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A dining room remodel can give you a beautiful new space for entertaining guests and add value to your home. How much it will cost depends on the extent of renovations you do. If you’re making over an existing space, you may be able to spend as little as $3,000. If you’re building a dining room addition, the price goes up dramatically. Typically, you’ll pay $20,000 to $50,000 to construct a new dining room. Fortunately, there are ways to finance the project if you don’t have the cash to pay for it upfront. Here’s what you need to know about a dining room remodel, including options for financing it.
Dining Room Remodels
Just like the cost to remodel a house, a dining room renovation varies based on the square footage of the room, the age and condition of your home, and the quality of the flooring, fixtures, and furniture you choose. If you’re redoing an existing dining room, you may be able to get the look you want by painting, adding a new rug, and getting new furniture and light fixtures. Of course, if you opt for a dining room addition, that’s a much bigger project and your costs will jump.
Things to Include in Your Dining Room Remodel Project
When considering your dining room remodel budget, think about your needs. Is it important to make the room bigger? Install new flooring? Fix the ceiling? From there, you can move onto your wants, such as new furniture and window treatments. Another factor to consider: Since the dining room is typically next to the living room in many houses, you might want to add your dining room renovation to a living room remodel cost.Either way, here are some of the features you may want to include in your dining remodel.
Ceiling
If your ceiling is showing signs of wear, you’ll want to fix any cracks and prime it before putting on a fresh coat of paint. Ceiling repairs typically cost anywhere from $400 to $1,350. You might also consider doing a textured or popcorn ceiling. The cost for a textured ceiling is generally $500 to $1,250. Conversely, if your ceiling is textured and you want a smooth surface, that will run you about $1,850 on average.
Flooring
When renovating a dining room, flooring likely will be a top priority. Common dining room flooring materials include hardwood, laminate, and luxury vinyl planks that look like wood. Hardwood flooring costs about up to $14 per square foot, not including installation. If new flooring is not within your dining room remodel budget, buying an area rug to cover your existing flooring is an option.
Furniture
Buying new furniture can be one of the fun parts of a dining room remodel. You will likely want a new dining room table and chairs, and possibly a hutch or a buffet, and a bar cart. You can buy dining room furniture as a set, which will give you a seamless look so that all the pieces match. Dining room furniture sets range from $200 to $10,000 or more, depending on the style and quality of the furniture you choose.
Fixtures
Typically, a chandelier or statement light fixture over the dining room table will provide the majority of your lighting. Depending on the length of your table, you could consider two or three pendant lights instead of one bigger light. If the room is large and doesn’t have any other light source, you also might want to add sconces to provide secondary light. Lighting prices vary dramatically depending on the style you choose. You’ll also want to factor in the cost of hiring an electrician for installation. A small chandelier can start at about $150, while an elaborate chandelier can run you up to $700 or more. Sconces tend to range in price from $90 to $230.
Walls
The paint color you choose for your walls will help set the mood of your dining room remodel. Shades of white and cream are the most common choices, but if you like color, you might opt for bright, cheerful blends to compliment the room. The national average cost of painting a room is $1,892 and can range from $955 to $2,580. The cost will depend on the size of the room and the type of paint you use. You may choose wallpaper instead, which you could use for the entire room or for one accent wall. Hanging wallpaper costs from $1 to $7 per square foot. If you hire a professional to do it for you, prepare to spend $25 to $80 an hour.
Decorations
Once you’ve painted your dining room or hung wallpaper, you’ll want to add finishing touches like artwork and custom window treatments. The average price for custom window treatments is about $700, but they could be as much as a few thousand dollars, depending how many windows you have.
Dining Room Addition Cost
If you decide to build a dining room addition, you’ll incur additional costs such as electrical wiring, drywall, framing, insulation, and windows, with materials accounting for 50 percent or more of the overall budget. Expect to pay an average of $20,000 for a dining room addition or $80 to $200 per square foot.
Financing a Dining Room Remodel
There are numerous ways you can finance a dining room remodel, including a credit card, HELOC, cash-out refinance, or personal loans for remodeling your home. Your choice, ultimately, will depend on what best suits your needs. Here’s a look at the options to help you decide.
Credit Cards
Using a credit card is a common way to finance a home improvement project. But keep in mind that many credit cards typically have high interest rates. Unless you can pay off the entire cost of your remodel before the credit card billing cycle ends, you’ll pay interest on the money you owe.
HELOC
A home equity line of credit (HELOC) allows you to borrow against the equity you have in your home up to your approved credit limit. The interest rate is variable. The funds can be borrowed as needed and repaid during what’s called the draw period, which typically lasts up to 10 years. Generally, when the draw period ends, the repayment begins, which can be 10 to 20 years.
Cash-out Refinance
A cash-out refinance allows you to refinance your mortgage and borrow money for things like home improvements, essentially turning the equity in your home into a lump sum of cash. The process entails getting a new mortgage for a larger amount than your existing mortgage. You’ll receive the difference in cash, which you can use for your dining room project. Lenders typically limit cash-out refinances to 80 percent of the equity you have in your home. You will have to pay closing costs when you do a cash-out refinance, so make sure to find out from the lender what those costs will be.
Personal Loans
Taking out a personal loan is another way to fund a dining room renovation. With a personal loan, a bank, online lender, or credit union will lend you a lump sum of money that you pay back with interest in monthly installments. Personal loans have benefits like flexibility of use, which is why they’re popular for financing home improvement projects. And if you have a high credit score, you may qualify for a lower interest rate.
The Takeaway
You can transform your dining room into a stylish place to entertain guests. Your renovation can be as simple as painting the walls, and adding a new rug, lighting, and table and chairs. Or it can be as expansive as building a dining room addition. When estimating a dining room remodel budget, consider how to best finance your renovation. Explore the different financing options, and learn more about what a personal loan is, to see if it’s the right choice for funding your home project.
3 Personal Loan Tips
Shopping around helps ensure that you’re getting the best deal you can. Lantern by SoFi makes this easy. With one online application, you can find and compare personal loan offers from multiple lenders.
If the interest rates you’re being offered seem too high, try lowering the loan amount. Generally, the larger the loan, the greater the risk for lenders, who likely charge a higher interest rate for the increased risk level.
Read lender reviews before taking out a personal loan. You’ll get a sense of how long it can take to receive the funds and how good the customer service is.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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About the Author
Kristin Luna
Kristin Luna is a Tennessee-based journalist with 20 years of writing and editing experience. She has contributed to such publications as Southern Living, This Old House, Real Simple, Parade, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and various other titles. With her spouse and fellow journalist, she runs a public art nonprofit and also purchases and rehabs older model homes.
