The cost of a kitchen renovation depends mostly on how much of the old kitchen you keep. There are two parts to the bill. The first is the modular furniture: cabinets, shutters and the hardware fitted inside. At Reedify Modulars this costs from ₹1,600 per sq ft up to about ₹5,000 per sq ft, plus GST. The second is everything around the furniture: breaking or keeping the old platform, countertop, tiles, plumbing and electrical changes. That second part is where renovation budgets usually go wrong.
This guide splits a renovation into three common scopes, shows what the furniture costs for a typical kitchen, and lists the non-furniture work you need to price separately before you start.
Three ways to renovate a kitchen
Scope | What changes | What stays | Disruption |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Modular cabinets on the existing platform | New base units under the platform, wall units and a tall unit | Platform, countertop, sink and gas point positions, tiles | Lowest; kitchen out of use for a few days at installation |
2. New countertop and modular cabinets | Countertop replaced, new cabinets throughout | Layout, plumbing and gas positions | Medium |
3. Full rebuild | Old platform broken, new layout, new countertop, plumbing and electrical moved, new tiles | Only the room | Highest; kitchen out of use for the whole civil phase |
Which scope suits you depends on three questions. Does the existing layout work for how you cook? Is the platform at a comfortable height and in good condition? Do you need the sink, hob or fridge in a different place? If the answer to all three is yes, no and no, scope 1 is usually enough. The builder kitchen keep-or-remove guide goes through the platform, gas inlet and chimney decisions in detail.
What the modular furniture costs
The furniture part is priced on the front area of the cabinets: base units, wall units and tall units, width × height. The kitchen price per sq ft guide explains the method. For a typical L-shaped kitchen on a 10 ft and an 8 ft wall with one tall unit, the cabinet area works out to about 73 sq ft.
Specification | Rate per sq ft | Furniture estimate for 73 sq ft (before GST) |
|---|---|---|
Starting specification | ₹1,600 | ₹1,16,800 |
Top specification | ₹5,000 | ₹3,65,000 |
The furniture area is similar in all three scopes, because you usually need the same cabinets either way. What changes between scopes is the work around the furniture.
What moves the furniture cost within that range
Cabinet board: plywood or HDHMR, and its grade, especially for the sink unit
Shutter finish: laminate, acrylic, PU paint, painted gloss or glass
Hardware: Reedify fits Hettich and Häfele hardware; drawer stacks and lift-ups cost more than plain shutters
Design: corner solutions, handleless profiles and matching side panels
The work around the furniture: price it separately
These items are not modular furniture, and they are usually quoted by your civil contractor, plumber, electrician or stone supplier. Ask for each one as a separate line, so you can see what the renovation really costs.
Item | Scope 1 | Scope 2 | Scope 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
Breaking and removing the old platform and debris | No | No | Yes |
New countertop (granite or quartz) | No | Yes | Yes |
Wall and floor tiles | Usually no | Sometimes, behind the counter | Usually yes |
Plumbing: moving the sink or adding a purifier point | No | Sometimes | Often |
Electrical: new sockets for appliances, lights under wall units | Sometimes | Usually | Yes |
Gas pipe or chimney duct changes | No | Sometimes | Often |
Painting and touch-ups after installation | Small | Small | Yes |
If you are choosing a new countertop, the granite vs quartz guide compares the two.
Ask your modular kitchen maker exactly what is in its quote. Reedify's scope is the modular kitchen furniture itself: site measurement, 3D design, factory manufacturing and installation by its own team. Civil, tiling, plumbing and electrical changes need to be finished before the cabinets are installed.
The right order of work
Renovations run over budget when the steps happen in the wrong order. This sequence avoids most rework:
Decide the scope and layout. Fix where the sink, hob, fridge and tall unit will go before anyone breaks anything.
Get the 3D design. Reedify's site measurement and 3D design are free and come with no obligation. The design tells your plumber and electrician exactly where points are needed.
Finish civil, plumbing and electrical work. Platform, countertop, tiles, pipes and sockets go in first.
Final measurement. Walls change after plastering and tiling, so the cabinets are measured on the finished surfaces.
Factory manufacturing. Nothing is cut until you approve the design. Panels are cut, edge-banded and checked in the Rohtak factory.
Installation. Reedify's team installs, aligns the shutters and hands over.
Typical handover for the furniture is around 45 days from site measurement. Add the time your civil work takes in scopes 2 and 3. If you live in a high-rise, the NCR high-rise installation guide covers lift slots and society rules that affect the schedule.
Where to save without regretting it later
Keep the layout. Moving the sink or gas point is the most expensive change outside the furniture.
Keep a good platform. If the builder's platform is level, sound and at a height that suits the main cook, scope 1 saves the whole civil phase.
Spend on the sink unit board. It faces water every day. A better board there matters more than a premium finish on the wall units.
Use drawers where you need them. Drawer stacks next to the hob earn their cost; elsewhere, shutters with shelves are fine.
Put the premium finish where it shows. A gloss or PU finish on the wall units and laminate on the base units keeps the look and the budget.
For more ways to stay within a fixed amount, see the modular kitchen on a budget guide.
Hidden costs to ask about before you start
Removing and disposing of old cabinets and debris
Extra plumbing or electrical points found during demolition
Wall repairs once old cabinets come off
A new chimney duct opening if the hob moves
Temporary cooking arrangements while the kitchen is out of use
GST on the furniture quote
