What a Kitchen Remodel Actually Costs in Wexford, PA

Kitchen pricing is the question we get asked more than any other, and it is the one most contractors dodge. Here is where the money actually goes in an Allegheny County kitchen, and which parts of the bid you should be reading most carefully.

The honest ranges

Most full kitchens we build in Wexford, Pine Township, and Franklin Park land in one of three brackets.

• Cosmetic refresh, $28,000 to $45,000. Cabinet refacing or painting, new counters, new backsplash, new sink and faucet. Layout and appliances stay where they are.
• Mid-range full remodel, $55,000 to $95,000. Cabinets replaced, a wall opened if the structure allows, new lighting plan, new flooring, and appliance package included.
• Structural kitchen, $110,000 and up. Removed bearing walls with engineered beams, relocated plumbing, custom cabinetry, and integrated panels over the appliances.

Those numbers assume a kitchen between 150 and 250 square feet. If your kitchen is part of a larger first-floor renovation, the shared costs, especially flooring and dust protection, come down per room.

Where the money goes

Cabinetry and counters are usually 35 to 45 percent of the total, and they are also the longest lead times. Electrical, plumbing, and ventilation run 15 to 20 percent. Labor and project management are the rest, and they are the line item that most low bids shave. A bid that comes in 30 percent under everyone else is almost always missing something: no permit allowance, no dust containment, no allowance for correcting the wiring that predates the 1990s.

The three surprises

• What is behind the wall. Galvanized supply lines, undersized circuits, and no venting for the range hood are common in homes built before 1985.
• Cabinet lead times. Fourteen weeks is normal right now. Ordering before demolition starts is what keeps a project from sitting still.
• Floor transitions. Kitchens rarely end at a clean line. Expect to refinish or replace flooring into the adjacent hallway or dining room.

How to read a bid

A bid you can trust lists material allowances in real dollars, names the permit fees as a separate line, and gives you a schedule with inspection windows marked. If yours has a lump sum and a start date, ask what happens when the cabinet order slips. The answer tells you everything.

Start with a walkthrough

Wexford Contractor provides free on-site estimates throughout Wexford, Pine Township, Marshall Township, and the surrounding northern Pittsburgh suburbs. We will measure, look at what is behind the wall, and give you a fixed price against a written scope.