Reference: deteriorated kitchen before strip-out.
These are the questions St Kilda homeowners tend to have before a kitchen renovation. Can the layout stay? Can the cabinets be reused? What might be behind them? Who does the plumbing and electrical work? When does a written quotation arrive? The answers below are straight, and they come with qualifications where the honest answer is ‘it depends on the inspection’.
LAYOUT & CABINETRY
Often, yes. If the sink, cooktop and main runs stay where they are, the plumbing and electrical points usually need fewer changes. Whether that makes sense comes down to the on-site assessment. It looks at the walls and floor behind the cabinets, whether the services sit in usable positions, and whether the current layout suits the way you cook and store things. If storage or bench space is the issue, there may be practical options within the same footprint. Layout, Cabinetry & Storage Options goes through them.
It depends on the scope. A surface refresh may only involve doors, a benchtop or a splashback. A full kitchen renovation usually means taking out the cabinetry, benchtops, splashback and sometimes the flooring to get down to the substrate. At the assessment, Ivan Bodnar explains what has to come out so the new work has a sound base, and what can stay.
Sometimes. Carcasses that are square, dry and firmly fixed may be able to take new doors, panels or a benchtop. Carcasses that have swollen at the sink base, are delaminating or are out of square are usually poor candidates, because new finishes would be sitting on a weak base. This gets checked cabinet by cabinet during the on-site assessment.
BEHIND THE CABINETS
The usual candidates are moisture or old leaks around the sink and dishwasher, damaged or patched plaster, a floor that is uneven or soft, old fixings, and service runs in places you wouldn’t expect. Any given kitchen may have none of these. They’re still worth checking before you choose finishes, because putting in new finishes without first checking moisture, the substrate, service access and underlying damage can lead to rework you didn’t need.
No. An inspection can’t reveal every concealed issue. Some conditions only show up once the cabinets and wall coverings come off. If something turns up during the strip-out, Ivan explains what it means and talks you through the practical options. Surface Preparation & Concealed Conditions covers this in more detail.
Yes. In a St Kilda flat, planning also has to cover access, noise and waste management, the existing services, any owners corporation conditions and possible restrictions on changes to common property. Heritage controls depend on the site, so don’t assume they govern every internal kitchen alteration. See Apartment & Heritage Considerations in St Kilda.
TRADES, SCOPE & REGISTRATION
Ivan Bodnar is an independent sole trader. He doesn’t personally claim trade licences or builder registration. Licensed plumbing and electrical work is carried out by appropriately authorised specialists.
Regulated plumbing and electrical work is done by appropriately licensed specialists, never by Ivan. Moving a sink, adding power points or relocating a cooktop connection will generally involve a licensed trade, and Ivan coordinates them as part of the kitchen renovation. More on this at Licensed Trades for Plumbing & Electrical.
You deal with Ivan directly, from the first discussion and the site assessment through to the renovation, and he remains responsible for his part of the work. Where the job needs licensed trades, he brings in suitable specialists. He’ll tell you plainly at the assessment whether your particular scope suits this way of working.
That changes from project to project. Scope, permits, registration, insurance and licensed trade requirements all depend on the work involved. Contract, insurance and approvals wording is checked for each project rather than assumed.
Approximately 15 years’ personal renovation experience. He started out alongside his father and later worked with other trades and renovation teams. He has worked in Melbourne since 2019. Read more at About Ivan Bodnar.
ASSESSMENT & WRITTEN QUOTATION
Yes. Both the on-site assessment and the quote are free.
After the assessment. Ivan prepares the written quotation once he has seen the existing condition and talked with you about how the kitchen needs to work. How long it takes depends on the scope and how much needs to be confirmed. You won’t get a quote without an assessment.
It covers what can be assessed before work starts. Some conditions stay hidden until the strip-out, so the scope may need revisiting if something turns up. When that happens, Ivan explains it clearly instead of glossing over it.
The form confirms that your enquiry has arrived, and Ivan reviews it. Sending an enquiry doesn’t confirm a booking. It’s the first step towards an initial discussion and an on-site assessment. The steps from there are set out in How a Kitchen Renovation Works with Ivan.
Have a question that isn’t answered here? Describe your kitchen through the kitchen renovation quote request or call Ivan on 0413 142 055, any day from 9:00 to 18:00. Further reading: When a Kitchen Needs More Than New Finishes · Kitchen Renovations in St Kilda.
