A Dotto guide · NSW kitchens

Four trades meet at a Sydney kitchen bench

In NSW, plumbing, gasfitting and electrical work need a licence whatever the work costs, and other kitchen renovation work needs a contractor licence once it is worth more than $5,000 in labour and materials, including GST, the NSW Government says.

SafeWork NSW: engineered stone benchtops have been banned since 1 July 2024.

General information about NSW rules, not advice on any one kitchen.

1Power points, rangehoodLicensed electrician (NSW)
2Gas line and cooktopLicence at any cost (NSW)
3The benchtopEngineered stone: banned since 1 July 2024 (NSW)
4The cabinet runLicence over $5,000 (NSW)
5Sink trap and water linesLicence at any cost (NSW)

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The bench run, part by part

The four trades are the four who finish on the bench line: the plumber, the gasfitter, the electrician and the cabinetmaker.

Where a wall may hide asbestos, the national agency's line is short: it is not recommended that you handle or remove asbestos yourself. And, as the NSW Environment Protection Authority puts it, asbestos waste can go only to a landfill licensed to accept it. The agency's page for householders is the Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency's guidance for householders and home renovators. The splashback guide carries this further.

A solid leader: a licence at any cost. The NSW Government's licensing requirements include: regardless of the work's cost, a licence is always required for specialist work (like plumbing, air conditioning and refrigeration, electrical work and gasfitting). The same pages say, of gasfitting: in NSW, you need a licence or certificate to do any plumbing, draining or gasfitting work regardless of the cost of the work or whether the work is residential, commercial, or industrial.
A dashed leader: a licence past a threshold. In NSW, you need a contractor licence to do any residential building or trade work, including kitchen, bathroom and laundry renovation work, which is valued at more than $5000 in labour and materials (including GST). Kitchen, bathroom and laundry renovation is work involved in the installation, refurbishment, restoration and on-site repairs of or to a kitchen, bathroom or laundry.
Hatched and struck: banned. SafeWork NSW: any work involving the manufacture, supply, processing or installation of engineered stone was banned on 1 July 2024. SafeWork NSW sets the line at engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs holding at least 1% crystalline silica.

What you are owed on paper

Three figures a Sydney kitchen quote turns on

Above $5,000, above $20,000, and the deposit cap. Each step is in the NSW Government's own words.

$5,000 A licence, and a written contract
- NSW Government: a contractor licence to do residential building or trade work, including kitchen, bathroom and laundry renovation work, valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials, including GST.
- NSW Government: jobs worth between $5,000 and $20,000 require a small job contract with basic information.
- NSW Government: builders and tradespeople must give you a copy of the Consumer Building Guide before entering into a contract for residential building work that costs more than $5,000.
- NSW Government: the written contract must be dated and signed by, or on behalf of, each party.
$20,000 The large job contract, and insurance
- NSW Government: jobs worth more than $20,000 must be covered by a more extensive written contract, known as a large job contract.
- Residential building work worth more than $20,000 requires an extensive home building contract and it must contain: a clear statement setting out the cooling-off period of five clear business days after being given a copy of the contract.
- NSW Government: HBC cover is required where work is worth more than $20,000, including labour and materials, and the builder or tradesperson must give you evidence of that cover before they start work or you pay them any money, including a deposit.
10% The deposit cap
- NSW Government: under NSW home building law, the maximum deposit you can be asked to pay is 10 percent.
- NSW Government: for contracts valued at $20,000 or more, the maximum deposit is 10% of the total contract price, and for contracts valued between $5,000 and $20,000 the maximum deposit is also 10%.
- NSW Government: if the work is required to be covered under the Home Building Compensation Scheme, it is illegal for the contractor to ask for a deposit or other payment under the contract unless the cover has been taken out, and a certificate of the cover is given to you.

The paper a quote comes with is the subject of its own guide: what paper a Sydney kitchen quote should come with, walked through on an $18,000 job and a $26,000 job.