Homeowner-managed kitchen renovation
Run your own kitchen reno. Without the 45% markup.
Cabinetry, benchtops, appliances, plumbing and electrical — coordinated from one portal, priced at supplier trade accounts, sequenced so the template gets cut once and the splashback gets ordered before tiling starts.
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The savings
A typical $45–75k kitchen from a kitchen company carries 40–45% in markup across cabinetry, stone, appliances, trades and project management. Most of that markup is the kitchen company itself — showroom, sales commission, in-house design, project management, employed install team — sitting on top of the cabinetmaker and stonemason who actually do the work. My Reno HQ replaces the kitchen company, not the cabinetmaker. We do the design and selections, then send your drawings to curated local cabinetmakers and stonemasons for quote. You pay them direct for what they actually build, and skip the rest. Project-manage it yourself and you save 20–25%. Pick up demo, painting and the appliance install yourself and it moves past 30%.
Same three-stage system, kitchen-specific throughout.
01
Scan & Concept — $399
$399
90-second LiDAR scan of the existing kitchen with your iPhone Pro (via Metaroom, free). We come back with two or three layout options — galley, L, U or island — a cabinetry colourway direction in Polytec or Laminex, an appliance shortlist that actually fits the cut-outs, and a realistic all-in budget. Includes free library access. Pay Stage 1 and stop here if it doesn't add up.
02
Detailed Design — $699
$699
Construction drawings: cabinet elevations, hardware schedule (Blum runners and hinges by default), benchtop spec with edge profile, appliance specifications with services, splashback selection narrowed to three options, and a plumbing/electrical rough-in plan. Plus a week-by-week build sequence so the stone template happens after carcasses land — not before. Unlocks after Stage 1.
03
Trades & Build — $150 + products
$150 + milestones
Vetted cabinetmakers, sparkies, plumbers and stonemasons quote against the same drawings, line by line. You award the work, milestone payments release on your sign-off via Stripe Connect, and the portal tracks the template-then-install cadence so nothing arrives in the wrong order. Unlocks after Stage 2.
Pay each stage as you go — no subscription, no obligation to continue beyond Stage 1.
What's different about a kitchen reno.
Cabinetry done properly
Carcass spec, door material (Polytec Thermolaminated, Laminex, two-pack), Blum hardware schedule, kick height, drawer stack — all locked before the cabinetmaker quotes. No vague 'standard inclusions'.
Appliance fit-out that actually fits
Oven, cooktop, rangehood, dishwasher and fridge cavity dimensioned against real model numbers. Power, gas and ducting marked on the rough-in plan so the sparky and plumber aren't guessing on site.
Template-then-install cadence
Stone benchtops only get templated after carcasses are in. The portal sequences it so the stonemason isn't booked for a template that has to be redone, and the splashback is ordered to match the actual template — not the drawing.
Plumbing & electrical rough-in
Sink waste, dishwasher line, fridge water point, induction circuit, rangehood ducting, under-cabinet lighting, GPO locations along the splashback — all on one drawing the trades quote against.
Splashback choice without the paralysis
Tile, slab, glass or stainless — narrowed to three options that suit the cabinetry colour, the benchtop and the budget. Priced before you pick, not after.
One supplier chain
Polytec, Laminex, Blum, Caesarstone, Smeg, Fisher & Paykel, Westinghouse — the accounts and the pricing are already in place. You get the trade discount the builder would have kept.
Pricing
$399 to start.
Includes free library access
Three stages. $399 to start, $699 for the detailed design pack, $150 to run the trade-quoting and build phase. Products and trades are paid at supplier and trade rates direct to suppliers — milestone payments release on your sign-off via Stripe Connect. We never hold the build money. No subscription, no obligation to continue past Stage 1.
Kitchens reward the homeowner who plans them properly and punish the one who doesn't. Start with the $399 scan and concept — if the numbers don't work, you've spent $399 to find out. If they do, you've got a real path to a kitchen that's been priced, drawn and sequenced before a single cabinet is ordered.