the spread within “cabinets” is enormous. Stock cabinets in standard sizes, semi-custom with modified dimensions and upgraded interiors, and full custom built to your walls are three different products at three different prices.
What separates them in practice: box construction (plywood versus particleboard), drawer hardware, whether interiors are finished, and whether the cabinet actually fits your wall or needs filler strips to bridge the gap. On a Florida coastal project, plywood boxes are worth the difference — particleboard and humidity are a poor combination over time.
2. Whether plumbing and gas move
Keeping the sink and appliances where they are is dramatically cheaper than relocating them. Moving a sink to an island means opening the slab, trenching, re-routing drain with correct fall, and patching — plus the permit and inspection that comes with it.
It is often the right decision. An island sink can transform how a kitchen works. But it should be a deliberate choice made with the cost understood, not a line on a drawing nobody priced.
3. Whether walls come out
Opening a kitchen to the living space is the most requested change we get, and the cost depends entirely on what the wall is doing. A non-structural partition is a modest line item. A load-bearing wall means engineering, a properly sized beam, temporary shoring and a structural permit — a different order of magnitude.
This is why we investigate before we price. A twenty-minute look above the ceiling is the difference between a real number and a guess.
4. Countertops and how they are detailed
Material matters, but fabrication detail often matters more. A standard eased edge on a single slab is one price. Full-height backsplashes, mitered waterfall island ends and book-matched veining require more material, more fabrication and slab selection at the yard — and they look markedly better. It is a real choice, not an upsell.
5. Appliances
The appliance package is usually the homeowner's own purchase, but it drives cabinetry design and therefore cost. Built-in refrigeration, panel-ready dishwashers and pro-style ranges all change cabinet dimensions and often require ventilation and electrical work that a standard slide-in range does not.
6. What is behind the walls
In older homes east of I-95 and in the pre-1980 housing stock across the county, demolition regularly reveals cast-iron drain lines at the end of their service life, aluminum branch wiring, or framing that was modified at some point without much care.
None of that is a disaster, and all of it is far cheaper to address while the wall is already open. We build a contingency into every older-home project for exactly this reason, and we would rather tell you about it up front than surprise you in week two.
What to ask for instead of a ballpark
A useful estimate is itemized. You should be able to see what the cabinetry allowance is, what the countertop allowance is, what is included for plumbing and electrical, and what the contingency covers. Two estimates are only comparable when both are broken out that way — a single bottom-line number tells you nothing about what was assumed to get there.
- Is the permit included, and who pulls it?
- What grade of cabinet is in the number, and is the box plywood?
- Is stone an allowance or a specified material?
- What happens if demolition reveals failed plumbing — how is that priced?
- Who is on site day to day, and are they employees or subcontractors?
We give free, written, itemized estimates across Palm Beach and Martin County. It costs nothing to find out what your actual kitchen costs rather than what the internet's average kitchen costs.