A 10x10 kitchen remodel costs $10,000 to $25,000 for most homeowners, with an average near $15,000, according to Fixr (February 2025). Block Renovation (January 2025) breaks the same kitchen into three tiers: $10,000 to $15,000 basic, $15,000 to $30,000 mid-range and $30,000 to $60,000 or more high-end.
Houston prices sit close to those national ranges. Thumbtack (July 2026) puts a typical Houston kitchen remodel at $7,592 to $26,089, and a 10x10 lands in the lower half of that spread unless the cabinets are custom or the layout changes. The wider Houston picture, by size, tier and neighborhood, is on the kitchen remodel cost in Houston page. This page does the math for the 100 square foot kitchen specifically: what a 10x10 includes, what the cabinets and countertops cost, and which layouts work in the small kitchens of Houston’s older neighborhoods.
Every number here is a published market range from a named source, not a Kitchen Remodel Masters price. KRM does not publish a price list; the exact figure for your kitchen comes from the free consultation and 3D design at the end of the page.
A 10x10 kitchen is 100 square feet with cabinets on two walls, usually in an L. The industry uses it as the standard small kitchen so cabinet lines and countertop fabricators can quote a comparable package. Block Renovation describes it as about 20 linear feet of wall space and cabinets; Fixr counts 20 to 30 linear feet depending on how much of the two walls is cabinet versus window and door.
A typical 10x10 layout has:
In Houston, 10x10 is the size of most original kitchens in Heights, Montrose, Bellaire and Oak Forest bungalows built from the 1920s to the 1960s, and of many 1970s and 1980s galley kitchens in Spring Branch and Westbury. The footprint is small, which keeps material quantities down. The fixed costs are not small: the sink, faucet, disposal, hood, electrical work, dumpster and labor to set it all cost the same in 100 square feet as in 200.
The three tiers below come from Block Renovation’s 10x10 guide (January 2025), with Fixr’s per-square-foot rates (February 2025) as a check: $75 per square foot for a cosmetic refresh, $100 budget, $150 mid-range and $250 or more high-end.
| Tier | Total | Cabinets | Countertops | Labor | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $10,000 to $15,000 | $2,000 to $5,000 | $1,000 to $2,500 | $3,000 to $4,000 | Stock cabinets or refinished existing boxes, laminate or entry-level granite, same layout, existing appliances stay |
| Mid-range | $15,000 to $30,000 | $5,000 to $10,000 | $2,500 to $5,000 | $4,000 to $6,000 | Semi-custom cabinets, quartz or granite, new backsplash, new sink and faucet, some new appliances |
| High-end | $30,000 to $60,000+ | $10,000 to $20,000+ | $5,000 to $10,000+ | $8,000 to $15,000+ | Custom cabinets, quartzite or marble, full appliance package, lighting, possibly a wall opened or a peninsula added |
Labor is the line that surprises people. Fixr puts labor at 50% to 60% of a 10x10 remodel, or $7,500 to $9,000 on a $15,000 project, once the plumber, electrician, tile setter and cabinet installer are all counted. A smaller kitchen does not cut the number of trades, only the hours each one spends.
Cabinets are 30% to 40% of any kitchen budget, and in a 10x10 the choice between keeping the boxes and replacing them is the whole ballgame. There are three options, and the right one depends on what is behind the doors.
| Option | What it is | Market range for a 10x10 (about 20 linear feet) |
|---|---|---|
| Refinish (paint or stain) | Doors, drawer fronts and face frames sanded and sprayed; boxes and layout stay | $1,800 to $4,200 (HomeAdvisor, June 2026); Fixr (January 2026) lists cabinet painting at $2,500 to $6,500, or $30 to $70 per linear foot |
| Reface | New doors and drawer fronts, new veneer or laminate on the boxes, new hinges and hardware | $4,234 to $10,226, average $7,230, or $150 to $450 per linear foot (HomeAdvisor, June 2026); Thumbtack (July 2026) lists $50 to $500 per linear foot by material |
| Replace with stock | New factory boxes in 3 inch width increments | $2,000 to $6,000 for 20 linear feet at $100 to $300 per linear foot (HomeAdvisor, June 2026) |
| Replace with custom | Boxes built to the wall, any size, any door style | $10,000 to $24,000+ for 20 linear feet at $500 to $1,200 per linear foot (HomeAdvisor); Fixr lists custom at $300 to $500 per linear foot, or $6,000 to $10,000 |
Refinishing wins when the boxes are plywood or solid wood and the layout works. That describes most 1990s honey-oak kitchens in Katy, Sugar Land and Spring, and a lot of 1950s and 1960s site-built cabinets in Bellaire and Meyerland that are better made than anything stock. KRM’s cabinet refinishing in Houston page covers painting, staining and refacing, including why a sprayed catalyzed finish matters in Houston humidity: latex paint on cabinet doors stays soft for weeks here and chips at the edges.
Replacing wins when the boxes are particleboard that has swelled at the sink base, when the layout needs to change, or when the walls are out of square. Bungalow walls in the Heights often run an inch or more off over 10 feet, and stock boxes leave gaps that filler strips do not hide well. Jose builds KRM’s custom cabinets in Houston in the company’s own shop, sized to the actual wall, with no separate factory lead time.
Twenty linear feet of base cabinet at a standard 25.5 inch counter depth comes to about 42 square feet of surface. Subtract the range opening (30 inches, about 5 square feet) and the sink cutout, and most 10x10 kitchens need 30 to 35 square feet of finished countertop. Fixr uses 30 square feet for its 10x10 estimate; HomeAdvisor’s small-kitchen range is 30 to 40.
Slabs do not come in 30 square foot pieces. A standard quartz or granite slab is 50 to 60 square feet, so a 10x10 kitchen usually uses most of one slab, and the fabricator’s price per square foot covers the slab, the cutting, the edge, the sink cutout and the install. At HomeAdvisor’s installed rates (June 2026):
| Material | Installed cost per sq ft | 30 sq ft 10x10 kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| Laminate | $20 to $80 | $600 to $2,400 |
| Granite | $80 to $150 | $2,400 to $4,500 |
| Quartz | $50 to $200 | $1,500 to $6,000 |
| Quartzite | $80 to $220 | $2,400 to $6,600 |
| Marble | $40 to $150 | $1,200 to $4,500 |
| Porcelain | $50 to $120 | $1,500 to $3,600 |
HomeAdvisor’s overall figure for a 30 to 40 square foot counter is $1,500 to $6,000, which matches the table. Two Houston notes: hard water leaves a mineral film on polished stone around the faucet, so a honed finish or a quick daily wipe keeps granite and marble looking right; and if any of the counter will sit on a covered patio, skip standard quartz, which yellows in Houston sun, and use granite, porcelain or quartzite. Eduardo fabricates KRM’s counters in-house; the countertop replacement page covers the materials and the sink-cutout and edge choices that move the per-foot price.
A 10x10 kitchen has about 7 feet of open floor between the two cabinet runs once the base cabinets are in. That rules out most islands but leaves several layouts that work well in Houston’s older houses.
Keep the L, open the wall. The most common bungalow project in the Heights and Montrose: leave the sink and range where they are, remove the wall to the dining room and run a peninsula with seating off the end of the base cabinets. The kitchen stays 10x10 but feels twice the size. If the wall is load-bearing it needs a beam, an engineer’s letter and a City of Houston structural permit, which adds $1,400 to $11,500 according to Bob Vila (January 2026).
Galley to L. Many 1970s Spring Branch and Westbury kitchens are 10x10 galleys with a doorway at each end. Closing one doorway turns the galley into an L and adds 4 to 6 feet of counter and two or three cabinets. No plumbing moves, so no permit.
Tall storage instead of upper cabinets. A 24 inch deep pantry cabinet at the end of one run holds more than three wall cabinets and lets the rest of the wall take open shelves or a full-height backsplash, which makes a small kitchen look bigger in photos and in person.
Sink stays put. Moving the sink in a slab-foundation home means cutting the slab for the drain, which is $1,000 to $4,000 according to Fixr (February 2025). In a pier-and-beam bungalow the drain runs under the floor and moving it is cheaper, but it still needs a plumbing permit. In a 10x10 the sink almost always belongs under the window anyway.
The tier table above does not include appliances (Fixr lists an average of $5,000 for a full set, or $2,500 if some stay), new flooring (about $1,100 for 100 square feet of mid-priced material installed per Fixr), or repairs to what demo finds behind a 1950s wall. Set aside 10% for the last item in any pre-1970 Houston home. It also does not include the permit if plumbing, electrical or gas move; the City of Houston residential remodel permit carries a $33.56 administrative fee plus the fee-schedule amount and takes 1 to 15 business days to process (Houston Permitting Center). A same-layout cabinet, counter and backsplash remodel needs no permit.
The tables tell you which tier your budget sits in. The exact number depends on whether the boxes can be refinished, how square the walls are, which slab you pick and whether a wall comes out. Sean Carmel comes to the house, measures the kitchen, opens a few cabinet doors to check the boxes and tells you which option makes sense. KRM then builds a free 3D design with the layout, cabinet finish and countertop so the written proposal prices real selections.
The consultation and the 3D design are free with no obligation. Call (713) 364-6603 or request a consultation with your kitchen dimensions and a few photos, and you will get a straight answer on what a 10x10 remodel costs in your house.
A 10x10 kitchen remodel costs $10,000 to $25,000 for most homeowners, with an average near $15,000, according to Fixr (February 2025). Block Renovation (January 2025) puts a basic 10x10 at $10,000 to $15,000, mid-range at $15,000 to $30,000 and high-end at $30,000 to $60,000 or more. Houston labor and material prices sit close to those national figures.
A 10x10 kitchen is 100 square feet with about 20 linear feet of cabinets along two walls, usually an L shape. Cost guides use it as the standard small kitchen so cabinet and countertop prices can be compared. It typically includes a sink base, a range or cooktop opening, a refrigerator opening, 3 to 4 base cabinets and 4 to 5 wall cabinets.
For 20 linear feet, stock cabinets cost $2,000 to $6,000 and custom cabinets $10,000 to $24,000 or more installed, using HomeAdvisor's $100 to $300 and $500 to $1,200 per linear foot ranges (June 2026). Fixr (February 2025) lists plywood boxes at about $200 per linear foot and custom at $300 to $500, which puts a 10x10 at $4,000 to $10,000 before hardware.
Refacing is cheaper if the boxes are solid. Cabinet refacing costs $4,234 to $10,226 with an average of $7,230 according to HomeAdvisor (June 2026), which is 30% to 50% less than replacement. Refinishing (sanding, then painting or staining) costs $1,800 to $4,200 in the same guide. New custom cabinets for 20 linear feet start near $10,000.
About 30 square feet, according to Fixr (February 2025). Twenty linear feet of base cabinet at a standard 25.5 inch depth comes to roughly 42 square feet of surface, minus the range and sink cutouts, which lands most 10x10 kitchens at 30 to 35 square feet of slab. A small island adds 15 to 20 square feet.
Quartz runs $50 to $200 per square foot installed according to HomeAdvisor (June 2026), so 30 square feet comes to $1,500 to $6,000. Granite at $80 to $150 per square foot is $2,400 to $4,500 for the same kitchen, and quartzite at $80 to $220 per square foot is $2,400 to $6,600. HomeAdvisor's overall range for a 30 to 40 square foot counter is $1,500 to $6,000.
A typical Houston kitchen remodel costs $7,592 to $26,089 according to Thumbtack (July 2026), and small kitchens sit in the lower half of that range. Houston Builder Pro (2025) lists a full renovation of a kitchen under 150 square feet at $20,000 to $35,000. A refresh that keeps the cabinets and layout can be done for less than $10,000.
Not if the layout stays the same. Replacing cabinets, countertops, backsplash and flooring in the existing footprint is cosmetic work and does not need a City of Houston permit. Moving the sink, adding circuits, running a new gas line or removing a wall does, and the residential remodel permit carries a $33.56 admin fee plus the fee-schedule amount (Houston Permitting Center).
Usually not a full island. A 10x10 kitchen with cabinets on two walls leaves about 7 feet of open floor, and code-minimum walkways of 36 to 42 inches on each side leave room for a 2 by 4 foot island at most. A peninsula off the end of one run, or a rolling cart, is the more common Houston bungalow solution.
