THE AVERAGE COST OF ADDING A KITCHENETTE

Posted: Friday July 2, 2021

Adding a kitchenette or mini kitchen to your home offers several benefits. It allows others in your home to have their own cooking/food storage space, and in most cases, it adds value to your home. Whether your mother-in-law is moving in, your adult child is living at home for a while, or you want to start an Airbnb, adding a kitchenette to your home is a great idea. 

Below, we discuss the average cost for making such an addition. Heads up – it’s going to cost a pretty penny!

HOW MUCH DOES ADDING A KITCHENETTE COST?

On average, adding a kitchenette costs upwards of $45,000. From installing the plumbing and electricity to purchasing building materials and appliances, it’s not a cheap renovation. Of course, costs vary widely depending on whether you can do the work yourself and the choices you make in terms of materials and options, so there is room for saving money. 

Let’s break it down.

PLUMBING

A sink is standard in most kitchenettes, so if you already have plumbing run to the room where the kitchenette will be installed, the cost will be much cheaper. You can expect to pay anywhere from $100 – $1,000 or more to get a sink installed in your new kitchenette. 

ELECTRICAL

Your new kitchenette will need electricity to run the appliances. If the room already has electricity, you’re all set. However, if you need to install additional outlets or run electrical wiring, you can expect to pay an average of $141 per outlet and $6-10 per square foot for wiring. If your addition isn’t wired for electricity at all, the average cost for running a ground wire and installing an electrical panel is anywhere from $2,000-$4,000. 

CABINETS AND COUNTERS

No kitchenette is complete without cabinets and countertops. The cost for these additions varies widely depending on what you choose. Custom options will cost more than prefab ones, so if you’re on a budget, you’ll want to go the prefab route. 

If you decide to go with cabinets from a high-end cabinet designer, you’ll shell out anywhere from $500 – $1,200 per linear foot. When it comes to countertops, you have many options, which range in price from $15 – $250 per square foot. 

APPLIANCES

What appliances will your kitchenette include? You’ll want to tally up the cost of these items to make sure they fit within your budget. Again, appliances can vary greatly in price depending on what you choose, so don’t be afraid to shop around to find the best deals. 

BUILDING PERMITS

Don’t forget to factor in the cost of a building permit, and never begin building your kitchenette before making sure it’s legal to do so in your city/state. Some counties don’t allow for a second kitchen in a single-family home as they don’t want residents to be able to turn their homes into multi-family dwellings without going through the proper channels. 

A building permit can cost as much as $1,000 before you begin building, but a retroactive permit should you get caught building without a permit can be double or triple that amount.