Laundry Renovations & Cabinetry VIC 2026 - Complete Pricing Guide

Laundry Renovation Costs in Victoria for 2026

The laundry has evolved from a purely utilitarian space hidden at the back of the house into a well-designed functional room that homeowners want to look good and work efficiently. Victorian homes from every era present different starting points for laundry renovation: period homes in Melbourne's inner suburbs often have tiny, poorly configured laundries squeezed into lean-to additions or under stairwells, while post-war suburban homes typically have larger dedicated laundry rooms with more straightforward renovation scope. Modern homes in Melbourne's growth corridors may have European-style laundry cupboards integrated into hallways or kitchens, requiring creative design solutions to maximise functionality within a compact footprint.

The return on investment for laundry renovations in Victoria is strong relative to other home improvement projects. Real estate agents consistently report that a well-renovated laundry positively influences buyer perception and contributes to sale price, particularly when the renovation is sympathetic to the home's overall style and demonstrates attention to practical functionality. A $10,000 to $15,000 mid-range laundry renovation in a Melbourne suburban home can add $15,000 to $25,000 to the property's perceived value, making it one of the higher-return renovation investments available to Victorian homeowners.

Cabinetry Options and Costs

Laundry cabinetry ranges from budget flat-pack options through semi-custom modular systems to fully bespoke joinery designed and built to your exact specifications. Flat-pack laundry cabinets from suppliers like Bunnings and Kaboodle cost $500 to $2,000 for a basic configuration of base cabinets, overhead cabinets, and a trough unit. These cabinets are functional and adequate for budget refreshes but offer limited customisation, standard sizes that may not maximise your available space, and construction quality that reflects their price point. The carcass material is typically 16mm melamine-faced particle board with standard hinges and drawer runners, which performs adequately in dry areas but can swell and deteriorate if exposed to persistent moisture, making proper ventilation and splash protection important.

Semi-custom modular cabinetry from specialist kitchen and laundry companies costs $2,000 to $5,000 and offers better construction quality, a wider range of finishes and configurations, and the ability to combine standard modules in arrangements that better suit your space. Many Melbourne-based cabinetry companies including manufacturers in the south-eastern industrial areas of Dandenong, Hallam, and Bayswater produce semi-custom laundry cabinetry with lead times of two to four weeks and offer design consultation as part of the service. Semi-custom cabinets typically feature 18mm moisture-resistant board, soft-close hinges and drawer runners, and a broader palette of door styles from flat slab through shaker profile to handleless push-to-open designs.

Fully custom joinery designed and built by a cabinet maker to your exact specifications costs $4,000 to $8,000 or more and delivers maximum space utilisation, premium materials and finishes, and the ability to incorporate features like integrated ironing board storage, pull-out sorting hampers, concealed appliance housing, and custom shelving configurations. Custom joinery is the appropriate choice when the laundry space has unusual dimensions, heritage features that require sympathetic design, or when the homeowner wants a specific aesthetic that cannot be achieved with modular components. Custom cabinet makers in Melbourne typically work with lead times of four to eight weeks, and the design process includes detailed measurements, 3D renders, and material samples before production begins.

Door and drawer front finishes significantly affect both the appearance and cost of laundry cabinetry. Melamine wrap is the most affordable option at the base of each tier. Vinyl-wrapped (thermoformed) doors provide a seamless finish with no visible edges, available in matt, gloss, and textured finishes at a moderate cost premium. Two-pack polyurethane (spray-painted) doors deliver the smoothest, most durable finish with unlimited colour matching capability, but at the highest cost point. Timber veneer doors provide a natural wood appearance over an engineered substrate, suited to homes where a warm, organic aesthetic is desired. The finish choice should balance the desired appearance with the laundry's moisture environment: spray-painted and vinyl-wrapped finishes resist moisture better than standard melamine in humid conditions.

Benchtop Materials and Pricing

The benchtop is the primary working surface in the laundry and needs to withstand water exposure, stain-causing products, and the weight and vibration of appliances placed on or adjacent to it. Laminate benchtops cost $500 to $1,200 for a standard laundry configuration and offer excellent value with a wide range of colours and patterns including convincing stone-look finishes. Modern laminate with post-formed edges and moisture-resistant particle board substrate performs well in laundry environments with proper care.

Engineered stone (reconstituted quartz) benchtops from brands like Caesarstone, Silestone, and Essastone cost $1,000 to $2,500 for a standard laundry and provide superior durability, water resistance, and a premium appearance. Engineered stone is the most popular benchtop choice for mid-range to premium laundry renovations in Melbourne because it offers near-natural stone aesthetics with better consistency and lower maintenance. Natural stone (granite, marble) costs $1,500 to $3,000 or more and provides the ultimate luxury finish, though marble requires sealing and care to prevent staining from laundry products.

Plumbing Requirements

Plumbing work is required in most laundry renovations because the layout change typically involves moving or adding hot and cold water supply points, repositioning the drain for the trough or washing machine, and potentially adding or relocating floor waste drains. If the laundry layout remains unchanged and the existing plumbing positions align with the new cabinetry, plumbing costs are limited to disconnection and reconnection of the trough and washing machine at $300 to $600. Relocating plumbing points to accommodate a new layout adds $800 to $3,000 depending on the distance of relocation, the access conditions (slab floor versus timber floor), and whether the work involves modifying shared drainage stacks in multi-storey properties.

Hot water system considerations are relevant when the laundry renovation coincides with an ageing hot water system approaching end of life. Relocating or replacing the hot water system during the renovation avoids future disruption and allows the plumber to optimise the new system's positioning for the renovated layout. Victorian plumbing work requires a licensed plumber and compliance certificates lodged with the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC).

Electrical Requirements

Laundry electrical requirements include powerpoints for the washing machine and dryer (dedicated circuits are recommended for dryers drawing more than 10 amps), lighting appropriate for the tasks performed in the space, and potentially a dedicated circuit for an instantaneous hot water unit if one is being installed during the renovation. A typical laundry electrical scope during renovation includes two to four new or relocated powerpoints, a new LED ceiling light or under-cabinet task lighting, and a safety switch upgrade if the existing switchboard lacks adequate RCD coverage for the wet area circuits.

The electrical component of a laundry renovation costs $400 to $1,500 depending on the scope. A simple powerpoint relocation within the existing wall costs $150 to $300. Adding a dedicated dryer circuit from the switchboard costs $200 to $500. Installing LED downlights to replace an existing single light fitting costs $200 to $500. A complete electrical fitout for a premium laundry renovation including multiple circuits, task lighting, and surge protection costs $800 to $1,500. All electrical work must be performed by a licensed electrician with a Certificate of Electrical Safety (CES) lodged through Energy Safe Victoria. Our rangehood installation guide covers ducted and recirculating system pricing across Victoria.

Tiling and Waterproofing

Tiling the laundry floor and splashback area transforms the room's appearance and provides a durable, water-resistant surface that is easy to clean. Floor tiling costs $40 to $120 per square metre including supply and installation, with a typical laundry of 4 to 8 square metres costing $300 to $1,000 for the floor. Splashback tiling behind the benchtop and trough costs $300 to $1,500 depending on the tile selection and area. Feature tiles, subway tiles, and decorative patterns are popular choices that add visual interest to the laundry at modest additional cost compared to plain tiles. Our locksmith guide covers lock replacement, rekeying, and security upgrade pricing across Victoria.

Waterproofing is a critical consideration for laundry renovations in Victoria. The Building Code of Australia requires waterproofing of wet areas including laundries where a shower or bath is present (common in laundry/bathroom combinations) and around the washing machine connection area. Even where not strictly required by the BCA, waterproofing the laundry floor provides valuable protection against washing machine leaks, burst hoses, and overflows that can cause thousands of dollars in water damage to flooring and adjacent rooms. Waterproofing a laundry floor costs $500 to $1,500 depending on the area and the membrane system used. Our EV charger installation guide covers home charging system pricing across Victoria.

Layout and Design Considerations

Effective laundry design prioritises workflow efficiency: sorting dirty laundry, loading the washing machine, transferring to the dryer or hanging line, folding and ironing, and storing clean items. A well-designed layout places these functions in a logical sequence with adequate bench space for sorting and folding, storage for laundry products and cleaning supplies, and clear access to appliances. Common layout configurations include the galley layout (cabinetry along one wall with appliances, suitable for narrow laundries), the L-shaped layout (cabinetry along two adjacent walls, providing more bench and storage space), and the U-shaped layout (cabinetry on three walls, maximising functionality in larger rooms). If existing circuits are causing problems, electrical fault finding should be completed before any new installation work proceeds.

Melbourne's diverse housing stock creates specific design challenges. Inner-suburban terrace houses often have laundries in narrow lean-to additions less than 1.5 metres wide, requiring creative space-saving solutions such as stacking the dryer above the washing machine, using a compact trough, and maximising vertical storage with floor-to-ceiling overhead cabinets. Period homes in Fitzroy, Carlton, Richmond, and South Melbourne may have heritage overlay restrictions that affect external modifications visible from the street, though internal laundry renovations are generally exempt. Post-war homes across the middle and outer suburbs typically have larger dedicated laundry rooms with more straightforward renovation scope and room for a full galley or L-shaped layout with generous bench space. Our CCTV installation guide covers camera system pricing across Victoria.

Modern homes in Melbourne's growth corridors including Craigieburn, Tarneit, Clyde, and Pakenham may have European-style laundry cupboards integrated into hallways that can be expanded into adjacent spaces if walls are removed. Townhouses and apartments across Melbourne's inner and middle suburbs often have compact laundries where every centimetre matters and the design must accommodate a full-size washing machine and dryer within a space barely larger than a wardrobe. A professional designer or experienced renovator who regularly works with compact Victorian laundries can maximise functionality within your specific space constraints and recommend solutions you may not have considered. Our data cabling guide covers ethernet and structured wiring pricing across Victoria.

Storage design is often the most impactful element of a laundry renovation. Overhead cabinets above the washing machine and dryer provide storage for laundry products, towels, and bed linen that would otherwise occupy space elsewhere in the home. Pull-out hampers built into base cabinets allow dirty laundry to be sorted directly into the cabinet without a separate laundry basket occupying floor space. A dedicated broom cupboard or cleaning supplies cabinet consolidates household cleaning items that are otherwise scattered across multiple rooms. Fold-out ironing boards that mount inside a cabinet door provide ironing capability without a freestanding board taking up space in the laundry or another room. For urgent situations outside business hours, our emergency electrician guide covers after-hours rates across Victoria.

Appliance Considerations

While appliance costs are separate from the renovation budget, the appliance selection must be coordinated with the cabinetry design because the cabinet dimensions, door clearances, plumbing positions, and electrical requirements all depend on the specific appliances being installed. Washing machines range from $600 to $2,500 for residential models, with front-loaders being the overwhelmingly popular choice for renovated laundries because they allow a benchtop to be installed above the machine, stacking with a dryer, and integration within cabinetry. Top-loader washing machines remain popular in budget-focused renovations but prevent benchtop installation above the machine and cannot be stacked with a dryer, limiting the design options for compact laundries. Our intercom and access control guide covers video intercom and electronic entry pricing across Victoria.

Dryers range from $500 to $2,500, with heat pump dryers ($1,200 to $2,500) now preferred for their energy efficiency and the ability to install them without an external vent. Traditional vented dryers require a vent duct to the building exterior, which adds $100 to $300 for the vent installation and constrains the dryer's position to a location where an external wall is accessible. Heat pump dryers produce condensate water instead of venting moist air, which can be collected in an internal tank or plumbed directly to a drain point. The elimination of the external vent gives complete flexibility in dryer positioning within the laundry and avoids cutting a hole in the external wall. Condenser dryers ($600 to $1,200) also avoid external venting but use more energy than heat pump models. Our oven and cooktop guide covers electric, gas, and induction installation pricing across Victoria.

Appliance installation during a laundry renovation is typically included in the renovation scope, with the plumber connecting the washing machine and the electrician connecting the dryer. If you are installing a heat pump dryer that produces condensate, the plumber can connect the condensate drain to the existing drainage rather than relying on the dryer's internal water tank that requires periodic emptying. Washing machine taps should be specified as quarter-turn ceramic disc taps that can be shut off quickly in the event of a burst hose, and braided stainless steel hoses should replace older rubber hoses that deteriorate and are the most common cause of internal flooding in Australian homes.

Ventilation and Moisture Management

Laundries generate significant moisture from washing machines, dryers, and drying clothes hung on indoor airers. Without adequate ventilation, this moisture leads to condensation, mould growth, paint deterioration, and potential damage to cabinetry and building fabric. A quality laundry renovation should include a ceiling exhaust fan ducted to the building exterior, sized to achieve at least 25 litres per second of airflow (the minimum requirement under the BCA for laundries). Exhaust fans cost $200 to $600 installed including the ducting to the exterior wall or roof.

Natural ventilation through an operable window is the most energy-efficient moisture management approach and is required by the BCA for habitable rooms. If the laundry has a window, the renovation design should preserve its operability rather than blocking it with overhead cabinets. If natural ventilation is insufficient or unavailable (internal laundries without windows), mechanical ventilation through a ducted exhaust fan is mandatory. Properties in Melbourne's more humid coastal suburbs and in the Gippsland region may benefit from higher-capacity ventilation to manage the additional moisture load from the local climate.

Laundry and Bathroom Combinations

Combining a laundry with a second bathroom or powder room is a popular renovation strategy in Victorian homes where space is limited and an additional bathroom would add significant value. The combined space typically includes a shower or bath, toilet, vanity, washing machine, dryer, and laundry storage, all within a single room that is designed to serve both functions without feeling cramped. Laundry/bathroom combinations cost $20,000 to $45,000 or more depending on the size, specification level, and the extent of plumbing and structural work required. This is a particularly popular renovation for three-bedroom Victorian homes with only one existing bathroom, where adding a combined laundry and second bathroom can add $40,000 to $80,000 to the property value while eliminating the morning bottleneck that families with teenagers know all too well.

The combined approach requires careful attention to waterproofing, ventilation, and layout to ensure both functions work effectively. The entire room must be waterproofed as a wet area under the Building Code of Australia, with the waterproofing membrane extending up walls to the required heights (1,800mm in shower areas, 150mm elsewhere). Ventilation must handle the moisture from both bathing and clothes drying, typically requiring a higher-capacity exhaust fan rated at 40 litres per second or more. The layout must allow comfortable use of each function without conflict, with the laundry appliances ideally concealed behind cabinet doors when the room is being used as a bathroom.

Successful laundry/bathroom combinations in Melbourne homes typically use several design strategies to maximise the dual-function space. Bifold or sliding cabinet doors that conceal the washing machine and dryer when not in use create a clean bathroom aesthetic that does not feel like a laundry. A continuous benchtop extending from the bathroom vanity to the laundry trough area creates visual cohesion and additional working surface. Consistent tiling throughout the room, rather than different finishes for the bathroom and laundry zones, makes the space feel larger and more intentionally specific days and hours to minimise disruption to other residents.

Melbourne Metropolitan Pricing

Laundry renovation pricing across Melbourne reflects the competitive renovation market with rates varying by the project scope rather than dramatic regional differences. A mid-range laundry renovation in the outer suburbs costs $7,000 to $14,000 compared to $9,000 to $16,000 in inner Melbourne, with the difference reflecting higher trade rates in inner suburbs and the additional complexity of working in older, more constrained building structures.

Regional Victoria Pricing

Regional Victorian laundry renovations reflect local housing stock and lifestyle patterns that differ from metropolitan Melbourne. Geelong's period workers' cottages in Newtown, Geelong West, and Chilwell often have laundries in rear lean-to additions with limited waterproofing and original galvanised plumbing that a renovation replaces entirely, and local cabinet makers in the Geelong industrial precinct offer competitive pricing on custom joinery. Ballarat homes contend with hard bore water that deposits mineral scale on taps and appliance connections faster than Melbourne's softer water supply, making quality tapware with ceramic cartridges and accessible service points particularly important in laundry renovations. Bendigo's hot summers and cold winters create significant condensation risk in laundries, and the renovation should include adequate ventilation (ceiling exhaust fan vented to exterior, not into the roof cavity) and insulation to prevent moisture damage to surrounding walls and flooring. Rural properties throughout Gippsland, the Western District, and north-eastern Victoria often have separate laundry buildings or laundries in converted outbuildings, where the renovation scope may include re-plumbing the hot and cold water supply from the main dwelling, upgrading the electrical supply with a dedicated sub-board, and installing adequate drainage that connects to the property's septic or wastewater system rather than a mains sewer connection.

Regional Victorian centres offer laundry renovation at rates 10 to 20 percent below Melbourne for the labour component, with material costs remaining broadly consistent statewide. A mid-range renovation in Geelong costs $6,500 to $12,500 compared to $7,500 to $14,000 in outer suburban Melbourne. Ballarat and Bendigo offer similar savings, with local cabinetmakers and renovators providing competitive alternatives to Melbourne-based companies. Heritage homes in these regional centres may require specialist joinery that matches the property's period character, which can increase cabinetry costs by 20 to 40 percent compared to standard contemporary designs but adds character and value to the finished space. Rural properties across Gippsland, the western district, and north-east Victoria may face additional travel charges from trades based in the nearest regional centre, making it worthwhile to bundle the laundry renovation with other improvement projects. Combining the laundry renovation with other home improvement projects including electrical safety inspections, powerpoint upgrades, or ceiling fan installation maximises value by sharing the trade coordination and mobilisation costs across multiple scopes of work.

What to Look for in Renovation Quotes

A comprehensive laundry renovation quote should itemise every component: demolition and removal of existing fixtures, cabinetry (brand, material, configuration), benchtop (material, dimensions), tiling (tile type, area, and whether supply is included), plumbing work (itemised scope), electrical work (itemised scope including CES), painting, and any structural work. The quote should specify a fixed price or clearly state which components are provisional sums that may vary based on site conditions. A detailed quote protects both you and the renovator by setting clear expectations for the scope and cost of every element.

Verify the main contractor holds a Domestic Builder registration with the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) if the total renovation cost exceeds $10,000 (the threshold for domestic builder registration in Victoria). Electrical work must be performed by a licensed electrician with CES lodgement. Plumbing work requires a licensed plumber with BPC compliance certificates. Waterproofing must be performed by a licensed applicator and inspected before tiling commences. The Consumer Affairs Victoria website provides guidance on domestic building contracts, cooling-off periods, and dispute resolution through the BPC and VCAT.

Laundry renovations connect with numerous related trades and services. The electrical component typically includes new powerpoints, lighting upgrades, and potentially surge protection for the switchboard. If electrical faults are discovered during demolition, addressing them during the renovation avoids future disruption. Appliance connections for washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers fall under appliance installation. Security upgrades to the laundry door including new locks may be warranted if the laundry provides external access. Properties undertaking broader renovation projects may also coordinate oven and cooktop installation, rangehood installation, data cabling, and security infrastructure including CCTV, alarm systems, and intercom systems. For emergency electrical issues during renovation, after-hours rates apply. EV charger installation can also be coordinated during the electrical phase of a major renovation. The Standards Australia framework and the WorkSafe Victoria guidelines govern workplace safety during renovation projects. Our alarm system guide covers monitored and standalone security system pricing across Victoria.

Post your laundry renovation job on The Quote Yard to connect with qualified renovators across Victoria for cabinetry, benchtops, tiling, plumbing, electrical, and complete laundry fitouts from budget refreshes through to premium custom designs with stone benchtops and bespoke joinery.