Spend less
Kitchen at $10K
- Kitchen size: medium → small
- Countertops: quartz or granite → laminate
What can you do with a $15,000 kitchen remodel?
$15,000 is the classic refresh budget for a medium kitchen: keep and paint the cabinets, put the money into quartz or granite countertops, and finish with a new backsplash, sink, faucet and lighting. Renovue's planning range for that scope is $13,000–$22,000.
Planning range$13,000–$22,000
Preliminary planning estimate · not a contractor bid
A real kitchen at $15K
Original photo
$15K · Refresh
What $15K covers, and what it doesn't
Usually covered
- Painting the existing cabinets, with new hardware
- Quartz or granite countertops, including tear-out and sink reconnection
- A new tile backsplash, sink and faucet
- New lighting and wall paint
Usually not covered
- New or refaced cabinets in most medium kitchens
- New flooring or appliances, unless you give up stone counters
- Layout changes or moving plumbing
- Repairs to hidden water damage or old wiring, which come out of contingency
Where the money goes
Renovue's kitchen calculator, priced for this page's combination. Each line is an installed cost: materials and labor together.
| Cost | What's assumed | Planning range |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinets | Keep and paint, medium kitchen | $4,000–$6,500 |
| Countertops | Quartz or granite | $3,500–$6,000 |
| Backsplash, lighting, sink & paint | Finishes that match the cabinet scope | $3,000–$5,500 |
| Demolition, plumbing, electrical & prep | Removing old work and rough-in for the new | $1,000–$2,000 |
| Contingency | 10% for surprises found once work starts | $1,000–$2,000 |
| Total | $13,000–$22,000 |
Line ranges are rounded separately, so they don't add up exactly to the total. Preliminary planning estimate only. Actual costs vary based on location, labor, materials, existing conditions, project scope and contractor. Renovue does not provide contractor quotes.
One tier down, one tier up
Spend more
Kitchen at $25K
- Cabinets: keep and paint → reface
- Flooring: keep → luxury vinyl plank
What moves the price
Starting from this page's combination, how far each decision can move Renovue's planning cost, with everything else unchanged:
- Cabinets (keep and paint → custom or new layout)about $43,500
- Appliances (keep → premium or built-in suite)about $16,500
- Kitchen size (small → large)about $12,500
- Countertops (keep → premium stone)about $10,500
Renovue's ranges use national planning assumptions for a typical single-family home. Labor rates, material prices and permit requirements vary by region, and older homes often hide problems that only show up once walls and floors are opened. Compare several local bids that each list the same scope.
Price your own kitchen
The calculator starts on this page's combination. Change any choice to see how the range moves.
Estimated project cost
$13,000–$22,000
Preliminary planning estimate · not a contractor bid
See what your kitchen could look like at $15K.
Renovue's $15K “Refresh” budget fits this estimate. Upload a photo; your first remodel is free.
See My Kitchen at $15KActual costs vary by location, materials, labor and existing conditions.
Where the money typically goes
- Cabinets$4K–$6.5K
Keep and paint, medium kitchen
- Countertops$3.5K–$6K
Quartz or granite
- Backsplash, lighting, sink & paint$3K–$5.5K
Finishes that match the cabinet scope
- Demolition, plumbing, electrical & prep$1K–$2K
Removing old work and rough-in for the new
- Contingency$1K–$2K
10% for surprises found once work starts
Renovue's national planning assumptions for a typical single-family home, installed. Renovue does not provide contractor quotes. How these estimates work
Next: what $15,000 can do · how to set your budget · questions to ask a contractor
Questions
- What does a $15,000 kitchen remodel include?
- In a medium kitchen, it typically covers painted cabinets with new hardware, quartz or granite counters, a new backsplash, sink and faucet, lighting and paint. The cabinet boxes, flooring, appliances and layout stay as they are.
- Paint or reface cabinets on a $15,000 budget?
- Painting leaves room for stone counters. Refacing (new doors and drawer fronts on the existing boxes) costs more, so pairing it with quartz usually moves a medium kitchen into the $25,000 tier. In a small kitchen, refacing and quartz can fit together.
- Can I get new appliances for $15,000?
- Only by cutting elsewhere. A new mid-range appliance suite is one of the larger single lines in Renovue's model, so on this budget it usually means keeping the old counters or choosing laminate. Use the calculator on this page to test the trade-off.
- How long does a $15,000 kitchen refresh take?
- Cosmetic work moves faster than a full remodel because nothing is rebuilt, but countertops must be templated and fabricated after the old ones are measured. Ask contractors for a schedule that includes the fabrication wait.