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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Tips to reduce kitchen renovation costs

Keen to freshen up your kitchen but have a limited budget you NEED to stick to? Don’t worry we have the best tips on how to get the maximum transformation on the smallest budgets. It’s all about working smart – avoiding high-cost changes and prioritizing strategic upgrades that make a big impact.

Re-use / refurbish cabinetry 

New cabinetry is often the most expensive aspect of a kitchen renovation so reusing or refurbishing your cabinetry is a great way to reduce costs. This could be reusing your cabinets as-is in a new configuration and or giving them a fresh coat of paint or completely replacing the door panels. Or one of the cheapest but most effective upgrades is to swap out cabinet handles to something more modern and in your style.

Keep away from unnecessary structural and layout changes 

One of the best ways to keep costs down is to limit if not eliminate any changes to your home’s structure and importantly the location of electrical and plumbing services. You can still achieve an impactful change by reworking the layout of your cabinets around the existing location of the sink, oven and fridge alongside upgrading cosmetic features and upgrading appliances and fixtures.

Plan & research your kitchen renovation well 

When you are trying to renovate your kitchen on a budget a worst-case scenario is completing the demo, starting to build, running into trouble, and getting stuck in a position where you're forced to blow out the budget. The best way to mitigate this is to take your time planning and researching so that you go into your renovation with a thorough and complete understanding of the process. You should also be aware of the risks and have plans in place to mitigate or avoid them as much as possible.

Areas that will significantly increase the cost of your kitchen 

Kitchen renovations vary a lot in terms of complexity – with each element that adds to the complexity the budget increases. For example, the simplest full kitchen renovation would be new ‘’off the shelf” cabinetry in standard sizes, replacing appliances and fixtures with affordable but modern upgraded versions but keeping them in the same position. Below we breakdown how each element can increase the cost of your kitchen makeover.

Cabinetry 

Cabinetry will be one of, if not the biggest line items in your kitchen renovation budget. Kitchen cabinetry can be purchased off the shelf in a pre-made flat-pack form, this reduces the cost but is typically of a slightly lesser quality. It also only comes in standard sizes and configurations. Custom cabinetry, while costing more, offers the guarantee of quality workmanship and the flexibility to get a kitchen that is fitted to your home. As well as optimized functionality, custom cabinetry has almost limitless finishes available. 

Labour and installation 

Another big chunk of your budget will go towards labour. Labour includes multiple trades such as builders, painters, cabinetry installers, plumbers, electricians to name the most common. The more complex your kitchen renovation is the more labour is needed which will drive up the cost. When selecting your builder don’t be tempted to select your team off price alone. Tradespeople with the right experience and expertise will get the job done quicker and to a higher quality so while their hourly fee may be higher it may work out cheaper in the long run and give you a much better result.

Kitchen appliances 

Depending on when you last upgraded your appliances you may choose to re-use some or all of them or you may need to replace the lot. Depending on your budget and your desire to have the latest and greatest you can spend a lot or shop around for a bargain. Be sure to talk to your builder and see if they have any trade discounts that you can make the most of. Be sure to also research the energy efficiency of any new appliances so they save you money on running costs as time goes on.

Countertops and backsplashes 

When it comes to countertops and backsplashes both quality and quantity come into play. The more you have of each the higher the cost. You can keep It to the essentials like a regular countertop and splashback limited to behind the sink and hob; or you can incorporate features like a waterfall-edged kitchen island and have splashback along the whole length of the benchtops along walls for a luxurious and designer look. When it comes to quality there are some great affordable options out there such as Formica benchtops and glass splashbacks. Or if you have more room in your budget you could look at a natural stone benchtop paired with a tiled splashback. These pricier selections typically also require specialized tradespeople to manufacture and install them further increasing costs.

Expensive fittings & fixtures

While it is fun to look in magazines and top-end stores it can be easy to get carried away and select and spend much more on fixtures and fittings than needed. Be sure to do your research and check out what alternatives are available. A great strategy is to choose one or two hero pieces that fit within your budget and have these as a feature, then make more affordable selections in other areas. For example you could select a high-end feature pendant and then pair it with simple and cost effective task lighting that does the job without detracting from the star of the show.

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.