By Standard Building Company. Published October 22, 2026.
The first question every homeowner asks about a kitchen is what it will cost, and the honest answer is that it depends on three decisions you have not made yet. This guide gives you the ranges we see on Northern Colorado kitchens in 2026, what pushes a project from one range to the next, and how to set a budget before design starts so the plan you fall for is one you can afford.
These are planning ranges, not quotes. Two kitchens of the same size can land in different ranges because of what is behind the walls and what you pick for the surfaces. We give every client a cost range at concept and a fixed written price at the permit set.
Three tiers of kitchen remodel
Almost every kitchen project falls into one of three scopes, and the scope decides the range more than the square footage does.
Refresh: new surfaces in the same layout. Cabinets stay or get refaced, countertops and backsplash are replaced, new sink and faucet, new lighting, paint, and possibly flooring. No walls move and no plumbing or gas is relocated. In Loveland and Fort Collins in 2026, a refresh on a typical 150 to 200 square foot kitchen generally lands in the $25,000 to $55,000 range. Cabinet refacing versus replacement is the biggest swing inside that range.
Full remodel: everything new, same footprint. New cabinets, countertops, backsplash, flooring, lighting, appliances, and paint, with plumbing and electrical updated in place. The sink and range stay roughly where they are. This is the most common kitchen project in Northern Colorado and generally lands in the $55,000 to $110,000 range, with semi-custom cabinets and quartz counters in the middle of it.
Layout change or expansion. A wall comes out, an island goes in, the sink moves to a window, or the kitchen grows into a dining room or an addition. Add structural engineering, a beam, new plumbing and gas runs, often an electrical panel upgrade, and sometimes new windows or exterior doors. These projects generally run $110,000 to $200,000 and up, and the top of the range is where custom cabinetry, high-end appliances, and an addition stack together.
What moves the number
Cabinets are the largest line in almost every kitchen, often 30 to 40 percent of the total. Stock cabinets from a big-box store, semi-custom from a dealer, and fully custom from a local shop can differ by a factor of three for the same layout. Countertops come next: laminate at the low end, quartz and granite in the middle, and quartzite, marble, and large-format porcelain at the top.
Layout changes are the next big driver. Moving a sink means new drain and supply lines, which may mean opening the floor if the kitchen is on a slab. Moving a range means a new gas line and a new hood vent to the exterior. Taking out a wall means an engineer, a beam, and sometimes a new footing in the crawlspace or basement.
What is behind the walls matters in older homes. A kitchen in a 1960s house near Lake Loveland or in Old Town Fort Collins may have a 100 amp panel that cannot carry an induction range and a dishwasher and a microwave on their own circuits. It may have galvanized supply lines that should be replaced while the wall is open. We find these at the walkthrough and price them as their own lines so you can see what the house needs versus what you want.
Appliances are a decision you control completely. A standard appliance package runs a few thousand dollars; a professional-style range, panel-ready refrigerator, and built-in espresso machine can add $20,000 to $40,000 on their own.
Permits in Loveland and Fort Collins
A surface refresh usually does not need a building permit. A full remodel that touches plumbing or electrical, or any layout change, does. In Loveland that is the City of Loveland building department; in Fort Collins, the City of Fort Collins; outside city limits, Larimer County. Permit and plan review fees for a kitchen are a small fraction of the project, typically a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars, and we include them in the written price.
How to budget before you design
Set a number you are comfortable spending, then subtract 10 to 15 percent for a contingency. That reserve is not for upgrades; it is for the things an older house hides. Share the real number with your contractor at the first meeting. Design-build only works when the price travels with the design, and we cannot steer a plan toward a budget we do not know.
Decide early whether the layout changes. That one decision separates the middle range from the top range, and everything else in the project flows from it.
Choose your appliance package before cabinets are drawn. Cabinet layouts are built around appliance dimensions, and swapping a 30 inch range for a 36 inch one after the cabinets are ordered is an expensive change.
Timeline
A refresh runs two to four weeks of construction. A full remodel runs five to eight weeks. A layout change with structural work runs eight to twelve weeks. Add two to six weeks of design and selections before that, and two to six weeks of permit review for projects that need one. Cabinet lead times in 2026 are running four to ten weeks for semi-custom and longer for custom, so they get ordered before demolition starts.
Front Range versus the mountains
These ranges are for the Front Range. A kitchen in Vail, Aspen, or Steamboat Springs is a different market: trade availability, travel, delivery logistics, and resort-town finish expectations all push the numbers well above these ranges. We price mountain kitchens from a site visit, not from a Front Range schedule.
The next step
If you are planning a kitchen in Loveland, Fort Collins, or anywhere in Northern Colorado, the most useful hour you can spend is a walkthrough with a design-build contractor who will tell you what the house needs and what the plan you want will cost before anything is drawn. Call (970) 430-5884 or send the contact form and we will set one up.
Related services
- Kitchen RemodelingCabinets, countertops, tile, lighting, and layout changes, managed by one contractor.
- Whole-Home RemodelsGut renovations, floor plan changes, and full updates of older homes, designed and built by one firm.
- Design & PermittingConcept drawings, permit sets, engineering, and the submittal itself, done by the firm that will build it.
Standard Building Company works on homes only. For commercial, industrial, or public projects, contact Standard Development Company.