We compute renovation cost ranges from public building-permit records — not contractor-sponsored surveys. See what people actually filed, then judge your quotes against reality.
Data refreshed August 2026
Typical low · P25$8,557
Median$25,000
Typical high · P75$90,690
✓ Verified from 814 recent building-permit filings in Chicago, IL
Every filing behind this range declared a residential renovation cost between $1,000 and $2,000,000 — outliers and commercial-scale projects are excluded. We only publish a range once at least 30 qualifying filings exist for a city/project combination; this one has 814.
Moving plumbing, gas or walls — a layout change can double the price of an otherwise identical kitchen
Cabinetry is typically 30–40% of the budget; custom vs stock is the single biggest swing
Appliance package and worktop material (laminate → quartz → stone can triple that line)
✂️ How to spend less
Keep the existing layout: same sink, hob and drainage positions
Mix stock cabinets with one premium element (worktop or island) for a high-end look at mid-range cost
Buy appliances yourself during sale events — contractor markups on appliances are pure margin
🚩 Red flags when hiring
A quote given without measuring your kitchen in person
Deposit demands above ~25–30% before work starts
The smart-spending playbook
Always get three itemised quotes
Not three numbers — three itemised breakdowns. A lump-sum quote hides where the money goes and makes comparison impossible. Itemised quotes let you see which line items differ and negotiate the specific gap.
Time your project off-season
Trades price by demand. Roofing quoted in late autumn, HVAC in spring, and landscaping in winter routinely come in 10–20% cheaper than peak-season quotes for identical work.
Permits protect you, not the council
Unpermitted structural, electrical or gas work can void your home insurance and stall a future sale. If a contractor suggests skipping the permit "to save you money", they are transferring their risk to you.
Methodology
CostFiled derives project-cost ranges from public records. In the United States we compute statistics directly from declared valuations on municipal building permits published by city open-data portals — roughly 150,000 recent filings across Chicago, Austin, Seattle, Los Angeles and New York. In the United Kingdom, planning and building-control records rarely include cost valuations, so we currently show indicative market ranges, clearly labelled, while we build a UK pipeline combining planning data with industry cost benchmarks.
We report the 25th percentile, median and 75th percentile — never a single-point “average”. Declared values are what applicants file, not final invoices, so treat ranges as planning guidance rather than quotes. We only publish a city/project combination when there are enough underlying filings to be meaningful, and we exclude categories where commercial projects would distort the residential picture.
Get your city or project next
Tell us where you are and what you're planning. We build new cities and project types based on requests — yours matters.
Questions people ask
Where do these numbers come from?
US figures are computed directly from municipal building-permit filings published by city open-data portals — currently ~150,000+ recent permits across Chicago, Austin, Seattle, Los Angeles and New York, with more cities coming. UK figures are indicative market ranges while we build the UK planning-data pipeline, and are always labelled as such.
Why do you show a range instead of one number?
Because one number is a lie. Identical projects legitimately vary with size, spec and site conditions. We show the 25th percentile, median and 75th percentile of real filings so you can see where a quote sits in the actual distribution.
Are these quotes?
No. Permit valuations are what applicants declare when filing, not final invoices. Treat the range as planning guidance and a sanity-check against quotes — not as a price you can hold a contractor to.
Why is my project type missing for my city?
We only publish a range when there are enough underlying filings for it to be statistically meaningful, and we exclude categories where commercial projects contaminate the residential picture. Missing means "not enough clean data yet", not zero. Request it using the form below.
How often is the data updated?
The ingestion pipeline pulls new permit filings on a rolling basis; published ranges refresh as new data lands. Every figure on this site can be traced back to the public records it was computed from.
Why do costs vary so much for the same project?
Legitimate factors: square footage, materials and finishes, site conditions (buried plumbing, structural surprises), contractor skill and location within the city. A "kitchen remodel" in a luxury neighborhood with custom finishes is not the same as one with builder-grade materials.
Can I use this for insurance or tax purposes?
These are planning estimates from public permits, not professional appraisals or certified valuations. For insurance claims, tax assessments or legal purposes, consult a professional appraiser or contractor in your area.
What cities are coming next?
We prioritize based on requests. If your city isn't listed, tell us using the request form at the bottom — the more people asking, the faster we build it.