What a kitchen renovation actually costs in Melbourne

Our range

A full kitchen renovation with us typically runs $25,000 to $45,000, covering strip-out, cabinetry, benchtops, splashback, plumbing, electrical, appliance fit-off and finishes.

Cabinetry is the biggest line

Usually between a third and a half of the total. The gap between flat-pack and custom joinery is real, but it is not only about finish quality — it is about whether the cabinetry fits a house that is no longer square. In older Melbourne homes, custom work often ends up looking better because it was built for that wall.

Benchtops move the number more than people expect

Laminate, engineered stone, natural stone and timber span a very wide range, and the fabrication cost scales with the number of cuts, joins and cut-outs rather than just the area. A simple run is far cheaper per square metre than an island with a waterfall edge and an undermount sink.

Layout changes

Moving a sink or dishwasher means new waste and water runs. Relocating a cooktop can mean gas or new circuits. Removing a wall means establishing whether it carries load, and if it does, a beam and possibly an engineer. None of these are unusual, but each one belongs in the quote rather than in a conversation three weeks in.

What we would spend on first

If the budget is tight, we would put money into layout and cabinetry before appliances and finishes. A well-planned kitchen with modest materials outperforms a badly planned one with expensive ones, every time, for as long as you live there.