Hawthorn, VIC 3122 · inner east
Kitchen renovations in Hawthorn
Complete kitchen renovations from $24,999 — cabinetry, benchtop, splashback, appliance installation and GST all in. Typically 5–7 weeks on site. We're a small local team — the people who quote your job are the people who build it, so you're not paying for a showroom or a sales rep.
- Registered building practitioner
- Fixed written price before we start
- Free inspection across Hawthorn
Local knowledge
What we see in Hawthorn homes
Hawthorn is two markets. The period houses have a kitchen in a rear wing added sometime after 1950, usually with a lower ceiling and a different floor level from the original rooms. The apartment stock — a lot of it 1960s and 70s walk-ups — has small kitchens with fixed services against a concrete wall.
The thing that catches people out here
Hawthorn period kitchens are usually in a rear wing added at some point after 1950. The decision worth making early is whether to renovate inside that addition or rebuild it.
In a period house the decision worth making early is whether you are renovating inside that rear addition or rebuilding it. Putting a good kitchen into a bad addition is money spent twice, and we would rather say so at the inspection than take the job as quoted.
Before you get quotes
Three things that decide the price in Hawthorn
1. What your house is built on
The houses have timber subfloors and reasonable access to services, so relocating a sink is achievable. The apartments have concrete floors with drainage cast in and ventilation that runs through the building — neither moves. In a walk-up the realistic scope is new joinery, benchtop, splashback and appliances in the existing positions, done well.
2. Permits, overlays and owners corporations
No planning permit for internal work in a house. Much of Hawthorn is in a Heritage Overlay, which usually exempts internal work but not always — check the schedule. An apartment will need owners corporation approval, and older blocks can be strict about trade access, noise hours and anything touching a common wall.
3. What a renovation is worth here
Hawthorn buyers know the difference between a kitchen that was designed and one that was assembled. In a period house that means proportion and light; in an apartment it means making a small room feel considered rather than cheap. Both reward restraint over feature finishes.
None of the above is guesswork on a quote — we look at the subfloor, whether the dividing wall carries load, the switchboard and where a rangehood can duct to during the free inspection, then put a fixed written price on it.
Pricing
Kitchen renovation cost in Hawthorn
One number, everything in it. Take it to any other quote you get and compare line for line — that is the comparison worth making.
What's included at $24,999
One price for the cabinetry, the benchtop, the splashback and the trades, with GST in it. Appliances are the one thing you buy yourself.
- Removal of existing kitchen and disposal
- New cabinetry, 6–8 linear metres
- Laminate, porcelain or natural stone benchtop
- Tiled or glass splashback
- Plumbing and electrical by licensed trades
- Appliance installation (you buy the appliances, we fit them)
Appliances are not included — you buy them, which means you pick the brands and catch the sales, and we install them as part of the job. Removing a load-bearing wall, moving the sink or dishwasher to a new position, a switchboard upgrade, upgraded finishes and hidden damage found during demolition are quoted separately and always in writing before any extra work starts.
Also renovating the bathroom? See bathroom pricing for Hawthorn →
Questions
Hawthorn kitchen renovations — common questions
Do you actually work in Hawthorn?
Yes — Hawthorn is inside our regular service area, along with Kew, Camberwell, Richmond and the surrounding inner east. Site inspections across Hawthorn are free and there's no travel charge.
How long will the job take?
Around 5–7 weeks on site for a standard kitchen of this type. Hawthorn is mostly Victorian, Edwardian and interwar homes, and that's the kind of place we work on most — so the timeline we give you at quote stage is the one we work to.
What could push the price above $24,999?
Four things, in order of likelihood: taking out a load-bearing wall, which means an engineer's beam design and a building permit; moving the sink or dishwasher, which is cheap on a timber subfloor and expensive on a slab; a switchboard that cannot carry a modern appliance load; and finishes above our standard range. Appliances are yours to buy, so they sit outside the price either way. In Hawthorn, where the stock is Victorian, Edwardian and interwar homes, the third one matters — you get a written price before anyone touches it.
Can I see photos of your work?
Yes — there are real before-and-after photos and video walkthroughs of finished work on the home page. We'll bring more kitchen renovations to the inspection, along with what each job actually cost.
Do you do whole-house renovations in Hawthorn?
No, and we'd rather say so plainly. We don't do extensions, second storeys, re-roofing or anything that changes the outside of the house — we do bathrooms and kitchens, for a fixed price, and that narrow focus is the reason we can quote the way we do. Taking out an internal wall to open a kitchen to the living area is part of a kitchen and we do that, with an engineer's beam design and a building permit where the wall is load-bearing. If you're planning a full home renovation in Hawthorn, these are usually the two rooms that blow the budget, so it's worth getting a firm number on them early even if someone else is managing the rest. We're happy to quote just our part and work alongside your builder.
Free, no obligation
Book your free site inspection in Hawthorn.
Tell us a bit about the room and we'll call you back to arrange a time. You'll get a fixed written price — and an honest answer about what your budget can realistically buy.
Thanks — we've got it.
We'll call you back to arrange a time, usually the same day.