Guide on the Kitchen Island Cost
Kitchen islands bring much to the table, quite literally. Adding one to your home can increase the amount of counter space you have to work with while providing extra storage, seating, and useful appliances. On average, you’ll be looking at $2,500 to $7,500 for a new kitchen island cost, though the final price varies depending on several factors.
Prefab Kitchen Islands Cost
When you’re doing a kitchen renovation, it’s easiest to opt for a prefab kitchen island. These ones are already made and ready to rapidly install in your home without any delays or costly customization.
- Rolling Cart. The rolling cart kitchen island has wheels at the base to roll around. This makes it super versatile, as you can reposition it as and when needed. It’s also the cheapest, ranging from as low as $150 to $1,500 on average.
- Rectangle. Rectangular islands are priced between $500 and $2,000, on average. They take a rectangular form and work nicely in smaller kitchens. Their symmetrical form adds a harmonious aesthetic.
- Galley. Next up, galley-style kitchen islands are a bit more expensive, with prices varying from $1,000 up to $5,000 or higher. These ones have long and slender forms, so they’re good fits in kitchens that are also long and narrow in their structure.
- L-Shaped. L-shaped islands have one end jutting out at a right angle to the rest. They’re usually on the large side compared to more basic islands, and prices are higher on average, ranging from $1,000 to $7,500.
- U-Shaped. Last up, U-shaped islands are the priciest of all. You can pay anywhere from $2,500 to $10,000 or more for an island like this. They’re big and have that distinctive U-shape, with a central recess where you can sit or stand to prepare food, clean up, or serve.
Custom Kitchen Islands Cost
Aside from prefabs, the other option is a custom island. This will be made so you can meet your exact specs.
There are advantages to this. It’s great for unusually shaped or sized kitchens, for example, and it ensures you get a one-of-a-kind kitchen island, too. But it’s usually much more expensive to get a custom one. You’ll be looking at rates of around $3,000 to $8,000, on average, depending on various factors.
Those factors include size, style, and materials, plus the finish of your chosen island. Naturally, those that are bigger, made of fancier and higher-grade materials, and decorated with lavish finishes will cost a lot more in the end than custom kitchen islands that are smaller and simpler in design.
Kitchen Island Installation Cost
A big part of the cost of kitchen islands isn’t just the island itself but the labour required to install it. Islands often sit in the middle of kitchens, and it’s usually necessary to connect plumbing and electrical wiring to those areas in order to provide the islands with running water, sinks, lighting, and so on.
Here’s a full breakdown of the costs involved:
- Materials. First up, materials. You’ve got options when you pick a kitchen island in terms of what it’s made from. You can pick from various forms of stone, granite, quartz, and so on, as well as different types of wood for cabinet doors and shelves.
- Labor. Labor costs 5will vary depending on how much work needs to be done. Simple islands might only need rolling into place, which is quick and cheap. But others will require hours of work and multiple specialists. Expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $80 an hour.
- Plumbing. If your island is equipped with a sink, you’ll need to run plumbing pipes for water supply and waste disposal. To do this, plumbers may need to dig up part of the floor and lay new pipes. The job costs between $50 and $200 per hour. Setting up a sink may involve costs of $250 to $500 or more.
- Permits. Depending on the size of your island, the type of home you live in, and the building codes in your area, you might need to apply for permits before getting an island fitted. Kitchen remodel permits can cost upwards of $500.
- Ventilation. If you want to have an oven or cooktop built into the island, you will install a hood along with it. To do this, you will need to run communications to the main ductwork. Installing a new hood can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,500.
- Electrical. With all the appliances installed on the island, you’ll have to take care of the electricity for hookup. Oh, and a couple of handy outlets will come in handy, too. Electrician services cost between $50 and $150 per hour.
- Flooring. You might need the flooring replaced, removed, or adjusted to cater to the installation of your new island. Rates range from $30 to $60 an hour.
- Countertops and Cabinets. Finally, there are the costs of the counters and cabinets that make up your island. These can cost several hundred dollars or even thousands if you’re looking at a very large and fancy island with lots of storage.
Factors that Affect Kitchen Island Costs
Here’s a detailed list of some of the many factors that will influence how much you spend on a kitchen island:
- Materials. Arguably, the No. 1 factor is materials. Some materials are way cheaper than others. You can get some basic wood-framed islands with simple quartz countertops quite cheaply or much fancier ones with hardwood elements and marble or granite tops a lot more.
- Level of Customization. As touched on earlier, if you want a custom-made island, you’ll have to pay a premium for it. It’s much cheaper to opt for a prefab model most of the time, as custom islands take more effort and specialist labor to make.
- Kitchen Size. Bigger kitchens need bigger islands. Bigger islands cost more money, as they involve more materials and take more time and work to transport and install, as well.
- Labor Rates. Labor rates can vary across the country. In some areas, you might find contractors who work for $30 an hour. In other places, average rates might be closer to $80 an hour.
Additional Costs Associated With Kitchen Islands
Here are some extra costs that might factor into your final island valuation:
- Kitchen Flooring. Flooring sometimes needs replacing or adjusting to make way for an island installation. If you’ve got a tiled floor, for example, some of it might need digging up to connect the island’s plumbing and electrics, and then you have to pay for fresh floor around it.
- Cabinets & Countertops. Some islands are pretty basic and just have a few shelves and one main countertop space. But others come with lots of built-in cabinets and fancy, high-end counters, plus other features like sinks and appliances, which make them more expensive.
- Kitchen Makeover. A new island might just be one part of a much grander kitchen makeover plan. If so, you could be looking at some very high costs. It can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $40,000+ to remodel a kitchen.
- Built-in Fixtures and Appliances. As alluded to earlier, if you want fancy bonuses included in your island, like a built-in oven, sink or dishwasher, you’ll have to pay a lot more. These features can add several hundred dollars or even a couple of thousand to the end price.
For a customised estimate, you can contact our condo kitchen renovation specialists and they will prepare an estimate for your project.
Why Is It Better to Choose CSG Renovation?
If you’ve chosen a prefabricated and simple island option, you can do the assembly yourself. But if you want a custom-designed island with sink and appliance installation, go to CSG Renovation.
Take a look at our work in the gallery; we make all your ideas possible. We have plumbers, electricians, and catering specialists on staff, and we provide a full range of home renovation services. That is why we fulfil the order in a coordinated way, and you will not have to choose separate workers.
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