What Does Remodeling Really Cost?
Understand realistic kitchen and bathroom investment ranges, Good / Better / Best material budgets, where the money goes and why similar projects can have very different prices.
dRemodeling Learning Center
Plan Your Remodel With Confidence
Remodeling comes with a lot of questions.
How much should you budget? Where should you start? What materials should you choose? Should you change the layout? How long will construction take? How do you compare contractors and proposals?
The dRemodeling Learning Center brings together practical answers based on nearly two decades of designing and remodeling Philadelphia-area homes.
Whether you're just beginning to explore an idea or preparing to start construction, use these guides to understand the decisions ahead and make them with greater confidence.
START HERE
Not Sure Where to Begin?
Three starting points cover the questions homeowners usually need answered first: investment, process and preparation.
Explore Remodeling Costs
What Happens From First Conversation to Final Walkthrough?
Learn how discovery, the in-home visit, showroom consultation, design, material selections, construction and project completion work together.
What Should I Do Before I Start?
Learn how to establish priorities, think about budget, define your scope and prepare for the decisions that come before construction.
Browse by Topic
Explore the Learning Center
Costs & Budgeting
Understand what goes into a remodeling budget before major design decisions begin.
View GuidesPlanning Your Remodel
The decisions made before demolition often have the greatest influence on how smoothly a remodel goes.
No published guides in this topic.
Kitchen Remodeling
From layout and cabinetry to appliances, lighting and storage, learn what goes into planning a kitchen around the way you live.
- Illuminating Your Kitchen: A Comprehensive Guide to Lighting Design and Remodeling
- Bright and Modern Stainless Steel Kitchen Renovation
- The Kitchen as a Work of Art: Achieving Lightness with Dark Cabinetry
Bathroom Remodeling
Learn how layout, plumbing, waterproofing, tile, fixtures and shower design affect both experience and investment.
- Eclectic Master Bath Update
- Bathroom Remodeling 101: It’s Amazing What the Right Tile Combo Can Do!
- Not Sure If Your Bathroom Really Needs Remodeling?
Design & Materials
Beautiful materials matter, but understanding how products work together matters even more.
No published guides in this topic.
Construction & What to Expect
Understand what is happening behind the walls and what homeowners should expect while construction is underway.
No published guides in this topic.
More Topics From Our Blog
THE HOMEOWNER'S REMODELING GUIDE
An Idea That Started Years Ago
Years ago, dRemodeling founder Dan Dragomir began writing a book to help homeowners understand remodeling before they found themselves in the middle of it. The goal was simple: share lessons learned from real projects so homeowners could make better decisions and have a less stressful remodeling experience. Those original ideas now become part of the dRemodeling Learning Center.
Why Are You Remodeling?
Before choosing cabinets or tile, understand the problem you are trying to solve.
Establishing the Budget
How to think about the complete investment, not simply a contractor labor number.
Design Before Construction
Why good design decisions should happen before demolition begins.
Understanding Labor & Construction
What homeowners are actually paying for when they hire a professional remodeling team.
Finish Materials
Cabinetry, tile, countertops, fixtures, lighting and the selections you see every day.
Permits & Inspections
Why requirements matter and why they vary by project and municipality.
Unforeseen Conditions
What cannot reasonably be confirmed before walls and floors are opened.
The Real Cost of the Project
Why the complete project investment is more useful than comparing isolated prices.
Building the Right Team
Designer, project manager, carpenter, plumber, electrician, tile installer and other specialists all play different roles.
Understanding the Contract
Scope, inclusions, exclusions, payment schedules, warranties and change procedures.
Before Construction Starts
Selections, ordering, permits, scheduling, preparation and protecting the home.
Construction Begins
What homeowners should expect once the project becomes an active jobsite.
Helping Your Remodel Run Smoothly
Communication, timely decisions, access and realistic expectations can influence the project experience.
Living Through a Remodel
Dust, noise, temporary inconvenience, pets, kids and maintaining perspective during construction.
The Punch List
What happens near substantial completion and how final items are handled.
Life After Remodeling
Maintenance, warranties and caring for materials in the newly remodeled space.
FEATURED GUIDE
The Philadelphia Homeowner's Guide to Planning a Remodel
Before calling contractors or visiting showrooms, understand the decisions that determine scope, investment and timing.
The complete planning guide and downloadable file have not been supplied.
REMODELING COSTS & BUDGETING
Start With a Realistic Investment
Start with a realistic investment. Our Remodeling Cost Guide explains current planning ranges, Good / Better / Best material budgets, real project examples and the factors that influence total investment.
Hall / Guest Bathroom
$30,000-$45,000+Primary Bathroom
$55,000-$100,000+Kitchen - Similar Footprint
$70,000-$110,000+Kitchen - Layout Changes / Expanded Footprint
$110,000-$180,000+Large Custom / Multi-Room
$150,000+Planning ranges are educational and are not fixed package prices. Individual projects are priced according to design, scope, selections and existing conditions.
Explore Remodeling CostsPOPULAR QUESTIONS
Questions Homeowners Ask Us All the Time
How much should I budget before contacting a remodeler?
You do not need an exact number, but a realistic investment range helps the design conversation begin in the right place.
Should I get three remodeling estimates?
Multiple proposals can be useful only when the scope, design responsibility, materials and construction assumptions are actually comparable.
Can I buy my own materials?
Sometimes, but purchasing responsibility, quantities, shipping, damage, warranties and schedule effects should be understood in advance.
Should design happen before I get a construction price?
Preliminary budgeting can happen early, but detailed pricing becomes more meaningful after the layout, scope and major selections are defined.
How much should I budget for unexpected conditions?
There is no single percentage for every home. Age, prior work and how much structure will be opened all affect risk.
Can we live in the house during remodeling?
Often yes, depending on which rooms are being remodeled, the project duration and your household needs.
Remodeling Resources
Latest From the Learning Center
Completed Projects
Decorative Fireplace Renovation
The fireplace is sometimes known as the warm heart of the home, and our client had a clear vision of what she wanted her home’s heart to look like. The bricks in the fireplace had previously been badly water damaged, so she had hired masons to line the interior of the fireplace with a wire mesh. Then, they put stucco on the walls to prepare the fireplace for thin bricks and decorative tiles to be installed- this is when we came in.
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Code Requirements
Meeting Bathroom Code Requirements
So you want to remodel your bathroom? Well don't get ahead of yourself! There are a few things you should know before you begin your remodeling process, which you can easily find yourself running into trouble with if you don't consider these undertakings. Before you begin designing, be sure to check with your local building department to see which state/local code requirements and specifications you have to meet.
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Remodeling Facebook Page
FREE COFFEE!
That's right - FREE COFFEE. We're on a mission to get 500 Facebook likes, and anyone that helps us get there will be entered to win FREE COFFEE. Simply head to our Facebook page and hit "Like." Anyone that Likes us on Facebook is AUTOMATICALLY entered into a drawing to win a $25 Starbucks Gift Card. How easy is that?
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Express Yourself: Define Your Remodeling Wants & Needs
Here is a great solution to help define your remodeling hopes and dreams to express them clearly to your contractor/ designer. Remodeling is not just fixing the bad and broken. It is a total upgrade; a renovation of tired materials, old technologies, and dated design. Think of remodeling as you would a new car purchase. You consider the reliability and warranty when shopping for your new vehicle you.
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Philadelphia bathroom remodeling
Drexel Hill, Philadelphia Dream Bathroom Remodel
A recent remodeling project took the dRemodeling team to Drexel Hill to renovate a cramped, outdated bathroom. The homeowner wanted to update her drab bathroom and turn it into a luxurious, hotel-worthy space. Rich, warm tones combined with high-end materials easily turned this bathroom into a chic and sophisticated room that could easily be found in any 5-star hotel.
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Kitchen Remodeling
Top 10 Reasons You Should Remodel Your Kitchen
Kitchen remodels are always one of our top requests at dRemodeling. We take pride in all of our past Philadelphia kitchen remodel projects, and always look forward to taking on new kitchen remodel challenges. Does your kitchen need an update? View these top 10 reasons you should remodel your kitchen to see if it’s time to remodel!
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Design Ideas + Tips
Bathroom Remodels for Small Bathrooms
A bathroom remodel can really change the feel of a home with just a few small adjustments. Even if you have a small bathroom, updating the space can help take your bathroom from a drab and dated space to a sleek and stylish bathroom. A small bathroom is a great place to make a statement. Making sure the space is cohesive in terms of color palette and materials used, you can really push the limits in terms of color and textures.
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Philadelphia bathroom remodeling
2012: New Year, New Home Remodeling Decisions
It's 2012. New year, new beginnings, new statistics and ideas for home remodeling projects. There has been a significant and noticeable shift in preferences with regard to new-home purchases from late 2011 and into the fresh beginnings of 2012. This purchasing impact is a result of the struggling economy, still-shrinking construction market, and the need and desire for smaller homes.
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Philadelphia bathroom remodeling
Heated Floors- benefits - types - cost
Heated floors are used more frequently in places like bathrooms or bedroom places where you want your feet to be warm. But it can be used in any room in your house and even out site. I have seen it in garages (to help melt the snow off of your car) or even in cold area they heat their sidewalks and parking lots so they never have to shovel.
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Practical Tips For Homeowners
Customers that miss appointments
My thoughts on customers that miss appointments Kitchen and bathroom remodeling is my passion and business. Thus, as a through professional, I value my time. However, last week, it seems I got stood up 3 times in a row when I visited the client’s destination for an assessment of the place. Even though I understand that emergencies happen, the least they can do is give me a call from wherever they are.
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dRemodeling News
Latest Review: South Philadelphia Bathroom Remodel
When you start with a vision, and you have never had design experience, and you know you are about to embark on a large remodeling project – there is an issue that stands in your way….. “How do I get that vision to be reality”? I waited 4 years until I finally got the chance to turn my dream into reality – turn my small, one person (well, master - but it felt like there was only room for one) bathroom into the spa bathroom that I always wanted.
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Current Projects
Project in Progress: Fresh Urban Bathroom
This South Philadelphia bathroom remodeling project is well on its way to becoming a completely transformed, beautiful space. This project has presented some interesting challenges--right from the beginning. The bathroom's small square footage didn't add any ease to the design phase, and special care had to be taken to ensure that everything would fit just right. Further, great consideration was taken in the preliminary design phase to choose materials and finishes that would help to expand this small space into a bathroom that feels larger and airy.
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Have a remodeling question? Send us a question and it may become a future Learning Center article.
Have an actual remodeling project you'd like us to review?
READY TO PLAN?
Ready to Move From Research to Planning?
Reading can help you understand the process. At some point, the questions become specific to your home. Tell us about the space you're considering remodeling, your goals and your anticipated investment. Our team will review your project before scheduling the next conversation.
Design + Materials + Construction | Serving Philadelphia-Area Homeowners Since 2007
