Kitchen Renovation in Montreal
What Montreal's building stock means for your project, and what it actually costs.
What does a kitchen renovation cost in Montreal?
For a medium-sized kitchen (roughly 18 linear feet of cabinetry), with thermoplastic cabinets, a quartz countertop, demolition, flooring, backsplash, lighting, and painting, tax included:
$20,800 – $42,700
Labour costs here are comparable to Montreal.
This range excludes appliances and any relocation of plumbing or electrical, two items that can add several thousand dollars. It applies the regional labour adjustment for Montreal.
Customise this estimateRefacing, full renovation or custom kitchen in Montreal?
Three very different projects all go by "kitchen renovation". The right one depends mostly on the condition of your cabinet boxes and what you want to change.
Refacing
The existing cabinet boxes stay; the doors, drawer fronts and hardware are replaced, often along with the countertop. It is the fastest and cheapest option, provided the boxes are sound: no swelling under the sink, no sagging shelves.
What it does not fix: a layout that does not work, or particleboard boxes damaged by water.
Full renovation
New cabinets, countertop, backsplash, flooring and lighting, installed, without moving the plumbing. This is the scenario priced above.
$20,800 – $42,700
Moving the sink or the range comes on top of this.
Custom kitchen
Cabinets built for the room by a kitchen maker or cabinetmaker. For the same medium kitchen in solid wood, with a quartz countertop:
$28,100 – $58,200
Custom work pays off mostly in rooms with irregular dimensions, common in older buildings, or when every centimetre of storage counts.
Montreal's housing stock
A large share of Montreal's housing is pre-1960 plexes — the duplexes and triplexes of the Plateau, Rosemont, Villeray and Hochelaga. These typically have a narrow galley kitchen at the back, plaster-on-lath walls, and often wiring or plumbing that predates current code.
Sectors: Plateau-Mont-Royal, Rosemont, Villeray, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Verdun, Ahuntsic, Saint-Laurent
What to know before you start in Montreal
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Site access is the number one constraint: exterior spiral staircases, no elevator, and permit parking all complicate cabinet delivery and debris removal.
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Permits are issued by the borough, not the central city, and requirements vary between boroughs. In a condo, the syndicate's approval is often needed before touching plumbing.
Verify the RBQ licence before you sign
In Quebec, a contractor performing construction work must hold a licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec. The RBQ register is public and free: search the company name or licence number before paying a deposit. It is the fastest and most useful check you can make, in Montreal as anywhere else.
Frequently asked questions — Montreal
Can you renovate a triplex kitchen in Montreal without a permit?
Replacing cabinets and countertops without touching structure, plumbing, or electrical generally does not require a permit. As soon as you move a sink, alter a partition, or add circuits, the borough requires one. Requirements differ between boroughs, so check with yours before starting.
Planning a kitchen project in Montreal?
Describe your project and compare quotes from contractors holding a valid RBQ licence.