Cabinet Cost Versus House Cost

What percentage of a house's price might the cabinets cost? Feedback from various locations. August 29, 2005

Question
I have been told that home builders can figure the cabinets for their new home will cost 8%-13% of the total value of their home. Naturally, cost depends on kitchen size, bath sizes, species of wood, type(s) of doors, and etc. Does this sound accurate in your areas? Any help is appreciated.

Forum Responses
(Cabinetmaking Forum)
From contributor R:
A friend of mine recently built an $850,000 home and got a cabinetmaker from the Texas panhandle do the cabinets and granite countertops for $8,000. That is just under 1%. On the other hand, I know of one cabinetmaker who regularly pushes his cabinets for more that 25% of cost of home.



From contributor D:
$8,000 of cabinets in a $850,000 home? That had to be materials only, and even at that, it’s not a whole lot of cabinets for such a huge house. We are building $380,000 homes here in Tucson with approximately 3,100 square feet. My cabinets run approximately $15,000 for the kitchen and another $3,500 for vanities in all three bathrooms. That’s just material cost, labor and overhead. There is no profit because I'm the cabinet builder and my partner is the general contractor. If I threw in profit margin on that it would be double. So 8% is about accurate.


From contributor W:
We are in the New Orleans area and it runs about 4% here. Housing prices are low here as well. New houses run about $85 per square feet not including property. Unfortunately, with a lower cost, that means that we have to cut cost somewhere. It usually comes out of material and labor. From what I hear from our friends in Baton Rouge, they are getting in the 2% range because of stiff competition. It really depends on the market being served.


From contributor B:
To contributor W: It’s about the same in north rural TX. Some builders charge as little $72/ft to build (excluding land). A typical "nice" home average cost is $265,000, and typical the total cabinet price is under $10,000, unfinished and installed. The figures are between 3-4%.