Stream · Wet areas, where the trades collide

The two most expensive rooms in the house, per square metre.

Kitchens and bathrooms pack more trades into fewer square metres than any other rooms: plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, tiling, joinery and stone, all sequenced in a tight order. Auckland is unusually well served here: five providers publish real cost figures, from component-level bathroom pricing to full kitchen budget bands. The layout decision, move the plumbing or not, does more to your budget than any other single choice.

Bathrooms $25k–$35k Kitchens $30k–$90k Trades $10k–$15k fixed

Is this your stream?

Yes, when the project is one wet room (or two).

A bathroom strip-out and rebuild, a leaking shower rebuild, or a kitchen replacement with new joinery and benchtops. Specialist renovation companies quote these constantly and often beat general builders on both price and speed.

Pause, when the room is part of a bigger change.

A kitchen that comes with a wall removal, or a bathroom inside an extension, is the renovation stream with a wet room inside it. And a single leaking mixer is a plumber's hourly job, not a renovation.

What it costs in Auckland

$25k–$35k

The mid-range bathroom

Superior Renovations' 2026 Auckland guide puts a full mid-range bathroom at $25,000–$35,000, with budget refreshes from $8,000 and luxury to $65,000+. Pzazz's real project range is $19,000–$45,000+ with component pricing published.

$30k–$90k

The kitchen bands

Add Value Renovations prices refreshes at $30,000–$50,000 and mid-range kitchens at $50,000–$90,000; Superior puts mid-range at $26,000–$35,000; Build Unlimited's mid-spec figure is $35,000–$55,000. Structural changes add $20,000–$80,000.

$10k–$15k

The fixed trades component

Plumbers, electricians and tilers at Auckland's $90–$120/hour account for $10,000–$15,000 of a bathroom regardless of size (Superior). What scales is tiles, waterproofing membrane and fittings, which is where quote comparison should focus.

Auckland providers, compared

Five specialists with published Auckland numbers, grouped by what they are best at. Hover a row for the detail that matters.

Add Value Renovations Via website

$30k–$90k kitchensPublished guides

Auckland renovation builder (Registered Master Builder, LBP, 500+ Auckland projects) publishing a 2026 kitchen guide: like-for-like refreshes at $30,000–$50,000, mid-range renovations with new cabinetry and stone benchtops at $50,000–$90,000, high-end designer kitchens at $90,000–$200,000+, plus a bathroom guide at $20,000–$35,000 standard. Best for design-and-build with the budget bands published before the consult.

Superior Renovations Via website

$25k–$35k mid-rangePublished Auckland guide

Auckland renovation company publishing detailed 2026 cost guides: mid-range bathrooms at $25,000–$35,000 (budget refreshes from $8,000, luxury to $65,000+) and mid-range kitchens at $26,000–$35,000 (luxury $62,000–$138,000+), with the fixed trades component at $10,000–$15,000 regardless of room size. Best for a specialist with the most granular published Auckland numbers.

Refresh Renovations Via website

$20k–$90k bathroomsProject-managed

National renovation franchise with Auckland teams, publishing bathroom case studies from around $20,000 to upwards of $90,000, run through a project-managed model with one consultant owning design, consent and build. Best for a single point of accountability on a wet-area project.

Build Unlimited Via website

$35k–$55k mid-spec kitchensPublished figures

Auckland builders publishing kitchen renovation figures: a mid-spec kitchen in a standard Auckland home typically $35,000–$55,000, within a wider $28,000–$120,000 range depending on scope. Best for a builder-led kitchen quote benchmarked against published local numbers.

Pzazz Building Via website

$19k–$45k+ bathroomsPublished component pricing

NZ bathroom renovation company publishing component-level pricing from real projects: bathrooms renovated for $19,000–$45,000+, with line items like strip-out at $1,100–$1,300, wall tiling to ceiling at $4,500–$4,800, and waterproof wall panels at $1,500–$2,150. Best for seeing exactly where bathroom money goes before you commit.

Common mistakes

Moving the plumbing without pricing the move: keeping the sink, toilet and shower where they are is the biggest saving in any wet-room reno. MoneyHub's Auckland bathroom guide warns relocating plumbing and electrical adds at least $2,000, and that is before the council consent a layout change can trigger.

Comparing totals instead of scope: Superior Renovations' Auckland guide shows the fixed trades component (plumbers, electricians, tilers at $90–$120/hour) is $10,000–$15,000 regardless of room size. Two quotes $8,000 apart usually differ on what is included, not on hourly rates.

Treating waterproofing as a line item to trim: waterproofing is the system that decides whether the bathroom survives. Failed waterproofing is the most expensive defect in residential building, and it hides behind the tiles for years.

Forgetting the consent on layout changes: Add Value Renovations prices a bathroom-only Auckland consent at $1,500–$3,500 including drawings, with 10–20 working days of Auckland Council processing. Like-for-like swaps usually avoid it; moving wet walls usually does not.

Buying fittings before the design is locked: tiles, vanities and tapware have lead times, and substitutions mid-project are how budgets and timelines slip together. Lock the schedule of finishes before demolition.

Ignoring the body corporate in apartments: wet-area work in a unit touches common property waterproofing and services. Body corporate approval comes before strip-out, and the building's plumbing stack may limit layout options entirely.

FAQ

How much does a bathroom renovation cost in Auckland?

Superior Renovations' 2026 Auckland guide puts a mid-range full bathroom at $25,000–$35,000, budget refreshes at $8,000–$15,000, and luxury work at $35,000–$65,000+. Add Value Renovations puts standard bathrooms at $20,000–$35,000, and Pzazz shows real projects at $19,000–$45,000+. MoneyHub's Auckland guide prices work at $2,500–$4,000 per square metre.

How much does a kitchen renovation cost in Auckland?

Add Value Renovations' 2026 guide: like-for-like refreshes at $30,000–$50,000, mid-range at $50,000–$90,000, high-end designer kitchens at $90,000–$200,000+, with structural changes adding $20,000–$80,000. Superior Renovations puts mid-range kitchens at $26,000–$35,000 and luxury at $62,000–$138,000+. Build Unlimited prices mid-spec standard-home kitchens at $35,000–$55,000.

Why do quotes for the same room vary so much?

Scope, not rates. Superior's guide notes the trades component is a fairly fixed $10,000–$15,000, so variation comes from cabinetry quality, benchtop material, tile coverage, fixture brands, and what each builder has included or excluded. Compare the inclusions list line by line.

Do I need a building consent?

Like-for-like fixture swaps in the same positions usually do not need consent. Moving plumbing, removing walls or changing the layout usually does. Budget $1,500–$3,500 for a bathroom-only Auckland consent including drawings (Add Value), and 10–20 working days for processing.

How long does a kitchen or bathroom renovation take?

Add Value's kitchen guide runs 8–16 weeks from kick-off to handover. Bathrooms typically run 2–4 weeks on site once work starts, plus consent processing if the layout changes. Joinery and tile lead times are the usual schedule killers, so order early.

The short version

Mid-range bathrooms run $25,000–$35,000 (Superior, Add Value), mid-range kitchens $26,000–$90,000 depending on whose band and your spec, and the trades component is a fairly fixed $10,000–$15,000. Add Value and Superior publish the fullest guides, Pzazz shows the component lines, Build Unlimited benchmarks builder-led kitchens, and Refresh project-manages the sequence. Keep the plumbing where it is, lock the finishes before demolition, and compare inclusions, not totals.