Kitchen layout
Island kitchens, costed
An island kitchen adds a freestanding bench to an L or U. If the island only holds storage and seating it is a cabinetry and benchtop cost. The moment it carries a sink or a cooktop it needs services run under the floor, which brings the $3,000–8,000 plumbing relocation band into the job (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026).
Updated
When does a island kitchen work?
Open-plan rooms and people who entertain: somewhere to perch a glass while someone else stirs the pot. A 1.8–3.0 m island plus the perimeter runs is typical, and it works when the room can give about 1.0–1.2 m of clear floor on every working side.
When does it not work?
Rooms under about 3.5 m wide, where clearances end up cramped, and budgets that cannot absorb services in the floor. A sink or hob in the island means waste, water and power under the slab or joists: $3,000–8,000 for plumbing relocation alone (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026).
What drives the cost of a island kitchen?
Services, if the island carries a sink or a hob: waste, water and power under the slab or joists cost $3,000–8,000 in plumbing relocation alone (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026). After that it is the slab, often a full piece with no join and a thick edge, then extraction and clearances.
| Driver | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Services in the floor | A sink or hob in the island means waste, water and power under the slab or joists: $3,000–8,000 for plumbing relocation alone (CheckMyBuilder, July 2026). |
| A large single benchtop slab | Islands often want a full slab with no join and a thick edge, which is the single most expensive piece of stone in a kitchen. |
| Extraction | A hob in the island needs either a ceiling canopy or a downdraft unit, both dearer than a wall canopy. |
| Clearances | Allow about 1.0–1.2 m around the island. If the room cannot give it, the island is the wrong answer regardless of budget. |
Island questions
Should the sink go in the island?
It is the nicest place to stand and the most expensive place to plumb. If the floor is a concrete slab, moving a waste into an island can dominate the plumbing budget, so we price it both ways at the consult before you decide.
How much clearance does an island need?
About 1.0–1.2 m of clear floor on every working side, so drawers, the dishwasher and the oven door can all open with someone standing there. This is the constraint that decides whether an island fits, not the budget.
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.