How Much Does a Home Renovation Cost in Kansas in 2026

The Remodeling 2025 Cost vs. Value Report (www.costvsvalue.com) puts a midrange minor kitchen remodel at $28,458, averaged over 119 U.S. markets, not Kansas alone. Kansas carpenters earned a mean $28.59 an hour in May 2025 (U.S. $31.55). Labor to remodel a Kansas residence carries no sales tax under K.S.A. 79-3603(p).

Two national price points for a kitchen or bath job

Zonda’s national page shows no figure for Wichita, Topeka or any other Kansas city. Treat these numbers as a yardstick, not a Kansas quote.

The report’s defined midrange minor kitchen remodel averaged a $28,458 job cost against a $32,141 resale value, so 113% of the cost came back at sale. Its defined midrange bath remodel came in at $26,138, with $20,915 (80%) recovered. The captured pages don’t describe what each project includes. Check the full report’s scope before comparing a bid.

© 2025 Zonda Media, a Delaware Corporation. Complete data from the Remodeling 2025 Cost vs. Value Report can be downloaded free at www.costvsvalue.com.

What Kansas carpenters earn (BLS, May 2025)

Federal wage survey data (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics) counted 5,210 carpenters on Kansas payrolls. Their mean pay was $28.59 an hour, or $59,460 a year. The U.S. means were $31.55 and $65,630. The median hourly rate was $27.39 in Kansas and $29.12 nationally. The survey covers employees in all industries and excludes the self-employed. It measures pay, not what a remodeler charges, so the wage gap is no discount on your bid.

Kansas sales tax: exempt labor, taxed materials

K.S.A. 79-3603(p) taxes installation labor but exempts work done “in connection with the original construction of a building or facility, the original construction, reconstruction, restoration, remodeling, renovation, repair or replacement of a residence.” A residence is “only those enclosures within which individuals customarily live.”

Materials are taxed at the supply counter. Subsection (l)(1) reaches goods sold to contractors “for use by them in erecting structures, or building on, or otherwise improving, altering, or repairing real or personal property.” Subsection (l)(2) has a separate rule for contractors who keep a retail inventory. The Department of Revenue’s Pub. KS-1525 (Rev. 7-29-25) illustrates this with a roof: “The contractor will pay sales tax on the materials at the time of purchase; his labor charge is not taxable.”

The same guide keeps two kinds of home labor taxable: installing items “as part of its retail sale — i.e., appliances, draperies, etc.”, and repairing items such as “dishwashers, washers/dryers, TVs.” A home office still counts as residence, but business space segregated from the living quarters and open to the walk-in public is taxed on its square-footage share. If a bid puts tax on the labor line, ask which rule the contractor is relying on.

Remodeler licenses are issued locally, under state exam rules

K.S.A. 12-1557(a) speaks to “Any county or city requiring the licensure of general contractors, building contractors and residential contractors.” A residential contractor has “the necessary technical knowledge to properly plan and supervise the erection, remodeling, addition, repair or improvement of one or two family dwellings” (12-1540(f)). A licensing county or city may give the exams designated in 12-1556 and may not add its own questions.

Pass one of those exams and the certificate is “valid proof of competency for licensure, without additional examination, in any county or city of the state which requires licensure of such contractors” (12-1557(b)). A license earned on a locally chosen exam works only where it was issued, “except when authorized by reciprocal agreement” (12-1558). That section also lets each county or city adopt contracting codes and set inspection fees.

Signed at home? Three business days to back out

K.S.A. 50-640 treats a sale of $25 or more as a “door-to-door sale” when the seller solicits it in person — “including those in response to or following an invitation by the consumer” — and you agree somewhere other than the seller’s place of business. You can cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing an agreement that contains the required disclosures. Sundays and legal holidays under K.S.A. 60-206 are not business days. The seller must refund within 10 business days of getting your notice.

Seven exclusions in 50-640(c)(1):

• (A) a deal that follows earlier negotiations during your visit to a fixed, permanent retail location where the goods or services are offered on a continuing basis;
• (B) a deal already carrying a rescission right under 15 U.S.C. 1635 or its regulations;
• (C) a deal you initiated for goods or services needed in a bona fide immediate personal emergency, with your dated, signed, handwritten statement describing it and waiving the three days;
• (D) a deal done entirely by mail or telephone, with no other contact before delivery or performance;
• (E) a repair or maintenance visit you initiated and requested — though anything sold during it beyond replacement parts necessarily used is not excluded;
• (F) sale or rental of real property, sale of insurance, or securities and commodities sold by an SEC-registered broker-dealer;
• (G) a sale on the fairgrounds during the Kansas State Fair by a vendor fair management authorized.

A seller who omits the cancellation notice or misstates your right commits “an unfair and deceptive act or practice within the meaning of K.S.A. 50-626” (50-640(b)).

More on the numbers

• Kitchen remodel budget tiers and bathroom remodel scopes
• Renovation return estimator and HELOC calculator
• Furnace or AC in the same project: Kansas HVAC installation costs

Kansas remodeling questions

Does the State of Kansas license home remodelers?

K.S.A. 12-1556 to 12-1558 set exam and portability rules for counties and cities that license contractors; those sections create no state-issued license. Your city or county decides what a remodeler needs locally. Roofing is the exception: a roofing contractor, meaning anyone who in the ordinary course of business engages in commercial or residential roofing services for a fee or offers or solicits roofing-related services, needs a registration certificate from the Attorney General (K.S.A. 50-6,122(a)(1), 50-6,123(a)(1)), unless an exclusion in 50-6,122(a)(2) or an exemption in 50-6,129 applies.

Should my remodeling invoice show sales tax on labor?

Not for remodeling, renovating, repairing or replacing part of your residence (79-3603(p)).

I invited the contractor over to bid. Can I still cancel?

Yes, if you signed somewhere other than the contractor’s place of business and no exclusion applies. The door-to-door definition expressly covers sales made after your invitation.