Planning a new kitchen: where the money goes and how to save it
Why keeping the layout is the biggest saving, how cabinetry and benchtops drive the price, and getting an itemised quote you can compare.
A kitchen is the most expensive room in most renovations and the one people are most emotionally invested in. It's also where the budget can double between two seemingly similar quotes, because so much of the cost hides in choices you make about layout, cabinetry and benchtops.
The good news is that the biggest saving is also the simplest decision, and it's one you make before anyone quotes: whether the sink and cooktop stay where they are.
What the job involves
Kitchen costs scale with the run of cabinetry, so pricing per linear metre of benchtop and cupboards is a useful sanity check. Flat-pack carcasses with laminate benchtops anchor the budget end; custom joinery with stone or porcelain tops sits at the top. The cabinetry is the single biggest cost block — more linear metres of cupboards and benchtop means more joinery.
Keeping the existing layout is the biggest single saving, because moving the sink, cooktop or power points brings plumbers and electricians back for rough-in and fit-off. The benchtop material is the next lever: laminate is cheapest, while porcelain and natural stone cost several times more. Since engineered stone was banned in Australia, that comparison now runs between laminate, porcelain and natural stone.
Appliances are usually a separate budget on top of the fit-out, anywhere from modest to premium depending on brands and whether they're integrated behind cabinetry panels.
How the cost works
A flat-pack refresh in the existing layout sits at the bottom of the range, a standard custom kitchen with stone-look tops and quality hardware lands in the middle, and a premium kitchen with natural stone, an island and relocated services reaches the top. The estimate on this page adjusts for cabinetry run, cabinetry type and benchtop, so treat any figure as a guide.
The cabinetry run and whether it's flat-pack or custom set the baseline, and the benchtop material and moving services push it up from there. The clearest way to compare quotes is to insist on an itemised breakdown splitting cabinetry, benchtops, appliances and trades, because a single lump sum hides where the money is and makes two quotes impossible to line up like for like.
Choosing the right kitchen company
A kitchen isn't a single licensed trade — it's cabinetmakers plus a plumber and electrician for the connections. The cabinetry side is unlicensed, but the plumbing and electrical work is licensed in every state, so confirm the company uses licensed trades and provides compliance certificates for that work.
Ask for the itemised quote up front, and if the budget is tight, keep the sink and cooktop where they are — it's the single biggest saving because it avoids relocating services. With engineered stone now banned, compare porcelain, laminate and natural stone benchtops on both price and durability, and get any appliance allowances stated separately so you know what's really included.
Mistakes to avoid
Kitchen regrets usually come from moving services unnecessarily or accepting a lump sum you can't unpick.
- Relocating the sink and cooktop when keeping them would have saved the most
- Accepting a lump-sum quote instead of an itemised one splitting cabinetry, tops, appliances and trades
- Forgetting appliances are usually a separate budget on top of the fit-out
- Not confirming licensed trades and compliance certificates for the plumbing and electrical
- Overlooking durability when choosing a benchtop purely on price
- Assuming custom and flat-pack are close in cost — custom is substantially more
Indicative range only, not a quote — see the full guide for worked scenarios and what moves the price.
Keep reading
Connecting homeowners with trusted local tradies. Made in Sydney.