2025 Kitchen Renovation Guide

Guide to Renovating a Kitchen in Aotearoa


Renovating your kitchen is one of the most rewarding projects when it comes to home improvement. It’s one of the most used and hardest working areas in your home, so it's important that your kitchen works for you functionally and looks good while doing it.


There are a lot of moving parts in a kitchen renovation, so it's important to take the time to research and plan before getting started. To get you started we have condensed all our key tips and advice on kitchen renovations into this guide.


Why renovate your kitchen?

There are two key drivers for giving your kitchen a makeover the first is to upgrade and modernize – making your kitchen more functional. The other is that on top of improving your everyday experience using this space you also improve the value of your home – double win!


Upgrade and modernise

It’s recommended that kitchens be refurbished every 10-15 years. As a hard-working space in the home, your surfaces and cabinets are prone to wear and tear after 10+ years of use. Appliances become outdated and worn out. Design trends both aesthetically and the larger trends such as open plan living change and evolve. A kitchen remodel breathes new life into the space, making it feel of the now and hopefully futureproofed to be in fashion and functioning well for another 10-15 years.


Improve home re-sale value

Kitchen renovations are one of the few renovations that can pay for itself in the long term. A well-renovated kitchen will typically increase the value of your home and give you a tidy return on the money you invested in the renovation. If you are planning on selling your home in the near future, it’s a good idea to keep the design of your kitchen more neutral and generic so it will appeal to a broader group of potential buyers. If it's your forever home or somewhere you plan on staying for a long time enjoy the freedom to really express yourself and do something unique.

Things to consider before starting your kitchen renovation 

A kitchen renovation is very rarely going to be the kind of thing you can knock out on a long weekend with a couple of mates. Through our years of experience renovating homes throughout New Zealand, we have learned to live by the motto 80% planning and 20% doing.


By dedicating the time needed to planning and prep work you ensure a high-quality end result, reduce the stress during the project, and avoid an array of ways in which things can go wrong. Some factors to consider include:


Your budget 

Determining a realistic and comfortable budget and then sticking to it is essential. There are a lot of elements that go into a kitchen renovation, and not accounting for all of them or not allowing enough for each puts you at risk of a budget blowout. The best way to combat this is thorough planning and a built-in contingency fund to cover the unexpected. If your scope is starting to exceed your budget you may need to consider doing the work in stages, doing some of the work yourself, or delaying until you can save more to be able to do it right.


Are you planning to do any of the work yourself? (DIY)

Us Kiwis have a great culture of DIY but sometimes it’s better to call the professionals. Given that kitchens are such a big investment in your home and need to perform well for years and years of use you want it to be built to a professional standard. Depending on the scope of your renovation some work may be required by law to be carried out by the relevant professional such as a certified plumber, builder, or electrician. If you're looking to save some money or be more involved talk to your builder or project manager and see if there are any tasks such as demolition or painting that they are happy for you to do yourself.


What specialist trades are required

In a typical kitchen remodel you will need a variety of specialist trades – the main two being plumbing and electrical. These tradespeople ensure old fixtures are disconnected and removed properly and new ones are installed and connected safely. Often this type of work must be carried out by a registered tradesperson who then certifies the work complies with relevant laws and meets best practice. Depending on the design and scope of your makeover you may also need a cabinet maker, flooring specialist, tiler or benchtop installer. 


How long are you willing to be without a kitchen for? 

Remodeling your kitchen can be disruptive and in most cases there will be a window of time where you cannot access or use your kitchen. Understanding how long this window will be and when to time it is a key point when planning your kitchen renovation. You will need access to alternative means to keep you and your family fed whether that means staying with family, committing to uber eats, or relying on the BBQ.


Talk to your builder about how long they expect this to be, what scenarios could lead to that window of time being extended, and how you can mitigate them.

How much does a kitchen renovation cost in New Zealand? 

The cost of a kitchen renovation ranges from $15,000 to over $50,000 and many factors will drive the final cost including size of kitchen, kitchen joinery choice, finishes selected, appliances selected and features like butlers pantries and the like.


Standard kitchen renovation cost

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Mid-range kitchen renovation cost

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Luxury kitchen renovation cost

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See our guide to Kitchen Renovation Costs for additional pricing information, or see our 10 step kitchen renovation guide below.

Need help planning your Kitchen Renovation?

Talk to our friendly team across New Zealand

3D Kitchen Design

10 Steps to renovate your kitchen in 2025

To make it less daunting, we’ve broken the kitchen renovation process down into 10 Steps that will take you from the first seed of an idea to the finished modern kitchen of your dreams. 

As goes for any daunting task it's easier to break it down step by step and tackle them one at a time. This is a great strategy for your next kitchen remodeling project. Plus it’s a great way to get an overall understanding of the process and steps involved. 


1. Gather kitchen inspiration

Inspiration can come from show homes, browsing through home design magazines, watching your favorite renovation reality TV shows, visiting showrooms, or last but not least looking online. The internet is our favorite place to start and we are lucky to be alive at a time when we have more inspiration than ever right at our fingertips.


Start by collecting images of kitchens you like the look of or feel drawn to, it may be the overall look that entices you or specific features, fixtures, or materials. Start with an open mind and collect anything that appeals. Then spend time curating until you have a unified vision for your kitchen by identifying the common elements across your inspiration photos.


If you’re not sure where to look we recommend Pinterest, Instagram and Houzz. Or if you want a more local feel check out our gallery of kitchen renovations completed throughout New Zealand by Pzazz Building for folks just like you. 


2. Choose materials and finishes

Throughout your search for inspiration you have hopefully picked out a colour scheme you want to work within this will be a big help in choosing materials and finishes. An alternative way to start one of the bigger elements such as cabinet colour/finish, benchtop material or backsplash tile and then build out the rest to work with that. An experienced builder or designer will be able to help you with this part and guide you to choices that all work in harmony.


The main components to consider are:

  • Cabinetry colour/finish
  • Benchtop material
  • Backsplash material
  • Wall finish (paint, wallpaper or panelling)
  • Flooring
  • Fixture finishes (tapware, cabinetry handles)
  • Finishes on appliances



3. Design & plan your new kitchen

In almost all cases we recommend engaging a professional to help plan and design your new kitchen. This doesn’t mean you don’t get any say but ensures that you benefit from their expert knowledge and experience. As you work though the design of your kitchen you typically start with the big picture and then add more and more detail as you go.

  • Start by considering the position of the kitchen and how it connects to the rest of the house and any outdoor living space.
  • Does it work well where it is or could benefit from a new location?
  • What is the best configuration for the space and the way you like to cook and live?
  • With your configuration sorted time to place the major elements such as fridge, pantry, sink, oven and dishwasher. An experienced designer will have great insight on the optimal way to arrange these key elements.
  • Now it’s time to fill in gaps with cabinetry – be sure to consider how much storage you will need and what type of storage works best.


Spending time planning these critical elements will ensure your renovated kitchen will stand the test of time.


4. Consider accessibility

Making sure your kitchen follows some tried and true kitchen design rules ensure that it is a functional and usable space. Beyond that, it’s a good idea to consider some tweaks to make your kitchen user-friendly for yourself and possible future owners.

This could be something small like raising or lowering the bench height for comfort of use, ensuring safety features that keep little hands out of where they shouldn’t be, or considering how a wheelchair user would be able to cook in this space.


5. Applying for Consent (if applicable)

Throughout the design and planning stage, your builder or designer will talk to you about consent. If you are moving the location of significant plumbing or electrical services, altering the exterior envelope of your home or removing load bearing walls you will need to seek building consent from your local council.

The consent process involves having working drawings made up by a qualified draftsman and submitting them to the council along with any other supporting documentation needed. This will incur extra cost from your draftsman fees as well as the council consent fees, it also adds a time delay while your plans are being reviewed by the council. 


6. Removing all existing cabinetry & appliances (if applicable)

Before the new can come in the old has to be removed. Think of the saying “Things have to get worse before they can get better.”


Depending on if you plan to reuse or resell your old cabinetry and appliances they may be removed carefully or they may be headed straight for the skip. This is usually a messy and loud process but gives you the blank canvas to start fresh on. Depending on your circumstances this stage may also include removing flooring or wall coverings to be replaced.


7. Beginning building and installation of new kitchen

Once demolition has been completed it is time to start building up your new space – if you have any ‘in-wall services’ to be moved this is usually the first job to be done to ensure everything is in place and where it needs to be. Now time for your new cabinets to be moved in and installed. Each cabinet is put into position, levelled, and then attached to the wall and any adjoining cabinetry.


8. Setting new benchtops

With all your cabinetry secured in place the benchtop is brought it and installed. A lot of care is taken to ensure that your benchtop fits perfectly and has the necessary cut outs for sink and hob in the right location. Once dry-fitted it is then permanently attached to the cabinets. Depending on the type and complexity of your benchtop this may require specialized equipment and tradespeople to maneuver and install the benchtop correctly


9. Completing plumbing & electrical work 

With cabinetry and benchtop now in place the plumbers and electricians can install and fit off the major appliances such as sink, dishwasher, rangehood, oven, hob and fridge. They will connect to the existing services or the new in-wall services they set up at the start of the renovation. This is also the point where electricians will update or add any new lighting or power points.


10. Tiling, painting, flooring & finishing touches

Time for the finishing touches that bring it all together any tiling work is completed or backsplash panels installed, new flooring laid, walls and ceiling painted and any trim that has been removed along the way is put back in place along with the toe kick panel along the bottom of our kitchen cabinetry.


Final inspection and clean up

Once everything is done it’s time to do a thorough inspection and check for anything that is missing, damaged or incomplete. Test all the services are working as they should. If any issues arise talk with your builder and arrange for these to be corrected. Once you are happy with everything it's time to tidy up the site, move all your stud back into your new kitchen, and add the final décor touches. The last step is to open a bottle of bubbly and celebrate your new space!

Common kitchen renovation mistakes to avoid

When undertaking kitchen renovations, you don’t want to get to the end and look back with regrets. So we have put together a list of the most common renovation mistakes and oversights and how to avoid them.


Not including enough cabinet/storage space

Sometimes less is more, but that isn’t the case with kitchen storage. More is more! Some key areas to maximize your storage space include:

  • Adding upper wall cabinets
  • Where you can select drawers instead of cupboards
  • Avoid corner cupboards where possible but if unavoidable install a carousel insert that allows to you better utilize the space.
  • Finally – declutter. You would be surprised how many unused bits and bobs lurk around and take up valuable space.


Insufficient aisle space

A cramped kitchen can be frustrating to cook in, the cause of traffic jams, and in some cases unsafe. To ensure you have ample aisle space you need to allow a minimum of 1 meter for all aisles and ideally 1.2m. If your kitchen is a thoroughfare you may want to make this wider still to avoid traffic jams. Also, keep in mind how cabinet doors and appliances open and try to avoid layouts where doors are likely to clash.


Making the island too big

While we love kitchen islands – they are a great area to prep, entertain, and dine, it's important not to get carried away and make your kitchen island too big. In most kitchens space is at a premium so it’s important to use it wisely – and make sure the size of the island is appropriate for the space. Another danger of a kitchen island that dominates the space is that it often means aisles around it are smaller than recommended creating bottlenecks and awkwardly narrow walkways.


Lighting and ventilation

Lighting and ventilation are often an afterthought, and this can really let down a renovation. Insufficient lighting, the wrong type of lighting or lighting in the wrong area can make a good kitchen look awful or make it difficult to use without natural light. So be sure to plan and consult a lighting specialist on a lighting scheme that works with your renovation both functionally and aesthetically. The same goes for ventilation – while some ventilation is required by law not all ventilation is created equal. There is no point paying for a fancy new rangehood for example and then never using it because it's too loud. 


Protect your home during renovations

During renovations, there are a lot of different people coming and going, removing and bringing in bulky materials, appliances and fixtures It is important to have a clear pathway and remove excess furniture art, etc that could get damaged during this process. It’s also sensible to check with you insurance what they cover in case things go wrong during your remodel.

Kitchen renovation FAQs

If you're thinking of renovating your kitchen, there are usually some common questions that pop up. People want to understand what kind of cost is involved. Will the project need building consent? How long will it take? We answer all of these and more below.

  • What is the most expensive part of a kitchen renovation?

    Typically cabinetry is the most expensive part of a kitchen renovation. However, depending on your material and fixtures selections and the complexity of your project runners-up could be labour, benchtops or high-end fixtures/appliances.

  • How long does it take to renovate a kitchen?

    For a small and straightforward remodel you could expect between 2 and 4 weeks, for a larger and more complex kitchen renovation you could be looking at up to 8 weeks.

  • What is the ROI with a kitchen renovation?

    Kitchen renovations are one of if not the highest ROI renovations you can do to your home. This means that cost you invest in the kitchen is offset by an increase in your homes value. The exact percentage will vary depending on the scope of your renovation and wider market forces but on average you can expect to recoup 60 – 80% of the renovation cost.

  • How much should you invest in a kitchen renovation?

    As a ballpark we estimate most NZ kitchen renovations to fall between $30K - $50K.


    We are inclined to look at this on a case-by-case basis depending on your home, current circumstances, and how complex your planned renovation is.

    There are many ways people calculate how much to invest in their kitchen renovation, some say to invest 10-15% of your home's total value, while others work off m2 rates. 

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Need help planning your Kitchen Renovation?

Talk to our friendly team across New Zealand

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