Three broad bands
Treat these as planning ranges to help you work out which conversation you are having — not as a price for your kitchen.
| Kitchen | As a rough guide (2026) | What that usually buys |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh, same layout | Roughly $14,000 – $30,000 | New cabinetry in the existing positions, a new benchtop and splashback, new sink and tapware, better lighting |
| Custom kitchen | Roughly $30,000 – $55,000 | Made-to-measure cabinetry, drawer systems, an island or peninsula, a better benchtop material, some services moved |
| Large kitchen or layout change | $55,000 and up | A wall removed, a bigger footprint, premium door finishes, integrated appliances, a second kitchen or a pantry |
Appliances are usually chosen and bought separately. They can move a total considerably in either direction, so it is worth pricing them early rather than at the end.
The four decisions that carry most of the money
Does the layout move? This is the big one. Keeping the sink, cooktop and dishwasher in place avoids relocating waste, water, gas and circuits. Moving them — or taking out a wall — brings in a plumber, an electrician, a gas fitter, possibly a structural engineer, and the patching that follows all of them.
What are the doors made of? The same cabinet carcass with a laminate door, a vinyl door, a two-pack sprayed door or a timber veneer door can differ by a large multiple across a whole kitchen. This is the easiest lever to pull if a quote comes back high — see cabinet door finishes.
What is the benchtop? Laminate at one end, porcelain, sintered slab and natural stone at the other, with edge details, waterfall ends and cut-outs on top. Engineered stone is not an option — it has been banned across Australia since 1 July 2024. See benchtops and splashbacks.
How many drawers, and what hardware? Drawers cost more than cupboards, full-extension runners cost more than basic ones, and internal organisers add up. They are also the parts you touch fifty times a day.
What else belongs in the budget
- Strip-out, waste removal and a skip, plus a permit where the skip sits on the verge.
- Plumbing, gas fitting and electrical work, including any switchboard capacity work.
- Patching walls and ceilings, and flooring repair or replacement where the old kitchen was.
- Splashback and its installation.
- Appliance installation, sink and tapware.
- Painting, making good and a final clean.
- Asbestos testing, and removal by a separately licensed removalist, in homes built or renovated before about 1990.
- A structural engineer's design and any approval fees where a wall comes out.
- Strata application costs and lift protection in units — see apartment and strata kitchens.
Local factors that move the number here
Unit versus house. A unit kitchen is often a smaller scope, but access, lift bookings, restricted hours and by-law conditions add time.
Post-war brick. Out-of-square walls mean scribed panels and more careful fitting. Original switchboards often need work before an induction cooktop can go in.
Sloping blocks. Steep driveways and long flights of steps change how materials get in and how waste gets out.
Two kitchens. A back kitchen for wok cooking is effectively a second, simpler kitchen with its own extraction and services — see second and wok kitchens.
Where to save without regretting it
Spend on layout, hardware and extraction. Save on door finish, benchtop material and appliance brand. A well-planned kitchen with laminate doors and quality drawer runners will outlast a badly planned one with expensive doors, and you can replace doors in ten years far more easily than you can move a sink.
Why you still need an on-site quote
Two kitchens of the same size in the same street can price very differently once the layout, the services, the condition of the house and the finishes are known. Every job is different, and a proper on-site measure and consultation is the only way to get a customised price for your kitchen. You get an itemised written quote — cabinetry, benchtop, splashback, trades, appliance installation and making good all listed separately — so you can see exactly what each decision costs before you commit to anything.
Book a measure
Call 02 4404 0245 or send your kitchen details through and we will arrange an on-site measure and design consultation. Then read how a renovation runs so you know what happens next.
Questions people ask before they commit
What does a kitchen renovation cost in 2026?
As a rough guide only: roughly $14,000 to $30,000 for a refresh in the same layout, roughly $30,000 to $55,000 for a custom kitchen, and $55,000 and up once the layout changes or the finishes are premium. Every kitchen is different, so the only reliable figure is a customised price after an on-site measure.
What is the single biggest cost?
Cabinetry, almost always, followed by the benchtop and then the appliances. The biggest multipliers are moving the sink or cooktop, removing a wall, and choosing a premium door finish across a large kitchen.
Is keeping the same layout really cheaper?
Yes, and by a meaningful margin. Leaving the sink, cooktop and dishwasher where they are avoids relocating plumbing, gas and electrical, which removes several trade visits, some patching and a chunk of program time.
How much deposit can I be asked for?
Under NSW home building law the maximum deposit is 10 per cent. For residential building work over $20,000, home building compensation cover must be in place before a deposit is requested, and progress payments should follow completed stages.
Do you publish per-metre rates?
No. Per-metre rates read as precise and are almost always wrong, because they ignore the layout, the services, the condition of the house and the finishes. Broad bands plus an itemised quote after a measure is the honest version.