There is plenty a person should be able to do to improve a kitchen (or any room) with little or no outside help.
New flooring,painting ,refinishing or replacing cabinets,replacing appliances aren’t that difficult. When you hire it done you have to pay the workers’ wages and benefits,the contractor’s profit(so he can stay in business),the costs of materials (plus markup), and no doubt government fees.
Of course if you live in a place of nosy neighbors and inspectors it may be difficult to do your own work.
Additionally any changes in plumbing , gas lines, or electrial wiring MUST be done correctly.
In real estate the term is sweat equity. If you do it carefully your labor will replace hired labor saving a LOT of money.
Yes, you can save in labor costs.
And you’d bloody well better have a permit.
For just about everything, including picayune stuff that has nothing to do with gas or electric.
But materials costs are still figured in as well as the value added.
We know folks who’ve done the sweat equity thing.
Their prop taxes skyrocketed. Now they’re trying to sell their homes and can’t because no buyer is willing to assume a high four to low five fig annual property tax.
On existing homes that are NOT McMansions.
That daughter may have made better use of that 30 K, especially if less of it would have gone to some bloody bureaucrats sucking off the government teat.
You said it hoosierham!
I bought a house in an area without nosy inspectors and neighbors. In fact they were all very grateful I was not a wannabe landlord. All the neighbors were past 70 and had feared a large family, renting, with kids, pets and parties.
Did nearly all the restoration with my two little hands, tore up rotten carpeting and linoleum and the 100-year-old floors under there were beautiful wood. Sand the glue and crud, stain it, poly. Gun a few layers of paint off the original cabinets, sell the old plumbing.
Some few things call for a pro. Electric, roof, plumbing. For those, my own labor would have cost me a fortune because I’d have botched it horribly. You call for labor and pay gladly for their expertise.
But sweat nearly always saves $$$.