Kitchens

Kitchen Renovation Costs in Perth: What You Actually Pay in 2026

A Perth kitchen renovation costs $15,000 to $65,000-plus depending on tier, with most owner-occupier projects landing between $30,000 and $50,000.

The Perth-specific factor is the same one that shapes every renovation in this city: double brick. Whether the kitchen can be opened into the living area, whether the sink can move, and how the services get to where you want them are all governed by the fact that the walls are solid masonry and the slab is concrete.

What You Pay at Each Level

Budget — $15,000 to $25,000. Flat-pack or entry-level custom carcasses, laminate or compact laminate benchtops, mid-tier appliances, layout unchanged. Suitable for rentals and pre-sale refreshes.
Mid-range — $30,000 to $50,000. Custom cabinetry built to your dimensions, composite or porcelain benchtops, an island, integrated dishwasher, quality cooktop, and a modest layout change.
High-end — $65,000 and above. Full custom joinery in two-pack or veneer, a butler’s pantry or scullery, premium appliances, natural stone, and a genuine reconfiguration involving wall removal and relocated services.

Most Perth family homes land between $32,000 and $48,000 — the point at which the kitchen is genuinely custom, the finishes will last fifteen years, and nothing has been compromised for a photograph.

The Cost Breakdown

Cabinetry — 35 to 45 per cent

Perth cabinetmakers price by linear metre. Current 2026 rates:

Flat-pack, self-assembled — $450 to $850 per linear metre supply only
Flat-pack, professionally installed — $1,000 to $1,550 per linear metre
Custom melamine or laminate finish — $1,500 to $2,250 per linear metre installed
Custom two-pack polyurethane — $2,250 to $3,200 per linear metre installed
Custom timber veneer or specialty finish — $3,000 to $4,800 per linear metre installed

A typical Perth kitchen contains six to ten linear metres including the island — often at the upper end, because Perth’s suburban homes tend to have generous kitchen footprints compared with eastern-state terraces and cottages.

A related guide to consider while planning this work is How Much Does a Home Renovation Cost in Perth? A 2026 Price Guide.

Worth paying for inside the cabinet: moisture-resistant board in the sink run, full-extension soft-close runners, 18mm carcasses, and a properly scribed toe-kick. One Perth note: fixing cabinetry to double-brick walls requires appropriate masonry anchors rather than screwing into studs, which a good installer will allow for.

Benchtops — 10 to 20 per cent

Since the national ban on high-silica engineered stone, the market has moved to low-silica and silica-free composites, porcelain and natural stone. Perth rates, supplied and installed:

Laminate — $280 to $550 per square metre
Compact laminate — $640 to $1,000 per square metre
Low-silica or silica-free composite — $740 to $1,300 per square metre
Porcelain slab — $930 to $1,800 per square metre
Natural granite — $840 to $1,500 per square metre
Marble and specialty stone — $1,280 to $3,200 per square metre

Perth’s distance from eastern-state stone suppliers means slab selection is more limited and freight adds to cost on specialty materials. Choosing from what is held locally can save both money and several weeks of lead time.

Detailing is where quotes diverge. A 20mm square edge is standard; a 40mm mitred edge adds around 25 per cent; a waterfall end adds $1,000 to $2,800; an undermount sink cut-out with a drainer groove adds $350 to $850.

Appliances — 10 to 25 per cent

A sensible mid-range package — 600mm oven, induction cooktop, integrated dishwasher, ducted rangehood — costs $4,000 to $7,500. Premium European with a pyrolytic oven and 900mm induction runs $11,000 to $19,000. Integrated refrigeration pushes past $35,000.

The honest assessment: the gap between a good $2,000 oven and a $7,000 one is real but modest. The gap between a $400 rangehood and a $1,400 one is enormous, and in a Perth kitchen ducted externally through a masonry wall, getting the extraction right the first time matters because changing it later means another penetration.

Trades — 15 to 25 per cent

Demolition and disposal — $1,200 to $3,500; masonry and tiled surfaces generate weight
Plumbing, existing locations — $1,300 to $2,600
Plumbing with relocated sink and dishwasher — $3,500 to $8,000 where the slab must be cut
Electrical, new circuits and lighting — $2,400 to $6,000; chasing brick adds to this
Gas work and certification — $700 to $1,800
Structural work for wall removal — $8,000 to $18,000 where an internal double-brick wall comes out
Plastering, rendering and making good — $1,500 to $4,000, higher than framed construction because chased brick must be patched
Painting — $1,000 to $2,800
Flooring, if replaced — $70 to $200 per square metre installed
Splashback tiling or glass — $800 to $3,200

The Perth Variables

Opening the kitchen to the living area

The most requested change in Perth and the most structurally involved. In a double-brick home the wall between the kitchen and the living area is frequently load-bearing, which means:

A structural engineer’s design
A steel beam sized for the masonry and roof load above
Bearing points, often requiring the slab to be broken into
Temporary propping and brick-by-brick removal
A building permit — the certified route takes about 10 business days

Budget $8,000 to $18,000 for the opening itself, on top of the kitchen. Removing a load-bearing brick wall costs 20 to 30 per cent more than the timber-stud equivalent.

A cost-saving option worth discussing with the engineer: retaining a nib of wall at each end reduces the span and the beam size, and can cut the structural cost substantially while achieving most of the visual openness.

Whether the plumbing moves

In a slab-on-ground Perth home, moving the sink means core drilling or saw-cutting the slab, establishing new falls and reinstating. Budget $3,500 to $8,000 for a meaningful relocation, against $1,300 to $2,600 if the sink stays put.

This is the reverse of Brisbane, where an accessible subfloor makes relocation cheap. In Perth, design around the existing waste position wherever the layout allows. The saving is real and it is invisible in the finished kitchen.

A related guide to consider while planning this work is Bathroom Renovation Costs in Perth: Real Prices, Real Timelines.

Running services through masonry

Every new power point, data outlet and light circuit means chasing into brick, laying conduit and making good. Practical approaches:

Run horizontally through the roof space and drop down where possible, rather than long horizontal chases
Do all the electrical at once while the walls are open — additional outlets cost far more added later
Plan the rangehood duct route early. Ducting externally through a double-brick wall requires a core-drilled penetration and a weatherproof cowl.
Consider a bulkhead to conceal services rather than chasing, where the ceiling design allows it

Layouts That Work in Perth Homes

The 1970s double-brick suburban home

Typically a separate kitchen with a small window over the sink, adjoining a dining room, with a back door to the yard. The transformative move is removing the wall between kitchen and dining, creating a single space with an L-shaped kitchen and a parallel island, then opening the rear to a covered alfresco.

Keep the island at 900 to 1,000mm from the bench run. Position it so it does not block the path between the kitchen and the alfresco door — in Perth that route gets heavy traffic for eight months of the year.

The scullery question

Perth has embraced the scullery — a walk-in working kitchen behind the display kitchen — more enthusiastically than most Australian cities, particularly in newer and larger homes. Where the footprint allows it, it works well: the main bench stays clear, and the mess is out of sight from the living area.

In a renovation of an older double-brick home, creating one usually means annexing an adjacent laundry or pantry space, which may involve structural work. Cost: $12,000 to $30,000 on top of the main kitchen.

Modern homes on slabs

Post-2000 Perth homes typically have open-plan kitchens already. The renovation is cosmetic and structural work is rarely needed, which makes these the cheapest and fastest kitchens to renovate in the city.

Apartments

Perth apartments impose slab constraints on waste relocation, and the strata company controls what you can touch. See our guide to apartment renovation and strata approvals in Perth.

Storage and the Things People Regret

Drawers rather than cupboards in base cabinetry — nothing is lost at the back
Full-height cabinetry rather than a dust-collecting gap above
An appliance garage for the kettle, toaster and coffee machine
Deep pot drawers beside the cooktop with a spice and oil pull-out in reach
A scullery or butler’s pantry where space allows
Purpose-sized bin storage matched to council bin dimensions
A place for outdoor serving gear near the alfresco door — used constantly in Perth

Before finalising, empty the current kitchen onto the dining table and count what is actually stored. Most households need more drawer volume and fewer overhead cupboards than a standard layout provides.

Lighting and Heat

Perth’s intense summer light and long evenings shape kitchen lighting differently from southern capitals.

A properly lit kitchen has three layers: task lighting under the overheads illuminating the benchtop directly; ambient lighting positioned over circulation space rather than over the bench; and feature lighting over an island at 750 to 900mm above the benchtop. Specify a consistent 2,700K to 3,000K colour temperature with dimmable circuits.

Two Perth-specific considerations. First, a west-facing kitchen window takes a punishing afternoon sun — external shading or an awning matters more than any glass upgrade. Second, downlights penetrate the ceiling insulation, and in a climate where roof heat gain dominates, every penetration matters. Use IC-rated fittings that can be covered by insulation, or prefer surface-mounted and pendant fittings.

Timelines

Design and quoting — 2 to 4 weeks
Building permit where structural work is involved — about 10 business days via the certified route
Demolition, structural work and services rough-in — 1 to 3 weeks
Joinery manufacture — 4 to 6 weeks after site measure
Installation, stone template and fit — 2 to 3 weeks, with a 7 to 10 day gap mid-install for stone
Splashback, painting and fit-off — 1 week

Three to four months from first call to finished kitchen is normal in Perth, and closer to five where a load-bearing wall comes out. Add freight time for anything sourced from the eastern states.

Comparing Quotes and Verifying the Builder

Confirm every quote states linear metres of cabinetry and carcass material; the specific benchtop product, thickness and edge detail; whether appliances are supplied or a provisional sum allowed; which trades are included; whether demolition, disposal and making good are in scope; the handle allowance; whether any wall is load-bearing and whether the structural work and building permit are included; and the rate for slab cutting if the plumbing moves.

Then verify the credentials. In WA, Home Indemnity Insurance is mandatory for residential building work valued over $20,000 — which captures most mid-range and all high-end kitchen renovations. The builder must be registered, and must provide the insurance certificate before starting work or taking a deposit. See our guide to vetting a Perth builder.

Saving Money Without Losing Quality

Keep the sink where it is. Worth $2,000 to $5,000 in a slab home.
Retain wall nibs rather than removing a wall completely, reducing the beam span and structural cost.
Mix cabinetry finishes. Two-pack on doors people touch, melamine inside and in the scullery. Saves 10 to 15 per cent of joinery cost.
Design to a single stone slab and choose from stock held locally.
Standard-size appliances. Non-standard sizes force custom cabinet dimensions across the whole kitchen.
Do all the electrical chasing in one visit rather than returning later.
Book off-peak. Perth cabinetmakers are busiest August to November.

The kitchens people remain happy with a decade on are rarely the most expensive. They are the ones where the layout suited how the household cooks, the connection to the outdoor living area was generous, and the structural money went into one well-considered opening rather than three grudging ones.

Checking What Is Behind the Old Kitchen

The kitchen strip-out is one of the best opportunities you will get to inspect a masonry house, and in Perth it is worth taking seriously.

While the cabinetry is out and before the new linings and splashback go on:

Check the base of external walls for salt crystallisation, blown render or deteriorating brickwork — the early signs of salt damp
Confirm the weep holes on the external face are clear and not blocked by paving or garden beds
Inspect the plumbing for galvanised steel supply pipe, which corrodes internally and restricts flow
Assess the electrical — 1970s wiring, no safety switches, an undersized board
Look at the ceiling space above, which is the easiest route for new services and the place to confirm insulation condition
Photograph everything before it is closed up

Remediation found at this stage costs $2,000 to $12,000. Found five years later, after the new kitchen is installed over it, it costs considerably more — and the joinery comes out to reach it.

The Connection to the Alfresco

The single design decision that most affects how a Perth kitchen is used is how it connects to the covered outdoor area.

Worth resolving at design stage:

A wide opening rather than a standard door — stacking or sliding, and in double brick this means a lintel and a budget line of $6,000 to $14,000
A near-flush threshold with a drainage grate, so the alfresco reads as part of the house
A servery or bench that works from both sides, where the layout allows
Storage for outdoor serving gear near that door — used constantly in Perth
A layout where someone cooking is not cut off from the people outside
Shading of any west-facing kitchen window, which otherwise takes a punishing afternoon sun directly onto the work area

In this climate the alfresco is where the household actually is for much of the year. A kitchen that turns its back on it is a kitchen that gets used less.

Heat and the Kitchen

An under-considered point. A Perth kitchen with a west-facing window, a dark benchtop and downlights penetrating the ceiling insulation is a hot room in February — and it is where someone stands to cook.

While the kitchen is stripped back, some cheap measures make a real difference: external shading on any west-facing window, ceiling insulation checked and topped up above the kitchen, IC-rated downlights that can be covered by insulation or surface-mounted fittings instead, a ceiling fan if the ceiling height allows, and a lighter benchtop colour. Together perhaps $2,500 to $6,000, and essentially impossible to retrofit once the joinery is in.