How to read the figures on this page
Most joiners publish nothing on price. We think that makes it harder for homeowners to plan, so this page sets out sourced market ranges for Sydney in 2026. They are clearly labelled as market context, not Velora's prices, and they are there to help you set a realistic budget and compare quotes on the same footing.
Your actual cost depends on scope, size, materials, hardware and site conditions. We give you a written, itemised quote after a free on-site measure, and that is the only number you should plan a renovation around.
One practical point before the tables. A price for joinery normally covers design, board, finishes, hardware, manufacture and installation. Stone benchtops, appliances, tapware, plumbing, electrical and demolition are often separate line items, so two quotes that look far apart can simply be covering different things.
Custom kitchen costs in Sydney
Kitchens are where most of the money goes, and cabinetry is usually the biggest single line item, commonly 30 to 45% of a full renovation. The three tiers below reflect published 2026 Sydney guides for the kitchen joinery package.
| Kitchen tier | Indicative range | What it usually looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Budget / compact | $15,000 to $25,000 | Galley or L-shape, laminate doors, standard drawer and hinge hardware, modest overheads |
| Mid-range | $25,000 to $45,000 | Island bench, mix of laminate and 2-pac, more drawers than doors, a tall pantry or appliance tower |
| Premium fully-custom | $45,000 to $80,000+ | Large island, 2-pac or timber veneer throughout, integrated appliances, specialty internals, often a connected butler's pantry |
Indicative 2026 Sydney market context only, not Velora's prices and not a quote. Your cost depends on scope, size, materials, hardware and site conditions.
The jump between tiers is rarely one big decision. It is usually a dozen small ones: swapping doors for drawers, adding a second tall unit, moving from laminate to sprayed 2-pac, or taking cabinetry right to the ceiling. On our custom kitchens page we go through layouts and finishes in more depth.
Cabinetry per linear metre
A per-metre rate is a useful way to compare quotes like-for-like, especially when two joiners have drawn slightly different layouts. Measure the run of base and overhead cabinetry on each plan and divide.
| Door finish | Indicative rate per linear metre | Lead time in the workshop |
|---|---|---|
| Polyurethane (2-pac) | $400 to $700 | Longer, because of spraying and curing |
| Timber veneer | $600 to $1,000 | Longer, veneer is matched, finished and cured |
| Solid timber | $800 to $1,500+ | Longest, depends on species and supply |
Indicative 2026 Sydney market context only, not Velora's prices and not a quote. Your cost depends on scope, size, materials, hardware and site conditions.
Laminate from Polytec or Laminex usually sits below the 2-pac rate and is the fastest to make. It is also the tougher surface day to day. The honest trade-off is that laminate won't look like sprayed 2-pac up close, particularly on edges and in deep colours. Our custom cabinetry page explains finishes room by room.
Wardrobes, pantries and other rooms
Here are the same kind of market ranges for the other rooms we build. They line up with the figures on each service page, so you will see the same numbers wherever you land on the site.
| Project | Indicative range |
|---|---|
| Built-in wardrobe (sliding door) | from ~$4,000 |
| Walk-in dressing room | $8,000 to $15,000+ |
| Butler's pantry: compact shelved nook | from ~$8,000 |
| Butler's pantry: fully fitted secondary kitchen | $25,000 to $45,000+ |
| Vanity: compact wall-hung / powder room | $2,000 to $3,500 |
| Vanity: standard single, stone benchtop | $3,500 to $5,500 |
| Vanity: double-basin / premium stone | $5,500 to $8,500+ |
| Laundry: semi-custom cabinetry | $2,500 to $6,000 |
| Laundry: full custom joinery | $6,000 to $15,000+ |
| Home office: built-in desk + shelving | $4,000 to $8,000 |
| Home office: full-wall office / library | $12,000 to $25,000+ |
| Entertainment: floating media console | $3,500 to $7,000 |
| Entertainment: full media wall with storage | $8,000 to $15,000+ |
Indicative 2026 Sydney market context only, not Velora's prices and not a quote. Your cost depends on scope, size, materials, hardware and site conditions.
Notes on each room
Wardrobes. Price follows the internal fit-out more than the doors. A built-in or walk-in wardrobe with mostly hanging space costs less than one packed with drawers, pull-out shoe racks and lighting. A standard carcass is 600 mm deep for hanging, and anything shallower needs a pull-out rail.
Butler's pantries. The range is wide because the scope is. A shelved nook is simple storage, while a fitted butler's pantry can carry a second sink, dishwasher, bench and appliance power, which brings plumbing and electrical into the budget.
Vanities and laundries. These are wet areas, so carcasses are HMR (high moisture resistant) board and edges are sealed properly. Keeping existing plumbing points is the single biggest saving on a bathroom vanity or a laundry fit-out.
Offices and media walls. Length of wall and the amount of cable management drive most of the cost. Our home office joinery and entertainment unit pages cover the details.
Commercial and architectural joinery
These are priced against drawings, not per room, so ranges are broad. As market context, a reception desk or small commercial joinery package typically runs $4,000 to $30,000, and a full-floor package commonly costs $60,000 to $150,000 or more depending on finish and fire-rating requirements. For architectural joinery, feature wall panelling typically runs $400 to $900 per linear metre, and a whole-project package commonly costs $20,000 to $100,000 or more. We quote those against your architect's drawings after a drawing review.
What drives the price
Two kitchens of the same size can quote very differently. These are the factors that move the number up or down, and the ones we walk you through at your consultation so there are no surprises later.
- Size and linear metres. More cabinetry means more board, more hardware and more labour. Going floor to ceiling on a 2,700 mm ceiling adds a full row of overheads.
- Finish. Laminate is the value option. 2-pac and timber veneer cost more and take longer to make because of spraying, sanding between coats and curing.
- Hardware. Soft-close runners and hinges from Blum, Hettich or Häfele are standard for us, but specialty internals such as corner pull-outs, pull-down wardrobe rails and pantry systems add up quickly.
- Drawers versus doors. A bank of drawers costs more than a door with a shelf behind it, because each drawer carries its own runner set. Most people still prefer drawers in the lower cabinets.
- Benchtops and appliances. Porcelain, natural stone, integrated fridges and tapware are usually separate line items. Integrated appliances also need panels and precise cut-outs.
- Site conditions. Heritage walls that are out of square, tight terrace access, apartment lift bookings and uneven floors all affect installation time.
Where you can save without regret
Use laminate for carcasses, internals and low-visibility areas, and spend on the doors and panels people see and touch. Keep the sink and cooktop where the plumbing and gas already run. Choose a standard 600 mm cabinet depth unless there is a clear reason not to. These choices keep quality where it counts and trim the parts nobody notices.
Where cheaping out usually costs more
Cheap runners and hinges wear out long before the cabinetry does, and swapping them later is fiddly. Standard particleboard under a sink or in a laundry swells the first time there is a slow leak, which is why we use HMR board in wet areas. Skipping a proper site measure is the other false economy: scribing to a wall that is 15 mm out of plumb is far cheaper at the drawing stage than on install day.
How our quoting works
After a free on-site measure we prepare a photoreal 3D design and a written, itemised quote covering design, board, finishes, hardware and installation, line by line. The price you sign off is the price you pay. We don't drip-feed variations once work begins. If you change the scope yourself after sign-off, we price that change in writing before we do it.
Free consultation and measure
We visit, measure the room properly (walls, floors, ceiling height, service points) and talk through how you use the space and what you want to spend.
3D design and itemised quote
You get a 3D concept and a written quote broken into design, board, finishes, hardware and installation. Revisions to the design at this stage cost nothing extra in materials, because nothing has been cut.
Sign-off and deposit
Once you approve the drawings and quote, we lock in materials and book workshop time. Payments are staged, and the schedule is written into the quote.
Manufacture
Cabinetry is made in our [workshop suburb] workshop, typically 4 to 8 weeks from sign-off. Laminate is fastest, 2-pac and veneer take longest.
Installation and handover
We install, level, align doors and test every soft-close mechanism, then hand over with care instructions.
It's the fair way to compare us against any other joiner: ask every quote to itemise the same way. If one quote bundles everything into a single figure, ask for the breakdown before you decide. You can read more about how projects run on our FAQ page.
Comparing quotes fairly
Most budget blowouts we hear about come from comparing quotes that were never covering the same job. Before you choose, check each quote against this list.
- Is the door finish named (brand and product), not just "laminate" or "poly"?
- Is the carcass board specified, including HMR board for wet areas?
- Is the hardware brand named, and is soft-close included on every drawer and door?
- Are benchtops, splashbacks and appliances included or excluded, in writing?
- Is installation included, along with removal of packaging and rubbish?
- Who coordinates the plumber, electrician and stone mason, and is that time priced?
- What is the payment schedule, and what does the workmanship guarantee cover?
Tip: ask each joiner to give you a per-linear-metre figure for the cabinetry alone. It is the simplest way to see who is expensive and who has just drawn more cabinets.
Costs across Sydney's regions
Our pricing method is the same everywhere we work, and travel within our core service areas is included. What changes from region to region is the site. Heritage terraces in the Inner West need more scribing, apartments in the CBD and Inner South need lift and loading-dock bookings, and coastal homes on the Northern Beaches call for hardware and finishes suited to salt air. See all our service areas, or browse example projects to see what different budgets produce.