Do-It-Yourself Tips for a Luxury Kitchen

How much will it cost to install a luxury kitchen yourself?

A kitchen renovator would charge about $10-15,000 to replace a small kitchen to a basic level of service and a medium level finish. (If you would like a more accurate costing see our Kitchen Cost Calculator.)

This would include removal of existing cabinetry, appliances, flooring and wall cladding (tiles, splashboards etc), simple relocation/ replacement of walls and finishings (plastering or rendering), removal and refitting services (plumbing and electrics), installing cabinetry including bench tops, tiling or fitting splashbacks and installing new flooring, lighting and painting. If wall or window replacement is required these costs can easily go up by another $5000.

By DIY renovating your kitchen, designing the layout, demolishing cabinetry, and removing old appliances, engaging trades, supervising renovating, and painting yourself, you could shave 20-40% of these costs.

Does your kitchen need a full re-design or just a makeover?

How much to spend on your DIY kitchen renovation, and where to spend it depends on how the kitchen is used, and how long you plan to own the house. Is it just a functional kitchen for food preparation or is also an entertaining area? If family and friends gather in the kitchen then it needs to have a different feel, with most likely with a breakfast bar, home entertainment and internet connection and more general storage or shelving.

If you plan sell the house in a year or two then it may not be worth a major kitchen renovation. However the suitability and appeal of the kitchen is one of the most important considerations for new home buyers.

Careful re-design can make a kitchen more spacious, provide more storage and be user friendly however changing the configuration costs money because it usually means new plumbing, electrics and possibly alteration to wall construction, windows and doors. You may have to strip it back to the floors and walls and rebuild it from new. But if the layout is fine, and you feel comfortable with DIY, you can renovate a kitchen relatively cheaply. A dramatic difference can be made by simply changing the colour scheme, replacing old cupboard and bench tops for new, replacing appliances exactly where they were and improving lighting.

Either way, your kitchen will be out of commission for 1-4 weeks and you need to find some other food preparation area.