What drives the price of a kitchen remodel.

Layout changes cost more than finishes

Moving a sink, a range or a wall is what separates a two-week job from a six-week one. Plumbing that moves means opening the slab or the ceiling below, a permit, an inspection and a rebuild of everything you opened. Cabinets and counters in the same footprint, however nice, are almost always the cheaper half of the decision. If the budget is tight, spend it on quality boxes in the layout you already have.

What is behind the wall you cannot see

In a 1960s Hollywood block house, the wall is CBS and the plumbing is cast iron. In a 2004 Pembroke Pines build, the wall is stud and the plumbing is PVC. Same-looking kitchens, very different demo. We open a small inspection point before we quote where we can, because the alternative is a change order in week two and nobody enjoys that conversation.

Cabinets: stock, semi-custom, custom

Stock cabinets in standard sizes are the fastest and cheapest, and they are perfectly good if your walls cooperate. Semi-custom buys you the odd width that closes a gap you would otherwise fill with a filler strip. Full custom is worth it when the room is genuinely awkward, and a waste of money when it is not.

Where people regret saving

Counters, the sink faucet and the cabinet hardware are the three things you touch every day. Lighting is the fourth and the one people forget entirely until the kitchen is finished and dim. Save on the backsplash tile if you have to; it is the easiest thing to change later.