Kitchens are the most expensive room most homeowners renovate, and the cost is spread across more categories than a bathroom — which makes it easier to lose track of.
Cabinetry
Usually the largest single line. The range runs from stock units through semi-custom to fully bespoke, and the difference between those tiers is substantial.
Worth understanding: cabinetry cost is driven by construction quality and materials as much as by appearance. Two kitchens that look similar can differ considerably in how the boxes are built, how drawers are mounted and what the hinges will be doing in ten years.
Whether the layout changes
As with bathrooms, this is the step that changes everything. Keeping the sink, range and refrigerator where they are avoids moving plumbing, gas and major electrical, which keeps the project in finish territory.
Moving the sink relocates supply and waste. Moving the range may involve gas or a substantial electrical circuit. Both trigger permits and open up the floor or walls.
Electrical capacity
This is the Washington-specific issue that catches people out, particularly in older homes.
A modern kitchen asks considerably more of the electrical system than the one it replaces. Induction ranges draw heavily. Multiple small-appliance circuits are required. Add a dishwasher, disposal and under-cabinet lighting and the total is well beyond what a mid-century panel was designed around.
Have the panel assessed during design. Discovering the limit halfway through is expensive and disruptive, and if you are also considering a heat pump or EV charger, size the upgrade once for everything.
Structural work
Opening a kitchen to a living space is one of the most requested changes, particularly in growth-era homes whose floor plans separated them. Whether the wall is load-bearing determines whether this is straightforward or a genuine structural project involving a beam, engineering and inspection.
This needs proper assessment rather than an on-site opinion, and it is worth establishing early because it materially affects the budget.
Appliances
Largely under your control and easy to underestimate collectively. Worth noting that appliance choice can drive other costs — an induction range may require an electrical upgrade, a larger refrigerator may require cabinetry changes, and a professional-style range may need different ventilation.
Worktops and finishes
A wide range at every level, and the area where a budget flexes most easily without changing scope. Template and installation timing matters for scheduling — most worktop materials are templated after cabinets are installed, which creates a gap in the middle of the project.
Discovered conditions
In older Washington homes, opening walls produces findings. Original wiring, galvanised plumbing, and occasionally framing that has taken water from a long-running leak behind a sink. Budget for the possibility rather than hoping.
Living through it
Not a line item but a real cost. A kitchen remodel takes weeks, and eating arrangements during that period have a price. Worth planning rather than absorbing.