In 2026, kitchen renovations will continue to be on Victorian homeowners’ minds. Despite rising cost of living challenges, homeowners are likely to continue to seek clever and cost-effective ways to add value to their current homes.
Master Builders Association has forecast the building industry will demonstrate resilience in 2026, despite this rising cost of living crisis. Due to a shortage of new homes being built, and due to rising prices of homes, many homeowners will decide to renovate their existing kitchens in order to create more functionality and to add value to their property without breaking the budget.
HIA research suggests that kitchen renovation prices for 2026 including installation, will average $42,630. HIA also predicts that there will be an increased focus on renovating existing homes, as household spending returns to more normal patterns.
Kitchen Shack estimates 2026 average cost of a kitchen renovation
Cabinetry – $8,000 – $18,000
Benchtops: $3,000 – $9,000
Trades: $5,000 – $8,000
Appliances range in price according to your needs and budget
The complete kitchen renovation cost will always depend on size of the kitchen, materials used, and design configuration.
2026 Predictions to save costs on a Kitchen Renovation
Using the same kitchen or laundry footprint
It is likely that with rising costs, more homeowners will renovate their existing kitchens ‘using the same footprint’. If they do this, they will have more budget to spend on ‘personalising’ their new kitchen with higher quality materials as they will save on plumbing and electrical costs.
Selecting standard sized cabinetry
More homeowners will choose standard product and not custom made to save money. This means a huge saving for the average buyer. Kitchen Shack designs to a wide range of standard cabinetry sizes to save customer’s costs. This means quality kitchens and laundries at an extremely cost effective prices. By choosing from a company that has an extensive standard product range, customers will receive a beautiful kitchen or laundry at a more affordable price.
Merge kitchen and living areas through clever design
There is a trend that may continue with homeowners expanding their kitchen areas into their living areas; seamlessly blending their kitchen cabinetry with their living room space. By completing works at the same time means savings on trades and ensuring a style that blends in the home just like this stunning Prahran Kitchen Renovation.
Inter-generational house sharing
With more young adults staying at home for longer, or the trend for elderly parents to move back into a family’s home for support, it is clear that clever kitchen and laundry renovations will be a necessity to accommodate the changing needs of the household. Designing to these needs takes an experienced designer to identify where money saving dollars can be used.
Creating a kitchen space for the Health Conscious
Many people prioritise preparing and eating fresh, healthy foods. It is hence important to create a kitchen space with lots of clever storage and excellent bench space. It’s important to work with kitchen designers who are experienced in creating highly functional kitchens that will support this goal, whilst saving money for the average kitchen renovation.
Kitchen Shack, is a family owned company who is committed to saving costs for your kitchen renovation in 2026. With five Kitchen Shack showrooms to choose from you can book a Free In-store Design with our experienced designers to save on your kitchen.
At Kitchen Shack our Lowest Prices Guaranteed Policy means we will beat any competitor’s price by 5%. for the same design, assembled product and service (excluding sale items, delivery and trades).
