Updated October 24, 2026 · TruOak Cabinetry & Construction
The short answer
Published Canadian guides put a kitchen renovation anywhere from about $12,000 to well over $75,000. NerdWallet Canada estimates $15,000 to $60,000 for a kitchen renovation (February 2026). A Toronto renovation guide from November 2025 gives $12,000 to $75,000 and more, with luxury kitchens above $100,000, and notes that Toronto costs more than the rest of Ontario.
Those are other people’s ranges, not a TruOak price. The spread is wide because "kitchen renovation" covers everything from new doors and a countertop to a new layout with moved plumbing. The rest of this guide explains where your project will land in that range, and why.
Three kinds of kitchen project
Most kitchens fall into one of these three. The scope decides the budget far more than the finishes do.
| Scope | What it usually includes | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh | Same layout and cabinet boxes. New doors or paint, hardware, countertop, backsplash, maybe lighting. | Countertop material, how many doors, whether the boxes are worth keeping. |
| New cabinetry, same layout | New cabinets built to the existing room, new countertop and backsplash. Plumbing and appliances stay where they are. | Amount of cabinetry, custom versus stock sizes, door style and finish, drawers and interior fittings. |
| Full renovation | New layout: walls, plumbing, gas or electrical moved, new flooring, lighting and often appliances. | Structural changes, moving the sink or range, permits, the condition of what is behind the walls. |
Where the money goes
Cabinetry is usually the single biggest line. One Canadian guide puts cabinets at 30 to 40 percent of the total kitchen budget. That is why it pays to get the cabinet design right before choosing anything else: the cabinets set the layout, the countertop size and the installation time.
After the cabinets, the large items are the countertop, appliances, the trades (plumbing and electrical), flooring and lighting, and the labour to demolish and rebuild the room. Countertops vary the most by material; the same Toronto guide lists quartz at $70 to $140 per square foot.
What pushes the price up or down
- Layout changes. Keeping the sink, range and fridge where they are is the biggest single saving. Moving them means plumbing, gas, electrical, and often new flooring.
- How much cabinetry. The length of cabinet runs and tall pantry units matter more than the size of the room.
- Custom, semi-custom or stock. Stock cabinets come in fixed widths and need filler strips; custom cabinets are built to the room and cost more up front.
- Door style and finish. Painted, stained, wood veneer and laminate doors are priced very differently.
- Drawers and inside fittings. Deep drawers, pull-outs and organizers add cost, and are usually what people use most every day.
- Countertop material. Laminate, quartz, granite, porcelain and wood sit at very different price points.
- What is behind the walls. Old wiring, plumbing or water damage found during demolition can add work that nobody could quote in advance.
Permits and licensed trades
Changing cabinets, counters and finishes usually does not need a building permit. Removing or moving walls, adding plumbing fixtures or changing the structure usually does, so check with the City of Ottawa before you start.
In Ontario, most electrical work must be filed with the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) through a notification of work, and anyone you hire to do it must be a licensed electrical contractor. Plumbing should be done by a licensed plumber. On a TruOak project, we coordinate these licensed trades and tell you during planning what your project needs.
How to keep the budget under control
- Decide the scope first: refresh, new cabinetry, or full renovation.
- Keep the plumbing where it is unless the new layout really earns it.
- Spend on what you touch every day (drawers, hinges, the countertop) before decorative extras.
- Make your selections before work starts, in writing. Changes in the middle of a job cost the most.
- Ask for a quotation tied to dimensioned drawings, so every quote you compare covers the same kitchen.
How to compare kitchen quotes
Two quotes for "a new kitchen" can describe two very different kitchens. Before comparing prices, check that each one shows the cabinet layout and sizes, the door style and finish, the countertop material, what is included for trades, demolition and disposal, and the warranty.
At TruOak, the quote is free. We measure your kitchen, draw it with you, confirm your selections in writing and tie the quotation to those drawings, so what is drawn is what is built. Every project has a 2-year warranty.
