Kitchen renovation checklist: what to sort before work starts

Before a kitchen renovation starts, settle your budget, the layout, your cabinets, benchtop and appliances, who holds which licence, and a written contract. In Queensland, the QBCC says building work over $3,300 needs a licensed contractor, a written contract and home warranty insurance.

Below is a checklist for each step, from the first quote to handover, with the jobs only a kitchen has: appliances, gas, cabinets made off site and the engineered stone ban. The rules come from government pages checked on 12 October 2026. They are a short summary, not legal advice.

How much should I budget for a kitchen renovation?

Set one total that covers the cabinets, benchtop, splashback, appliances, plumbing, gas, electrical and rubbish removal, not only the labour. Our kitchen renovation cost guide has the published price ranges for each finish level.

• Get more than one quote. The QBCC recommends it.
• Ask each contractor to price the same scope, materials, finishes and timeline, so you compare like with like.
• Ask if the quote includes a contingency for surprises, and if it covers the certificates, inspections and fees.
• Do not choose on price alone. The QBCC warns that if you accept a quote below fair market value, a home warranty claim may pay you less.

Should I keep the same kitchen layout?

If you can, yes. The sink, dishwasher and cooktop are tied to pipes, gas lines and wiring, so moving any of them brings in a licensed plumber, gas fitter or electrician. The QBCC lists moving fixtures such as kitchen sinks as notifiable plumbing work.

• Decide where the sink, cooktop, oven, fridge and dishwasher will go. Keep them in the same spots if those spots work.
• Mark every power point, light and switch you want. Moving a power point counts as electrical work, says the Electrical Safety Office.
• Decide how the rangehood will vent.
• Planning to move or take out a wall? Ask if it is load-bearing. The QBCC says major structural changes may need council approval, and our guide to council approval for renovations on the Gold Coast explains when.
• Agree the plan in writing before any work starts.

Does my kitchen have asbestos?

It might, if your home is older. The Queensland Government says a house built before 1990 has "a good chance" of containing asbestos. It lists wall sheeting in kitchens, and material under vinyl floors, as places it is found.

• Find out when your home was built.
• If it was before 1990, have the wall sheeting and old floor coverings checked before demolition.
• A homeowner needs a certificate to remove more than 10 m2 of bonded (non-friable) asbestos. A business needs a Class A or Class B asbestos removal licence.
• Loose, crumbly (friable) asbestos must only be removed by someone with an A class licence.

When should I choose cabinets, benchtop and appliances?

Before the cabinets are measured. The cabinets are built around the appliances and the benchtop sits on the cabinets, so a late change to one can hold up the others.

• Cabinets: flat pack, semi-custom or custom, the door finish, and drawers or doors. Our guide to what kitchen cabinets cost compares them.
• Benchtop: the material, the edge, and the cut-outs for the sink and cooktop.
• Appliances: oven, cooktop (gas or electric), rangehood, dishwasher and fridge. Get the model numbers and install guides to your contractor early.
• Splashback, sink and tapware.
• Who supplies what. If the contract has an allowance for appliances, check the amount. The QBCC gives kitchen appliances as an example of a "prime cost item", and says these allowances must be worked out with reasonable care.

Can I still get an engineered stone benchtop?

No. Since 1 July 2024 it has been an offence across Australia for a business to make, supply, process or install engineered stone benchtops, panels or slabs, says Safe Work Australia. The ban covers man-made stone with at least 1% crystalline silica.

It does not cover porcelain or sintered stone that contains no resin, or ceramic tiles. Some cost guides still list engineered stone, so skip those lines when you price your kitchen.

• Is your old benchtop engineered stone? Taking it out is still allowed. The business doing it must tell the work health and safety regulator first, and keep the dust under control.
• Check that each benchtop quote names the material.

Who needs a licence for a kitchen renovation in Queensland?

Building work over $3,300 must be done by a contractor with a QBCC licence. Plumbing, drainage and gas fitting need a QBCC licence at any value, and electrical work needs an electrical licence.

• Plumbing: the sink and dishwasher. The QBCC lists kitchen renovations as notifiable work, which the plumber must register.
• Gas fitting: a gas cooktop or oven, at any value.
• Electrical: new or moved power points, lights and anything hard-wired. The Electrical Safety Office says DIY electrical work is illegal, with penalties of up to $40,000 for individuals. Fitting an electric wall oven into its cabinet is not electrical work, but connecting it is.
• The main contractor: their QBCC licence class must cover the work they take on.

Look up every QBCC licence on the QBCC licensee register, which shows the full licence history. Check electricians on the Electrical Safety Office's licence search.

What should a kitchen renovation contract include?

Work over $3,300 needs a written contract, dated and signed by both of you before work begins, says the QBCC. Jobs from $3,301 to $19,999 use a level 1 contract, and jobs of $20,000 or more use a level 2 contract. Check that yours has:

• the contractor's name and QBCC licence number
• the address and a description of the work
• the contract price, or how it is worked out
• the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme premium
• the completion date, and for level 2, the start date too
• any plans and specifications
• a notice about your cooling-off rights

You should get a fully signed copy within 5 business days. For level 2, the contractor must give you the QBCC Consumer Building Guide before you sign. You then generally have 5 business days to cool off, starting the day after you get the signed contract. To pull out, give the contractor a signed letter. They can usually keep $100 plus reasonable out-of-pocket costs.

Any change later on (a variation) must be given to you in writing before that work starts, or within 5 business days of agreeing to it, whichever comes first. It must state any change to the price and any delay.

How much deposit can a contractor ask for in Queensland?

No more than 10% for a job from $3,301 to $19,999, and 5% for a job of $20,000 or more, according to the QBCC's deposits page. Kitchens have one exception.

Source: QBCC, deposits and progress payments, June 2025. The QBCC names made-to-measure kitchen cabinetry as an example of off-site work.

• A contractor cannot claim more than 50% of the price, deposit included, until at least half of the work on site is done.
• Pay only the amounts in the contract, on the dates in the contract. Paying more than the lawful deposit, or paying early, can cut your home warranty cover.

How do I live without a kitchen during the renovation?

Plan for the room to be out of use from demolition until the benchtop, sink and appliances are connected again. Ask for the timeline in writing, so you know how many weeks to plan for. Our guide to how long a kitchen renovation takes has more detail on each stage.

• Set up a stand-in kitchen in another room: the fridge, a kettle, a microwave and somewhere to wash up.
• Ask when the water, gas and power will be off, and for how long.
• Ask where the skip and the old cabinets will go, and how the floors along the way will be protected.
• In a unit, check what your body corporate needs before work starts.

Does a kitchen renovation need home warranty insurance?

Yes, if it costs more than $3,300, counting materials, labour and GST. The QBCC says the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme is compulsory for residential work over that amount.

• Your contractor collects the premium from you as part of the contract, and pays it to the QBCC before work begins.
• Look out for your Notice of Cover, which the QBCC sends by email. If it does not arrive, ask your contractor if the premium was paid.
• You can claim if the contractor does not finish the job or does not fix defects.
• Cover lasts 6 years and 6 months, and stays with the home if you sell.

What paperwork should I get when the kitchen is finished?

A plumbing notice, an electrical certificate and, if gas work was done, a gas compliance certificate. Keep them with your appliance warranties and manuals.

• Plumbing notice. The plumber must register the work with the QBCC within 10 business days of invoicing it, and give the owner or the person who hired them a copy.
• Electrical certificate. A certificate of testing and compliance, given as soon as possible after the work. If your contractor hired the electrician, it goes to the contractor, so ask for a copy.
• Gas compliance certificate. When a gas fitter finishes an installation, they must give the owner a gas system compliance certificate.
• Appliance warranties and manuals. The QBCC says a problem with an appliance after handover, such as an oven, goes to the product supplier, not the contractor.
• A final walk-through. List anything that needs fixing before the last payment.

We renovate kitchens across the Gold Coast, from full renovations to partial refits like new benchtops, doors and island benches. We book and run the trades, with licensed plumbers and electricians doing their parts, and you get a timeline with your proposal before any work starts. See our kitchen renovations page for how we run a job.

Where does this information come from?

Checked on 12 October 2026: the QBCC (when you need a licence, August 2021; comparing quotes, June 2026; finding a licensed contractor, December 2025; contract types, cooling-off, variations and deposits, all June 2025; notifiable work, February 2024; home warranty, May 2025; council or certifier, November 2025; handover documents, June 2026), Safe Work Australia (engineered stone ban, undated), the Electrical Safety Office (DIY electrical work, undated), WorkSafe Queensland (certificates of compliance, September 2019), Business Queensland (gas certificates, August 2026) and the Queensland Government asbestos site (September 2026). We will check these rules again every three months.

See our kitchen renovations work, or check what your job will cost.