In 2026, kitchen renovations will continue to be on Victorian homeowners’ minds. Despite rising cost of living challenges, homeowners are renovating rather than selling and buying. Cost effective ways to add value is key.
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 2026 average cost of a kitchen renovation
A kitchen renovation in Melbourne typically costs:
Cabinetry: $6,000 – $18,000 from budget to top the range.
Benchtops: $3,000 – $9,000, builder to high end ranges
Trades: $5,000 – $8,000 for installation and trades
Appliances range in price according to your needs and budget.
The complete kitchen renovation costs are based on real kitchen designs and vary depending on layout, size, number of cabinetry, accessories, finishes and installation requirements. The following are render drawings with real examples of kitchen costs.
Example 1: Small kitchen space
This Excel style kitchen in Urban Oak laminate features:
- 6 cabinets including: corner, drawers, appliance cabinet and overheads,
- Laminate benchtops,
- Kickers and end panels,
- Black handles.
Kitchen cost delivered to your home from $5,569 (excluding appliances).
Kitchen cost with stone benchtops delivered to your home from $7,519 (excluding appliances)
Example 2: Medium kitchen space
This Excel style kitchen in Urban Oak laminate features:
- 9 cabinets including corner cabinets, overheads, appliance cabinet,
- Laminate benchtops,
- Kickers and end panels.
Kitchen cost delivered to your home: from $7,235 (excluding appliances).
Kitchen cost with stone benchtops delivered to your home from $10,415 (excluding appliances)
Example 3: Large kitchen space
This Excel Urban Oak laminate L-shaped kitchen with an island features:
- 12 cabinets including corner cabinets, overheads, tall cabinets and under island,
- Island bench,
- Laminate benchtops,
- Kickers and end panels.
Kitchen cost delivered to your home: from $11,399 (excluding appliances).
Kitchen cost with stone benchtops delivered to your home from delivered to your home: from $13,934 (excluding appliances).
2026 Predictions to save costs on your Kitchen Renovation
Using the same kitchen or laundry footprint
To save costs, remember to use your existing kitchens layout or same footprint. If they do this, you will have more budget to spend on ‘personalising’ your new kitchen with higher quality materials as you will save on plumbing and electrical costs.
Selecting standard sized cabinetry
Custom sized cabinetry can get expensive. Choose standard product and design to your space to save money. Kitchen Shack designs to a wide range of standard cabinetry sizes to save customer’s costs. This means quality kitchens and laundries at extremely cost effective prices. By choosing from a company that has an extensive standard product range, you 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).