By Tiffany Slowinski
Garden State Circle is supported by the businesses that partner with us, and Magnolia Home Remodeling Group, Union is an authority partner. We interviewed Vic Fiore, who leads the company, about the kitchen remodeling questions homeowners here actually ask. The partnership pays for the reporting; it does not decide the answers. Most of the numbers below are not published anywhere else.
Kitchen remodeling numbers get weird fast.
One homeowner hears $50,000. Another hears $100,000. Someone on Facebook says their cousin did it for half that. Then you start wondering whether everyone is even talking about the same kitchen.
Vic Fiore, owner of Magnolia Home Remodeling Group in Union, breaks kitchen projects into three very different levels.
The first is what he calls a pull-and-replace. The basic footprint stays. There is no major structural work. The job can include new flooring, cabinetry, countertops, sink, faucet, backsplash, paint, cleanup and debris removal.
That type of kitchen runs $50,000–$75,000 (top end higher) on Magnolia’s jobs in 2026.
Add new windows, doors and non-structural wall removal and the number moves.
A more involved kitchen is about $75,000+ on Magnolia’s jobs in 2026.
Once structural work is involved, flooring extends into adjoining rooms and architectural plans enter the picture, the project can be six figures on Magnolia’s jobs in 2026.
That range is wide for a reason.
“Many kitchens that are $50,000, and then there’s kitchens that are three, four times that amount,” Fiore says.
What changes the number
Cabinetry is one of the easiest places to see why two kitchens can cost completely different amounts.
Fiore says some kitchens may have about 20 linear feet of cabinetry. One current Magnolia project has roughly 50 linear feet.
That alone changes the scale of the job.
Then there is the room itself.
A straightforward replacement project is different from opening walls, extending flooring through adjacent spaces or changing windows and doors.
The selections matter too.
The point is not that one kitchen is “right” and another is excessive.
The better question is what the homeowner is trying to accomplish.
Fiore uses a very simple phrase when talking through that decision: “what do they want their investment to be.”
He ties that to how long the homeowner expects to stay in the house.
If this is a long-term home, the choices may be different than they would be for someone who expects to move in a few years.
A successful kitchen does not have to hit six figures
People hear high-end project numbers and assume that is what a good kitchen costs.
Fiore does not frame it that way.
“A majority of our kitchens are well below six figures and they work out great,” he says.
Then he puts it even more plainly.
“It doesn’t have to be a six-figure kitchen in order for it to be successful for the customer.”
Start with what the kitchen actually needs. Then decide which changes are worth paying for.
A pull-and-replace kitchen can still mean new cabinets, countertops, flooring, fixtures, backsplash and paint. The difference is that the project is not also paying for major structural changes.
The real timeline starts before demolition
The part homeowners underestimate is how much happens before anyone swings a hammer.
Magnolia’s design, selections and permit phase typically runs six to eight weeks before day one of construction.
Then the physical kitchen remodel is estimated at 12–14 weeks.
Fiore and Magnolia previously broke that construction schedule down roughly like this:
- Weeks 1–2: demolition, framing, rough plumbing and electrical
- Week 3: rough inspections
- Week 4: insulation and drywall
- Week 5: flooring
- Week 6: cabinet delivery
- Week 7: cabinet installation
- Weeks 8–9: countertops
- Weeks 10–12: backsplash, trim, connections, punch list, appliances and final work
That is an average sequence, not a promise that every kitchen lands on the same Friday afternoon.
Structural beams can extend the schedule. Longer material lead times can extend it. Additional inspections can extend it too.
Why Magnolia waits to order cabinets
Magnolia orders cabinets after demolition and framing, not before.
Once the walls are open and framing is complete, the actual dimensions are known. Throughout the build, a Magnolia project manager keeps the homeowner updated on progress, upcoming milestones and open questions.
Fiore says stock cabinet lines can take two to three weeks. Custom finishes can take four to eight weeks.
That lead time is built into the larger project sequence.
Work backward from your target date
If you are trying to plan around a holiday, summer travel or a family event, work backward.
The construction itself is estimated at 12–14 weeks. Before that, allow another six to eight weeks for design, selections and permits.
A pull-and-replace kitchen runs $50,000–$75,000 (top end higher) on Magnolia’s jobs in 2026.
A more involved kitchen with new windows, doors and non-structural wall removal is about $75,000+ on Magnolia’s jobs in 2026.
A kitchen with structural work and architectural plans can be six figures on Magnolia’s jobs in 2026.
Then the homeowner decides what level actually fits the house, the plan and the investment they want to make.
What can push the 12–14 week schedule longer
The 12–14 week construction schedule is an estimate, not a ceiling.
Fiore points to three things that can extend it: structural beams, longer material lead times and additional inspections.
That is why the six-to-eight-week planning period before construction matters. The more that can be settled during design, selections and permitting, the fewer decisions are being made while the kitchen is already apart.
It also explains why the job sequence matters. Cabinets are not ordered until demolition and framing confirm the dimensions. Countertops follow cabinet installation. Finish work follows the major pieces.
A kitchen schedule works because those steps happen in order, not because every product arrives on the same day.
Pricing ranges in this article are Magnolia Home Remodeling Group’s 2026 estimates for its own jobs. Actual pricing depends on the scope, products, site conditions and selections. A written proposal governs the final scope and price.
About This Article
This article is produced by Garden State Circle and is part of our local guide to kitchen and bath professionals serving the Somerset Hills.
Written by Tiffany Slowinski, Co-Owner, Garden State Circle. Figures were provided by Magnolia Home Remodeling Group · Profile, Union and reflect this market in October 2026.
Also from this reporting: What a Bathroom Remodel Costs in Somerset County in 2026, and Why the Old House Can Cost More, Does a Leak Mean You Need a New Roof? What to Check First, What Happens After You Sign With a Remodeler: A Magnolia Job, Step by Step, Replacement Windows: How the Order Actually Works, and What Andersen 200 Costs Installed in 2026 and A Ground-Up Deck: Why There’s an Architect at Your Kitchen Table, and What It Costs in 2026.
Earlier reporting on Magnolia Home Remodeling Group: What Should Be in a Roofing or Siding Contract in Montgomery Township in 2026?, How Much Does a Roof Replacement Cost in Warren in 2026?, What Can Be Hiding Under Old Siding in Somerville in 2026?, What Do Replacement Windows Cost in Bridgewater in 2026?, What Does a Composite Deck Cost in Basking Ridge in 2026? and How Much Does New Siding Cost in Basking Ridge in 2026?. Further reading: Built to Gather, City Lifestyle’s October 2026 feature on Magnolia Home Remodeling Group.
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