Kitchen remodeling in Austin
A minor midrange kitchen remodel in Austin cost $25,4631 in the 2025 Cost vs. Value report, under the $28,4582 national figure. The bigger local factor is review: Austin takes interior remodels through its own plan review, and a house old enough for historic review adds a step if the outside changes.
Calls are recorded. One independent company that handles kitchen remodels in the Austin area answers.
Updated October 12, 2026
What an Austin kitchen costs
Cost vs. Value's 2025 Austin page lists three standard kitchen jobs alongside its national averages.
| Measure | Austin | U.S. average |
|---|---|---|
| Minor kitchen remodel, midrange, job cost | $25,4631 | $28,4582 |
| Major kitchen remodel, midrange, job cost | $75,7371 | $82,7932 |
| Major kitchen remodel, upscale, job cost | $148,3131 | $164,1042 |
All three Austin jobs come in below the national averages, and the gap is smallest on the big midrange remodel.
How much comes back at resale
The report also estimates how much of a job's cost a buyer would pay back.
Home values beside kitchen budgets
Austin homes are worth far more than the kitchen jobs that go in them.
Gas or electric
Heating fuel shows how many homes already have a gas line.
What kind of homes they are
Census counts by building type for the City of Austin:
| Measure | City of Austin |
|---|---|
| Single-family detached houses | 43%6 |
| One-unit attached homes, such as townhouses | 5%6 |
| Homes in buildings with two to four units | 7%6 |
Fewer than half of Austin's homes are detached houses. In a townhouse, duplex or condo, ask early about shared walls, an HOA's rules and who owns the plumbing risers.
When the kitchens were built
Census year-built counts for the city and Travis County:
| Measure | City of Austin | Travis County |
|---|---|---|
| Homes built 2000 or later | 43%7 | 48%7 |
| Homes built 1980–1989 | 17%7 | 15%7 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 28%7 | 24%7 |
A kitchen built in the 1980s may have soffits over the cabinets and a peninsula boxing in the cook. Those layouts open up well, but taking out a wall is structural work that goes through plan review.
What kitchen trades earn here
Kitchen work centers on carpenters and cabinetmakers, with electricians and plumbers. BLS medians for the Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos metro:
| Measure | Austin metro | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Carpenters, median hourly wage | $24.16/hr8 | $29.12/hr8 |
| Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters, median hourly wage | $21.15/hr8 | $22.44/hr8 |
| Electricians, median hourly wage | $29.03/hr8 | $30.38/hr8 |
| Plumbers, median hourly wage | $30.20/hr8 | $30.67/hr8 |
All four trades earn less in Austin than their national medians, carpenters by the widest margin, even with the region's high home prices.
What's in Austin's water
Austin Water draws surface water from the Lower Colorado River as it flows through Lake Travis and Lake Austin.9 Its 2025 report gives the hardness that reaches a dishwasher or an ice maker.
| Measure | Austin Water |
|---|---|
| Water hardness, yearly average | 93 mg/L9 |
| Water hardness, highest result | 126 mg/L9 |
Austin Water treats its water with a lime softening process, which it says helps coat pipes and prevent corrosion.9 Water at the high end of that range is enough to leave scale in a dishwasher and on a faucet aerator over time.
Permits
The City of Austin's Development Services Department reviews kitchen remodels inside the city. New cabinets, counters, tile and paint are exempt finish work, but a remodel that moves walls, plumbing or wiring is filed through the Interior Remodel form with existing and proposed floor plans, and the city lists a review time for it. Trade permits are requested through the AB+C Portal. An older house, or one in a historic district, gets historic review if the outside changes, such as a new window over the sink.
- Austin's list of work exempt from building permits includes painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops and similar finish work.10
- Austin takes interior remodel applications through an Interior Remodel web form and asks for existing and proposed floor plans when the work removes or adds any wall, window, door or plumbing fixture.11
- Austin's Residential Plan Review lists a review time of five business days for an interior remodel, under timelines that started July 1, 2026.11
- Most standalone trade permits in Austin can be requested directly through the city's AB+C Portal.11
- Austin requires a historic review for structures 45 years old or older whose exterior is being demolished or modified, and for properties zoned as historic landmarks, in locally designated historic districts or in a National Register historic district.11
- The City of Austin requires trade contractors, general contractors and homeowners acting as contractors to register with its Building and Trade Contractor Services before work starts on a building or trade permit, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors also need a license from the state board for their trade.12
Checked October 12, 2026
Before you hire
Texas doesn't license general contractors, so ask for the license numbers of the plumber, electrician and HVAC contractor on your job and check them with TDLR or the State Board of Plumbing Examiners.
Talk to a pro who handles kitchen remodels in Austin
Calls are recorded. You'll be connected to one independent company that handles kitchen remodels in your area. We never call or text you. Privacy Policy ·Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
Kitchens in Austin's bungalows and suburbs
Austin's older housing is a thin slice: 28%7 of the city's homes were built before 1980, many of them in Hyde Park, Travis Heights and Bouldin Creek. Austin requires a historic review for structures 45 years old or older whose exterior is being demolished or modified, and for properties zoned as historic landmarks, in locally designated historic districts or in a National Register historic district.11 A back-porch kitchen addition or new window is the kind of change that triggers it.
For homes built before 1978, the EPA advises hiring contractors who use only lead-safe certified renovators.13 The EPA notes that painted window sashes and frames in homes built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint, which opening and closing the window can release as dust, and that a kitchen remodel may be a good time to replace old windows.13
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension's Travis County office says I-35 roughly separates the Edwards Plateau on Austin's west side, with thin soils over exposed limestone, from the Blackland Prairie on the east.14 The same office says Blackland Prairie clay soils shrink and swell with moisture, opening wide cracks and heaving things like fence posts and patios.14 If you're adding an island with plumbing on the east side, ask how the company handles a slab that may have moved.
Ranges and hoods
Utility gas heats 41%5 of Austin's occupied homes, so many houses here already have gas service. The EPA says a stove hood with a fan vented to the outdoors greatly reduces exposure to pollutants during cooking, and advises installing and using exhaust fans over gas stoves and ranges.15 The EPA notes that ASHRAE and the Home Ventilation Institute recommend a range hood of 100 cubic feet per minute for a typical range, and that larger fans may need makeup air so the house isn't depressurized enough to make combustion equipment backdraft.13
The EPA suggests turning the range hood on whenever you cook, leaving it on for 10 to 20 minutes afterward, and cooking on the back burners when you can.16 In a tight new house, ask the company whether a large hood will need makeup air.
Planning for every age
More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.17 The National Institute on Aging suggests keeping frequently used pots, pans and utensils where they are easy to reach, and preparing food while seated to prevent fatigue or loss of balance.18
If you plan to stay in the house, ask for a seated work spot, drawers instead of low cabinets and lighting under the uppers. Bring it up on the call and ask about aging-in-place experience. NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.19
What happens when you call
When you dial the number on this page, a recorded line connects you to one independent company that handles kitchen remodels in the Austin area. You decide layout, cabinets, appliances, timing and price with them.
That company pays us a fee for the call. There's no charge to you, and we don't call or text you later. How we make money
After you're connected
Do your own check before signing anything. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation says anyone who performs electrical work in Texas must be licensed, apart from listed exemptions, and consumers can check a license by searching TDLR's database by name or license number.20 Before construction starts on a Texas home, the original contractor must give the owner a written list of the subcontractors and suppliers it plans to use, and an updated list within 15 days of any change, unless the owner waives the list in writing.21 Check a Texas license
Questions people ask
How much does a kitchen remodel cost in Austin?
Expect a wide range. The 2025 Cost vs. Value numbers for Austin run from $25,4631 for a minor midrange refresh to $75,7371 for a major midrange remodel and $148,3131 for an upscale one. Your cabinet line, appliance package and layout changes decide the final number.
Do I need a permit to remodel my kitchen in Austin?
Not for finish work alone, but yes for a remodel. Austin's list of work exempt from building permits includes painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops and similar finish work.10 Austin takes interior remodel applications through an Interior Remodel web form and asks for existing and proposed floor plans when the work removes or adds any wall, window, door or plumbing fixture.11 Austin's Residential Plan Review lists a review time of five business days for an interior remodel, under timelines that started July 1, 2026.11
Will a kitchen remodel pay off when I sell in Austin?
Lighter projects come closest. Austin's minor midrange kitchen was estimated to return 120%1 of its cost in 2025, versus 113%3 nationwide.
Can I do my own plumbing or wiring?
Only on your homestead, under a special permit. Austin's Homestead Permit lets a homeowner who isn't licensed do electrical, mechanical or plumbing work in the homestead that is their principal residence, if they have a homestead exemption on file with the appraisal district and haven't taken a homestead permit for another residence in the prior 12 months; the main electric service is excluded.22
Sources
Page updated October 12, 2026. How we source our numbers
- Zonda / Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value 2025, Austin, TX. Released 2025. Austin, TX (Cost vs. Value market). Industry source.
- Zonda / Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value 2025, national. Released 2025. United States. Industry source.
- Zonda / Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value 2025, Columbus, OH. Released 2025. United States. Industry source.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25077. Released January 29, 2026. Austin city, Texas, Travis County, Texas.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25040. Released January 29, 2026. Austin city, Texas, Travis County, Texas.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25024. Released January 29, 2026. Austin city, Texas.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25034. Released January 29, 2026. Austin city, Texas, Travis County, Texas.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Released May 15, 2026. Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos, TX metro, Carpenters, United States, Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters, United States, Electricians, United States, Plumbers, United States.
- City of Austin, Austin Water, 2025 Consumer Confidence Report (Public Water System ID 2270001). Released 2026. View source.
- City of Austin Development Services Department, Work Exempt from Building Permits. No publication date. View source.
- City of Austin Development Services Department, Residential Plan Review. No publication date. View source.
- City of Austin Development Services Department, Contractor Registration. No publication date. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Remodeling Your Home and Indoor Air Quality. Released February 17, 2026. View source.
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Travis County, The Real Dirt on Austin Area Soils. Released January 16, 2024. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sources of Combustion Products. Released December 17, 2025. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Strategies for Improving Indoor Air Quality While Cooking (infographic). Released March 10, 2026. View source.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Facts About Older Adult Falls. Released September 4, 2026. View source.
- National Institute on Aging, Preventing Falls at Home: Room by Room. Released September 12, 2022. View source.
- National Association of Home Builders, Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS). No publication date. View source. Industry source.
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Electricians: Frequently Asked Questions. No publication date. View source.
- Texas Legislature, Property Code chapter 53, Mechanic's, Contractor's, or Materialman's Lien. No publication date. View source.
- City of Austin Development Services Department, Homeowner's (Homestead) Permit. No publication date. View source.