The 1980s and 90s floor plan
Walk into a typical double-storey Castle Hill home from this era and you often find formal lounge and dining rooms at the front, a family room at the back, and a kitchen between them, sometimes behind a wall with a servery opening. Kitchens are usually U or L-shaped, with a laminate or timber-look finish, a microwave shelf and a corner cupboard that nobody can reach into.
The space is there. The layout just belongs to a different way of living.
Transforming the layout
Wall out, island in. Removing the wall between kitchen and family room and replacing a peninsula with a freestanding island. See island and open-plan kitchens.
Rethinking the formal dining room. Using it to extend the kitchen, create a scullery, or build a bar and drinks area.
Relocating the pantry. Replacing an awkward corner pantry with tall pull-out pantries or a walk-in butler's pantry.
Opening to the backyard. Replacing a single sliding door with wider stacker doors to the entertaining area and pool.
Things we check in older Castle Hill homes
- Asbestos. Homes built or renovated before about 1990 may have asbestos in older splashback sheeting, vinyl flooring or wall linings. Suspect materials are tested before demolition.
- Wiring and switchboards. Older electrical installations may need upgrading for induction cooktops, ovens and more power points.
- Gas. Existing gas lines relocated or capped if moving to induction.
- Floors. Where a wall is removed, flooring may need patching or replacing to run continuously.
- Ceilings. Beams and bulkheads planned so pendants and rangehoods line up.
Townhouses and apartments
Castle Hill also has many townhouses, and newer apartments near Castle Towers and the Metro stations. Kitchens in these homes are renovated with owners corporation approval and to building by-laws.
Council
Most of Castle Hill is in The Hills Shire. Internal renovations are generally exempt development, but structural work may need approval.
Nearby
We also work in Baulkham Hills, Bella Vista and Kellyville, plus Cherrybrook and West Pennant Hills.
See the cost guide.
Call 02 4404 0243 or share your kitchen plans.
Elsewhere in the Hills
Questions people ask before they commit
Can we open up a closed Castle Hill kitchen?
Often. Many 1980s and 90s homes have a wall or half-wall between the kitchen and family room. If it is load-bearing, an engineer designs a beam, and the job may need approval. Services inside the wall are relocated.
What about the formal dining room?
In many Castle Hill homes the formal dining room is rarely used. It can become part of an enlarged kitchen, a butler's pantry, a study nook or a wine room, depending on where it sits.
How much does a Castle Hill kitchen renovation cost?
As a 2026 guide, a custom kitchen with an island in a Castle Hill family home is commonly $38,000 to $60,000. Removing walls, relocating plumbing and adding a butler's pantry can take it to $60,000 to $110,000.