Let me save you twenty minutes of Googling. Most of the kitchen remodel cost data online is either outdated, based on national averages, or written by someone who’s never swung a hammer. I’m a general contractor based in Federal Way. I build kitchens. Here’s what they actually cost in 2026.
A kitchen remodel in Federal Way runs $20,000 to $30,000 for a budget refresh, $45,000 to $75,000 for a mid-range gut remodel, and $90,000 to $150,000+ for a high-end custom kitchen. The average kitchen I build for South King County homeowners falls in the $50,000 to $65,000 range — full gut, new cabinets, countertops, and appliances, keeping the same footprint.
The Number One Thing That Drives Kitchen Costs
Cabinets. Period.
I’ve seen clients spend more time agonizing over backsplash tile than cabinets, and then be shocked when the cabinet line they picked eats 40% of their budget. Cabinets are the single biggest line item in any kitchen remodel, typically 30-35% of total cost. Your cabinet choice sets the floor for the entire project.
Here’s the real breakdown of where kitchen remodel money goes:
- Cabinets and hardware: 30-35%
- Labor (demo, rough-in, install, finish): 25-30%
- Countertops: 10-12%
- Appliances: 10-15%
- Flooring, backsplash, lighting, plumbing fixtures: 10-15%
- Permits, design, contingency: 10%
Now let me break down the tiers.
Budget Tier: $20,000 – $30,000
This is a facelift. Same layout, same footprint, no walls coming down.
Typical scope:
- Cabinets: Reface existing boxes with new doors and drawer fronts, or install stock cabinets from IKEA or Home Depot’s Hampton Bay line. IKEA SEKTION cabinets are honestly solid for the price — I’ve installed dozens of IKEA kitchens and they hold up fine. Budget $3,000-$6,000 for a standard kitchen.
- Countertops: Laminate or butcher block. Formica has come a long way — their 180fx line actually looks decent. Budget $1,500-$3,000 installed.
- Appliances: Keep existing or swap in a basic stainless package. Samsung or Frigidaire entry-level runs $2,500-$4,000 for a fridge, range, dishwasher, and microwave.
- Backsplash: Simple ceramic subway tile. Classic for a reason. $800-$1,500 installed.
- Flooring: Luxury vinyl plank over the existing subfloor. $1,500-$2,500 for an average kitchen.
- Fixtures: New faucet, new sink (undermount stainless from Kraus or similar — $200-$400), updated lighting.
Timeline: 2-4 weeks.
This tier works great for rental properties, homes you’re prepping to sell, or kitchens that are structurally sound but aesthetically stuck in 1997. I do a lot of these in the older neighborhoods around Steel Lake and Mirror Lake.
Mid-Range: $45,000 – $75,000
This is the most common kitchen remodel I build. Full gut, everything new, but we’re keeping the kitchen in the same room with roughly the same layout.
Typical scope:
- Cabinets: Semi-custom from a brand like KraftMaid, Waypoint, or Diamond. These give you real wood doors, soft-close everything, and about 80% of the customization options of a true custom cabinet at 50% of the price. Budget $10,000-$18,000 for a full kitchen.
- Countertops: Quartz. Cambria, Caesarstone, or Silestone are the big names. I install a lot of MSI quartz too — their Calacatta Laza is probably my most-requested slab right now. Budget $3,500-$6,000 installed for a typical L-shaped kitchen with an island.
- Appliances: Mid-tier packages. Bosch, KitchenAid, or the GE Profile line. A solid four-piece package runs $5,000-$9,000. The Bosch 500 series dishwasher is the one appliance I recommend to almost every client — quietest in its price range.
- Backsplash: Porcelain, glass, or natural stone mosaic. $1,500-$3,500 installed depending on material and area.
- Flooring: LVP or tile throughout. $2,000-$4,000.
- Electrical: This is where mid-range starts separating from budget. We’re adding undercabinet lighting, upgrading outlets to code (GFCI near sinks, dedicated circuits for major appliances), and sometimes running a new 240V line for an induction range. Electrical work adds $2,000-$4,000 easily.
- Plumbing: New supply lines, potentially upgrading old galvanized drain lines to ABS. New garbage disposal. If you’re adding or moving a dishwasher, there’s plumbing involved there too.
Timeline: 6-10 weeks. I tell clients to plan for 8 weeks as a realistic target.
Living without a kitchen for two months is the part nobody warns you about. Set up a temporary kitchen station somewhere — a folding table with a microwave, toaster oven, and electric kettle will save your sanity. And your marriage.
High-End: $90,000 – $150,000+
The full custom experience. These are usually in the nicer homes in Twin Lakes, Marine Hills, or the newer construction up around Lakota.
Typical scope:
- Cabinets: Full custom from a local cabinet shop or a premium semi-custom line like Shiloh or Woodland. Inset doors, furniture-quality finishes, specialized storage (spice pullouts, appliance garages, custom pantry systems). Budget $25,000-$50,000. Yes, really.
- Countertops: Natural quartzite, marble (if the client accepts the maintenance), Dekton, or premium quartz with full-height backsplash slabs. $8,000-$15,000 installed.
- Appliances: Sub-Zero, Wolf, Thermador, or Miele. A 36″ Wolf range alone is $7,000-$12,000. Full high-end appliance packages run $15,000-$30,000.
- Layout changes: Knocking out a wall to open to the living room, adding or relocating an island, moving the sink to a window — all common at this level and all expensive. Moving a sink means moving drain and supply lines, which means opening floors and potentially working with the foundation.
- Electrical panel upgrade: Older Federal Way homes often have 100-amp or 150-amp panels. A modern kitchen with an induction range, double oven, and multiple dedicated circuits might push you to a 200-amp panel upgrade. That’s $2,500-$4,500 by itself.
- Custom lighting design: Recessed, pendant, undercabinet, toe-kick, and sometimes in-cabinet lighting. A proper lighting plan makes a huge difference.
- Premium flooring: Wide-plank engineered hardwood or large-format porcelain tile.
Timeline: 10-16 weeks. Custom cabinets alone can take 6-8 weeks to fabricate after final measurements.
What Drives Kitchen Costs Up (The Stuff People Don’t Expect)
Moving plumbing. Every foot of drain line you move costs real money. An island sink is the most common example — you need a drain line run through the floor, proper venting (either a traditional vent through the roof or an air admittance valve if code allows), and hot/cold supply lines. Budget $3,000-$5,000 just for island plumbing.
Electrical panel upgrades. A lot of the homes built in the 70s and 80s around Federal Way have panels that can’t handle a modern kitchen load. If your panel needs upgrading, that’s a separate permit and $2,500-$4,500 on top of your kitchen budget.
Structural headers. Want to open up a wall between the kitchen and living room? If it’s load-bearing — and it usually is — you need an engineered beam (LVL), temporary shoring during construction, and a structural engineer’s stamp. The engineer’s calc is $500-$800, the beam and install is $2,000-$5,000 depending on span.
Flooring transitions. If your new kitchen floor meets existing hardwood in the dining room, getting that transition right takes skill and sometimes means refinishing the adjacent room’s floors too.
Scope creep. I say this with love. It’s the thing that blows budgets more than anything else. You start with “let’s just do the kitchen” and then the adjacent hallway looks dated, and the dining room paint doesn’t match, and while we’re at it could you add a can light in the pantry? Each one is small. Together they add 10-20% to the project.
Federal Way Kitchen Remodel Permits
The City of Federal Way requires permits for kitchen remodels that include:
- Electrical work (new circuits, panel upgrades, outlet relocations)
- Plumbing modifications (moving or adding supply/drain lines)
- Structural changes (wall removal, header installation)
- Gas line work (if switching to or modifying a gas range hookup)
Residential kitchen remodel permits in Federal Way run $500-$1,000 depending on scope. I handle all permitting for my clients. Inspections typically happen at rough-in (before drywall goes up) and final.
Cosmetic updates — painting cabinets, replacing a countertop with no plumbing changes, swapping a faucet — don’t need permits.
Smart Places to Save Money
Stock uppers, semi-custom lowers. Upper cabinets are mostly for storage — you’re not looking at them as closely. Stock uppers with semi-custom base cabinets and a nice countertop is a combo that photographs well and saves $3,000-$5,000.
Skip the pot filler. They look great on Pinterest. They cost $800-$1,200 to install because you’re running a hot water line inside the wall behind the range. I’ve installed maybe forty of them. Know how many clients actually use them regularly? Maybe five.
Go quartz, not quartzite. Quartz (engineered) is $55-$85/sqft installed. Quartzite (natural stone) is $80-$150/sqft installed. Quartz is more durable, needs zero sealing, and at this point the patterns are nearly indistinguishable from natural stone to most people.
Keep your kitchen footprint. The most impactful cost decision you’ll make isn’t which countertop or which appliance. It’s whether the kitchen stays where it is. Same footprint, same plumbing locations, same electrical routes — that’s the single biggest money saver.
For more info on choosing the right contractor for your kitchen project, see our guide to choosing a general contractor in Washington, or check out our bathroom remodel cost breakdown if you’re considering both.
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