You know the feeling. A friend invites you for dinner, you walk into their kitchen and you’re absolutely blown away. You MUST get something like this at your place! But then it hits you. What would a stunning kitchen renovation cost exactly?
Well, how much does a car cost? You get the idea.
More accurately, what do you want to achieve with your kitchen renovation dream? Will it be enough to replace the outdated and run-down counters and cupboards? Are you looking to count every penny? Or will you re-mortgage the house and raid the piggy bank to achieve the kitchen renovation from heaven?
So now that you’re really thinking about how much does it cost to renovate a kitchen, let’s get to the bottom of this conundrum with 6 key considerations. We’ll then show you examples of budget kitchen renovation costs and standard kitchen renovation costs in Melbourne with pricing!
1. The planning
Nothing great was ever conceived and executed without a great plan. And it’s no different when it comes to kitchen renovations.
To keep the kitchen renovation cost down you need to consider the major cost items: the materials, the labour, the appliances and the installation.
2. The budget
Good planning means understanding your budget.
At first, you don’t know what the cost of the major items will be however you do have some idea of your budget. So to test out your initial budget obtain quotes from at least 3 kitchen manufacturers on the materials, labour and appliances as these are the major items that determine the cost of your new or renovated kitchen.
And learn how a contingency budget will protect you in case unexpected costs catch you by surprise.
3. Other cost items
There are a couple of other cost items that may need to be considered. Where is your property located? In other words, how will the trades access it? Can they park onsite so that moving materials is easy/not easy? How many steps/stairs or is an elevator involved? Where can skip bins for your demolished old kitchen be located?
How big is your existing/new kitchen? When the existing kitchen is removed does the plumbing need to be moved? Is your house really old or fairly new?
4. The space
If the current kitchen space is not sufficient then you may need a house extension design and more budget for the floors, walls and other home extension costs. Are there any walls that require demolishing to help open up space and/or offer a better visual view/outlook?
5. The trades
Here’s a question: what’s the biggest ticket item in your kitchen renovation budget?
If you answered materials, you’d be right. But running a close second place is the labour. Yes, you can cut corners with the cost of tradespeople and hope for the best. But if you really care about quality, you’ll be spending up to $80 an hour on the labour alone. And if your kitchen renovation is complex, expect to pay more.
6. The savings
If you’re wondering how to cut costs, that’s a good question. To answer it, let’s start with the things you really CANNOT afford to be cheap with.
The first is the appliances. Yes, cheap manufacturers can be tempting, but if they don’t work or they break and require replacing, that’s not exactly a saving, is it?
An easy way to cut costs is to not move the plumbing! What we mean is that if your plumbing is located on Wall A, don’t move the plumbing to Wall B.
Kitchen renovation cost examples
The kitchen renovation costs below are for a basic and standard renovation in Melbourne.
JOINERY $18,563.34 (Budget Kitchen Renovation)
- Base Cabinets Laminated 7.5 lineal metre @ $645.30 = $4,839.74
- Base Cabinets – Island Laminated 3.500 lineal metre @ $752.85 = $2,634.97
- Dishwasher – Temporary Door Colour to match base cabinets 1.000 each = $89.62
- Rubbish Bin – Slide Out Inside Cupboard 1.000 each = $138.51
- Benchtop – Extended Overhang 300mm Extra 3.1 lineal metre @ $97.77 = $303.10
- Overhead Cupboards Laminated 4.5 lineal metre @ $699.07 = $3,145.83
- Drawers – Kitchen Nest of 4 With 1 Cutlery Tray = $268.87
- Drawers – Pot Laminated 4.0 each @ $116.51 = $466.05
- Sink 1 & 3/4 Bowl 1.0 each = $165.60
- Benchtop Caesarstone 9.000 m2 @ $723.45 = $6,511.05
JOINERY $28,906.46 (Standard Kitchen Renovation)
- Base Cabinets Gloss Enamel 7.5 lineal metre @ $1,173.27 = $8,799.53
- Base Cabinets Island Gloss Enamel 3.5 lineal metre @ $1,368.82 = $4,790.86
- Dishwasher – Temporary Door Colour to match base Cabinets 1.000 each = $89.62
- Rubbish Bin – Slide Out Inside Cupboard 1.000 each = $138.51
- Benchtop – Extended Overhang 300mm Extra 3.1 lineal metre $97.77 = $303.10
- Overhead Cupboards Gloss Enamel 4.5 lineal metre @ $1,173.27 = $5,279.72
- Drawers – Kitchen Nest of 4 With 1 Cutlery Tray = $268.87
- Drawers – Pot Gloss Enamel 4.0 each @ $254.21 = $1,016.84
- Sink Blanco Twin 1&1/4 Bowl – Colander & Drainer – Model TE 1.0 each = $832.93
- Benchtop Granite 9.000 m2 @ $820.72 = $7,386.48
APPLIANCES $2,000 – $9,700 (does not include builders margin of approx 15-20%)
- Oven Electric = 700 – 4,500.00
- Hot Plate Gas = 400 – 1,800.00
- Rangehood = 200 – 1,600.00
- Dishwasher = 700 – 1,800.00
LABOUR $10,610
- Joinery – Installation Standard Detailing 1= $1,890.00
- Plumber – Rough In Kitchen = $4,820
- Plumber – Fit Off Kitchen = $2,400
- Removal of existing kitchen = $1,500
*Cost and prices are indicative and should only be used as a guide. They are subject to market forces and margins that builders add to the cost of the product.
The final word: How much to renovate a kitchen?
So with these 6 kitchen renovation cost considerations taken care of, it’s time for the really big question: How much could we expect a kitchen renovation to cost?
Generally, kitchen renovation costs in Melbourne for a budget to standard kitchen including materials, labour and appliances is between $30,000 to $50,000. The best value will come from some clever planning and great advice, so get in touch with the team at RFT Solutions. Happy renovations!
