Kitchen remodel cost in Seattle, WA
Remodeled kitchen $75–$250/sf; average remodel $14,600–$41,300. A new-from-scratch kitchen around $65,000 ($35,000–$95,000) is a different scope and is not this typical. $35,000 typical is the midpoint of that remodel band, rounded. Labor is often quoted as about 25% of the project.
Labor for Kitchen remodel in Seattle, WA is indexed to the BLS construction-and-extraction occupations mean hourly wage for Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA of $42.11 (May 2025), applied to the 25% labor share.
Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) is the issuing office. The typical permit fee recorded from Seattle SDCI 2026 Fee Subtitle Tables D-1 and D-2, retrieved 2026-08-13, is $1,821. Fee model: valuation.
The national typical for this job is $150. Materials stay at the national figure while labor is wage-indexed for Seattle, WA.
Room area. 150 to 250 sqft is a common mid-range kitchen.
Typical all-in
$34,243
Job cost plus the recorded local permit fee at this size.
- Low
- $17,353
- Typical
- $34,243
- High
- $57,130
Breakdown
| Labor (allocated) | $8,138 |
|---|---|
| Materials (allocated) | $24,412 |
| Job subtotal | $32,550 |
| Permit | $1,693 |
| All-in typical | $34,243 |
Labor is adjusted for construction wages in this metro. Materials stay at the national figure. This is an estimate, not a contractor quote.
Permit fee
- Fee model
- Based on project value
- Typical fee
- $1,693
- Range
- $1,078 – $2,880
- Retrieved
- 2026-08-13
- Plan review (100% of DFI) — $864Included. Cosmetic cabinet-only same-layout work may not need a building permit.
- Technology fee (5%) — $86Included.
- WA State Building Code Council fee — $7Included when a building permit is issued.
- Electrical permitSeparate; Table D-14 / OTC electrical. Not computed.
- Plumbing permit (King County Public Health)Seattle plumbing permits are collected by Public Health — Seattle & King County, not SDCI. Not computed.
- Mechanical permitIf range hood / HVAC changes are not in the building plans, Table D-8 / D-2 applies separately.
Typical $35,000: DFI $864.0 × 2.0 + 5% + $6.50 = $1820.9.
Building-permit portion only (200% of DFI + 5% + $6.50). Real kitchen jobs almost always add separate electrical and King County plumbing permits — those amounts are null here.
Citations
- Kitchen Installation Cost [2026 Data] Retrieved Aug 12, 2026. Remodel $75–$250/sf; average remodel $14,600–$41,300; new install ~$65,000 ($35k–$95k); labor ~25%.
- Seattle SDCI 2026 Fee Subtitle Tables D-1 and D-2 Retrieved Aug 12, 2026. Building-permit portion only (200% of DFI + 5% + $6.50). Real kitchen jobs almost always add separate electrical and King County plumbing permits — those amounts are null here.
- BLS OEWS construction wages — Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA BLS OEWS construction-and-extraction mean hourly wage / national same vintage, applied to laborShare only. Not a city-specific bid survey.