Gordon · Ku-ring-gai
Kitchen renovations in Gordon.
Gordon has 1,546 apartments against 1,448 houses, and much of that unit stock is decades old. In a block that age the switchboard and the pipework behind the kitchen matter more than the door profile.
NSW contractor licence 397801C · Ku-ring-gai Council area · About 12 minutes from our Hornsby showroom
Gordon by the numbers
3,625
private dwellings in Gordon
48.3%
flats or apartments — more than houses
2.7
people per household
Median age 39
the youngest Ku-ring-gai suburb we service
Apartments — 48.3% of Gordon
What is behind the old kitchen.
The visible half of a Gordon apartment kitchen is joinery and stone. The half that decides whether it lasts is electrical capacity and drainage, and both are typically original in a block of this vintage.
Check the circuit before the cabinets
An induction cooktop draws far more than the old electric one. In a 1970s block the existing circuit frequently will not carry it.
Original waste, original problems
Older stacks and undersized branch pipework are common. Found now, they are a variation. Found later, they are a leak.
Small scheme, quicker consent
Gordon blocks are often modest. A clear written scope usually clears the committee without a special general meeting.
Recirculating extraction
Ducting through an external wall is common property. A carbon-filter hood is almost always what the building permits.
Houses — 45.3% of Gordon
The freestanding side.
1,448 separate houses, a good share of them older stock in or near conservation areas. The services are just as tired as in the units, but nothing stops us replacing them properly.
Older houses, same wiring question
A Gordon house of the same era has the same undersized circuits. The difference is that here we can simply run a new one.
The wall can come out
Subject to engineering where it carries load. That single change usually does more than any appliance upgrade.
Heritage touches the outside only
Where a property is listed, kitchen interiors are rarely affected. A new external window or vent is where it bites.
Credentials
Licensed for the parts you cannot see.
NSW contractor licence
397801C
Renova Holdings Pty Ltd
Builder
99764S
Alireza Kamalzadeh
Contractor
395823C
Arshia Kamalzadeh
Electrical
Licensed trades
Certificate of compliance provided
Dwelling and household figures from the ABS 2021 Census QuickStats for Gordon, NSW (SAL11724). Electrical work must be carried out by a licensed electrician and a certificate of compliance for electrical work issued — see NSW Fair Trading. Verify licences on the NSW Government public register.
How it runs
The switchboard comes first.
On an older Gordon block that inspection changes more decisions than any showroom visit does.
01
Inspect the switchboard
Before design. If the board cannot take an induction circuit, that changes both the appliance list and the budget.
02
Scope to the committee
In a unit, lodged early so approval runs alongside your selections rather than after them.
03
Joinery into production
Cabinetry lead times run to weeks. Ordering before demolition is what keeps the kitchen out of service for less time.
04
Strip, rewire, replumb
New circuits and new pipework while the walls are open. Retrofitting behind finished joinery is not realistic.
05
Install and certify
Cabinets, stone template, benchtop fit, then the electrical compliance certificate with the handover.
Gordon questions
Older buildings, new kitchens.
Can I put an induction cooktop in an older apartment?
Frequently yes, but it needs checking rather than assuming. Induction draws considerably more current than an older electric cooktop and needs its own adequately rated circuit. In a 1970s Gordon block the existing supply to the unit is sometimes the limit, not the switchboard. We have a licensed electrician assess it before you order appliances.
What usually gets found behind an old kitchen?
Undersized branch waste, corroded copper or galvanised supply, and wiring without an earth in the older cases. None of it is unusual for the vintage. We hold a named allowance in the quote for it rather than quoting low and issuing variations once the cabinets are out.
How long will the kitchen be out of service?
Typically four to six weeks on site, with the joinery already made before demolition starts. There is an unavoidable gap mid-job while the benchtop is templated off the installed cabinets and fabricated. We set up a temporary kitchen arrangement so that period is survivable.
Does the owners corporation have to approve a kitchen?
Usually, because the work touches waterproofing under the sink area, floor penetrations or common services. Kitchens tend to clear faster than bathrooms because there is less to assess, and Gordon schemes are often small enough to decide without calling a general meeting. We prepare the scope document either way.
Our house is near a conservation area. Does that affect a kitchen?
Almost never. Heritage controls are concerned with what is visible from the street and with significant original fabric, and a kitchen is neither. The exception is if the design requires a new external window, a wider opening or an external vent — that is the point at which we check the mapping with Ku-ring-gai Council.
How old is the building?
It tells us more about the kitchen than the floor plan does. Send the address and we'll take it from there.
