The guides
Reading before you renovate
Long-form NZ kitchen renovation guides are in the pipeline — what scope you actually need, when consent is required, how to read a fixed-price contract, and what 2026 NZD pricing really looks like. Until they're up, the scopes, layouts and renovator pages cover the same ground.
Coming soon
Guides we're writing
- · Refresh vs mid-scope refit vs full layout change — picking the right NZ kitchen renovation scope
- · Do I need a building consent for my kitchen reno?
- · How to read a fixed-price kitchen contract (and what "PC sums" actually mean)
- · Stone, laminate or solid surface? Honest 2026 NZD bench-top comparisons
- · Fisher & Paykel vs Bosch vs Miele in a $35–80k mid-scope kitchen
- · Why your villa physically can't take an island — and what to do instead
- · LBP, BCITO, NKBA, Master Builders — what each accreditation actually means
In the meantime — start here
Each of these is the directory's reference page on the topic.
Scopes
- Refresh — New benches, doors, splashback, paint — boxes and layout stay.
- Mid-scope refit — New cabinetry, new appliances — bench, plumbing and walls stay where they are.
- Full layout change — Walls open, plumbing moves, layout changes — island, scullery, the works.
Layouts
- Single-wall — Everything against one wall — fridge, sink, cooktop in a row.
- Galley — Two parallel runs of bench with a working corridor between.
- L-shaped — Two adjacent runs of bench meeting at a corner.
- U-shaped — Three runs of bench enclosing the cook on three sides.
- Island — An L or U with a freestanding island as the social centre.
Regions
- Auckland
- Wellington
- Christchurch
- Hamilton
- Tauranga
- Dunedin
- Queenstown
- Napier
Regional cost multipliers apply on top of the base scope and layout pricing — see the scopes index for the base ranges.