A complete kitchen remodel is the largest single-room project most homeowners commission. It involves demolition, framing, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, cabinetry, stone fabrication, tile, flooring, painting and appliance integration, usually in that order, and each phase depends on the one before it finishing correctly.
The defining characteristic of a kitchen project is that it is schedule-driven rather than labour-driven. Cabinets take six to ten weeks to arrive. Stone cannot be templated until cabinets are installed and cannot be fabricated in under a week after that. Those two facts set the timeline, and no amount of additional labour compresses them.
Where the money actually goes
Cabinetry is typically 30 to 40 percent of a kitchen budget, and it is the line item with the widest range. Stock cabinets, semi-custom and fully custom differ by a factor of three or more for the same layout, and the difference is mostly in box construction, drawer hardware and finish quality rather than appearance on day one.
Countertops run 10 to 15 percent. Labour across all trades is usually 30 to 35 percent. Appliances, flooring, lighting, tile and plumbing fixtures make up the balance. Structural work, if a wall comes out, sits on top of all of it.
The item homeowners consistently underestimate is electrical. A modern kitchen needs far more circuits than a 1970s one: dedicated runs for the range, the refrigerator, the dishwasher, the microwave and the disposal, plus GFCI-protected counter circuits and lighting. In an older Capital Region house this frequently triggers a panel upgrade.
What moves the price
- Whether walls move. Removing a load-bearing wall means a properly sized beam and a load path to the foundation. Budget $4,000 to $12,000 depending on span and what is above.
- Cabinet tier. Stock, semi-custom and custom can differ by $15,000 or more on the same kitchen.
- Whether plumbing relocates. Moving the sink means re-cutting drain and vent. On a slab it is significantly more involved than over a basement.
- Countertop material. Laminate to quartz to exotic natural stone spans roughly $40 to $250 per square foot installed.
- Panel capacity. An older 100 amp panel often cannot carry a modern kitchen load. An upgrade adds $2,500 to $5,000.
The sequence
- Design and measure. Two to four weeks. Final layout, appliance specifications and cabinet order. Nothing can be ordered until appliances are chosen, because cabinets are built around them.
- Order and wait. Six to ten weeks for cabinets. This runs in parallel with permitting, and it is why demolition should not start early.
- Demolition. Three to five days.
- Structural and rough-in. One to two weeks. Framing changes, beam installation, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, then inspection.
- Close up. Insulation where walls were opened, drywall, tape, prime.
- Flooring. Before cabinets if it runs continuously, after if cabinets sit on the subfloor. Both approaches are valid and the decision affects future appliance replacement.
- Cabinet installation. Three to five days, and the phase that makes the room finally look like a kitchen.
- Template and fabricate stone. One to two weeks between templating and installation. Nothing else can finish until the counters are in.
- Backsplash, plumbing, appliances, finish. One to two weeks. Tile, sink and faucet, appliance connection, trim, paint, hardware.
Mistakes we see most often
- Starting demolition before cabinets are ordered and confirmed. The house then sits without a kitchen while the lead time runs.
- Choosing appliances last. Cabinet dimensions are built around appliance specifications, so late changes mean modified or reordered cabinetry.
- Skipping the panel assessment. Finding out at rough-in that the service cannot carry the kitchen is an expensive mid-project surprise.
- Specifying a hood that cannot be vented where the range is going. Recirculating hoods do very little, and a proper duct run needs planning at design stage.
What this means in the Capital Region
In Capital Region homes built before 1940, the kitchen is almost always at the back of the plan in what was originally a service area, frequently with a later addition or enclosed porch attached to it. That creates two recurring findings: floor levels that do not match between original structure and addition, and an exterior wall that is uninsulated.
Both are worth solving while the room is open. Levelling a floor and insulating a wall are cheap during a gut and impossible afterwards without redoing the work.
Venting is the other regional specific. A range hood duct through a masonry wall in Troy, Albany or Cohoes needs planning and coring. It is entirely doable, but it is a design-stage decision rather than something to raise with the installer on the day.
Want this priced for your own home? Jeffrey Mason will walk the project and give you a free written estimate. No obligation, no sales rep. Call (518) 308-6427.
Frequently asked questions
How long will I be without a kitchen?
Eight to fourteen weeks from demolition to completion, and that is after the six to ten week cabinet lead time. We set up a temporary kitchen with the refrigerator, microwave and a sink wherever practical, usually a garage, basement or dining room.
Can I stay in the house?
Almost always, yes. A kitchen remodel is disruptive but contained. We seal the work zone, protect the route in and out, and clean daily. Living without a kitchen for two to three months is the real hardship, not the noise.
Should flooring go under the cabinets?
Both are standard practice. Running flooring continuously looks cleaner and makes future cabinet changes easier. Stopping at the cabinet line uses less material and is fine. What matters is that the dishwasher opening accounts for the finished floor height, or the appliance will not come out later.
Is a kitchen remodel worth it for resale?
A mid-range kitchen remodel recovers a meaningful share of its cost in the Capital Region market, and a dated kitchen is one of the most common reasons buyers discount a house. A very high-end kitchen in a modest neighbourhood recovers proportionally less.
Do I need a permit?
Yes. Any kitchen remodel involving electrical, plumbing or structural changes requires one, which covers essentially every full remodel. We prepare and file it and manage the inspections.
Related guides
- Kitchen Cabinet Remodel: Replace, Reface, or Paint?
- Kitchen Remodel Contractors Guide for Albany NY
- 12x12 Kitchen Remodel Cost: What to Budget
- Average Kitchen Remodel Cost: What Homeowners Pay in 2026
- Full Kitchen Remodel Cost: Complete Pricing Breakdown
- Kitchen and Bathroom Remodel Cost: Combined Project Pricing in 2025