Renovation experts, how much to get a flashy kitchen and bath like this?

Assuming they didn't custom build the stainless steel fridge. That puppy fits the closet perfectly!!

The kitchen has a nice look in general.
It is a little unusual to place an exhaust fan below a microwave because many microwaves have that capability built in and the microwave might be placed at a more comfortable height without the fan. They should have added a pull to the dummy drawer below the sink for symmetry. The refrigerator looks nice recessed but I might have placed the doors above it flush as well. The listing indicates that the backsplash is subway tiles, but it is clearly mosaic. The Avanti 24" range looks a little out of place under the 30" micro and 30" hood. Generally you want to pick a size and stick with it for that area. It is a little harder to locate cabinets and smaller above the range micro's to line up exactly, but it can be done. The reason for the distant fridge seems to be the ventilation shaft adjacent to the sink. That was probably the closest they could come without squeezing it into the line. The 39" cabinets look good and reach the ceiling because of the standard ceiling height. Some people like the 30's so they have room for stuff up top. Personal preference.

Any answers on cost? I'm interested in hearing this too. Our broker keeps telling us that we can completely redo kitchen (excluding appliances) and 2 standard baths for $30k. I think that's way low, but curious to see an answer on this one...

This is not a high end job. It is medium. Corners were obviously cut. Microwave for example: Viking and Dacor make venting units for above a stove; they cost about $1500 I think. A cheap microwave for $300 slapped above a cheap vent unit for $250 saves about $1000 but also looks weird and crappy. The backsplash are standard looking tiles available at Lowe's or Home Depot. Fridge is relatively inexpensive LG or Haier or the like--nothing special. One row of cabinets is not that much money. The black counter and relatively small sink are also not very expensive compared to what some stone can run and what a large Franke undermount sink costs.

I'd say this kitchen cost about $10,000 installed.

The bathroom is no great shakes either. Fixtures are pretty run of the mill. Stone on walls only expense, but not an especially tricky looking installation. I'd say about $7500 plus whatever demo may have been needed. I'm really guessing here because it is not the kind of high end work I'd be better about guessing.

This is a reno that has initial impact but that I wouldn't want. Core is surely charging the buyer a premium for its choice of finishes and quality. I'd rather save the money and do it myself to my liking. All in all this is pretty pedestrian imo.

They say expertise means being able to notice the relevant distinctions. Thanks guys, that was an education...

I think even calling this a 'medium' end job is a stretch, but otherwise kylewest is spot on. Those look like Ikea cabinets...$10-12K max.

NYC10007: Your broker's estimate is quite low unless you are looking for a very superficial and/or low end renovation. Here are some numbers(all included) from the past several renovations I've worked on...

Kitchens(all mid to high-ish end):
10 x 10 L Shaped(Custom cabinets):$44k
10' Galley: $24K(with reclaimed cabinets)
10 x 10 U-shaped(Fancy Custom): $75K
14' Galley(Home Depot cabinets): $52K
The labor has been between $12K-25K on these...

Bathrooms(all high-ish end):
$19K full bath, $12.5K(small bath with shower stall), $15K full bath. The labor has been between $6.5K-10K on these, with the rest being materials.

FWIW: I recently installed a very high-end gallery kitchen. Cost: $23,000 100% custom wood cabinetry including installation and caesarstone seamless countertops (great deal on millwork through terrific company that makes its own cabinets without a middle man: WoodDesigne in Chelsea); $12,000 appliances; demo, electrical and plumbing work and flooring I estimate to have accounted for about $15,000 of the GC's overall bid--maybe more, I don't know. Total then is about $50,000 for a 10' galley kitchen with cabinets to ceiling and build-in appliances.

Thanks, that sounds much more in line with what I had anticipated. It's clear that my broker is giving us the low end of what "could" be done, but in now way what we would actually want to do.

This has been very informative!

I notice many kitchens have under microwave vents (above the stove) which I don't think does the job. How much would it cost for a hood vent to be installed properly?

And any opinions out there about countertop vents?

It is generally not just the cost that stops 95% of NY ventilation hoods from working optimally. It is the fact that they are not vented outside. A high quality exhaust hood vented directly outdoors via a relatively short duct run is the solution of choice. However, most buildings are not set up to allow these vents. It is the same with dryer vents and bathroom and kitchen vents. In most NY apartments, they are just for show or to meet a code. If you want to extract the air inside a room, it is not done by a small grill on a wall (in the case of this studio, a wall as far from the range as possible). The hood in this case is not connected to anything an just runs some air through a brillo-like filter and then pumps the air back into the room. Yes. Sorry. Most of them are just stage props, even in the so called high-end reno's. As far as counter top vents, same story - is it vented outside? Or just recycling air into the apartment?

Unless vented to the outside, as se1 says, a hood is pretty much an ornament. It may diffuse the heat, that's it. The reason people spring for the Dacor or Viking venting microwaves is that they are the only convection microwaves that can go over a pro-type range (I use a Thermador) without being melted. They have fans that can be turned on or go on if the temp below hits a certain point and then they diffuse the heat upward out of a vent so that the space immediately above the stove doesn't get too hot. It is an imperfect solution but one that works relatively well given the constraints of NYC apt living.

FWIW, be aware that the heat generated over a stove top is enough to cause some slight expansion of the material used as a backsplash behind the stove. I used a stainless backsplash and glass subway tiles on either side of the backsplash, but I left 1-2mm between the stainless steel and tiles to allow the steel to expand without cracking the tiles. I have friends who crammed it all in too tightly and the second they used their stove the glass backsplash exploded and had to be replaced at great expense.

This kitchen is not by any means "flashy." It is a notch above rental grade. I have no idea how much it would cost to do since I have no clue what labor costs these days.

This is a pleasant and inoffensive suburban makeover.

The only truly offensive part is that the listing states "Neighborhood: Middle East Side". What the fuck is the Middle East Side? Does the US need to invade to liberate the good citizens of 145 East 29th Street?

@ se1 & kylewest - I know! What's the point of having a vent when it's just for show? For my kitchen, I currently have a "stage-prop" vent but I live in a house so I can alter as I please. It's not that far of a reach from the stove area to the potential vent out. What cost range would I be looking at since I'll be punching a hole my wall?

jubilee: not sure--I'm more familiar with the nightmarish costs of NYC construction. But place the fan as far up that vent pipe as possible--even outside--so the noise is reduced.

Thank you all for a fascinating discussion! This is a topic that has intrigued me for years. As a renter looking to buy, I'm presently suffering with a stove that has no hood at all and "vents" to the air, making me take the battery out of the smoke alarm before cooking "a la plancha". Not to mention the aggravating "patina" of coagulated lipids the walls acquire. I've long coveted hoods, and after realizing the functional difference between a real exhaust vented to the outside vs a fan/filter recirculation system, I now wonder about even more issues as I search for my ideal kitchen. For instance, are there problems with an "open kitchen" spewing grease-laden air into the living room from an ineffective fan/filter over the range? Probably some horror stories out there, no? I've seen a lot of apts on my search (Manhattan), but have yet to see a hood vented to the outside -- is this virtually impossible to do and still be compliant with the applicable building codes? It would seem so, with the potential for grease-laden air coating the facade? And how about those brillo-like filters; how well do they work for you? With normal use, how often do you find they need replacing? Thank you all above for your postings; they are much appreciated!

it's the new cool neighborhood. "MES"

I think that kitchen is rather handsomely done though the negative comments are probably all too true. Birdier, I'm not much of a meat eater but I heard a shocking figure once; something like 10 pounds of grease per year is airborne in the average kitchen. Yikes! Those vents do seem to be often just for show but at least they get the air moving & dissipate the heat, as someone stated. My kitchen in Los Angeles had one of those "show" fan/vents, too.

this is a $329k studio. i doubt it warrants much more, especially as the renovation appears to have been done for the sale. it's probably perfectly sufficient for most studio purchasers.

I cook a fair amount and think about the grease and smoke and particles, etc. and where it all goes since my kitchen is semi-open. I remain conscious of this when I cook using the oven and 3-4 burners, and start by opening the kitchen window (a Godsend to have one--such a luxury for me in my new place) and one in the dining room to create some cross ventilation. I also use a spatter screen on any pots with butter or oil spattering away and the screen catches most of it. Then I turn the fan on sometimes from the over-the-range Viking microwave. If I'm only cooking on one burner, none of this matters much and it is just like any old stove in terms of heat generated/spatter.

I find that opening the windows BEFORE I start cooking keeps the apt from heating up. 8 months into the new place it all seems to be working out fine.

I'm redoing my kitchen. It's costing about $60k, and it's a 10' galley. I didn't replace the fridge, but the other appliances (low-end) are new. My hood is a crappy one that does not vent to the outside and is just for show.

But I have to ask: are those photos of the kitchen distorted in some way? The top cabinets are not aligned with the bottom. "SE1" pointed out how weird a 24" range appeared beneath a 30-inch microwave. Who would DO something like that?

It's probably tough to find a 24" hood. 24" stoves aren't easy, either. Hoods are theoretically supposed to overlap the stove a bit, e.g. a 36" hood over a 30" stove, but no room in this case.

Agree with aboutready that it's just fine for a sponsor-reno'd studio.

Oh, and it's good that they did under-cabinet lighting, which often gets left out.

For a venting example, see the kitchen picture at http://www.rutenbergrealtyny.com/show_photo.aspx?lid=683463&show_address=771 West End Avenue. There, the heavy-duty hood appears to vent out to the upper part of an adjacent window.

I'd thought there was some code about not venting within x feet of a window, but you see that kind of venting all over, so apparently not enforced.

Looks like $15k total to me.

I agree with AR (I usually do in fact). Given the property, price and location this kitchen and bath are just fine, maybe better than expected. My concern would perhaps be how long the appliances and finishes are going remain attractive and/or in working order. This is not the kind of place people tend to buy as "forever" homes. I wonder how this renovation will look after 5-7 years when chances are the first owner will want to sell (or rent out).