An Honest Pricing Guide for Southern NH & Northern MA Homeowners
You're planning a project. Maybe it's a kitchen you're tired of working around, a basement that's just storage instead of living space, or an addition that finally gives your family room to breathe. Before you can plan anything else — design, timeline, contractor — you need to know one thing: what's this going to cost?
Most remodeling companies dodge that question until you've sat through a sales pitch. We won't. Below are real cost ranges based on our actual projects in Southern NH and Northern MA, so you can walk into your first conversation with us already informed.
Why a range, and not a single number? Every home is different, and every homeowner selects different products, finishes, and materials — that's what moves a project from the low end of a range to the high end. Once we sit down with you, we replace these ranges with a guaranteed price, backed by a complete scope of work and a selection schedule showing every product included. No surprises, no change-order games.
ALC Design project cost ranges, Southern NH & Northern MA, current as of publication.
Complete Kitchen Remodel
$80,000 – $160,000
A complete kitchen remodel almost always touches more than just the kitchen — it can involve adjacent spaces, structural changes, electrical and plumbing relocation, and custom cabinetry. Your finishes, appliances, and layout complexity determine where you land in this range.
Bathroom Remodel
Family Bathroom: $40,000 – $60,000
Primary/Master Bathroom: $60,000 – $120,000
Bathroom costs swing based on square footage, plumbing relocation, custom tile work, and fixtures. A primary suite renovation with a larger footprint, custom shower, and premium finishes lands at the higher end.
Basement Renovation
$100,000 – $250,000
Turning unfinished square footage into real living space — a family room, home theater, gym, full bath, or in-law space — depends on what systems already exist down there (plumbing, egress, ceiling height) and how finished you want it.
Home Additions
$150,000 – $400,000+
Additions are one of the most complex — and most valuable — projects we build, because they add square footage and can reclassify your home (a 3-bed, 2-bath becoming a 4-bed, 3-bath, for example). Cost depends on footprint, foundation type, whether it's single or multi-story, and finish level.
Whole Home Renovation
$300,000 – $900,000
A whole-home renovation is the most comprehensive investment you can make in your house — and the widest range, because scope varies enormously from a full interior refresh to a top-to-bottom transformation touching every system and surface.
Why the Ranges Are This Wide
It comes down to selections. Two homeowners can renovate an identical kitchen and land $40,000 apart because one chose semi-custom cabinetry and quartz counters, while the other chose fully custom inset cabinetry and natural stone. Neither choice is wrong — it's about what matters to you and what fits your budget. Our job as your design/build partner is to help you get the most value out of every dollar, not steer you toward the most expensive option.
What Drives Your Price Up
- Structural changes — moving walls, plumbing, or electrical adds engineering, permitting, and labor most homeowners don't anticipate.
- Custom & high-end selections — custom cabinetry, natural stone, specialty tile, and high-end appliances cost more than semi-custom or stock alternatives, and the gap adds up fast.
- Site conditions — older homes often hide knob-and-tube wiring, outdated plumbing, insufficient insulation, or foundation issues that must be addressed before the visible work begins.
- System upgrades — new electrical panels, HVAC systems, or load-bearing wall removal are necessary but invisible costs — you don't see them, but you'd notice if they were skipped.
- Added square footage — additions, dormers, and second stories add square footage, which is priced by the foot and compounds with foundation and roofline complexity.
- Design complexity — multiple trades, custom floor plans, and tight coordination (common in additions and whole-home projects) increase both design time and construction complexity.
What Drives Your Price Down
- Working within the existing footprint — keeping plumbing, electrical, and walls where they are avoids the relocation costs above.
- Semi-custom over fully custom selections — semi-custom cabinetry, quartz instead of exotic stone, and mid-tier fixtures deliver a high-quality result at a lower price point without sacrificing durability.
- A cosmetic-focused scope — a refresh (new counters, cabinet fronts, fixtures) costs far less than a full gut-and-rebuild.
- Good bones — newer homes or previously updated systems mean fewer surprises once walls open up.
- Phasing the project — tackling must-haves now and nice-to-haves later keeps the initial investment focused and manageable.
What Makes Some Companies So Expensive
- Heavy overhead — large showrooms, heavy advertising, and multiple layers of management get baked into every price, whether or not they improve your project.
- Stacked markups — when a designer, a general contractor, and separate subcontractors each add their own margin on top of the last, you pay for every handoff.
- Brand premium — some companies charge a premium for their name recognition alone, not necessarily for better craftsmanship or materials.
- Inefficient project management — poor scheduling and coordination extend the timeline, and extended timelines cost money — a cost that gets passed to you.
What Makes Some Companies So Cheap
- Unrealistic allowances — a low bid often uses lowball placeholder pricing for fixtures and finishes that doesn't reflect what you'll actually want to select, so the real cost surfaces later as change orders.
- Uninsured or unlicensed labor — skipping insurance and licensing cuts a contractor's cost, but shifts the liability for accidents or shoddy work onto you, the homeowner.
- Underbidding to win the job — underbidding to win the job only works if quality, materials, or labor get cut somewhere else.
- No dedicated project management — without a dedicated project manager, subcontractors come and go, communication breaks down, and timelines slip.
- Cutting corners on permits and inspections — skipping permits and inspections saves money upfront but leaves you responsible for code violations and resale complications down the road.
This is exactly why we build guaranteed pricing into our process. You see every selection and every cost before we start, so you're never caught between a suspiciously low bid and an unexplained premium.
How We Turn a Range Into a Guaranteed Price
1. Free in-home consultation. We talk through your goals, your budget, and your must-haves.
2. Design & selections. You'll see 3D renderings and a full selection schedule — every product, every finish, chosen before we build.
3. Guaranteed price. Once your design and selections are set, your price is locked in. If you change something later, we reprice only that change — transparently.
4. One team, start to finish. The same people who designed your project build it, with a dedicated lead carpenter on site every day.
This is what “design/build” means at ALC Design: no handoffs between an architect and a contractor, no gaps where costs or expectations get lost in translation.
Want the Deeper Dive?
Curious where we fall compared to other companies, how lifetime cost compares to sticker price, how remodeling costs have trended over time, or how people finance projects like these? See our companion guide, “Beyond the Price Tag.”
Get Your Real Number
These ranges are a starting point, not your final answer. The most accurate way to find out what your project costs is a free in-home consultation, where we can talk specifically about your home, your goals, and your budget.
Call 603-404-2907 or request your free consultation today.
Serving communities in Southern NH and Northern MA. Pricing reflects current market conditions and is subject to change based on scope, materials, and site conditions.