Kitchen renovations in Melbourne typically cost between $$25,000 and$$60,000. That’s a lot of money to spend on something that doesn’t work the way you wanted. Yet it happens all the time.
The short answer
After 10 years of renovating kitchens across Melbourne, we’ve seen the same mistakes come up again and again. Some cost thousands to fix. Others are just permanently annoying. Here are the seven we see most often, and what to do instead.
1. Starting without a proper design
This one causes more problems than any other. A homeowner has a Pinterest board, the builder has a rough idea, and everyone assumes they’re on the same page. They’re not.
Without a measured layout plan, you end up with appliances that don’t fit, doors that clash when opened, and benchtops that look great in the showroom but block the walkway in your actual kitchen.
What to do instead: Get a scaled layout plan before you commit to anything. A good renovation company will measure your space, produce a design, and show you exactly where everything goes. At Hexon, we provide a layout plan and 3D concept rendering before quoting, so you can see the finished kitchen before we start.
2. Choosing finishes before locking in appliances
People pick benchtops, cabinets, and splashbacks first because those are the exciting decisions. Appliances come last because they feel boring.
The problem is that your oven, fridge, rangehood, and dishwasher determine cabinet spacing, ventilation requirements, power point locations, and plumbing positions. A 900mm freestanding oven has different clearance requirements than a 600mm built-in. An integrated fridge needs a specific cabinet depth. A rangehood needs ducting that affects your ceiling layout.
What to do instead: Decide on appliance brands and models early. You don’t need to buy them immediately, but you need the specifications locked in before your cabinetry goes into production. We walk our clients through appliance selection during the design phase so nothing gets missed.
3. Underestimating storage
Most homeowners focus on how many cabinets they’re getting. The better question is how usable those cabinets are.
Deep corner cupboards with no pull-out mechanism become dead zones where things disappear. Overhead cabinets above the fridge are too high to reach. Drawers without dividers turn into junk drawers within a month.
What to do instead: Think about what you actually store in your kitchen and where you use it. Pots near the stove. Chopping boards near the bench. Cleaning supplies near the sink. A pantry with pull-out shelving beats a walk-in pantry with fixed shelves every time. Ask your renovation team to spec soft-close drawers with internal dividers rather than just counting cupboard doors.
4. Ignoring the work triangle
The work triangle is the path between your fridge, sink, and cooktop. In a functioning kitchen, these three points form a triangle with sides between 1.2m and 2.7m. Too close and you feel cramped. Too far and you’re walking laps.
We see kitchens where the fridge is on the opposite side of the room from the sink, or the cooktop is wedged into a corner with no bench space on either side. These layouts look fine in a plan but are painful to cook in.
What to do instead: If your current layout already has a reasonable work triangle, think carefully before rearranging it. Moving the sink or cooktop to the other side of the room means relocating plumbing and gas lines, which adds $$3,000 to$$8,000 to the project. Sometimes it’s worth it. Sometimes the existing layout just needs better cabinetry and finishes.
5. Blowing the budget on one thing
We’ve seen clients spend $$12,000 on a stone benchtop and then have nothing left for decent tapware. Or$$8,000 on a European rangehood and $200 on a builder-grade sink.
A kitchen is a system. Every component gets used every day. If you pour 40% of your budget into one item, everything else suffers.
What to do instead: Set a total budget and allocate percentages before you start shopping. A rough guide: cabinetry 35% to 40%, benchtops 10% to 15%, appliances 15% to 20%, plumbing and electrical 15% to 20%, tiling and splashback 5% to 10%. Your builder should help you balance the budget so the overall result is consistent rather than one showpiece surrounded by compromises.
6. Not planning for the build period
Your kitchen will be unusable for 4 to 6 weeks during a standard renovation. That’s a month or more without a sink, stove, or bench space.
Homeowners who don’t plan for this end up eating takeaway for six weeks, doing dishes in the bathroom sink, or calling us to ask if we can “just hook up the microwave somewhere.”
What to do instead: Set up a temporary kitchenette in another room before demo day. You need a small table or bench, a microwave, a kettle, a toaster, a bar fridge, and access to a tap (laundry or bathroom). Use paper plates for the first two weeks to save your sanity. It’s not glamorous, but it keeps daily life running.
7. Hiring on price alone
The cheapest quote is almost never the best value. In Melbourne’s renovation market, a suspiciously low price usually means one of three things: the scope is incomplete (they haven’t included demolition, electrical, or rubbish removal), the trades are unlicensed (which voids your insurance and leaves you liable), or the quote is a starting price that will increase through variations once work begins.
We’ve taken over jobs from builders who walked off site, and the cost to fix and finish always exceeds what a proper quote would have been from the start.
What to do instead: Get three quotes from licensed builders. Compare scope, not just price. Check that each quote includes demolition, plumbing, electrical, tiling, cabinetry, benchtops, installation, and cleanup. Verify the builder holds a current VIC Domestic Builder’s Licence (DB-U) and carries public liability insurance. Ask for references from recent kitchen renovations, not just general building work.
Get it right the first time
A kitchen renovation is one of the biggest investments you’ll make in your home. Getting it right means better daily function, higher property value, and a room you actually enjoy spending time in. Getting it wrong means years of regret and a second renovation sooner than you’d like.
If you’re planning a kitchen renovation in Melbourne, we’re happy to walk through your space, discuss what works and what doesn’t, and give you a fixed-price quote with no surprises.
Book a free kitchen consultation or call 0426 992 464.
Internal Links:
