Island Restoration
Cost guides using 2026 pricing
What a Kitchen Remodel Actually Costs
Honest price ranges for kitchen islands and kitchen remodels — broken down by scope, size, and line item, the way a real bid is.
Why Another Cost Site?
Most kitchen cost pages quote one national average and stop, which is how a homeowner ends up with a $15,000 budget and a $40,000 bid. The number that matters is not the average — it is the range that matches your scope and your room size.
Every figure here is total installed cost, materials plus labor, and every guide states which scope tier it describes.
Find your number in two steps
- Pick your scope. Cosmetic refresh, midrange remodel, or full gut — they differ by 4–10× and the dividing line is whether plumbing, electrical, or walls move.
- Pick your size. A 10×10 and a 250 sq ft kitchen have different totals and different per-square-foot rates.
Kitchen Island Guides
- Island Sizing & Clearance — The 36-inch rule that decides whether an island fits at all, plus standard dimensions.
- Kitchen Island With Seating — Overhang depth, seats per foot, and getting seating into a narrow kitchen.
- Kitchen Island Stools — Subtract 10–12 inches from your counter. Counter stools are not bar stools.
- Kitchen Island Bench — Bench seating, booths, and the US/Australian naming confusion.
- Kitchen Island With Storage — Why depth decides everything, and drawers vs. doors.
- Kitchen Island Cabinets — Most islands are just base cabinets. What to order and how to anchor them.
- Kitchen Island With Sink — Costs, the venting problem, and when to skip it.
- Kitchen Island Lighting — Hang at 30–36 inches, space 24–30 inches apart. The four numbers that matter.
Cost Guides
- Kitchen Remodel Cost — Scope tiers, the full line-item breakdown, and where half the budget actually goes.
- Full Kitchen Remodel Cost — What a complete gut adds that a midrange job never touches.
- 10×10 Kitchen Remodel Cost — The industry's benchmark size, and what those showroom quotes leave out.
- Small Kitchen Remodel Cost — Under 100 sq ft: cheaper in total, pricier per foot, different priorities.
- Kitchen Island Cost — Rolling cart to custom built-in, plus what sinks and outlets really add.
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FAQ
No. Every figure on this site is a national average range compiled from public remodeling cost surveys. Regional labor rates swing totals by 30% or more in either direction. Use these ranges to sanity-check a bid, not to replace one.
Yes. All ranges are total installed cost. Material-only pricing looks far cheaper and is the most common reason a homeowner's budget comes in under the first real bid.
No. This site does not run a contractor matching service and does not collect homeowner contact details.
Before You Sign Anything
Get three written bids on identical scope, confirm what is excluded as carefully as what is included, and hold 15–20% of your budget as contingency. Kitchens hide more surprises behind the drywall than any other room in the house.