Kitchen Renovation Questions, Answered
Prices, timing, materials, approvals and how we work, each answered once in plain words. Where a guide or service page goes deeper, the answer links to it.
- Sydney homes since 2005
- NSW licence 487713C (Carpenter), check it on the NSW register
- $20m public liability
- Made and installed by H&R
Costs
Sydney planning prices for the jobs we are asked about most. The written quote after your free measure is the figure that counts.
How much does a kitchen renovation cost in Sydney?
As a planning guide, a smaller replacement with limited layout changes typically costs around $25,000–$35,000, a more involved renovation with upgraded cabinetry and finishes $35,000–$60,000, and complex, high-specification work $60,000–$100,000 or more. These bands come from our own jobs and were last checked in October 2026. The size of the room, the cabinet finish, moving the sink or cooktop, the benchtop material and access to the house move a kitchen up or down the range.
How much does a custom kitchen cost?
As a Sydney planning guide, a compact custom kitchen on one wall or a galley run typically costs $15,000–$25,000, an L-shaped kitchen or small island with stone-look tops $25,000–$40,000, and a large island kitchen in 2-pac or natural stone, or one with a butler's pantry, $40,000–$70,000 or more. The cabinet finish, the benchtop and a butler's pantry make the biggest difference.
What do kitchen benchtops cost?
As a Sydney planning guide for a typical kitchen, laminate benchtops cost around $1,000–$3,000, timber $3,000–$7,000, porcelain or sintered stone $5,000–$10,000, and natural stone such as granite or marble $4,000–$12,000. Stone and porcelain tops are measured once the new cabinets are fixed, so they fit what is actually installed.
What does a built-in wardrobe cost?
As a Sydney planning guide, a two-door built-in wardrobe typically costs $2,500–$4,500, a large three- or four-door built-in $4,500–$8,000, a compact walk-in $10,000–$20,000, and a large walk-in with drawers, an island or lighting $20,000–$35,000. Width, height, the number of drawers and the door style matter most.
What does a laundry renovation cost?
As a Sydney planning guide, a laundry renovation that keeps the layout and replaces the cabinetry, benchtop, tiles and tub typically costs $10,000–$18,000, one with more joinery and some plumbing changes $18,000–$28,000, and a reconfigured or relocated laundry with high-end finishes $28,000–$40,000 or more. The higher bands usually mean moving the tub or the washing machine taps.
What does a new kitchen splashback cost?
As a Sydney planning guide for a typical kitchen, a tiled splashback costs around $1,000–$2,500, coloured glass $1,500–$3,500, and a porcelain or stone slab $3,000–$6,000. The length of the wall, power points and window reveals set the final price.
Do you charge for the measure or the quote?
No. We measure your room and send the written quote free of charge. Detailed drawing plans of the layout are a separate paid design stage, and we agree that with you before it starts.
Timing
How long the work takes, and how long you go without a kitchen.
How long does a kitchen renovation take?
Plan on about 10–14 weeks from the first measure to handover. Measuring and planning takes about 2–3 weeks, making the cabinetry about 6–8 weeks, removal and installation about a week on site, and the benchtops, splashback and handover about 1–2 weeks. Your quote includes a schedule for your kitchen.
How long will I be without a kitchen?
For about 2–3 weeks on a typical job. Your old kitchen stays in use while we plan and make the new cabinetry, and it only comes out once everything is ready to install.
Materials
Benchtops, splashbacks, cabinet finishes and the brands we use.
Should I choose laminate or stone benchtops?
Laminate costs least and suits rentals, laundries and tight budgets, but it can chip at the edges and does not take heat. Natural stone, porcelain and sintered stone cost more and last longer, and porcelain or sintered stone handles heat best. The benchtop also sets the splashback and edge details, so choose it early.
Can I still get engineered stone?
No. Australia banned engineered stone with 1% or more crystalline silica from 1 July 2024, so we do not offer it. If you like the look, porcelain and sintered stone come in similar finishes, and natural stone is still available.
What is the best material for a kitchen splashback?
It depends on what matters most to you. A glass sheet or a large porcelain panel has the fewest joins, so it is the easiest to wipe down; tile gives the widest choice of colour and pattern; and stone or porcelain cut from the same slab as the benchtop makes the two read as one surface. Behind a cooktop, the appliance maker's clearances decide which materials can go there.
Should my cabinets be melamine or 2-pac?
Melamine comes pre-finished from the board maker, so it costs less and stands up well to daily wear. 2-pac is sprayed in coats, giving a smooth painted finish in almost any colour, at a higher price. As a Sydney guide, cabinetry for a whole kitchen runs $12,000–$25,000 in melamine and $20,000–$40,000 in 2-pac.
Which brands do you use?
Our hardware comes from Blum and Hettich, and our boards from Polytec, Laminex and Egger. Benchtops can be laminate, timber, natural stone, or porcelain and sintered surfaces. Your quote names the exact products going into your kitchen.
Custom or Flat-Pack
What you get from a made-to-measure kitchen, and when keeping the layout makes sense.
Is a custom kitchen worth it over flat-pack?
Flat-pack cabinets come in set widths and heights, so odd corners and bulkheads end up filled with panels. A custom kitchen is made to your room's measurements, so cabinets can run to the ceiling, fit an awkward wall and suit the appliances you have chosen. It costs more, and the business that measures it also makes and fits it, so one company answers for the fit.
Can you replace the cabinets and keep my layout?
Yes. If the sink, cooktop and dishwasher are already in good places, keeping them saves plumbing and electrical work. We make new cabinets for the same footprint, then fit new benchtops and a splashback. The measure shows what is worth keeping.
Do I need a kitchen designer first?
No. We plan the layout with you as part of the measure and quote, so you can come with photos, a sketch or just a list of what bothers you about the current kitchen. If you want detailed drawing plans before you commit, that is a paid design stage.
Council, Strata and Trades
Approvals, the other trades a kitchen needs and who is responsible for the work.
Do I need council approval for a kitchen renovation?
In a house, replacing the kitchen in the same room does not usually need council approval. Removing or changing a wall, moving the kitchen to another room, or working on a heritage-listed property can, so check with your council or a private certifier before you commit.
Do I need strata approval to renovate an apartment kitchen?
Usually, yes. Under NSW strata law, renovating a kitchen is generally a minor renovation, which needs the owners corporation's approval by general resolution, although your scheme's by-laws may let the strata committee approve it. Moving plumbing, or work that touches the structure, waterproofing or common property, can need more, such as a special resolution or a by-law. This is general information, so check your by-laws with your strata manager early.
Do I need to arrange my own plumber and electrician?
No. When the kitchen needs plumbing, electrical, tiling or other licensed work, we book licensed trades and time their visits around the cabinetry. The quote says who does each part.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. H & R KITCHENS PTY LTD carries out its work under NSW contractor licence 487713C (Carpenter), which you can check on the NSW register, and we carry $20 million public liability insurance.
What warranty do I get?
The NSW statutory warranties under the Home Building Act 1989 cover the work: six years for major defects and two years for other defects, from completion. A contract cannot take them away. The makers' own warranties on hardware, boards and benchtops pass to you as well.
The Measure and Your Enquiry
What to send us, what happens at the measure and where we work.
What happens at the measure?
We come to your home, measure the room and note the windows, doors, plumbing and power points the new kitchen has to work around. Show us your ideas, photos you like and your appliance choices if you have them. We talk through layout, storage and finishes, then send a written quote.
What should I send with my enquiry?
Your suburb, a few photos of the room, roughly when you would like the work done and what you want to change. Plans or measurements help if you already have them.
Can I visit your workshop?
Yes, by appointment. Call 0414 788 236 or email info@hrkitchens.com.au and we will find a time to show you around our Guildford workshop.
Which areas do you cover?
We work in the Eastern Suburbs, Sydney City, the Inner West, the North Shore, the Hills District, the Ryde area, Western Sydney around Parramatta and Blacktown, and South West Sydney around Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown. We do not currently take work on the Northern Beaches, in St George, the Sutherland Shire, Penrith, the Hawkesbury, the Blue Mountains or Macarthur.
Beyond the Kitchen
Wardrobes, laundries, vanities and joinery for the rest of the house.
What do you make outside the kitchen?
Built-in and walk-in wardrobes, laundry cabinets and tall storage, bathroom vanities, entertainment units, study desks, shelving and storage walls. Any of these can be a job on its own or part of a kitchen project.
Can you do the kitchen and the laundry at the same time?
Yes. Both rooms can go on one quote, and we can plan the cabinetry and finishes together so they match if you want them to.
Do you do full bathroom renovations?
Our bathroom work is vanities and bathroom joinery, not the whole room. If the rest of the bathroom is changing too, mention it when you enquire so it is clear from the start who does what.
Still have a question?
Ask us about your own kitchen.
Every room is different, so the most useful answer comes from seeing yours. Send photos and your suburb, or call to book the free measure.