An open-plan kitchen renovation in Australia may be tested at about $25,000–$50,000 when the layout opens visually without major structural work, and around $45,000–$90,000 or more when a wall opening, beam, relocated services and extensive making good are involved. Complex custom projects can exceed $100,000. These are indicative editorial planning envelopes in AUD, not national averages or quotations.
The cost is not simply “kitchen price plus wall removal”. Opening the room affects structure, approvals, flooring, ceilings, lighting, heating and cooling, acoustics and the adjoining living space. The most reliable budget separates the kitchen package from the building package, then adds design, approvals and contingency based on what remains unknown.
What counts as an open-plan kitchen renovation?
At the lighter end, the project may remove non-structural cabinetry, widen a doorway or redesign a kitchen already connected to the living room. At the heavier end, it removes a load-bearing wall, installs a beam and posts, relocates plumbing and electrical services, repairs continuous flooring and refinishes several rooms.
There is also a middle option: create a wider framed opening or internal window while retaining some wall. This can improve sightlines and light with less structural and services disruption than a completely clear span. It may also preserve storage and contain some cooking noise.
Before choosing, clarify the outcome. Is the priority supervision of children, better circulation, more daylight, entertaining, a larger table or additional preparation space? Removing more structure is not automatically the best response.
Three useful planning bands
| Illustrative scope | Planning envelope | Key assumptions |
|---|---|---|
| Open-plan refresh | $25,000–$50,000 | Existing open room or non-structural changes; restrained kitchen specification; services broadly retained |
| Structural opening and replacement kitchen | $45,000–$90,000+ | Engineered wall opening, beam, service changes and multi-room making good |
| Complex custom transformation | $80,000–$150,000+ | Large spans, premium custom joinery, extensive services, flooring and detailed finishes |
These envelopes assume ordinary residential access and GST included where applicable, but actual quotes may present GST differently. They exclude major foundation reconstruction, widespread hazardous-material remediation and temporary accommodation unless specified. Location, building type, professional fees, selected products and labour availability remain important.
Use the bands to decide whether the concept is plausible. Do not authorise demolition from them. Measured documentation, engineering and itemised quotations must replace the allowances before construction.
Establish whether the wall is structural
A wall’s thickness, sound or direction relative to floorboards cannot reliably prove its structural role. It may support roof, ceiling or upper-floor loads, brace the building, conceal posts or contribute to fire and acoustic separation. Services may also run through it.
Begin with available drawings, but treat them as evidence to verify rather than a guarantee that later alterations match. Engage an appropriately qualified professional to inspect and design any structural change. Homeowner guesswork should stop before destructive work begins.
A structural engineer may specify a beam, posts, connections and pad footings or other support. Those elements transfer load somewhere; hiding a beam in the ceiling can require more demolition and reconstruction than leaving it expressed below.
Wall-removal cost is a package
An early structural-opening allowance might range from roughly $8,000 to $30,000 or more within the wider budget, depending on span, support, access and finishing. That is a hypothetical planning band, not a standalone building quote. A simple opening and a long flush beam in a two-storey house are not comparable.
Include investigation, engineering, approvals, protection, temporary support, demolition, disposal, steel or timber, lifting, posts, connections and inspection. Then add plaster, cornices, skirtings, paint and floor repair. If supports bear on foundations that need upgrading, the scope increases again.
Treat this as a structural renovation, with documented responsibility and competent construction. DIY demolition can remove support before its function is understood and can expose electrical, plumbing, gas or hazardous-material risks.
Approvals vary by jurisdiction and property
Planning permits and building approvals answer different questions. A purely internal project may not require planning approval in some circumstances, yet structural building work can still require a building permit or approval. Heritage controls, strata rules, fire-rated elements and changes to external ducts can alter the pathway.
As a jurisdictional example, Planning Victoria advises applicants to check the relevant council planning scheme and obtain required information before lodging. It also explains that requirements can vary between councils. This is not a national rule; confirm the process with the authority, surveyor or certifier responsible for the actual property.
Allow professional and application fees plus assessment time. Do not book demolition on the assumption approval will be immediate. The general guide to building permits for renovations helps frame the questions to ask.
Professional design and engineering costs
Depending on scope, the project may involve a building designer or architect, structural engineer, building surveyor or certifier, and specialist consultants. For planning, you might reserve several thousand dollars for measured drawings, design and engineering, with more for complex documentation and approvals. Replace that allowance with fee proposals defining stages and revisions.
A related guide to consider while planning this work is What Does a Building Designer Do in a Renovation?.
Ask who coordinates the kitchen drawings with structural information. A beam position can change ceiling details and cabinet heights; a post can affect an island; a service route can conflict with a footing. Separate documents must describe one buildable project.
The Australian Government’s Your Home renovation guidance recommends considering expert advice and using renovation opportunities to improve comfort, layout and performance. Early coordination can identify value before products lock the design.
The kitchen package still needs its own budget
Cabinets, benchtops, appliances, sink, tap, splashback, plumbing, electrical work, extraction and installation remain substantial even before structural costs. A modest specification may control the total; custom joinery, integrated appliances and detailed surfaces can move it sharply upward.
Use the kitchen renovation cost breakdown to build this package separately. That prevents a wall-opening allowance from swallowing money intended for essential cabinets and final connections.
Cabinetry may extend into the living room as a study, bar or media unit. Label this joinery separately so the kitchen cost remains understandable. Open-plan design often expands the visual scope faster than the functional requirement.
Services can determine the affordable layout
Moving a sink to an island can require water and drainage through a floor, slab or lower level. The difficulty depends on falls, structure, access and the existing system. A short distance on plan can still be expensive if there is no practical route.
An induction cooktop or added appliances may require electrical assessment, new circuits or switchboard work. Gas changes require appropriately licensed work and a whole-of-design decision about fuel. Rangehood ducting needs a suitable route and external termination.
Ask licensed trades to review concept options before final cabinetry. Keeping services on an existing wall can preserve money for storage, lighting and finishes. If an island service is central to the brief, carry a specific allowance and document its route.
Flooring is frequently the hidden whole-room cost
When walls and old cabinets disappear, gaps reveal where flooring stops. Matching an older product may be impossible or the batch colour may differ. Local patching can remain visible across an open room.
Price three outcomes: careful patching, replacing the kitchen zone with a deliberate transition, and replacing the continuous floor through adjoining spaces. The third option can add a large area but may produce the most coherent result. Include removal, substrate preparation, trims, skirtings and furniture movement.
Check finished floor levels around cabinets and doorways. Decide whether flooring runs under cabinets based on the selected system and installation advice. Do not leave the interface for the flooring installer and cabinetmaker to resolve after both orders are fixed.
Ceilings and walls need more than a patch
A removed wall leaves lines in plaster, cornice and paint. A flush beam may require a wider ceiling opening, while a dropped beam creates junctions that need deliberate detailing. Old and new paint can differ even with the same colour reference.
Budget for plasterboard, stopping, cornice, sanding, priming and painting across complete visual planes where necessary. Patch pricing alone may not cover a result that looks continuous under daylight and artificial light.
Wall removal can also reveal different ceiling heights or construction systems. Investigate before finalising a perfectly flat visual concept. An honest expressed beam may be more affordable and architecturally coherent than extensive concealment.
Lighting must serve the enlarged room
Open plan does not mean one grid of downlights. Plan general lighting, kitchen task lighting, dining light and softer living light as related layers. Consider glare on screens, shadows at benches and separate control after dinner.
The Australian Government’s Your Home lighting guidance discusses natural and artificial light in significant renovations and points to relevant NCC provisions. Preserve useful daylight and have licensed electrical work designed for the actual layout.
Switching and power should match furniture as well as cabinets. Floor outlets, pendants and appliance circuits require early decisions. A beautiful island pendant in the wrong structural bay can create avoidable redesign.
Ventilation, noise and smell become living-room issues
Cooking pollutants and odours spread readily in an open room. Select extraction for the cooking style and installation, and design a duct route to outside where appropriate. Check make-up air, noise and external outlet constraints with relevant professionals.
Quiet appliances, soft-close hardware and acoustic finishes matter when the dishwasher and rangehood share the living area. Hard floors, stone-like surfaces and large glazed areas can make sound lively. Upholstery, curtains, rugs outside the work zone and acoustic treatment can help without compromising cleanability.
Removing every wall can reduce the ability to contain noise or hide kitchen work. A partial opening, pocket door or carefully positioned tall storage may balance connection with separation.
Do not design the island in isolation
An island needs useful circulation, appliance-door clearance, seating space and structural support. It should not sit in the shortest route between entry, refrigerator and table. Test the outline at full size with tape and cardboard.
For compact rooms, compare the best small-kitchen layouts before making an island the purpose of wall removal. A peninsula or freestanding table may provide work surface while using less circulation space.
Waterfall ends, integrated appliances and sinks add fabrication and service complexity. A clear island used mainly for preparation and serving can be cheaper and more flexible than one carrying every appliance.
Current benchtop product rules matter
Old renovation estimates may specify engineered stone that can no longer be newly supplied and installed. Safe Work Australia confirms the ban on manufacturing, supplying, processing and installing engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs, with defined exclusions and limited legacy-work provisions.
Compare current compliant alternatives as complete installed systems, including fabrication, edge details, supports and care. If existing legacy engineered stone will be disturbed, use appropriately controlled professional work and confirm jurisdictional requirements. Homeowner cutting or grinding is not a cost-saving option.
A worked $72,500 open-plan scenario
This hypothetical example assumes a medium replacement kitchen, an engineered wall opening, some service relocation, continuous making good and ordinary access. Amounts include assumed GST where applicable. It is a planning exercise, not a quote or Australian average.
| Item | Illustrative allowance |
|---|---|
| Design, engineering and approvals | $5,000 |
| Protection, demolition and waste | $3,500 |
| Structural opening, beam and supports | $14,000 |
| Cabinetry supplied and installed | $16,000 |
| Benchtop supplied and installed | $4,500 |
| Appliances | $5,000 |
| Plumbing, electrical and extraction | $6,500 |
| Splashback | $1,500 |
| Floor, ceiling, plaster and painting | $5,500 |
| Subtotal | $61,500 |
| Contingency for identified uncertainty | $9,000 |
| Temporary kitchen and incidentals | $2,000 |
| Total funds planned | $72,500 |
The contingency is about 14.6% of this example’s construction subtotal. It is not a recommended universal percentage. A newer single-storey home with accessible structure may justify a different reserve from an older two-storey property with undocumented alterations.
What can push the project above the range?
- A long span, concentrated loads or new foundation support.
- Asbestos or another hazardous material requiring professional management.
- Electrical upgrading, difficult drainage or a new external extraction route.
- Continuous flooring across a large living and dining area.
- Custom cabinetry and integrated appliances beyond the kitchen zone.
- Restricted apartment access, protection and working hours.
- Heritage controls or redesign during approval.
- Temporary accommodation or prolonged meal costs.
Investigate the high-impact uncertainties before spending contingency on upgrades. If the wall and service routes remain unknown, a premium tap or decorative panel is not the project’s main financial decision.
How long should you allow?
A structural open-plan kitchen may need several months for design, engineering, approval, procurement and construction. On-site work can run six to twelve weeks or longer, depending on complexity and product lead times. The kitchen itself may be unusable for much of that period.
Use the kitchen renovation timeline as a base, then insert structural demolition, inspection, beam installation, services and multi-room finishing. Confirm the trigger for cabinet and benchtop lead times before selecting demolition dates.
Compare quotations as coordinated scopes
Issue the same drawings, engineering information, appliance schedule and finishes to each contractor. Require clear inclusions for temporary support, steel, lifting, inspections, service disconnection, protection, waste, plaster, flooring and paint. Identify provisional sums and exclusions.
Follow the guide to comparing renovation quotes. Check GST, payment timing, licences and insurance relevant to the jurisdiction and work. A low kitchen quotation cannot be compared with a combined structural-and-kitchen proposal.
Ask who coordinates builder, engineer, cabinetmaker and licensed trades. Fragmented packages may still work, but responsibility at each interface must be written. Changes should state cost and time before approval.
Reduce cost without weakening the concept
Test a wider opening instead of removing the whole wall. Keep plumbing and major appliances near workable existing services. Use a dropped beam where appropriate rather than paying to conceal it. Limit new flooring through a deliberate transition if a continuous replacement is not worth the cost.
Simplify cabinet detail and island services before compromising required structure, ventilation or licensed work. Choose one visual priority and let the adjoining room remain restrained. Reuse sound items only after checking their condition and compatibility.
The best open-plan project is not necessarily the biggest opening. It is the option that solves the household’s movement, light and connection goals while remaining structurally sound, well ventilated and financially complete. Price the kitchen, building work and room-wide finishing separately, then judge whether the combined outcome earns its cost.