Every line item in a Michigan kitchen remodel, priced and explained
I’m going to do something most contractors won’t: list every line item that goes into a kitchen remodel and tell you what each one costs in Southeast Michigan. Not ranges from a national website. Actual numbers from projects we’ve completed in Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Canton, Plymouth, and across our six-county service area. The goal is to arm you with enough detail that when you sit down with any contractor, you understand where the money goes.
Demolition and prep
Demolition costs $1,500 to $3,500 for a standard kitchen gut. This covers removing existing cabinets, countertops, flooring, backsplash, and appliances. The range depends on the kitchen size and the disposal method. We include a dumpster in the demolition cost. Post-demo assessment (checking what’s behind the walls) is part of our pre-construction process and doesn’t carry a separate line item.
Framing and structural work
If you’re keeping the same layout, framing costs are minimal: $500 to $1,500 for wall repairs, backing for cabinets, and minor adjustments. If you’re removing a wall to open the kitchen to the living or dining room, structural work jumps to $3,000 to $8,000 depending on whether the wall is load-bearing. A load-bearing wall removal requires a steel or engineered lumber beam, temporary support during installation, and a structural engineer’s stamp on the design. In older Washtenaw County homes with plaster walls and original framing, the structural work is more involved than in newer construction.
Cabinetry and hardware
Stock cabinets (pre-assembled, limited sizes): $5,000 to $12,000 installed for a typical kitchen. Semi-custom cabinets (wider range of sizes, finish options, and interior configurations): $15,000 to $30,000. Custom cabinets (built to exact specifications, unlimited configurations): $30,000 to $60,000. Hardware (knobs, pulls, hinges) adds $500 to $2,000. Soft-close hinges and drawer slides are standard in our projects; we don’t install traditional hardware unless specifically requested. Cabinet installation labor runs $2,000 to $4,000 depending on the number of cabinets and the complexity of the layout.
Countertops
Laminate: $15 to $30 per square foot installed. Butcher block: $40 to $80 per square foot. Quartz: $65 to $120 per square foot. Granite: $60 to $100 per square foot. Quartzite: $100 to $200 per square foot. Marble: $120 to $250 per square foot. A typical kitchen has 40 to 55 square feet of counter space including the island. The template-to-installation process takes two to three weeks after cabinets are set; this is a fixed waiting period regardless of the material because the template must be taken from the actual installed cabinets.
Flooring
Luxury vinyl plank: $4 to $8 per square foot installed. Porcelain tile: $8 to $20 per square foot installed. Engineered hardwood: $8 to $15 per square foot installed. Site-finished solid hardwood: $10 to $18 per square foot installed. For a 200-square-foot kitchen, flooring runs $800 to $3,600. If the floor extends into an adjacent dining room or hallway (which we recommend for visual continuity), the square footage and cost increase accordingly.
Backsplash tile
Ceramic subway tile: $8 to $15 per square foot installed. Glass or porcelain mosaic: $15 to $30 per square foot. Natural stone: $25 to $50 per square foot. A standard backsplash covers 25 to 40 square feet. Full-height backsplash to the ceiling is a growing trend in Birmingham and Northville projects, doubling the tile area and cost.
Plumbing fixtures and rough-in
Kitchen sink (stainless steel undermount): $300 to $1,200. Faucet: $250 to $800. Garbage disposal: $200 to $500. Dishwasher connection: $200 to $400. Pot filler: $800 to $2,000 installed. If the sink is moving to a new location (common in layout changes), add $1,500 to $3,000 for rough-in. Island sinks require running drain and supply lines through the floor, which adds $2,000 to $3,500.
Electrical and lighting
Recessed lighting (6 to 10 cans): $1,200 to $2,500 installed. Under-cabinet LED lighting: $800 to $1,500. Pendant lights over island: $400 to $2,000 depending on fixtures. New circuits (required for modern kitchens): $500 to $800 per circuit. Panel upgrade (common in older homes): $2,000 to $4,000. USB and standard outlet upgrades: $100 to $200 per location. Total electrical budget for a full kitchen remodel: $4,000 to $8,000 in Oakland County and Washtenaw County.
Appliances
Standard package (range, refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, hood): $5,000 to $10,000. Premium package with one pro-grade piece: $10,000 to $18,000. Full professional-grade suite: $20,000 to $40,000. We don’t mark up appliances; we help you source them and coordinate delivery with the construction schedule so they arrive when the kitchen is ready for installation, not six weeks early sitting in your garage.
The hidden line items nobody tells you about
Permits: $800 to $1,800 depending on the municipality and project value. Dumpster: $400 to $800 per pull. Temporary kitchen setup (if you want a functioning sink and microwave during construction): $500 to $1,000. Asbestos testing (required in pre-1980 homes before demolition): $200 to $400. Lead paint testing (required in pre-1978 homes): $200 to $300. These items don’t appear on most online cost guides, but they’re real costs that every kitchen renovation in Southeast Michigan incurs.
We include every one of these line items in our project proposals so the price you see is the price you pay. No surprise fees at the end. No “oh, we forgot to include the permit cost.” If you want to see how all these numbers come together for your specific kitchen, schedule a free consultation. I’ll walk your kitchen, assess the conditions, and build a line-by-line estimate that matches your goals and your budget. See our completed kitchen projects for examples of what different budgets produce in real Michigan homes.
Labor costs in a Michigan kitchen remodel
Labor typically accounts for 35% to 45% of a kitchen renovation budget. On a $100,000 kitchen, that’s $35,000 to $45,000 going to the people who actually build it: carpenters, electricians, plumbers, tile setters, painters, and the project manager coordinating them all. Michigan labor rates for skilled trades run $45 to $85 per hour depending on the specialty. Electricians and plumbers command the highest rates because of licensing requirements and the liability they carry.
The labor cost per hour is only part of the equation. What matters more is how many hours the project takes, and that depends on the crew’s experience level. Our lead carpenters have been building kitchens for years. They set cabinets level and plumb the first time. They know that quarter-inch gap between the cabinet face frame and the wall gets scribed, not caulked. They know the top drawer of an island needs to clear the countertop overhang. An experienced crew finishes the same kitchen in 20% fewer hours than an inexperienced one, which means the total labor cost is often lower despite the higher hourly rate.
Design fees and project management costs
In our design-build model, the design fee is included in the project cost. You won’t see a separate line item for “architectural services” or “design consultation” because we don’t charge them separately. The design work (layout planning, material specification, 3D renderings, construction drawings) is built into the overall project price. This is one of the cost advantages of design-build over the traditional architect-then-contractor model, where architectural fees run 8% to 15% of the project value as a separate cost.
Project management is also included. Your PM coordinates the trade schedule, orders materials, schedules inspections, manages the budget, and communicates with you daily. In a traditional model, the general contractor’s overhead and profit margin covers this, but the service level varies wildly. Some GCs check in once a week. Our PMs are on site daily and available by phone or message at any time.
What a $50K, $100K, and $150K kitchen looks like in Michigan
At $50,000, you’re getting a cosmetic-plus renovation: new stock or entry-level semi-custom cabinets, quartz countertops, new LVP or tile flooring, updated lighting, new backsplash, standard appliances, and fresh paint. The layout stays the same. No walls move. The kitchen looks and feels completely different, but the bones are unchanged. This scope works well for homes in Canton, Livonia, and Wayne County suburbs where the existing layout is functional and the goal is a modern finish upgrade.
At $100,000, the kitchen transforms. Semi-custom or custom cabinets with interior organizers and integrated lighting. Quartz or quartzite countertops. Hardwood or large-format tile flooring. An island with seating and a prep sink. Professional-grade range or cooktop. Layout changes including one wall removal. New electrical throughout. This is the most common scope for our Ann Arbor, Northville, and Novi clients.
At $150,000 and above, everything is custom. Full custom cabinetry with furniture-grade construction. Natural stone countertops with bookmatched veining. Walk-in pantry with custom shelving. Butler’s pantry connecting kitchen to dining room. Full professional appliance suite. Smart home integration with automated lighting scenes and motorized window treatments. This scope is most common in Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, and Barton Hills.
The line items I’ve listed above are the building blocks. Mix and match them to build your budget. Spend more on cabinets and less on appliances. Invest in the countertop and save on the backsplash. Every kitchen budget is a set of tradeoffs, and our job during the design phase is to help you make those tradeoffs with full information. Schedule a consultation to start building your line-by-line budget.
How change orders affect your line-item budget
Change orders are additions or modifications to the original scope after construction has started. In the kitchen renovation industry, the average project experiences two to four change orders totaling 5% to 15% of the original budget. The most common change orders we see: adding under-cabinet lighting that wasn’t in the original plan ($800 to $1,500), upgrading the countertop material after seeing it in person ($2,000 to $5,000), adding a pot filler above the range ($1,000 to $2,000), and extending the new flooring into an adjacent room ($1,500 to $4,000).
We handle change orders transparently. Every change gets a written scope description, a price, and your signature before we proceed. The price includes materials, labor, and any schedule impact. We don’t pad change orders to make up margin, and we don’t discourage changes to protect the schedule. If you want to add a pantry two weeks into construction, we’ll tell you what it costs and how it affects the timeline, and the decision is yours.
The best way to minimize change orders is to make as many decisions as possible during the design phase, which is why we invest so much time in that phase. Every material is selected, every fixture is specified, and every layout detail is resolved before demolition day. The homeowners who go through our full design process average fewer than two change orders per project, compared to the industry average of four to six.
Getting your kitchen line items priced for free
The numbers in this post are real, but they’re ranges. Your kitchen has specific dimensions, specific infrastructure conditions, and specific material preferences that narrow those ranges into a single number. The only way to get that number is a site visit where I can see your kitchen, check the electrical panel, look at the plumbing access, measure the spaces, and talk through your priorities.
That consultation is free, takes 60 to 90 minutes, and you’ll leave with a line-by-line budget range customized to your kitchen. Not a national average. Not a per-square-foot guess. A real estimate based on the actual conditions in your house and the specific selections you’re considering. Browse our completed kitchens first if you want to see how different budget levels look in real Michigan homes across Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Plymouth, Canton, and the rest of our six-county service area.
Why line-item transparency matters for your kitchen budget
The reason I published these numbers is that the renovation industry has a transparency problem. Too many contractors give you a single lump-sum number and won’t break it down. You have no way to compare proposals because you don’t know if Contractor A’s $90,000 quote includes the same scope as Contractor B’s $110,000 quote. Maybe Contractor A excluded the flooring. Maybe Contractor B included a premium lighting package that A didn’t mention. Without line items, you’re comparing apples to mysteries.
Our proposals list every line item with a quantity, a unit cost, and a total. You can see that the cabinetry is $26,000, the countertops are $11,500, the plumbing is $6,200, and so on down the page. If you want to compare our proposal to another contractor’s, you can do it line by line. If you want to reduce the budget by $5,000, we can show you exactly which line items to adjust. That transparency is part of how we operate, and it’s the standard I think every contractor should meet.
A Michigan kitchen remodel is a complex project with dozens of individual line items that interact with each other. Changing the countertop material affects the template timeline. Moving the sink affects the plumbing budget. Adding an island affects the electrical, the flooring, and the cabinet layout. Understanding how these pieces connect is what separates a renovation that hits its budget from one that blows past it.
