Marble-look laminate panel beside an oak Shaker cabinet door frame with a dark insert on a wooden table

Kitchen Scopebook · Compare options

Kitchen comparisons: the five decisions that move the budget

Five choices account for most of the spread between a $20,000 kitchen and a $60,000 one: refacing versus new cabinets, quartz versus granite, island versus peninsula, keeping versus changing the layout, and gas versus induction. Each comparison below lays out cost, lifespan, maintenance, appearance, climate fit, install time, resale and best-fit, then gives a verdict.

See the comparisons

Comparisons are only useful when they are honest about trade-offs, so each pair here says where the cheaper option loses and where the expensive one is wasted. The numbers come from the same sources as the rest of the site: Houzz's kitchen trends studies, NKBA's designer surveys, NAHB's buyer survey, Zonda's Cost vs. Value data and the cost guides from Angi, HomeAdvisor and Fixr.

Read the pair that matches your open question, then carry the verdict into the calculator or the request form. If more than one is open, the quiz will sort them into order.

The 5 decisions that move the price most

Dark base cabinets beneath windows and pale upper cupboards

Cabinet refacing vs New cabinets

Refacing keeps the boxes and changes the fronts for a third to half the cost of replacement; new cabinets fix storage, layout and box failures but pull counters and often flooring into the scope. The decision is about box condition and layout, not door style.

Upfront cost (20 linear ft): $2,000 – $9,000; $2,500 – $25,500 plus counters
Lifespan: 10–20 yrs on sound boxes; 20–30+ yrs with plywood boxes
Maintenance: Same as new doors; veneer edges need care; Standard; finish quality matters

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

White kitchen island with sink and seating

Engineered quartz vs Granite

Quartz is non-porous and never needs sealing but scorches under a hot pan; granite tolerates heat and is what most buyers say they want, but needs periodic sealing and can chip at edges. Installed prices overlap, so the choice is about habits, not budget.

Upfront cost, installed: $60 – $130 per sq ft; $50 – $120 per sq ft
Lifespan: 20–30 yrs; resin can yellow in sun; 30+ yrs; natural stone does not fade
Maintenance: Soap and water; no sealing; Seal every 1–3 years

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

Dark kitchen island beside white cabinetry

Kitchen island vs Peninsula

An island gives access from all sides and is what most renovators add, but it needs 42 to 48 inches of aisle on every side. A peninsula attaches to a perimeter run, protects only one aisle, and suits rooms under 11 feet wide.

Upfront cost: $3,500 – $20,000+ depending on utilities; $2,500 – $12,000; shares a wall run
Lifespan: Same as cabinets, 20–30 yrs; Same as cabinets, 20–30 yrs
Maintenance: Four finished sides to keep clean; One exposed end

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

White kitchen sink beneath pendant lights

Same-layout renovation vs Layout change

Keeping the sink, range and refrigerator on their existing stubs saves plumbing and electrical rough-in, inspections and often slab cutting. Changing the layout fixes workflow problems that no finish can, at roughly a 30 percent premium and more with wall removal.

Upfront cost: $25,000 – $60,000 (Fixr midrange); $45,000 – $130,000+
Lifespan: Same finishes, same life; Same finishes, same life
Maintenance: No difference; No difference

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

Kitchen with illuminated worktops beneath an open stair

Gas range or cooktop vs Induction range or cooktop

Gas is installed in about 28% of U.S. homes and needs a gas line and a good hood; induction heats faster, is easier to clean and is what two-thirds of NKBA's designers expect to lead within three years, but needs a 240-volt circuit and compatible cookware.

Upfront cost: $700 – $6,000 appliance; gas line $300 – $1,500 if absent; $1,000 – $6,000 appliance; 240V circuit $400 – $1,500; panel upgrade if needed
Lifespan: 15–20 yrs; 10–15 yrs; electronics-dependent
Maintenance: Grates and burners to clean; Flat glass, wipe clean; avoid scratches

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

How to use these comparisons without over-thinking them

Pick the row that matters most to you and ignore the rest. A household that cooks on high heat every night should weight the heat row in quartz versus granite; a household selling in three years should weight resale. The verdict paragraphs assume a typical mid-priced home; adjust for yours. Houzz found 91% of renovators replaced counters and 58% added or upgraded an island, so those two pairs get the most traffic.

Each comparison ends with the questions homeowners ask about that specific pair. For the full cost tables behind each option, see the service pages. If a pair turns on a fact about your house, such as panel capacity or box condition, get that fact from a site visit before you let the table decide.

Which pair should you settle first?

Order them by how much each moves the total. Reface versus replace comes first because cabinets are near ~30% of the budget by HomeAdvisor's breakdown and 40% by Fixr's; the answer also determines whether counters must be replaced. Same-layout versus layout change comes second because relocation adds trades, permits and weeks. Island versus peninsula is third, since it depends on the layout decision. Quartz versus granite and gas versus induction come last; they are real decisions with real costs, but they rarely change who you hire or how long the kitchen is down.

Settling them in that order also keeps the brief you send to pros coherent. A request that says 'reface, same layout, peninsula, quartz, keep the gas range' can be priced by a cabinet shop and a fabricator; a request that says 'replace, move the sink to an island, induction' is a general contractor's job with a designer in front of it.

White kitchen with open shelving above the sinkPhoto: Odiseo Castrejon · License

What the resale rows do and do not mean

Resale figures in the tables come from two sources that measure different things. Zonda's Cost vs. Value report uses appraiser estimates of resale value for a defined project in a specific report year; its minor midrange kitchen remodel returned 112.9% in 2025. NAR's Remodeling Impact Report uses Realtor estimates and lands lower, at 71% for a complete renovation. Neither predicts what your kitchen will return in your market; both say that mid-priced scopes matched to the neighborhood hold value better than expensive ones.

Buyer preference figures from NAHB's 2024 survey are a third kind of number: what more than 3,000 recent and prospective buyers say they want, such as natural stone counters at 73% and a central island at 74%. They describe demand, not price recovery. Use all three as context, and use the locations hub to see how regional markets shift them.

Homeowner polls

Which option are homeowners picking?

See all poll results

What is your plan for the cabinets?

68% of Houzz kitchen renovators replaced every cabinet; 27% did a partial upgrade.

No votes yet. Yours will be the first. · saved on this device

Which countertop material is your first choice?

Engineered quartz led Houzz's 2026 study at 32% of upgraded counters.

No votes yet. Yours will be the first. · saved on this device

Which cooking fuel will the new kitchen use?

EIA's 2024 RECS shows induction in about 5% of occupied homes; NKBA designers expect it to lead within three years.

No votes yet. Yours will be the first. · saved on this device

Comparison questions

Which comparison should I read first?

The one that changes the budget most for your situation. For most homeowners that is reface versus replace, because cabinets are 30 to 40 percent of the total. If the boxes are clearly sound or clearly failed, skip to quartz versus granite or island versus peninsula, which are the next largest decisions.

Are the cost rows national or local?

National planning ranges anchored to Angi, HomeAdvisor and Fixr benchmarks and typical 2025–2026 line-item pricing. Coastal metros can run 15 to 35 percent above them; the interior South and Midwest often run below. Use the locations hub to adjust, then confirm with written proposals from local pros.

Can I combine options from different pairs?

Yes, and most kitchens do: reface the cabinets, add quartz counters, keep the layout and add a peninsula. The pairs are independent decisions. The calculator lets you model the combination by choosing a tier, a complexity level and add-ons; the contact page brief should list each decision explicitly.

Why is resale in every table if I am not selling?

Because it is a proxy for what a typical buyer, and therefore a typical future owner, values, which is a useful check against over-personalized choices. If you are staying twenty years, weight the maintenance and best-for rows and treat resale as a tie-breaker.

Do the comparisons cover flooring or backsplash?

Not as pairs. Flooring and backsplash are important but rarely change the scope or the trades involved, and their cost spread is narrower than cabinets, counters or layout. The renovation service page covers flooring sequence and the countertop page covers backsplash scope.

What if my situation does not fit either option?

Then it usually fits a third: painting instead of refacing or replacing, porcelain instead of quartz or granite, a rolling cart instead of an island or peninsula, a single-fixture move instead of a full layout change. Each service page lists those alternatives, and the quiz can point to the right one.

How current are the trend figures in the tables?

They come from Houzz's 2025 and 2026 kitchen trends studies, NKBA's 2025 and 2026 designer reports, NAHB's 2024 buyer survey, Zonda's 2025 Cost vs. Value report and EIA's preliminary 2024 microdata, each cited on its stat card with a link. They are refreshed as new editions are reviewed.

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Go deeper on a service

Service guideComplete Kitchen Renovation
A complete kitchen renovation replaces cabinets, counters, flooring, lighting and usually appliances under a single plan, and may relocate plumbing, gas and electrical or remove a wall.
Service guideCabinet Refacing & Installation
Cabinet refacing replaces doors, drawer fronts and hardware and covers the exposed box faces with matching veneer, leaving the layout unchanged.
Service guideCountertop Installation
Countertop installation replaces the work surface, sink and often the backsplash on cabinets you keep.
Service guideKitchen Island Design & Build
A kitchen island is a freestanding cabinet unit with its own countertop, often with seating, storage, a sink or a cooktop.

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Kitchen comparisons: the five decisions that move the budget

See the comparisons

The 5 decisions that move the price most

Cabinet refacing vs New cabinets

Upfront cost (20 linear ft): $2,000 – $9,000; $2,500 – $25,500 plus counters
Lifespan: 10–20 yrs on sound boxes; 20–30+ yrs with plywood boxes
Maintenance: Same as new doors; veneer edges need care; Standard; finish quality matters

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

Engineered quartz vs Granite

Upfront cost, installed: $60 – $130 per sq ft; $50 – $120 per sq ft
Lifespan: 20–30 yrs; resin can yellow in sun; 30+ yrs; natural stone does not fade
Maintenance: Soap and water; no sealing; Seal every 1–3 years

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

Kitchen island vs Peninsula

Upfront cost: $3,500 – $20,000+ depending on utilities; $2,500 – $12,000; shares a wall run
Lifespan: Same as cabinets, 20–30 yrs; Same as cabinets, 20–30 yrs
Maintenance: Four finished sides to keep clean; One exposed end

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

Same-layout renovation vs Layout change

Upfront cost: $25,000 – $60,000 (Fixr midrange); $45,000 – $130,000+
Lifespan: Same finishes, same life; Same finishes, same life
Maintenance: No difference; No difference

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

Gas range or cooktop vs Induction range or cooktop

Upfront cost: $700 – $6,000 appliance; gas line $300 – $1,500 if absent; $1,000 – $6,000 appliance; 240V circuit $400 – $1,500; panel upgrade if needed
Lifespan: 15–20 yrs; 10–15 yrs; electronics-dependent
Maintenance: Grates and burners to clean; Flat glass, wipe clean; avoid scratches

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

How to use these comparisons without over-thinking them

Which pair should you settle first?

White kitchen with open shelving above the sinkPhoto: Odiseo Castrejon · License

What the resale rows do and do not mean

Comparison questions

Which comparison should I read first?

Are the cost rows national or local?

Can I combine options from different pairs?

Why is resale in every table if I am not selling?

Do the comparisons cover flooring or backsplash?

What if my situation does not fit either option?

How current are the trend figures in the tables?

Go deeper on a service

White kitchen with a stool-lined island, stainless range, marble backsplash and a slider open to a patio grill

Service guideComplete Kitchen Renovation

A complete kitchen renovation replaces cabinets, counters, flooring, lighting and usually appliances under a single plan, and may relocate plumbing, gas and electrical or remove a wall.

Installer aligning a raised-panel maple cabinet door on concealed hinges over a base cabinet

Service guideCabinet Refacing & Installation

Cabinet refacing replaces doors, drawer fronts and hardware and covers the exposed box faces with matching veneer, leaving the layout unchanged.

Close-up of a grey-veined quartz countertop edge around a dark granite composite undermount sink

Service guideCountertop Installation

Countertop installation replaces the work surface, sink and often the backsplash on cabinets you keep.

Hand working a scraper along a stone island top set on a rough wood base, with a mallet on the bench

Service guideKitchen Island Design & Build

A kitchen island is a freestanding cabinet unit with its own countertop, often with seating, storage, a sink or a cooktop.