A kitchen renovation is usually the most complex room in the house: joinery, stone, appliances, plumbing, electrical, ventilation and often structural change all meet in one space. The order in which you make decisions has more impact on the outcome than any single finish.
1. Start with the layout, not the finishes
Before choosing tiles or a splashback, resolve the layout. Work triangle, bench runs, appliance zones and circulation drive the design. A well-planned galley can outperform a poorly-planned island kitchen twice its size.
Placeholder — replace with final copy
Expand on your standard planning heuristics — minimum bench runs each side of the cooktop, sink-to-fridge distances, walkway widths, island overhang for seating.
2. Set a realistic budget
Placeholder — replace with final copy
Insert current Sydney kitchen renovation cost ranges: entry / mid / high, and what drives cost between them (joinery finish, stone, appliance package, structural work).
3. Decide on joinery and stone early
Joinery lead times set the critical path of the build. Custom cabinetry needs 6–10 weeks from measure to delivery, and stone is templated once the cabinets are in. Locking these decisions in before demolition — not after — is what keeps the site moving.
Placeholder — replace with final copy
Cover your typical joinery specs — box construction, hardware (Blum/Hettich), door finish options, edge profiles — and the stone options you recommend for the mocha/cream palette.
4. Appliances, ventilation and services
Placeholder — replace with final copy
Detail the coordination points between appliances and joinery — induction vs gas, integrated fridge dimensions, rangehood ducting, pot filler plumbing, filtered water. Note where trades need to be rough-in ready.
5. Approvals and structural change
A cosmetic kitchen refresh needs no approval. Removing a wall to open the kitchen to living usually does — either a CDC or a DA depending on whether the wall is load-bearing and whether external openings change. Engineer's certification is almost always required for structural changes.
Placeholder — replace with final copy
Add the specific scenarios where approval is/isn't needed.
6. Timeline: what to expect
Placeholder — replace with final copy
Typical Milani Concepts kitchen timeline from first sketch → final handover, broken down by phase.
Common mistakes
Placeholder — replace with final copy
Your list of the mistakes you see most — choosing appliances after joinery is drawn, undersizing the pantry, forgetting task lighting, ignoring rangehood ducting, etc.
