Kitchen Cabinet Refacing cost in San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA · updated August 2026
$13,200
Typical local cost
$6,300 – $27,800
Typical range
- per linear foot of cabinetry
- $300 – $900
- Permit
- Usually no
- Typical timeline
- 3-5 days of work
Installed, local pricing
$0 – $235 in fees
3-5 days of work
San Francisco runs +39% against the U.S. average · data confidence Medium · modeled estimate, not a quote
The modeled midpoint for San Francisco is $13,200. The local adjustment for this trade is x1.392 — driven mainly by San Francisco County labor rates and 5% exposure to local code requirements.
Cost by project size
Generated from the same unit pricing the calculator uses.
| Project size | Estimated range |
|---|---|
| 15 linear foot of cabinetry | $4,500 – $13,500 |
| 20 linear foot of cabinetry | $6,000 – $18,000 |
| 30 linear foot of cabinetry | $9,000 – $27,000 |
| 35 linear foot of cabinetry | $10,500 – $31,500 |
Based on San Francisco pricing of $300–$900 per linear foot of cabinetry.
Where the money goes
- Labor
- $7,900
- 59% of median
- Materials
- $5,300
- 40% of median
- Permit & fees
- $120
- 1% of median
San Francisco project costs+39% vs U.S. average
Based on San Francisco County labor rates, local material logistics and permit-fee posture for this trade.
What the project looks like start to finish
Typical sequence for this scope. Timing varies with contractor backlog and plan-review queues.
01
Planning & quotes
Scope, material choice, contractor selection
02
Scheduling
No permit typically required for this scope
03
Materials & staging
Order lead time on non-stock materials
04
Installation
3-5 days of work
05
Closeout
Final sign-off, warranty and documentation
San Francisco labor intelligence
What the trade charges here, and how much of your price it is.
Loaded hourly rate
$76–$98
Interior crews in San Francisco County · +48% vs U.S. ($58/hr)
Typical crew
3 × 4 days
On-site time for a typical cabinet refacing job here.
Labor in the price
$7,900
60% of the median — the rest is material, disposal and permit.
Because labor is 60% of this job, San Francisco wage levels move the price far more than material prices do. A quote well under this labor figure usually means a smaller crew, a longer schedule, or unlicensed help.
Basis: Hometriva labor model: national interior crew rates adjusted by the San Francisco County labor factor (x1.481). · BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Hometriva methodology
Why San Francisco differs from the national average
The local delta, broken into dollars by driver.
Trade labor rates+$2,750
San Francisco County crews price 48% above the national average, and labor is 60% of this job.
Material and delivery+$850
Materials are nationally traded, so they move less — but delivery into this market runs 22% over baseline.
Code and inspection load+$100
Kitchen Cabinet Refacing carries 5% exposure to local code requirements, and this jurisdiction's review load indexes at x1.21.
Permit fees+$50
Fees are paid to the jurisdiction, not the contractor, and are budgeted separately from the contract price.
Basis: Decomposition of the modeled San Francisco median against the U.S. median for this scope. · San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, Hometriva methodology
San Francisco vs California vs the U.S.
Change the inputs, see your number
The same local model, run against your job instead of the average one.
Simulated kitchen cabinet refacing in San Francisco
$13,320
Likely range $6,420 – $27,920
Simulated from the same local model as the numbers above — it changes the inputs, not the pricing method.
What makes the number move
- Linear feet of cabinetry and door count
- Veneer, thermofoil or solid wood fronts
- New soft-close hardware
- Adding crown molding or end panels
- Condition of the existing boxes
Who issues each permit
Tracked per discipline — the building permit issuer is not always the body that reviews electrical, plumbing, zoning or fire.
| Discipline | Issuing authority |
|---|---|
| building | San Francisco Department of Building InspectionConfirmed department |
| electrical | San Francisco Department of Building InspectionConfirmed department |
| mechanical | San Francisco Department of Building InspectionConfirmed department |
| plumbing | San Francisco Department of Building InspectionConfirmed department |
| zoning | San Francisco Department of Building InspectionConfirmed department |
| fire | San Francisco Department of Building InspectionConfirmed department |
Permit requirement in San Francisco
A permit is usually not required for kitchen cabinet refacing on its own. San Francisco still applies zoning rules such as setbacks, lot coverage and HOA approval, and any structural, electrical or plumbing work added to the job does need a permit.
- Permitting authority
- San Francisco Department of Building InspectionConfirmed department
- Permit fee
- Based on declared project valuationSan Francisco is a consolidated city and county; DBI issues and inspects building permits citywide. Typical range for this scope: $0–$235.
Local conditions that change this job
Only the exposures that materially affect kitchen cabinet refacing.
Humidity
Severe84/100
San Francisco sits in San Francisco County, California. Seismic bracing, energy-code (Title 24) compliance and coastal exposure all factor into permit scope and material selection. Work outside city limits is permitted by the county building department rather than the city.
Nearby market comparison
+ Had kitchen cabinet refacing done in San Francisco? Add what you paid or were quoted
Reports are reviewed before they count, and nothing is published until at least 5 reports exist for a market. No name, email or address is collected.
How Hometriva estimates San Francisco cabinet refacing costs
Hometriva does not publish invented city prices. The San Francisco estimate for kitchen cabinet refacing is produced by this chain, and every input is stored separately:
- National baseline$9,500
Typical U.S. cost for kitchen cabinet refacing on a single-family home.
- Local labor factorx1.481
San Francisco-area trade labor rates, weighted at 60% of this job.
- Material factorx1.222
Material and delivery pricing into San Francisco County, weighted at 40%.
- Regulatory factorx1.208
Local code, product-approval and inspection load, applied at 5% for this project type.
- Applied multiplierx1.392
Blended San Francisco adjustment specific to kitchen cabinet refacing.
- Permit component$0 – $235
Budgeted separately from the contract price because it is paid to the jurisdiction.
Because labor, material and regulatory factors are weighted per project, kitchen cabinet refacing in San Francisco carries a different local adjustment than other trades in the same market.
Reviewed by
Hometriva Cost Data Desk
Maintains the unit-cost baselines, local adjustment factors and material pricing. Reviewed for kitchen cabinet refacing pricing in San Francisco, CA.
- • National unit-cost baselines against current trade pricing
- • Local labor and materials factors for the market
- • Material installed-cost ranges and service life
Last reviewed August 2026 · Editorial standards · Report an error
Frequently asked questions
Is cabinet refacing worth it?
Refacing makes sense when the existing boxes are solid and the layout works. If the boxes are particleboard that has swollen from moisture, or you want to change the layout, full replacement is the better value.
How long does kitchen cabinet refacing take?
3-5 days of work. Permit review and inspection scheduling are usually the largest source of variation.
What changes the price the most?
The largest cost drivers are linear feet of cabinetry and door count; veneer, thermofoil or solid wood fronts; new soft-close hardware.
Sources
Sources & verification
- San Francisco Department of Building Inspection
- California Building Standards Commission
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Model vintage August 2026. The links above are the issuing agencies' own pages — we publish them so you can confirm the current rule yourself, not as evidence that each fact on this page was re-checked with them today. Cost figures are modeled estimates based on national baselines adjusted for local labor and material pricing, not quotes. Permit rules change; confirm with the building department before starting work.