People ask us why one custom kitchen costs more than another when both are, on paper, a kitchen. The difference is not markup. It is what goes into the room. Here is what each band tends to buy, so you can see where your money goes before you spend it.
These bands are ranges, not fixed prices. Your kitchen could sit between them. The point is to show you the trade-offs that move you from one band to the next.
This is the entry band for a real custom kitchen, and it is a genuine kitchen, not a compromise. Expect a sensible layout that keeps the existing plumbing and electrical roughly where they are, solid cabinet boxes with a clean door style, a durable quartz counter, and quality hardware with soft-close. Appliances are usually a separate, mid-range package. You are spending on the things you touch every day and holding back on the showpieces. For a Kitsilano condo or a focused refresh, this band does a lot.
This is the middle, and it is where most decisions stop being either-or. You can move the layout a bit, add an island, step up the door style and finish, and choose a better counter without watching every dollar. Storage gets smarter, with pull-outs and organizers built in rather than added on. The appliance package moves up a tier. This band buys a kitchen that feels designed rather than assembled, and it is close to where a typical DADO project lands.
This is the fully custom end. The layout serves the room rather than the old plumbing. Cabinetry is bespoke, with custom sizes, integrated lighting, and finishes specified down to the detail. Counters can be thick natural stone with a waterfall island. Appliances are usually a fully integrated high-end package, which also means more cabinetry to conceal them. Nothing here is off the shelf, and the build reflects that in both time and cost. For a large North Shore kitchen that anchors the whole house, this is the band.
The jump from one band to the next is not random. It is cabinets, counters, appliances, and how much of the room you rework. If you know which of those matters most to you, you can spend where it counts and hold steady everywhere else. That is the whole point of telling you the trade-offs up front.
To see which band your kitchen falls into, the Vancouver Kitchen Cost Calculator takes size, finish tier, and appliance package and returns a price band in about two minutes. It is an estimate to orient you, not a quote.
When you want to turn a band into a real plan, book a call or visit the Kitsilano showroom and we will price your actual kitchen with you.