Living Room Remodel Cost in Your Zip Code

Once you make the commitment to go ahead with your living room remodel, you need to know how much of an investment you require for this home improvement.

A remodeling estimate helps you organize your project better and effectively manage milestones and costs.

Acquiring a free estimate for your total renovation cost will help you create a realistic budget and get you quality work at a fair price. It’s also the best way to ensure that you don’t stumble across any unwelcome surprises during the execution of your project.

Also, a carefully planned remodeling project can greatly increase the value of your property in the home buyers’ market.

While a living room remodel is an exciting process, it can be a bit overwhelming. Follow our step-by-step guide for a well-planned living room renovation. And, get ready for a fantastic living room makeover to suit your needs, style and of course budget.

• 1. Rethink your living room layout: Do some online research and look for great living room design ideas, with your lifestyle in mind. Keeping the fireplace or the television as the starting point, envisage how you can change the look of the room.


• 2. Crowdsource and hire a reliable remodeling expert: Before beginning any home improvement project, it’s a good idea to ask your friends and neighbors to recommend local licensed professionals. Find a pro who's done impressive work in the past. Do view their profiles as well as permits online.


• 3. Paint the living room walls: Painting your living room with bright and cheerful hues is one of the most cost-effective ways to give the space a facelift. An average 330 square foot living room paint work cost ranges between $900 to $2,000.


• 4. Change your living room flooring: If you have an old-looking carpet or damaged tiles, a new floor finish will do wonders for your living room. The average cost of a new flooring runs about $6 to $10 per square foot, with prices going as high as $18 per square foot -- depending on the flooring material.
  For a medium-sized, 330 square feet living room, homeowners can expect to pay between $1,700 to $4,700 (including installation and material cost).
  Some of the popular flooring options include carpeting, solid hardwood flooring, engineered hardwood flooring, laminate flooring, tiles, and vinyl flooring.


• 5. Revamp your living room furniture and furnishing: Revamping your existing furniture -- provided the frames are in a good condition -- is a more environmentally friendly option compared to buying new furnishing items.
  However, if you decide to buy new furniture, you can explore online or your local furniture marts.
  Generally, the cost of furnishing a living room begins at $10,000 and can go up to $25,000 or more -- depending on the quality and style of the decor and furniture pieces.


• 6. Get the right lighting: Good lighting plays an important role in adding elegance, ambiance, and mood to a living room. You can add a few well-placed table lamps, floor lamps, or picture lights to illuminate your favorite gallery wall. Or, hang a new chandelier or pendant lights to give your living room a professionally finished look.
  Think soft white or warm white lights (2700 Kelvin) for a traditional warm, cozy feel.

Getting an estimate through Kukun’s living room remodel cost estimator is easy. Just follow the steps below to get your custom, personalized total cost in minutes!

1. Enter the type of remodeling you want from the options below:

• Addition:
  Adding new square footage to the house (requires new foundation).
• Renovation:
  Remodeling an existing space with no change to any walls.
• Expansion:
  Expanding an existing room by moving walls within or outside the perimeter of the house (may require new additional foundation).

2. Select the size of your space from the options below:

• Small: 120 Sq.ft
• Medium: 192 Sq.ft
• Large: 288 Sq.ft
• Custom: Enter the room dimensions here if none of the above apply

3. Enter scope of renovation from these options:

• Cosmetic Changes:
  Ideal if you are selling your home. Cosmetic changes to the living room renovation involves flooring, light fixtures, paint and hardware. Plumbing, electrical, cabinets and the kind of sofa you could live on not included. NO permit required.
• Typical Renovation:
  Ideal if you are just changing the interior. A Typical Renovation living room remodel livens up your space with new electrical, some HVAC work, new insulation and drywall, texture, paint, flooring, trimwork (baseboards, door casings, etc.), fixtures and shiny new hardware. Permit required.
• Down to the Studs:
  Ideal if you are stripping walls or want to change plumbing and electrical. A Down to the Studs living room remodel includes all the goodies of the Typical Renovation-level remodel, plus some interior structural rearrangement, new doors and windows, custom materials, longer lead times and stretched job timelines. Permit required.

4. Choose the level of finish you want from the three options below:

• Budget-friendly:
  Budget friendly is an economical finish level and gives you the feeling you get when you step into a newly built home.
• Mid-range:
  Mid range finish level is higher end and includes higher quality materials and more personalized options like recessed lighting, higher end appliances, etc.
• High-end:
  Materials are high end and customized to the owner's taste. Every material will be differentiated and may take a little longer to put together, but the finished product is amazing.

5. Enter your property details

Enter the full address to get ROI /recoup value of your house or just give zipcode to get just the renovation cost estimate.And there you go! An estimate for your living room remodeling cost is ready!

With this estimate, you can analyze your finance options or hire a professional to get started on the work right away.

We are also happy to offer you options for professional remodeling contractors who have worked in your neighborhood and who have been vetted by your neighbors.

You can conveniently explore each contractor's profile, check out their online reviews, view all their previous permits, and then ask around your vicinity about whether you should hire them.

Renovating your living room can be an exciting process, provided you don’t let it overwhelm you. But where should you start? The first step is to plan your renovation well in advance. Here are some tips to make the process easy and quick:

• Set a realistic home remodeling budget. Always include leeway for some surprise costs. Experts advise adding 20% extra to your existing budget.
• Research various designs, styles, possibilities and your requirements. Give your renovation plenty of forethought — especially if you're making structural changes.
• Determine your living room needs in terms of entertaining, lounging and working.
• Choose the most suitable living room design. Consider your lifestyle and visualize how a particular layout will look in your home.
• Make sure that your design is functional and convenient, as well as aesthetically pleasing.
• Work with an expert remodeling contractor. A professional finish goes a long way in adding to the beauty and value of your home.
• Keep in mind that a professional will ensure that all permits and inspections are up to date. A living room remodel typically requires a permit. Do check your local building code if in doubt.
• Keep an eye on all aspects of your living room remodel, including construction, plumbing, electrical and lighting.
• Keep track of all inventory and materials being used.
• If you’re on a tight budget, plan your living room remodeling project for the winter season.
• Get a written contract from your contractor detailing the complete schedule along with deadlines for milestones. Also get a written guarantee.
• Discuss and mutually agree on the payment schedule.

Now that you have everything ready, you might be asking: How can I cut down on my living room renovation costs? Read on for some of our best and most cost-effective tips:

• If you are looking to add extra footage, then instead of knocking down the walls, consider utilizing the existing space to the maximum. Moving and adding walls often proves costly for many homeowners.
• Consider adding tall cabinets with multiple shelves rather than multiple cabinets that take up a lot of space.
• Inspect the things you already own. Can you carve an old door into a cute coffee table? Could you give a chic new makeover to unused chairs, baseboards or lighting fixtures?
• Do your research on living room flooring. Are you a fan of wood flooring? Hardwood floors are comparatively expensive. Why not opt for laminates or vinyl instead to save money? They come in various patterns, designs and shades – and some are colored to look just like natural wood. There are even environmentally friendly materials such as bamboo and cork flooring that you might want to consider.
• Always ask around for estimated costs from multiple contractors before finalizing one. Once you finally settle on a firm, probe them for more information and ask for detailed quotes. Go for a firm that promises the best service at a fair price.

Note that great-looking living rooms are an important consideration for potential home buyers. They will help you get the best price possible for your home if you ever decide to sell it in the future