We serve Auburn homeowners whose kitchens stopped keeping up with the household a few years back. Whether you're down in the valley near the Green River, up on Lea Hill, in the southern neighborhoods around Lakeland Hills or a few blocks from downtown Auburn, we start each Auburn kitchen remodel in the same place, with how you actually cook and where everyone ends up standing while you do. That conversation and expert craftsmanship in the build are how a dream kitchen stops being a mood board and becomes a room you use every morning.
We work throughout King County and Snohomish County, and your neighborhood is inside our service area. The crews come from our Bellevue showroom and our Lake Stevens offices. Projects with us start around $40,000 as of October 2026, and the cost section below shows what moves that number.
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Kitchen Remodeling Services for Your Auburn Home
Planning a remodel goes better when one team owns the whole job. Our remodeling services in Auburn cover everything from updating a kitchen to a complete kitchen transformation, and the same crew can take on bathroom renovations in the next phase. Every Auburn home in South King County hides something different behind its walls, so we tailor each plan to the house and not to a template. For home remodeling in Auburn, that matters most when this room is only the first on your list.
Kitchen Layout, Workflow, and Storage
A workable layout starts with how you move between the sink, the range, the refrigerator and the pantry. Keeping each appliance where it is keeps a project simpler. Moving the sink means new pipes and often new wiring, so the price follows the pipes. If you want to redesign the room around an island, or open it up so it connects to the dining area, we help you design that layout on paper before anyone swings a hammer. Open floor plans look great in photos, and they also remove the walls that used to hide your clutter, so storage has to work harder.
Taking out a wall is where we slow down. If it carries load from the roof or the story above, that part of the job adds $15,000 to $25,000 as of October 2026, depending on the posts and the crawl space. In our experience we read a wall correctly about nine times out of ten. The tenth shows up after demolition. On one recent project a wall everyone treated as non-load-bearing turned out to carry load, and the beam, two posts, engineering and city sign-off added about $30,000. So we tell you up front that the bid rests on our current read of the wall. If we're wrong, you can trim the scope to stay near the original number or keep the full vision and cover the difference. A pull-out pantry or a corner drawer system is a modern upgrade that costs little next to moving a wall, and it can transform a cramped galley without touching the framing.
Kitchen Cabinets and Storage Solutions
Cabinetry is the biggest swing in any remodel budget. In a $60,000 project the cabinetry typically runs $20,000 to $25,000, and the tier you pick moves everything else. High-quality hardware matters more than most people expect, since you touch it dozens of times a day, and manufacturers such as Blum publish care and adjustment guidance for soft-close hinges and drawer systems.
We don't sell or install cabinetry on its own. It comes as part of a full remodel, and our Bellevue showroom lets you open the drawers yourself to feel the difference between tiers.
Cabinet Styles and Planning Options
During planning, the question is usually semi-custom or custom. Semi-custom comes in set widths and finishes from a manufacturer's catalog. Custom units are built to your wall and can fill an odd gap or match a color a catalog doesn't offer, which is why the choice matters so much in an older house where nothing is square. The table shows what the boxes and doors alone cost by tier, based on our own jobs (as of October 2026).
| Tier |
Typical cost, units alone |
| Semi-custom |
around $20,000 |
| Custom |
$50,000 to $60,000 |
| European-style flat-panel with integrated pulls |
up to about $80,000 |
We walk you through each decision and weigh looks against daily use, so the finished room suits your dream home and the way you actually live in it.
Countertops, Backsplash, Flooring, and Lighting
Surfaces take the most abuse in this room, and they trade durability and style against budget. Floating LVP flooring runs about $11 per square foot installed ($5 for material and $6 for labor), while engineered hardwood comes to $20 to $22 per square foot installed (as of October 2026). We take hardwood on only as part of a bigger remodel. If the subfloor turns out damaged after demolition, that repair gets priced as a change order.
Choosing Surfaces for Daily Use
White counters with white cabinetry and LED lighting are what most of our clients ask for in 2026, and quartz is the usual pick. We help you compare four options for the surfaces that take the most wear.
- Quartz, the most common request
- Granite, for a natural pattern
- Custom tile, especially on the wall behind the range
- Laminate, when budget is the first filter
A third-party fabricator cuts and installs the stone, and we handle the surrounding work ourselves, including the hood vent and much of the final installation. Care instructions for quartz vary by brand, so follow the manufacturer's sheet. Confirm the edge profile and the sink fit before the template, because a mistake there is expensive to fix.
Appliance Locations and Electrical Planning
Plan general lighting and task lighting for the prep areas together, and mark the outlets and switches, plus each light, on the drawings. Dimmable ceiling lights and LED strips under the wall units are easy to plan before drywall goes up and expensive to add after, because a new circuit means opening walls you just paid to close. Appliance placement drives the electrical plan, so the range and the refrigerator get located first.
Electrical and plumbing work is handled by subcontractors we work with. Required inspections take place before the walls close, with electrical inspections performed by Washington State Labor & Industries and building and plumbing inspections handled by the City of Auburn. Washington's 2021 residential code has applied statewide since March 2024, and the State Building Code Council keeps the adoption details.
Our Kitchen Remodeling Process
We run every job the same way, so you always know what comes next. We're a full-service remodeler, so one project manager follows your job from the first call to the final walkthrough, and our home renovation services use this same sequence on bigger work too.
Consultation, Design, and a Written Scope
Every project starts with a conversation, by phone or at your house, followed by a visit to look at the existing space. When we write the scope, two things anchor the planning.
- Realistic expectations and a clear list of selections
- A personalized design built around your cooking habits
The scope lists selections, allowances and exclusions, and we mark which choices are decided and which are open. Anything we can see and price during the visit goes into the bid, so visible items like the units shouldn't turn into surprise add-ons. An Auburn remodeling project goes better when this paperwork is done early.
Selections, Construction, and Final Walkthrough
You pick materials, and we identify the approvals and lead times, plus any specialist work your project needs. Custom units take longer to build. Once approvals are in place, we protect surfaces and furniture and keep dust behind barriers. You get an update every week and a fast answer when something unexpected turns up behind a wall. Two jobs get our closest attention.
- Cabinetry installation
- Final flooring and fixture placement
At the final walkthrough we go through the room together and write down anything left to fix. You receive the warranty documentation package at handoff, and the second payment is due only after you accept the work. We back the work with a two-year workmanship warranty, with written terms for completed construction work.
Kitchen Remodel Cost and Schedule Factors
Compare proposals by what they include and look past the bottom line. A low first number tells you very little. If another company bids $50,000 and finishes at $50,000, that's a good price and we'd tell you to take it. The trouble starts when a $50,000 bid ends at $100,000. When we quote a $100,000 project, you should expect to pay close to $103,000, and the gap should trace to scope you added or to something nobody could see before demolition.
The table shows where our projects typically start (as of October 2026). They are benchmarks, and plenty of projects come in above or below them.
| Size |
Typical starting point |
What moves it |
| Small |
around $40,000 |
Unit tier, layout changes |
| Medium |
around $60,000 |
Counters, layout moves |
| Larger |
around $80,000 |
Structural work, custom units |
City review comes before construction, and it takes anywhere from about six weeks to three months depending on the city. Most applications here go through MyBuildingPermit.com, and the permit center answers questions at 253-931-3090 (option 2). Kitchen remodeling construction typically takes six to ten weeks, depending on the scope and complexity of the project.
Payment follows the same plan on every project. You pay in two installments, the first before work begins and the second after we finish and you accept the work. We take cash and standard banking channels, and we add no payment fee. If you want financing, we work with third-party platforms (Hearth and RenoFi) for eligible projects. New Day isn't the lender. The lenders on those platforms set the rates and terms and show you the fees before you accept anything, so read them closely.
Material Allowances and Hidden Conditions
A material allowance is a placeholder price for something you haven't picked yet, such as the counter or the hardware. If you choose above it, the difference is yours, and if you choose below it, you keep the savings. Concealed conditions are the other moving part. A 1920s Craftsman near downtown can surprise you differently than a 1990s house on the hill, and old wiring or rot may only show up once the walls are open. We say upfront which items can change the number and why, and any change order gets your approval before the work starts.
Plan on living in a work zone, because that's how we describe it to families. Cooking happens in your living space, so a remodel touches more than one room. We set up a temporary cooking area when we can, usually a microwave and a counter in another room. About nine out of ten of our projects get phased around the family's real situation, which adds time and can add a little cost since the work flows less efficiently. If you live in a master-planned neighborhood, ask your HOA about approval rules before you order anything. A whole-home project we finished in about two months because the family remodeled before moving in, while an occupied house usually takes three to six months.
Explore New Day Kitchen Projects
Browse our project portfolio to see real layouts and finishes, and we invite homeowners throughout Auburn to judge the work for themselves. If this room is only the start, we also handle bathroom remodeling, whole-home renovations and home additions. We don't have a kitchen in town to show you yet, so here is a real project that shows how one of these decisions plays out.
A Real New Day Project in Lake Forest Park, WA
Daniel came to us on a friend's recommendation. He'd updated his kitchen a couple of years earlier with another contractor and wanted to finish the house room by room, and his bathroom and laundry room hadn't been touched since 1984. Max, our project manager and a former casework installer, visited the next day and walked through both rooms. He found a shower that looked fine but predated modern waterproofing, so demolition and prep took more care than they would in a newer space.
We gave Daniel two options (figures from the 2026 quote). The bathroom and laundry room remodel would cost $46,000 with semi-custom cabinetry or $54,000 with custom cabinetry. Both estimates included materials, labor, demolition, haul-away and permits. At our Bellevue showroom he compared samples in person and saw that the catalog colors and styles didn't match what he wanted, so he chose custom. The extra $8,000, about 17 percent, bought the exact color and fit. He told us our professionalism and the showroom ranked second among his reasons for hiring us, right behind his friend's recommendation.
The work ran from mid-March to mid-May 2026, a little under two months. The final cost matched the $54,000 quote, paid in two installments with no financing. He received the full warranty package at handoff.
Kitchen Remodeling FAQ
These are the questions homeowners ask us most before they call.
What is a realistic budget for a kitchen remodel?
Plan on anywhere from around $40,000 for a small kitchen to around $80,000 for a larger one, with a medium kitchen near $60,000 (as of October 2026). Cabinetry and structural changes drive most of the difference between those numbers. Add room for the unexpected, because a bid should be close to the final bill and not identical to it. On our jobs a $100,000 quote means about $103,000 at the end.
Is $10,000 enough for a kitchen remodel?
Not for a full remodel in our market. Our smallest projects start at $20,000, and projects with new cabinetry start around $40,000 (as of October 2026). Ten thousand dollars buys paint and new hardware, plus a faucet swap that a handyman can do. If that's all you need, a handyman will do it faster and cheaper, and we'll say so.
Is $30,000 enough to remodel a kitchen?
It depends on the scope, and for a full replacement it usually falls short of our starting point. At $30,000 you can sometimes cover a limited update in a small room where the layout and the plumbing stay put. We prefer to say so at the first visit instead of writing a bid that looks affordable and then grows. If the number is firm, we can talk through phasing the work so the first stage fits and the rest follows.
What kitchen trends will be outdated in 2026?
Designers quoted by Homes & Gardens in June 2026 named several looks that already feel overdone, including fully fluted cabinetry, oversized islands, high-gloss lacquer, a single dark color on every surface and rooms where every appliance hides behind a panel. Oversized range hoods and phone-controlled everything made the list too. What we hear from clients in 2026 is closer to white counters and cabinetry with LED lighting. The practical rule is to put a trend where it's cheap to change, like paint or pulls, or a light, and keep the cabinetry and counters timeless.
How much does a kitchen remodel cost in Auburn?
Expect anything from around $40,000 for a small project to $80,000 for a larger one (as of October 2026), with a medium kitchen near $60,000. Cabinetry can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $80,000 depending on tier, while structural wall changes can add roughly $25,000 to the overall remodeling budget. We price what we can see at the consultation, and the final cost may change if you request additional work or hidden conditions emerge after demolition.
What is the most expensive part of a kitchen remodel?
Cabinetry, almost every time. In a $60,000 project it runs $20,000 to $25,000, and a European-style flat-panel setup with integrated pulls can reach about $80,000 for the units alone (as of October 2026). Structural work comes next when a wall has to move, followed by the counters and the stone that goes on them.
How long does a kitchen remodel take?
Kitchen remodeling construction typically takes six to ten weeks from demolition to final touches, depending on the scope and complexity of the work. Custom units add build time. Our Lake Forest Park project finished in a little under two months.
How do I choose the right kitchen remodeling contractor in Auburn?
Verify the state registration and insurance first. Then compare written scopes line by line, and ask how the company prices changes after demolition. Ask how many recent jobs finished near the quoted price and on the quoted schedule. That answer tells you more than any review count, and it's the one we're proudest of.
Request Your Auburn Kitchen Remodeling Estimate
Ready to start your kitchen remodel in Auburn, WA? A trusted remodeling contractor should tell you who runs your job, what the bid includes and how changes get priced. Ask the same of any home remodeling contractor you talk to, then compare the answers, and plan your home remodel around the best one. Washington registers contractors with the state, and you can look up any company in the L&I contractor lookup. New Day Construction is registered under NEWDADC823QR and insured.
Tell us about your house, the work you have in mind, your priorities and your timing, and we'll review the details and talk through next steps toward an estimate. Estimates are free. Call (425) 584-2936 or email [email protected]. You can also visit our Bellevue showroom at 1850 130th Ave NE #1, Bellevue, WA 98005, to compare hardware and finishes in person.
One honest note. We build full remodels, and we won't push you toward the biggest option. If a smaller scope solves your problem, we'll say so.
Request a Remodeling Consultation
See also our kitchen renovation in Bellevue, a nearby bathroom project, and work in Everett, Redmond and Bothell.
