The kitchen is arguably one of the most important rooms in the home. It’s where you feed your family, entertain guests and it’s usually in a central location. All in all, it’s a room where a lot of your time will be spent. For this reason, and the stylistic influences that can impact on the kitchen, this room is often one of the first to go out of style and show signs of age. A kitchen renovation can breathe new life back into your entire home, and hopefully, increase the value of your home. So, whether you’re doing an entire remodel or simply making a few updates, a kitchen renovation can be a worthy investment.

How much does a new kitchen cost in Australia?

Almost as how long a piece of string is, it’s difficult to say without knowing the finishes, the appliances, the building materials, the size of the kitchen. A brand new kitchen can be quite costly, with the other option being to renovate or redo.

How much does it cost to redo a kitchen?

Of course, the cost of any renovation will be entirely dependent on the size of the project, the materials used and the services required. Obviously, no one kitchen will cost the same, in the same way no one kitchen is the same. While choosing lower quality materials, or being select with exactly what you renovate can bring your costs down, it’s important to note that your geographic location can also affect the cost of your renovation. Within major cities, such as Sydney and Melbourne, it can be assumed a renovation can cost more than in other areas, with the average renovation price being somewhere above $20,000. Outside of these areas, the average cost of renovating kitchen will cost around $17,000.

Cost to renovate kitchen Australia:

Of course, there’s a lot of room for variation and prices can change dramatically. For example, the average kitchen renovation cost Australia can cost:

• Apartment sized kitchen or small updates: $5,000 – $10,000
• Budget Kitchens: $10,000 – $25,000
• Standard or mid-range Kitchens: $20,000 – $45,000
• Luxury or High-end Kitchens: $45,000 – $100,000.

Of course, there’s no real limit to what you could spend on a kitchen, it simply depends on how creative you want to get. It’s best to speak to a professional and get a customised quote which incorporates everything from design fees to material and labour costs.

Renovation and material options

As we have mentioned, your price point will be determined by the materials you use and exactly what you renovate. Here’s the different areas that a kitchen renovation will involve, along with popular material choices and their respective costs:

The design

The design is one of the most important, but often overlooked aspects of a kitchen renovation. The layout of your kitchen can make or break the ease of workflow and productivity. A poorly designed kitchen can be frustrating to work in and if you’re spending a large sum of money you want to be sure you will enjoy being in the new kitchen. A professional kitchen designer can ensure a sensible layout while providing you with ample storage and a stylistic look. So, how much do kitchen designers charge? If you’re looking at redesigning the entire layout of your kitchen you’ll need to factor in designer’s fees, which are normally around 10% of the overall cost. The average price point for designer’s fees is $2,500.

Cabinetry

The cabinets of every kitchen should be sturdy, but the materials they’re made from will determine how much you spend. Cabinetry materials are usually wood, wood veneers or composite woods like chipboard, though aluminium and polyethylene are increasingly popular options. Melamine drawers and doors are a great budget option, whereas solid timber is more expensive but can give a better aesthetic finish. In most kitchens, the cabinets will take up a large portion of the space and incidentally, will be a big chunk of your budget. To replace all cabinetry, you can expect costs to be anywhere from $4,000 to $10,000.

Bench tops

The next most significant part of your kitchen renovation will likely be the bench tops. Again, depending on the materials used on these surfaces, there can be a large sway in pricing. Common kitchen benchtop materials include marble, stone, metal and composite woods – all of which have different price points. More basic materials, such as laminate benchtops can be less than $3,000, whereas solid timber or gloss polyurethane can be much more expensive. Even more expensive is marble or stone benchtops which can easily go above the $10,000 mark, before installation costs. The kitchen benchtop replacement cost can be significant.

Flooring

When it comes to kitchen renovations, the flooring can be easy to forget, however it can be an important aspect. Your kitchen needs a durable and easy-to- clean floor surface. There’s a great variety of flooring options and you can choose between different types and styles of tiles, vinyl, wood and linoleum.

A tiled floor is generally more expensive due to the material itself but also the installation process. Tiles will cost around $2,000 depending on the kitchen size. High end kitchens often use wood flooring, but this can increase the costs to around $4,000. The more affordable options are vinyl and linoleum which are normally only $300 – $400.

Lighting

Lighting is an important part of your kitchen as you want certain areas to be well lit for food preparation. Although not the most expensive part of a renovation, lighting can still add up. Normally installation costs for lighting sit around $300 and adding in the average price of downlight and pendant lighting your overall cost of lighting in your new kitchen will sit around $900 to $1500.

Appliances

Costs of appliances vary greatly depending on location and the brand name, though the typically cost of labour when installing a new oven or dishwasher is $300. Factoring in the cost of the appliances themselves and you can expect the overall fit out of your kitchen to sit at roughly $5,000. Of course, with more high-end appliances the price can quickly double or triple.

In the end, it’s important to do your research, factoring in your own preferences, needs and wants along with the size of your kitchen. If you’re working with a relatively small budget, there’s a lot of compromises you can make to bring the price down. It’s important to remember, however, that you should not compromise on the quality of construction. Cabinets that are well-made, with high quality hinges and drawer runners can make a world of difference. Consider this before you put majority of your budget into an expensive marble bench top.

After a renovation, a well-designed kitchen, with thoughtful planning, both in terms of layout and budgeting can make a huge improvement on your day to day life, but also on the value of your home. Paying for the renovation with a loan or by making a budget and putting aside savings can do wonders.