The national numbers, and why they run low here
Every year, the Journal of Light Construction’s Cost vs Value report prices out common remodeling projects. In the 2025 edition, a midrange major kitchen remodel came in around $86,000 and an upscale one around $171,000. An upscale primary bath was about $85,000.
Houzz’s 2026 Houzz & Home study, which asked homeowners about projects they finished in 2025, put the median kitchen spend at $24,000 and a major remodel of a larger kitchen at $75,000. The top tenth of projects ran $150,000 or more. In Orange County, with California labor costs, permit requirements, and the finish level most of our clients are after, it’s safer to plan toward the top of those ranges than the middle.
Where the money actually goes
In a kitchen, cabinetry, counters, and appliances usually take the biggest share, and labor runs through all of it. What catches people off guard is the work nobody sees: moving a gas line or a drain, upgrading an electrical panel, bringing lighting up to current code once a permit is pulled, and fixing whatever turns up when the walls come open.
We’d rather put a realistic contingency in the budget from day one, usually 10 to 15 percent on an older house, than call you halfway through with bad news.
Resale is a bonus, not the reason
Cost vs Value also tracks how much of a project’s cost shows up in resale value. Small, visible projects recoup the most. In the 2025 report, a garage door replacement recouped over 270 percent and a midrange minor kitchen refresh about 127 percent, while an upscale major kitchen recouped under 40 percent.
That doesn’t make a big remodel a mistake. It just means you should do it because you plan to live in the house and enjoy it, and size the scope to how long you’re staying.
How we keep a budget honest
We start with a number you’re comfortable with and design to it, not the other way around. Scope, fee, and schedule are set in writing before anything starts. Every selection is approved before it’s ordered, and furnishings are priced item by item, so you always know where the money is going. If something has to change, it goes through a written change order first.
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