Design consult · $595 incl. GST
Your kitchen drawn to scale, priced line by line
A kitchen design consult costs $595 including GST. A designer measures your kitchen, then within five working days you get two layouts drawn to scale, a line-item budget with a source for every band, and a written scope. It is credited in full against a build contract signed within six months, and the plan is yours whether you build with us or not.
What happens, in order
- 1
You send your kitchen
Suburb, size, layout, what you are after, and three times that would suit for a visit.
- 2
We confirm a time
Within one working day, by email. We confirm one of your windows; we never just turn up.
- 3
The visit
About 90 minutes: measuring, photographs for the designer, and a proper conversation about how you cook.
- 4
Your plan
Within five working days: two scaled layouts, a line-item budget, the licensed-work and consent check, and a written scope.
Why we charge for it, and who else does
New Zealand kitchen designers charge about $120–220+ an hour, $2,500–6,000+ as a fixed fee, or 8–15% of the project (FBD Interiors). Set against that, $595 for a measured plan and a costed budget is at the bottom of the market, and it comes back to you if you build with us.
- Bunnings: Free in-home design, 1.5–2 hours, quoted on their range.
- Kitchenmaker: $495 + GST design and drafting fee per room, refunded when you proceed.
Both are honest offers. The difference is what you end up owning. A free design belongs to the process that produced it; a paid plan belongs to you, which is the whole point of getting one before you commit. The full comparison.
Where we are up to
We are contracting our launch joinery workshop, designer, plumber and electrician in Auckland now. Until they are signed we take enquiries and charge nothing. When you send the form you get an honest answer about whether we can reach you, not a salesperson.
Questions about the consult
What exactly do I get for $595?
About 90 minutes in your kitchen with a designer, then within five working days: two layout options drawn to scale as a PDF, a line-item budget range with a source for every band, a check of what needs a licensed trade or a consent, and a written scope you can price against anywhere.
Is the $595 refundable?
Fully refundable until 24 hours before your confirmed visit, if we cannot offer a visit within 10 working days of payment, or if we do not deliver the plan within 5 working days of the visit. After delivery it is not refundable, because you have the plan. See our terms of trade.
How is it credited?
In full, against a fixed-price build contract signed with us within six months of your consult. It comes off the first payment.
Why is it not free like the hardware stores?
Because a free design is drawn around one retailer's cabinet range and ends in that retailer's quote. Bunnings' in-home design is free and takes 1.5–2 hours. Paying for the plan is what makes it independent and yours. See what kitchen designers charge.
Do I have to build with you?
No. The drawings, the budget and the scope are yours. Take them to three other companies and get comparable quotes: that is a reasonable thing to do with them.
What if you don't cover my area?
We will tell you and refund anything you have paid. On the form you can tick a box letting us pass your details to a partner joinery workshop instead, and we would receive a referral fee if you did. It is off unless you tick it.
Sources
- FBD Interiors, how kitchen designers charge
- Bunnings, in-home kitchen design
- Kitchenmaker, step-by-step process
Checked 15 September 2026. We re-check every published figure quarterly.