Mother-In-Law Moving In? Here’s How Much It Costs to Add a Small Kitchenette

Maybe your mother-in-law is moving in or your adult child is living at home until they find a job. Or perhaps you’re looking to start an Airbnb side hustle. For whatever reason, you’ve decided to build a kitchenette and are wondering how much it’s going to cost.

Despite their small size, the cost of a kitchenette may surprise you. They run $15,750 on average — though costs vary widely depending on size, features, and finishes. To help you get a better idea of what your miniature kitchen will run you, HomeLight spoke with an experienced contractor and analyzed project data from reputable sources on the web.

The average cost of a kitchenette addition

According to Angi, a website that records millions of remodeling estimates, the cost to build a kitchenette ranges between $7,500 and $30,000. A basic kitchenette may cost only a few thousand if plumbing and wiring are easily accessible.

According to Chad Ruhoff, owner of East Avenue Design+Build, the cost of your kitchenette depends on two main factors: what you want and where you want it.

“The two basic things are infrastructure — which is very site-specific and depends on how you’ll run plumbing and electricity to the site — and what level of finish you want. Is it a temporary thing or something that you want to look really nice?” explains Ruhoff, who has 30 years of construction experience, specializing in small renovation projects.

To help you estimate how much your project will cost, let’s take a look at kitchenette cost factors:

Plumbing

Even in more simple kitchenette designs, a sink is fairly standard. The cost to install a new sink in a room with existing plumbing is $100 to $1,600.

To install an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), you’ll need access to your home’s water supply and drainage system. If your kitchenette is near a bathroom or the main kitchen, installation costs will be lower due to the proximity to existing plumbing. However, if the ADU is located farther from the main house, like 40 feet away, connecting it to your water and drainage system can be more expensive.

Additionally, if you need to run pipes underground, whether you have a concrete slab or crawl space underneath significantly affects the price. Ruhoff shares that, with a crawl space, adding new plumbing is easy, but if your contractor needs to break concrete, you’ll pay more for the additional labor.

Additionally, Ruhoff tells us that the type of pre-existing pipes in your home influences cost. Homes with old pipes require more complicated (and, therefore, more expensive) plumbing jobs.

Electrical

If you want to install an electric stove or add appliances like toasters and microwaves to your kitchenette, you’ll need to wire electricity to the area.

If the room is already wired, you’re in luck. The national average to install an electrical outlet runs from $100 to $450.

However, if your kitchenette is further away, you’ll need to pay for additional wiring and labor time. The cost of new wiring and labor runs between $6 to $10 per square foot on average.

Running power to an ADU is even more expensive. In this case, you’ll have to install a ground wire and possibly a new electrical panel. Together, these expenses can cost you $800 to $4,000.

Cabinetry and countertops

When it comes to cabinetry and countertops, it’s more affordable to install prefabricated than custom units. A small prefab cabinet from IKEA costs as little as $200, whereas custom cabinets from a high-end cabinet designer range between $500 to $1,200 per linear foot.

Likewise, countertops vary in price depending on the material. Here’s a quick rundown of the prices of popular countertop materials per square foot:

• Laminate: $20 to $60/sq ft
• Tile: $25 to $75/sq ft
• Butcher Block (Wood): $30 to $100/sq ft
• Solid Surface (Corian): $50 to $150/sq ft
• Concrete: $65 to $135/sq ft
• Granite: $70 to $175/sq ft
• Soapstone: $70 to $120/sq ft
• Quartz (Engineered Stone): $75 to $200/sq ft
• Stainless Steel: $80 to $225/sq ft
• Dolomite: $90 to $175/sq ft
• Quartzite (Natural Stone): $90 to $250/sq ft
• Marble: $100 to $250/sq ft
• Onyx: $100 to $300/sq ft

Remember that these cost ranges are averages. High-end options like unique slabs and handmade tiles may exceed the upper end of these ranges.

Appliances

Appliances are another major cost factor. Tally up how much appliances will cost for your kitchenette with these average cost ranges:

• Microwave: $60 to $1,440
• Toaster Oven: $25 to $1,000
• Dishwasher (with installation): $700 to $1,970
• Electric Range: $680
• Gas Range: $760 to $1,260
• Mini Refrigerator: $100 to $300