The Sheet Is Closed
The public Google Sheet that started as a blank file at 10:47 p.m. on a Tuesday now has a final line:
Project Total: $41,400
This post is the full accounting. No rounded summaries. No “approximately.” Every major category, the key line items inside it, and the variance against the original $38,000 estimate. If you have been following the series, you already know the two biggest surprises. Here they sit in context with everything else we actually spent.
Original Estimate vs. Final Total
Original all-in estimate: $38,000
Final recorded total: $41,400
Variance: +$3,400 (8.9 % over)
The original number included a 12 % contingency. That contingency was fully consumed by the asbestos abatement and the plumber stop-work, then exceeded by the smaller cumulative overruns. The sheet never hid the movement. This post simply freezes it for the record.
Category-by-Category Final Numbers
1. Demolition & Disposal — $3,410
20-yard dumpster (two pulls): $835
Asbestos testing + full abatement + special disposal: $2,800
Protective plastic, zipper walls, tape, scrapers, blades: $210
Shop-vac filters and extra demo tools: $65
Original Phase 1 budget had been $2,800. The asbestos tile under the vinyl turned this category into the single largest overrun.
2. Rough-ins (Plumbing, Electrical, Framing) — $8,638
Original plumber rough-in: $2,400
Week 5 plumber change order (drain, vent, gas upsizing, permit): $1,738
Electrician (new circuits, panel work, under-cabinet rough-in): $2,800
Framing, blocking, and minor carpentry: $600
Temporary kitchen setup materials: $300
Miscellaneous fittings, valves, and fasteners: $200
This category absorbed the second major surprise and the cost of doing the wet and gas work correctly instead of cosmetically.
3. Cabinets, Hardware & Installation — $6,977
RTA shaker cabinet order: $7,200
Partial refund for wrong-hinge doors and missing drawer front: –$287
Soft-close hardware upgrades and pulls: $680 (included in original cabinet number above for simplicity; net effect already reflected)
Temporary shelving and work-arounds during the delay: $64
Net cabinet cost landed slightly under the original line after the refund. The real cost was time, not dollars.
4. Countertops, Sink & Faucet — $5,225
Quartz countertops (templated, fabricated, installed): $4,900
Seam adjustment and on-site corrections during install: $325
Undermount sink and faucet: $780 (sink/faucet originally budgeted here; final combined)
Note: sink and faucet numbers were tracked under finish plumbing in earlier updates but are consolidated here for clarity in the final view.
The countertop category finished over its original locked price because install day refused to stay in the two-hour window.
5. Flooring — $867
Rigid-core LVP (220 sq ft including waste and spares): $820
Transitions, spacers, moisture meter, knee pads: $47
One of the few categories that stayed comfortably under its original budget and helped offset other overruns.
6. Backsplash, Paint & Finish Surfaces — $1,520
Subway tile, thinset, grout, spacers: $1,150
Paint, primer, supplies: $370
Installed ourselves. Straight enough. Easy to clean. No drama.
7. Electrical Finish & Lighting — $1,120
Recessed lights, dimmer, under-cabinet LED strips, final devices: $840
Remaining electrician finish labor: $280
The under-cabinet lighting is the feature we notice every single evening.
8. Appliances — $3,100
Range, dishwasher, microwave (mid-range, no unused smart features): $3,100
Purchased early and stored in the garage. No price movement.
9. Tools, Temporary Kitchen & Miscellaneous — $2,543
Initial tool haul (five keepers): $349
Temporary kitchen propane, paper goods, extra supplies across 10 weeks: $610
Dust containment materials: $143
Blades, fasteners, caulk, silicone, touch-up, punch-list supplies: $480
Final professional clean and detail day: $400
Remaining small overruns and sales tax buffer used: $561
This catch-all category is where the daily reality of living through a renovation lives. It is also where the original estimate was most optimistic.
The Contingency Story
We started with roughly $4,500 in contingency (12 % of $38,000).
Asbestos took $2,800.
Plumber change order took $1,738.
Smaller overruns consumed the rest and then some.
By the midpoint we were already writing checks that were no longer “contingency.” They were simply additional cost. The final $3,400 variance is the honest arithmetic of that process.
What the Numbers Do Not Include
Our own labor hours (estimated 180–200 hours across both of us)
Childcare and meal premium during the heaviest weeks
The value of the contractor buddy who answered late-night texts
Emotional wear and tear (not billable, fully real)
The $41,400 is cash out the door. The true cost is higher in ways the spreadsheet cannot capture.
Side-by-Side with the Contractor Bids
The three professional bids we received at the start ranged from $62,000 to $81,000 (appliances excluded). Even after our overruns we finished well below the lowest bid. That gap is almost entirely labor and markup. We paid for it with time, dust, and a public spreadsheet that forced us to stay honest about every dollar.
The Sheet Stays Public
The Google Sheet will remain viewable. Categories are frozen. The final total is locked. Future updates will only appear if a warranty item or a latent defect forces new spending. For now the record stands:
$41,400. Demo to dried caulk.
Measure twice, cook once.
And when the last line is entered, leave the sheet public so the next person can see the real arithmetic.