Originally Posted by
Bill Adamsen
I think I understood what you were saying and it made sense to me. I just did a kitchen and the hardware costs .... slides, hinges, handles, sheet goods, hardwood [$1000, $400, $600, $2200, $600] were relatively in line with your number. I bought the doors and drawers separately and those were expensive ... but I expect a lot less than the alternative of having me build them. But if I had built them the material costs would have been perhaps $2500. So adding up the estimated raw material costs ... $7300. It took about a month to assemble (would have been much longer if I'd built the drawers and doors) and two+ weeks to install. What else ... painting was $4000. Then the client spent a fair amount on appliances and fixtures, countertops, floor refinishing, and of course all the rough construction (framing, windows and doors, insulation, electrical, plumbing, sheetrock, trim). But outside of labor, I can see the hard cost of the kitchen being in alignment with your original estimate.
Your original question was about value ... I can't imagine someone basing their "value" on a collection of receipts. More likely – depending on where the house is located – they will look at the neighborhood and comps, and whether they feel the house is in "move in" condition. Having a well-executed, and desireable kitchen goes a long way towards making the house attractive and move-in ready. If it were not (and this is what goes to your question) the potential buyer would ask themselves, "is this work that needs to be done, and about how much would it cost to get what I want?" Likely their number is going to be closer to the cost of a professionally completed kitchen (than your actual expense) and perhaps in the $80k +/- range if indeed the kitchen you built is the one they want. Likely that amount (whatever it actually is) is the value you have added to the house.