Oct 5, 2026
Twin Cities design-build firm AMEK outlines what sets kitchen remodel cost: whether the footprint changes, cabinetry, selections and conditions behind the walls. Aging housing stock, with a national median age of 44 years, makes the last factor more common.
Bloomington, United States, October 5, 2026 /NewsNetwork/ -- BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Kitchen remodel cost depends on four factors that move in a predictable order, according to AMEK Design + Build, a Bloomington design-build remodeling firm that has worked across the Twin Cities since 1996. The four factors are whether the footprint changes, cabinetry, finish selections and what sits behind the walls.
The firm laid out the framework in a new homeowner guide at https://amekinc.com/kitchen-remodel-cost/, which deliberately leaves out a published price range. Andrew Schmidt, AMEK's CEO and co-owner, said a single figure would mislead more than it would help, because a kitchen is "the room where two projects that look identical on paper end up furthest apart."
Scope sets the range
Scope comes first. A kitchen that keeps its sink location, range wall and footprint becomes a project centered on cabinetry, counters and finishes. Moving a sink adds drain and supply work. Relocating a range brings gas lines, ventilation and often a new exterior penetration. Removing a wall can turn the job into a structural project. According to the guide, keeping the existing layout is the single largest cost control available to homeowners.
Cabinetry and selections
Cabinetry is the second factor. "Cabinetry is usually the largest single cost in a kitchen, and it has the widest spread of any category," Schmidt said. The spread comes from construction, finish and fit, and it separates stock, semi-custom and custom products. Most kitchens AMEK designs use custom cabinetry, which the firm says allows layouts built around off-center windows, chimney chases and the split-level geometry common in Twin Cities homes. Examples of the firm's kitchen projects are at https://amekinc.com/kitchen-remodel/.
Selections form the third factor. Countertops, tile, fixtures, hardware, lighting and flooring each carry a price range, and those ranges compound across a room. AMEK sets an allowance for each category, then replaces each allowance with actual cost as homeowners make choices. Schmidt recommends spending on surfaces that see daily use and are difficult to change later. "Hardware is cheap to swap. A countertop is not," he said.
Aging homes add hidden work
The fourth factor reflects a national trend. Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies reports that the U.S. housing stock reached a median age of 44 years in 2023, the oldest on record. It also found that homes built before 1980 required 24 percent higher improvement spending than homes built since 2010.
In older Twin Cities kitchens, that often means electrical service sized for a smaller household, inadequate venting and plumbing modified more than once. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about three-quarters of U.S. homes built before 1978 still contain some lead-based paint. Its Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires paid contractors who disturb that paint to be certified in lead-safe work practices.
Structure adds a further variable. In the region's many split-levels and ramblers, the wall between the kitchen and living room often carries the floor above. Opening that wall requires an engineered beam, posts and frequently new footings. "Structure is the hardest part of a project to reverse," Schmidt said. The firm's guidance is to get structural decisions right and economize on choices that can be changed later.
Before a layout is chosen, AMEK typically develops three design concepts so homeowners can compare alternatives. Design and construction are priced together under one contract.
About AMEK Design + Build: AMEK Design + Build is a design-build remodeling firm based in Bloomington, Minnesota, serving the Twin Cities since 1996. The company began in roofing and exteriors and grew, largely by referral, into full-service residential remodeling with architectural design, project management and carpentry in-house. More information is available at https://amekinc.com/about/.
Contact Info:
Name: Andrew Schmidt
Email: Send Email
Organization: AMEK Design + Build
Address: 9401 James Ave S, Suite 170, Bloomington, MN 55431, United States
Website: https://amekinc.com
Source: NewsNetwork
Release ID: 89205299
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