A kitchen renovation is one of the bigger jobs a Cape Town homeowner takes on, and it’s also one of the easiest to get wrong on price if you go in without a rough idea of what things cost. We fit kitchen cupboards across the city, so we see the full range: small flat kitchens getting a facelift, big Southern Suburbs kitchens getting gutted and redone, and everything between.
This guide covers what actually drives the cost of a kitchen renovation here, what’s usually included, and where people trip up on budget. We’ve kept the numbers as honest ranges rather than a single quote, because your final price depends on your kitchen, your board choice and how much of the existing layout you keep.
What goes into a kitchen renovation cost
Most quotes break down into a handful of parts, and each one moves the total up or down on its own.
- Cupboard boards and finish (melamine, Supawood or laminate)
- Hardware — hinges, drawer runners, handles
- Countertops (laminate, quartz or granite, depending on budget)
- Plumbing changes, if you’re moving a sink or dishwasher point
- Electrical work, if you’re adding points for a hob, oven or extractor
- Labour for demolition, fitting and installation
A straightforward cupboard swap that keeps the existing layout costs a lot less than a full renovation that moves the sink, changes the electrics and replaces the flooring too. It’s worth being clear upfront about which of these you actually need, because that’s what separates a R30,000 refresh from a R150,000-plus full renovation.
Kitchen renovation cape town: typical price bands
These are general South African ranges, not a quote for your kitchen — every job still needs a proper measure and site visit before we give you a number.
Rough price bands for a Cape Town kitchen
- Cupboard doors and hardware refresh: keeping the carcasses, replacing doors and handles — often the cheapest way to change how a kitchen looks
- Full cupboard replacement, same layout: new melamine or Supawood units built to your existing footprint
- Full renovation with layout changes: moving plumbing and electrics, new countertops, sometimes new flooring too — the most expensive option, but also the one that fixes a genuinely bad layout
Where you land in these bands depends heavily on board choice. Melamine is the most affordable option and still looks sharp when it’s fitted well. Higher-end laminates and solid surface countertops push the price up but last longer under daily use.
What’s usually involved in a kitchen renovation
A renovation isn’t just cupboards going up. Depending on the scope, the job can run through several trades before it’s done.
- Measuring and design — we come out, take proper measurements, and work out a layout that suits how you actually use the kitchen
- Quote and sign-off — a written quote before anything gets ordered
- Demolition — stripping out old kitchen cupboards and countertops
- Plumbing and electrical work, if the layout is changing
- Building and fitting the new cupboards
- Countertops and final fittings
- Flooring, if it’s part of the job
Not every renovation needs all seven steps. A lot of our jobs skip straight from measuring to fitting new cupboards because the layout is staying put and the plumbing points aren’t moving.
Kitchen renovations cape town: where flooring fits in
If your kitchen floor has seen better days, it makes sense to sort it out at the same time as the cupboards rather than coming back to it later. We fit laminate flooring in kitchens regularly, and doing it alongside a cupboard install means less disruption overall — one team, one mess, one clean-up at the end instead of two separate jobs weeks apart.
Where homeowners save, and where they shouldn’t
There are sensible places to cut cost on a kitchen renovation, and a few places where cutting corners costs you more later.
- Fine to save on: handles, splashback tiling, keeping your existing sink if it’s still in good shape
- Worth spending on: hinges and drawer runners — cheap hardware fails first and is annoying to replace later
- Almost always worth it: getting a proper quote and measure before you commit, rather than guessing off a showroom display
We’ve written more on board options and pricing in our guide to built-in kitchen cupboard prices, and if you’re still deciding on a look, our piece on built-in kitchen designs for Cape Town homes covers layouts that tend to work well in local houses.
How long a kitchen renovation cape town job takes
A cupboard-only replacement, same layout, usually takes a matter of days once the units are built — the build time is the longer part, the install itself moves fast because we’re not waiting on other trades. A full renovation with plumbing and electrical changes takes longer, simply because you’re coordinating more than one team on site.
Ordering time matters too. Once you’ve signed off a quote, we build to your measurements rather than pulling stock units off a shelf, so factor in a lead time before install day rather than expecting cupboards to arrive the next morning.
Common questions about kitchen renovation cost
Is it cheaper to reface cupboards than replace them?
Usually yes, if the carcasses are still solid. Swapping doors, handles and hardware while keeping the box structure is a smaller job than building new units from scratch, and it can make an old kitchen look genuinely different.
Do I need to move out during the renovation?
Most homeowners stay in the house. A kitchen goes out of use for the install period, so it helps to plan meals around a kettle and microwave for a few days if the job includes demolition and rebuilding.
What’s the biggest hidden cost people forget?
Plumbing and electrical changes. Moving a sink or adding a point for a built-in oven sounds small until you factor in the extra trade on site, so it’s worth deciding early whether you’re keeping those points where they are.
Getting a proper quote
Every kitchen is different, so the only way to get an accurate number is a site visit. We measure, talk through what you want changed, and give you a written quote before any board gets cut. If you’re planning a kitchen renovation and want a straight answer on cost, get in touch and we’ll come out and have a look.