Refresh · Budget tier
Refresh: Same boxes, new everything you touch
A kitchen refresh keeps the existing cabinet boxes and replaces the doors, drawer fronts, handles, benchtop and splashback. In New Zealand that sits in the budget tier of $15,000–25,000 (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026), because nothing moves and no services are relocated.
Not taking payment for this yet. We are contracting our launch joinery workshop now, so Refresh enquiries are held until it is signed. Send us your kitchen and we will tell you honestly where things stand.
What changes
- New doors and drawer fronts, made to your existing carcass sizes
- New handles and soft-close hardware
- A new benchtop, templated to the existing run
- A new splashback
- Sink and tap replaced in the same position
- Make-good and paint where the old benchtop met the wall
What stays
- The cabinet carcasses
- The layout, to the millimetre
- Plumbing and wiring positions
- The flooring, in most cases
What is not included
- Anything that moves a tap, waste or power outlet
- New appliances beyond swapping like for like
- Flooring replacement
- Structural work
Who this suits
Kitchens where the boxes are sound but the doors are chipped and the benchtop is tired
Selling in the next year and wanting the room to present
A rental you want to lift without moving a single service
Refresh questions
Can you re-door any kitchen?
Only if the carcasses are square, dry and structurally sound. Water-swollen particle board under the sink and racked boxes cannot be re-faced honestly, and we will say so at the consult rather than take the job.
Do I need a plumber for a refresh?
Yes, for the sink and tap. Disconnecting and reconnecting sanitary plumbing is work for an authorised plumber, so we book one even though nothing moves.
How long am I without a kitchen?
Usually one to two weeks on site, and the benchtop is templated after the cabinets are set, so there is normally a few days between the old top coming off and the new one going on.
Sources
- CheckMyBuilder, kitchen renovation cost (updated July 2026)
- Superior Renovations, kitchen renovation cost Auckland (2026)
Checked 15 September 2026. We re-check every published figure quarterly.
Want the real number for your kitchen?
$595 buys two layouts drawn to scale and a line-item budget you can price anywhere.
Book a design consult →