Wondering how to renovate a kitchen? Renovating your kitchen is one of the most satisfying home improvement projects you can take on. Beyond the fresh look and new energy it brings to your living space, a kitchen renovation often enhances your home’s functionality and value. With the right planning and approach, you can turn your vision into reality.
For homeowners in Melbourne and its beautiful suburbs such as Balwyn, Toorak, Camberwell, and Kew, renovating a kitchen offers a chance to blend style, functionality, and local kitchen design trends. If you’re wondering how to renovate a kitchen, how long it takes, or how to do it cheaply, this comprehensive guide is for you.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through the steps of renovating a kitchen, share insider tips on budgeting, timelines, and sourcing materials. So let’s get started, shall we?
How to Renovate a Kitchen in Melbourne
Renovating a kitchen is much harder than one might think, and in some cases requires a full redesign. Therefore, to ensure a smooth kitchen renovation process, there are a few things you need to keep in mind, and planning your kitchen renovation should be the first step.
Step 1: Planning Your Kitchen Renovation
The first step is scheduling and planning, which involves several key stages: defining your goals and budget, researching local styles, and creating a final plan.
1. Define Your Goals and Budget
Make sure to have a clear reason for your kitchen renovation. Whether it’s about adding more storage or changing your cabinets, it’s important to understand the purpose of the renovation, because your goals will shape every decision you make.
After that, you need to set aside a clear and realistic budget. Kitchen renovations in Melbourne can range from $15,000 for a simple cabinetry to over $80,000 for a full-scale remodel with high-end finishes. In suburbs like Toorak and Kew, where homes are often larger and luxurious, budgets are typically higher, but there are always ways to renovate smartly.
2. Research Local Styles and Materials
Melbourne’s architecture is different in every neighbourhood, so it’s a good idea to choose kitchen cabinet materials and finishes that match your personal taste and style. For instance:
- In Balwyn and Camberwell, homeowners would like to feature classic cabinetry paired with natural stone benchtops.
- Toorak kitchens often blend modern luxury with traditional touches like marble and brass fittings.
- Kew homes might lean towards heritage-inspired designs with shaker cabinets and neutral palettes.
3. Create a Detailed Plan
After defining your goals and researching the local style, you need a plan, one that’s not only realistic but also achievable. Work with a kitchen designer or renovator to draft a layout and design plan. Wondering where to find one?
Silk Touch Joinery is the one you are looking for. We offer interior design & consultation services so you can work with our expert team to create your dream kitchen with precision and style.
This should include:
- Trend cabinetry and storage ideas,
- Benchtop materials and colours,
- Appliances and their placement,
- Kitchen lighting ideas,
- Flooring and backsplash options.
So, what’s the short answer to the age-old question “How to renovate a kitchen”? Have a good plan that helps you avoid costly changes while keeping the project going.
Step 2: Kitchen Renovation Duration
How long does it take to renovate a kitchen in Melbourne? Knowing your kitchen renovation timeline and deadlines helps you prepare to set realistic expectations.
1. Typical Timeline Breakdown
A full kitchen renovation with a professional company usually takes a few months. Kitchen renovations in Melbourne, Camberwell, and Balwyn often take 8 to 12 weeks from start to finish.
However, things can be different if you’re doing it yourself (DIY). Here is a breakdown of your kitchen renovation timeline:
- Design and Planning: 1–2 weeks
- Ordering Materials and Appliances: 7–10 weeks (some materials have longer lead times)
- Destruction: 1–3 days
- Structural, Plumbing, and Electrical Work: 1–2 weeks
- Cabinetry Installation: 1–2 weeks
- Benchtop Installation: 1–3 days
- Finishing Touches (Flooring, and Painting): 1–2 weeks
2. Important Factor That Affect the Timeline
If you’re just doing a simple cabinet refacing, it’ll usually go faster than changing the whole layout. But if you’re in neighborhoods like Balwyn or Kew, getting council approval might slow things down a bit.
Plus, good tradespeople in Melbourne are often busy with renovation projects, so book an appointment early. Silk Touch Joinery can coordinate all of these trusted trades for you, saving you the hassle of finding each one yourself.
- Silk Touch Joinery handles everything for you. We offer:
- Custom kitchen cabinets
- Laundry storage solutions
- Wardrobes
- Wall-units
- Interior design & consultation
- Home renovation
If you think the same goes for an older home, think again. With older homes, you might find yourself stuck on plumbing or wiring issues once the destruction starts. The best way to stay on track is to plan ahead and team up with renovators.
Step 3: Affordable Kitchen Upgrade
How to cheaply renovate a kitchen in Melbourne? Well, the answer is catchy enough to start a whole renovation process.
Renovating a kitchen is not supposed to have a massive budget. Wondering how? Here’s how to cheaply renovate a kitchen while still achieving a fresh, beautiful space with lots of storage.
- Shop Smart Locally: Skip spending too much on fancy materials. Melbourne has plenty of discount suppliers and outlets in suburbs like Camberwell and Balwyn where you can find quality stuff for less. You can even create the perfect IKEA kitchen for yourself while cutting on kitchen renovation costs.
- DIY Where Possible: Save money by doing simple home projects yourself that don’t require professional help. Tasks like painting walls, installing backsplashes, or stickering floors can be handled by handy homeowners.
- Use Flat-Pack Kitchen Cabinetry: Customising your own cabinetry can be beautiful but often very expensive. A more budget-friendly option is to customise simple, flat-pack kitchen units and assemble them yourself. Mixing custom elements with ready-made units from local suppliers can help reduce costs significantly.
You can order flat-pack kitchen units with smart customisation options from Silk Touch Joinery and assemble them yourself. Additionally, you can customise the flat-pack cabinet to fit your specific kitchen layout, so there’s no need to worry about the size or shape of your space.
Step 4: Managing Your Kitchen Renovation Smoothly
To ensure your renovation goes as planned, you need to:
- Get Necessary Permits Early: To prevent any unexpected delays, make sure to get the required permits from your local council. If you’re renovating in areas like Balwyn, Kew, or Camberwell, it’s especially important to check for heritage overlays, which often need special approvals before work can begin.
- Hire Qualified Tradespeople: Hire professional electricians, plumbers, and carpenters familiar with Melbourne building codes. Keep in mind that checking references and reviews to find reliable tradespeople is always a great idea.
- Communicate Regularly: keep in touch with your renovator, designer, or project manager. Visit your house often to see the progress and address any issues early.
- Prepare Your Home: Since you won’t be able to cook or use your kitchen during renovations, set up a temporary space with all your essentials, including microwave, kettle, and mini fridge. Also, be sure to protect your floors and furniture from dust and damage during construction.
How to Renovate a Kitchen on a Budget: The Hidden Costs Nobody Warns You About
Renovating a kitchen in Melbourne often comes with unexpected expenses that catch homeowners off guard. Many older properties, especially those built before 1990, contain asbestos in flooring, walls, or insulation. Testing for asbestos and residue removal alone can add $3,000 to $15,000 to your budget. Another common issue is rotten subfloors hidden beneath old linoleum, which require full replacement at $120-$200 per square metre. And if your home has original knob-and-tube wiring (common in pre-1950s houses), rewiring the entire kitchen could set you back $8,000-$20,000.
In heritage suburbs, council overlays impose strict rules (like preserving original window profiles or using specific paint colours) for kitchen renovation in Kew and Camberwell. These rules can delay approvals by 6-12 weeks. Even stormwater drainage upgrades, often required for new kitchens, add $2,500-$7,000 in unexpected costs. Always check if your property falls under bushfire zones, as non-combustible cladding may be mandatory, adding another $4,000.
5 Melbourne-Specific Kitchen Reno Mistakes to Avoid
In order to ensure your kitchen renovation goes as smoothly as possible, it’s best to familiarise yourself with these common mistakes and make sure you avoid them while renovating.
- Ignoring Height Restrictions: Boroondara Council caps building heights at 9 metres and rejects bulky designs.
- Underestimating Old Plumbing: Victorian-era cast iron pipes often crumble during demolition, requiring emergency repairs ($300/hr).
- Choosing Trendy Over Timeless: High-gloss laminates clash with heritage homes. Opt for matte finishes, reeded glass, or brass instead.
- Skipping Permit Research: Heritage overlays restrict even minor changes (e.g., window frames, paint colours).
- Assuming DIY Will Save Money: Botched plumbing or electrical work could lead to costly fixes. So, make sure to hire licensed trades for critical jobs.
Why Choose Silk Touch Joinery for Your Kitchen Renovation?
Renovating a kitchen in Melbourne, especially in heritage suburbs like Kew or Toorak, requires expertise in local regulations, craftsmanship that lasts, and a design approach tailored to how you actually live. That’s where we come in.
At Silk Touch Joinery, we navigate council red tape, solve hidden structural surprises, and design spaces that balance beauty with practicality. Here’s how we make it happen:
- We Know the Rules (So You Don’t Have To): Heritage overlays? Bushfire zones? We handle permits and approvals, ensuring your renovation meets every local requirement without any guesswork.
- No Ugly Surprises: Our team checks for asbestos, rotten subfloors, and outdated wiring before demolition starts, so your budget stays on track.
- Timeless Design, Personalized for You: If you want a kitchen that feels modern but suits a Victorian home, we can guide you on materials (like matte finishes over high-gloss) and layouts that work for your space.
- Quality That Actually Lasts: We use trusted hardware and solid joinery standards, so drawers glide smoothly for decades, not just until the warranty expires.
- Stress-Free Process: From 3D designs to coordinating plumbers and electricians, we manage the entire kitchen renovation in Melbourne, Camberwell, Balwyn, and other suburbs, so you can focus on picking finishes (or just surviving without a kitchen for a few weeks).
So, call us today to get your personalised quote and dream kitchen as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Knowing how to renovate a kitchen in Melbourne’s more luxurious neighbourhoods might feel like an intense DIY project, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you’re taking the do-it-yourself path or working with tradespeople, it’s entirely possible with the right approach. Most kitchen renovations take around 6 to 12 weeks and can be done affordably. Just keep in mind, if you’re doing the whole renovation yourself, it may take a little longer to finish, especially if it’s not something you do regularly.
Still, if you’ve decided to let the pros do your kitchen renovation for you, or if you have any questions about how to renovate a kitchen, don’t hesitate to give our Silk Touch Joinery experts a call!
FAQs
1. Do I Need Council Approval or Permits to Renovate My Kitchen?
Minor updates like new cabinets or benchtops usually don’t need approval. But if you’re changing walls, plumbing, or electrical work, especially in heritage areas, you will need permits. Always keep checking with your local council first.
2. Can I Install the Kitchen Myself to Save Money?
You can DIY small tasks like painting or backsplashes. But for cabinets, plumbing, electrical, and benchtops, it’s best to hire professionals to avoid damage.
3. How to Cheaply Renovate a Kitchen?
Focus on high-impact, low-cost updates: repaint cabinets, replace hardware, and add a stylish backsplash. Use flat-pack cabinetry for affordable storage, and upgrade lighting for a fresh look. Keep plumbing and electrical in place to avoid costly trades.