Handyman
Kitchen Remodel Cost Calculator
Prices kitchen work, where the gas and the electrical are where the line falls.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus materials and the call-out. A kitchen has more licensed content than any other room: gas supply to a range, dedicated circuits for appliances with specific protection requirements, and plumbing for the sink and dishwasher. Within handyman scope sit cabinet hardware, shelving, painting, trim, backsplash tiling, fitting a like-for-like appliance that simply plugs in, and assembly. Gas connection, new circuits and relocated plumbing sit outside it in most jurisdictions.
What moves the number
- Whether gas work is involved, which is licensed work in most places.
- Whether new or modified circuits are needed for appliances.
- Whether plumbing is moving, which generally needs a licensed trade.
- Cabinet and countertop work, which is skilled but not usually licensed.
Where this one goes wrong
Gas connection is the clearest line. Connecting or disconnecting a gas range or cooktop is licensed work in most jurisdictions, and an improperly made connection is a leak and a fire or explosion risk rather than a workmanship issue. Decline it and refer it. Kitchen circuits are the next: appliance circuits have specific requirements including dedicated circuits and fault protection, and a dishwasher or a range run from an unsuitable circuit is a hazard. On countertops, remember that a stone or engineered top is templated from installed cabinets by the fabricator, so the sequence runs cabinets, template, fabrication, fit, and the sink is unusable in between.
Before you quote
- Refer gas connection and disconnection to a licensed trade.
- Confirm appliance circuit requirements before fitting anything.
- Explain the cabinet-to-countertop sequence and the gap it creates.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Can a handyman connect a gas range?
In most jurisdictions no, because gas connection is licensed work. An improperly made connection is a leak risk rather than a workmanship question, so it should be referred to a licensed trade. Positioning the appliance and the cabinetry around it is usually fine.
What kitchen work is within handyman scope?
Cabinet hardware, shelving, painting, trim, backsplash tiling, assembly, and swapping a plug-in appliance like for like. Gas connection, new or modified circuits and relocated plumbing generally are not, both for licensing reasons and because the consequences of error are serious.
Why can't the countertop go in with the cabinets?
Because a stone or engineered top is templated from the cabinets after they are installed and fixed, then fabricated off site. That puts a gap of days between cabinets and counters during which the sink cannot be connected, and it is better explained in advance than discovered.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
Put this calculator on your site
Free to embed. Paste this where you want it to appear. It stays up to date automatically because it loads from BDEVY.
Please keep the attribution line. It is the only thing we ask in return.
How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 3 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $85.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $60.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 3 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $85 |
| Parts and materials | $60 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $410 |
| Labour | $255 |
| Before tax | $410 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $410: $255 of labour, $60 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $43 | $284 |
| $64 | $347 |
| $85 example above | $410 |
| $128 | $539 |
| $170 | $665 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 3 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $85.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $60.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.