Budget kitchen makeovers in Pakenham & Cardinia.

A budget makeover keeps the bones of your kitchen - the cabinet carcasses and the layout - and replaces everything you see and touch. For the thousands of 15-20 year old Cardinia Lakes and Lakeside builder kitchens where the cabinets are still solid but the laminate doors and 33mm tops look tired, it is by far the smartest spend: a kitchen that looks new for roughly a quarter to a third of a full renovation.

What we change.

• Doors and drawer fronts - new 2-pac, laminate or shaker doors, or a respray of the existing ones.
• Benchtop - a new laminate top, or step up to a compliant low-silica engineered-stone top.
• Handles - a modern handle changes the whole look instantly.
• Sink and tapware - new undermount or drop-in sink and mixer.
• Splashback - new tile, glass or a stone splash.
• Soft-close upgrade - new hinges and runners on the kept carcasses.

What we keep.

• The cabinet carcasses (provided they are sound - we probe-check for water damage).
• The existing layout and footprint.
• The existing plumbing and electrical positions.

Makeover or full renovation?

A makeover is right when the carcasses are sound, the layout works, and the kitchen just looks dated. If the cabinets are water-damaged, the layout is wrong for the way you live, or you want to move walls, plumbing or appliances, a full kitchen renovation is the better long-term value. We give you an honest recommendation either way at the free consultation.

Pricing - a worked example.

A Cardinia Lakes estate kitchen with new 2-pac doors and drawer fronts, new handles, a new laminate benchtop, a new sink and a tiled splashback comes in around $12,000. Keep the doors and just respray them, fit a laminate top and new handles, and you can land closer to $8,000. Step the benchtop up to compliant engineered stone and you are nearer $16,000-$18,000.

Minimal downtime.

Doors and benchtops are made off site while you keep cooking, then fitted in a short, well-sequenced install - usually one to two weeks on site versus three to five for a full renovation.