DIY vs Hire Kitchen Remodel: Cost Comparison Calculator

Is DIY cheaper for a kitchen remodel?

On the defaults — a 200 sq ft kitchen, $60.00 of materials per sq ft, $1,500 of supplies, 120 hours at $55 an hour, against a pro price of $250.00 per sq ft — remodeling it yourself costs $20,100.00 against a $50,000.00 pro quote: DIY wins by $29,900.00. A pro kitchen remodel is usually priced per square foot — and a typical kitchen is 100–250 square feet. A pro kitchen remodel usually runs $150–$350 per square foot depending on the cabinets, counters and appliances, so a 200 sq ft pro job commonly lands between $30,000 and $70,000. A 200 sq ft kitchen is a middle-of-the-road job — big enough to matter, small enough to remodel yourself. DIY is worth it when the remodel is a cosmetic refresh — new paint, new hardware, new flooring, no walls moving, no plumbing moving — the kitchen is small and you have time; hire a pro when cabinets or counters are custom, plumbing or gas lines move, walls come down, the deadline is tight, or the warranty matters — most pro jobs carry a labour warranty the DIY route does not.

Three things about the model are worth stating plainly.

First, the DIY cost is 200 × $60.00 + $1,500 + 120 × $55 = $20,100.00. Second, the pro cost is 200 × $250.00 = $50,000.00. And third, DIY wins by $29,900.00; all listed in Accuracy & limitations.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: 200 sq ft kitchen, $60.00 of materials per sq ft, $1,500 of supplies, 120 hours at $55 an hour, pro price $250.00 per sq ft.

Line 1 — the DIY cost. The DIY cost is 200 × $60.00 = $12,000.00 of materials, + $1,500.00 of supplies, + 120 × $55.00 = $6,600.00 of labour = $20,100.00.

Line 2 — the pro cost. The pro cost is 200 × $250.00 = $50,000.00.

Line 3 — who wins. $50,000.00 − $20,100.00 = $29,900.00, so DIY wins by $29,900.00.

Line 4 — the check. $12,000.00 + $1,500.00 + $6,600.00 = $20,100.00, the DIY cost; and $50,000.00 − $20,100.00 = $29,900.00, the DIY win.

Every branch, checked

Hours 60: DIY $16,800.00; pro $50,000.00 — DIY wins by $33,200.00 — With 60 hours instead of 120 the DIY cost falls to $16,800.00 and DIY wins by $33,200.00.

Hours 180: DIY $23,400.00; pro $50,000.00 — DIY wins by $26,600.00 — With 180 hours the DIY cost rises to $23,400.00 and DIY wins by $26,600.00.

Materials $40.00: DIY $16,100.00; pro $50,000.00 — DIY wins by $33,900.00 — With materials at $40.00 per sq ft the DIY cost falls to $16,100.00 and DIY wins by $33,900.00.

Materials $90.00: DIY $26,100.00; pro $50,000.00 — DIY wins by $23,900.00 — With materials at $90.00 per sq ft the DIY cost rises to $26,100.00 and DIY wins by $23,900.00.

Materials $209.50: DIY $50,000.00; pro $50,000.00 — exact tie — With materials at $209.50 per sq ft the DIY cost is $50,000.00, exactly the pro cost — a dead heat, a TIE.

Supplies $36,500: DIY $55,100.00; pro $50,000.00 — Hiring wins by $5,100.00 — With supplies of $36,500 the DIY cost rises to $55,100.00 and hiring wins by $5,100.00.

Hours 240: DIY $26,700.00; pro $50,000.00 — DIY wins by $23,300.00 — With 240 hours the DIY cost is $26,700.00 and DIY wins by $23,300.00.

The reverses, worked backwards

Smallest hourly value where hiring WINS: At the displayed $305 the figures are DIY $50,100.00; pro $50,000.00 — Hiring wins by $100.00. At the displayed $305 the DIY cost is $50,100.00 against a $50,000.00 pro quote, so hiring wins by $100.00. At $304 the DIY cost is $49,980.00 and DIY wins by $20.00 — so $305 is the smallest hourly value where hiring wins.

Largest hourly value where DIY still wins by at least $5,000: At the displayed $262 the figures are DIY $44,940.00; pro $50,000.00 — DIY wins by $5,060.00. At the displayed $262 the DIY cost is $44,940.00 and DIY wins by $5,060.00. At $263 the DIY cost is $45,060.00 and DIY wins by only $4,940.00 — under the $5,000 target — so $262 is the largest hourly value where DIY still wins by at least $5,000.

Smallest supplies where hiring WINS: At the displayed $31,401 the figures are DIY $50,001.00; pro $50,000.00 — Hiring wins by $1.00. At the displayed $31,401 the DIY cost is $50,001.00 against a $50,000.00 pro quote, so hiring wins by $1.00. At $31,400 the DIY cost is $50,000.00, exactly the pro cost — a dead heat, a TIE — so $31,401 is the smallest supplies where hiring wins.

Smallest whole-cent materials where hiring WINS: At the displayed $209.51 the figures are DIY $50,002.00; pro $50,000.00 — Hiring wins by $2.00. At the displayed $209.51 the DIY cost is $50,002.00 against a $50,000.00 pro quote, so hiring wins by $2.00. At $209.50 the DIY cost is $50,000.00, exactly the pro cost — a dead heat, a TIE — so $209.51 is the smallest whole-cent materials where hiring wins.

Smallest hours where hiring WINS: At the displayed 664 the figures are DIY $50,020.00; pro $50,000.00 — Hiring wins by $20.00. At the displayed 664 hours the DIY cost is $50,020.00 against a $50,000.00 pro quote, so hiring wins by $20.00. At 663 hours the DIY cost is $49,965.00 and DIY wins by $35.00 — so 664 is the smallest hours where hiring wins.

Smallest pro price per sq ft where DIY wins at all: At the displayed $101 the figures are DIY $20,100.00; pro $20,200.00 — DIY wins by $100.00. At the displayed $101 per sq ft the pro cost is $20,200.00 against a $20,100.00 DIY cost, so DIY wins by $100.00. At $100 per sq ft the pro cost is $20,000.00 and hiring wins by $100.00. At $100.50 per sq ft the pro cost is $20,100.00 — a dead heat, a TIE, not a DIY win — so $101 is the smallest pro price where DIY wins at all.

A warning about the neighbours: every neighbour above sits one step from the star — $1 of supplies, one cent of materials, one hour, one dollar of hourly value, one dollar of pro price. A pro quote that moves by a dollar changes the answer. The page prints the neighbour values in full so the rounding does not mislead you: at $304 the DIY cost is $49,980.00 and DIY wins by $20.00; at $263 DIY wins by only $4,940.00; at $31,400 the DIY cost is $50,000.00, a dead heat; at $209.50 the DIY cost is $50,000.00, a dead heat; at 663 hours the DIY cost is $49,965.00 and DIY wins by $35.00; at $100 per sq ft the pro cost is $20,000.00 and hiring wins by $100.00; at $100.50 per sq ft the pro cost is $20,100.00, a dead heat.

What the defaults assume

The defaults are a 200 sq ft kitchen, $60.00 of materials per sq ft, $1,500 of supplies, 120 hours at $55 an hour, and a pro price of $250.00 per sq ft — DIY $20,100.00; pro $50,000.00 — DIY wins by $29,900.00. With Hours 60, DIY $16,800.00; pro $50,000.00 — DIY wins by $33,200.00. With Hours 180, DIY $23,400.00; pro $50,000.00 — DIY wins by $26,600.00. With Materials $40.00, DIY $16,100.00; pro $50,000.00 — DIY wins by $33,900.00. With Materials $90.00, DIY $26,100.00; pro $50,000.00 — DIY wins by $23,900.00. With Materials $209.50, DIY $50,000.00; pro $50,000.00 — exact tie. With Supplies $36,500, DIY $55,100.00; pro $50,000.00 — Hiring wins by $5,100.00. With Hours 240, DIY $26,700.00; pro $50,000.00 — DIY wins by $23,300.00. With All zero, DIY $0.00; pro $0.00 — exact tie. With 120 sq ft, materials $45.00, supplies $900, hours 40, hourly $50, pro $220.00, DIY $8,300.00; pro $26,400.00 — DIY wins by $18,100.00. With 150 sq ft, materials $62.375, supplies $1,237.50, hours 22.5, hourly $68.25, pro $212.50, DIY $12,129.38; pro $31,875.00 — DIY wins by $19,745.63. With Materials $220.00, supplies $2,000, hours 150, hourly $70, pro $250.00, DIY $56,500.00; pro $50,000.00 — Hiring wins by $6,500.00. With Hours 0, DIY $13,500.00; pro $50,000.00 — DIY wins by $36,500.00. With Hours 22.5, DIY $14,737.50; pro $50,000.00 — DIY wins by $35,262.50. With Win-by bars, supplies for a $10,000.00 DIY win $21,400; pro price per square foot for a $14,900.00 DIY win $175.00; materials per square foot for a $21,900.00 DIY win $100.00.

A note on the rounding: with 150 sq ft, materials $62.375, supplies $1,237.50, 22.5 hours at $68.25 an hour and a pro price of $212.50 per sq ft, the unrounded DIY cost is 12129.375 — which rounds half-up to $12,129.38 — and the unrounded win is 19745.625 — which rounds half-up to $19,745.63. The page prints the unrounded values so the rounding does not mislead you.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The homeowner with a 200 sq ft kitchen: they learn remodeling it themselves costs $20,100.00 against a $50,000.00 pro quote — and they check the $305 reverse to see the hourly value where hiring wins.
• The DIYer pricing cabinets and counters: they learn a pro kitchen remodel usually runs $150–$350 per square foot — and they check the $209.51 reverse to see the materials price where hiring wins.
• The busy parent with no weekends free: they learn a pro crew finishes in three to six weeks while a DIYer takes three to six months — and they check the 664 reverse to see the hours where hiring wins.
• The buyer comparing quotes: they learn a 200 sq ft pro job commonly lands between $30,000 and $70,000 — and they check the $101 reverse to see the pro price where DIY wins at all.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is first-principles: the DIY cost is sq ft × materials per sq ft + supplies + hours × hourly value; the pro cost is sq ft × pro price per sq ft; the winner is the lower cost, and equal costs are a dead heat — all rounded to two decimals half-up. What the model cannot do is price your kitchen: pro prices vary by region and by cabinet, counter and appliance — a pro kitchen remodel usually runs $150–$350 per square foot depending on the cabinets, counters and appliances; materials vary by grade; the hourly value is your own time, so price it honestly — an hour of your weekend is worth more than an hour you would spend idle. The model also cannot see the plumbing: cabinets hung out of level leave gaps and doors that will not close, a countertop measured wrong cannot be cut twice, plumbing connections that are not sealed properly drip behind the wall, electrical work that does not meet code fails inspection, and a remodel without the right permits causes problems when the home is sold — all risks the calculator cannot price; and it does not include permits, inspections, or a pro’s labour warranty. Use it to see the money — then walk the kitchen before you decide.

Frequently asked questions