A Renovated Kitchen for $460... Or Not?

Wow! Have you seen the huge transformation that 2018’s The Block couple Norm & Jess have made to their home kitchen?! The recent reveal is stunning and made more impressive by the bold headlines on every news source “The $460 kitchen!” Or “The Block’s Jess and Norm Renovate Their Kitchen for $460”.

Crazy right?!

The pictures are fantastic and show a previously tired brown kitchen transformed with some smart paint choices, new grout and updated cabinetry knobs. The cost break down is there as are the how-to tips so the couch renovators can tackle their own renovation transformation at home.

But can we talk about the shutters not being in the budget please?

The original post makes a little reference to the newly installed shutters: “We renovated our kitchen for $460!... Shutters were additional, but not much”.

So how much could you expect to pay for plantation shutters if you have windows that look the same as these? How much should you budget for shutters if you really do want to attempt your own renovation?

With only the pictures to go off (and our years of measuring literally thousands of windows!) we’re hazarding a guess that the closest standard window sizes to those in the pictures are (width) 1.2m x 0.9m (drop) and 1.8m x 1.8m. While the price of shutters varies a lot throughout parts of Australia, you’d be very hard-pressed to find anyone supplying and installing plantation shutters of any decent quality for these two windows for under $1000 - which is already more than twice the cost of what was spent elsewhere in the kitchen renovation.

Recommended retail pricing from an Australian online public retailer has the estimated price for this job around $1400 - and that is without that company even providing any onsite consultation, check measure or installation service (all which can be added on by them for an additional  cost again).

The main thing to take home here is noticing and being aware that the cost of window furnishings has not been factored into the cost breakdown of the amazing reveal or the final renovation expenses. Sure the headline of renovating a kitchen for under $2000 isn’t as eye grabbing as renovating a kitchen for under $500, and advertising an amazing private discount not available to the public is very taboo, but don’t ever exclude new window dressings from your renovation or new build budget! It needs to be factored into every single room or overall costing. Otherwise you’ll find yourself displaying the original 1980s architrave and a dirty vertical blind in your otherwise renovated kitchen, or hanging bed sheets over your beautiful new windows because you didn’t factor in the cost of new plantation shutters.

Because without budgeting for new window furnishings, your renovated kitchen could look like this...

Artist impression of a kitchen renovation that actually does costs $460.

Or even this...

Artists impression of kitchen renovation that actually does cost $460 + spare bed sheet from closet.

To avoid the disappointment of having an unfinished house at handover, or to have an accurate idea of how much new window furnishings are really going to cost, contact your local window furnishings experts. Here at Riverina Plantation Shutters we offer free onsite consultations and quotes, and are happy to quote you from a floor plan or work with your builder to help factor your costs in.

Make sure your windows are finished properly.
Happy renovating and building!

Riverina Plantation Shutters
Wagga | Griffith | Albury
0447 311 500
rpshutters@gmail.com