# Fixtures & Splashbacks — kitchen guides for Auckland

59 guides from the MTN Kitchens & Joinery workshop team on fixtures & splashbacks. 23+ years in trade · 2,000+ kitchens supplied & installed across Auckland · Laminex NZ fabricator.

- [Where the Money Goes in a Kitchen Quote](/blog/where-the-money-goes-kitchen-quote) — Auckland trade kitchen pricing broken down line by line: carcass, benchtop, appliances, install and margin, which lines scale on volume, and how to read a quote before you sign.

- [Rangehood and Ventilation: Ducted vs Recirculating](/blog/rangehood-ventilation-ducted-vs-recirculating) — A working Auckland kitchen builder's guide to ducted vs recirculating rangehoods: extraction sizing, apartment and body-corp constraints, the Building Code, noise, and what to rough in early so it works on handover day.

- [Open-Plan Kitchen-Living Design](/blog/open-plan-kitchen-living-design) — How to design an open-plan kitchen-living space that actually works: sightlines from the couch, hiding the mess with a scullery, taming acoustics, flooring transitions and quiet appliances. Auckland trade advice from MTN Kitchens.

- [Kitchen Splashback Options Compared](/blog/kitchen-splashback-options-compared) — Tile vs glass vs stone slab vs laminate vs stainless — real Auckland trade advice on cost, cleaning, install sequencing, the compliance rules behind a cooktop, and the look each splashback gives.

- [Accessible and Universal Kitchen Design](/blog/accessible-universal-kitchen-design) — A specialist Auckland guide to accessible and universal kitchen design: bench heights, wheelchair clearances, drawers and pull-outs, appliance placement, contrast and lighting, plus NZ compliance and real cost levers.

- [Small Apartment Kitchen Design](/blog/small-apartment-kitchen-design) — An Auckland kitchen maker's guide to small apartment kitchens: galley vs single-wall layouts, where integrated appliances earn their keep, and vertical storage.

- [Howick & Pakuranga Kitchen Renovation: East Auckland Guide](/blog/howick-pakuranga-kitchen-renovation-east-auckland) — Renovating a 1970s–90s brick-and-tile kitchen in Howick, Pakuranga or Botany in 2026: opening up closed kitchens, coping with brick walls and real cost bands.

- [Kumeu & Huapai Lifestyle-Block Kitchen Design That Works](/blog/kumeu-huapai-lifestyle-block-kitchen-design) — Big entertainer kitchen and scullery design for Kumeu, Huapai and Riverhead lifestyle blocks — tank water, rural power, indoor-outdoor living and 2026 budgets.

- [Botany Downs & Dannemora: Replacing a 1990s Brick-and-Tile Kitchen](/blog/botany-dannemora-1990s-kitchen-replacement) — A 1990s Botany or Dannemora kitchen didn't fail, it finished — hinges, runners and laminate all at once. Why a like-for-like swap in the existing footprint beats a full re-plan.

- [Browns Bay & Mairangi Bay: Multigenerational Kitchen Design](/blog/browns-bay-mairangi-bay-multigenerational-kitchen) — Two generations, two cooks, one Bays house: why nightly wok cooking needs a ducted rangehood and a door, where the duct can actually run, and what the Code requires.

- [Kitchens for a 70m² Granny Flat Under the 2026 Consent Exemption](/blog/granny-flat-kitchen-consent-exemption-2026) — The 2026 granny flat exemption only covers a self-contained dwelling, which pulls in Building Code clause G3 — sink, cooker, prep surface, fridge space. Spec it first, not last.

- [Granny Flat Electrical Requirements NZ: Kitchens and Certificates](/blog/granny-flat-kitchen-electrical-supply-appliances) — The granny flats exemption demands an independent electricity supply, so induction, ovens and boiling taps are a load decision first, plus the certificates you collect at handover.

- [Granny Flat Hot Water: Planning the Cylinder Into the Kitchen](/blog/granny-flat-kitchen-hot-water-cylinder-space) — The granny flat exemption bans uncontrolled water heating and pumped systems indoors, so hot water lands in the joinery: where the cylinder goes, and whether a boiling tap works.

- [Granny Flat Plumbing Rules NZ: The 30 Fixture Unit Limit](/blog/granny-flat-kitchen-plumbing-fixture-units-limit) — The granny flats exemption caps drainage at 30 fixture units, bans pumped systems inside the building, and sets DN100 mains at 1:60 — what that really means for your kitchen.

- [Renting Out Your Granny Flat: The Healthy Homes Kitchen Duties](/blog/renting-out-granny-flat-healthy-homes-kitchen) — Renting out a granny flat under the NZ exemption is allowed, but Healthy Homes attaches on day one: ducted extraction to outdoors, 150mm or 50 L/s, decided at framing.

- [Whangaparāoa Kitchen Renovation: Bach to Full-Time Home](/blog/whangaparaoa-bach-to-permanent-home-kitchen) — A 1970s Whangaparāoa bach kitchen was built for a fortnight in January. What to change for year-round cooking: bench, ducted extraction, pantry, salt-tolerant hardware, one delivery.

- [Parnell & Newmarket Apartments: The Rangehood You Can't Duct](/blog/parnell-newmarket-apartment-kitchen-ducting) — Apartment kitchen renovation in Parnell and Newmarket: why the facade is common property, what G4/AS1 really says about recirculating hoods, and why concrete means bulkheads.

- [Point Chevalier Kitchen Renovation: Extension in Five Years](/blog/point-chevalier-kitchen-now-extension-later) — Renovating a Point Chevalier bungalow kitchen now and extending the back later: settle which wall the services stay on, buy carcasses you can re-front, build the island to move.

- [Royal Oak & Three Kings Kitchen Renovation: The Rock Below](/blog/royal-oak-three-kings-volcanic-rock-kitchen) — Royal Oak and Three Kings sit on basalt lava, so moving a kitchen sink means cutting rock — what the drainage really costs, where the consent line sits, and what to spend on instead.

- [Kitchen Mixer Tap Replacement: What Auckland Owners Need to Know](/blog/kitchen-mixer-tap-replacement-nz) — Replacing a kitchen mixer is legal DIY in NZ, but the flexi hose, a seized isolating valve and your benchtop's 35mm hole decide whether it's twenty minutes or a flood.

- [Rangehood Not Extracting? Filters, Ducts and Healthy Homes](/blog/rangehood-filter-duct-servicing-nz) — Rangehood filter cleaning NZ, duct faults and the Healthy Homes ventilation standard: the 150mm and 50 litres per second rules, who cleans what, and why a compliant hood still fails.

- [Mouldy Kitchen Silicone at the Splashback: Reseal or Clean?](/blog/silicone-reseal-mould-splashback-junction) — Black mould roots into the silicone, so bleach is cosmetic and it returns. Cut out and re-run the joint in neutral-cure sanitary grade, and read repeat failure as a moving joint.

- [Water Damage Under the Kitchen Sink: Catching It Early](/blog/water-damage-under-kitchen-sink-early-signs) — The five tells of a slow leak under an Auckland kitchen sink, why melteca hides the damage longer than raw board, what your insurer will not cover, and a 30-second monthly check.

- [What Actually Fails First in a Rental Kitchen](/blog/what-fails-first-rental-kitchen) — The failure order in an Auckland rental kitchen: soft close, sink base swelling, the postformed edge at the sink, runners, then edge strips — and the spec line that moves each one.

- [Do You Need Consent to Move a Kitchen Sink in NZ?](/blog/consent-to-move-kitchen-sink-nz) — Which kitchen sink plumbing is consent-exempt versus needs a building consent, who can legally do the pipework, and where Records of Work and Certificates of Compliance apply in NZ.

- [School Staffroom Kitchen Fit-Outs in Auckland](/blog/school-staffroom-kitchen-fit-out-auckland) — Planning a school staffroom kitchen upgrade: heavy shared use, boiling-water tap and dishwasher plumbing, robust laminate, and getting the whole job done inside a term break.

- [Can You Undermount a Sink in a Laminate Benchtop?](/blog/undermount-sink-laminate-benchtop-nz) — Why a laminate benchtop is built for a top-mount sink, the exposed-edge and substrate swelling risk of undermounting, and the real NZ options if you want the undermount look.

- [Delivering Identical Kitchens Across a Kāinga Ora Development](/blog/identical-kitchens-across-kainga-ora-development) — Programme certainty on a Kāinga Ora development: three or four kitchen types repeated across the lots, staged manufacture, and appliances by others.

- [Kitchen Shop Drawings: What to Check Before You Sign](/blog/kitchen-shop-drawings-for-approval) — What kitchen shop drawings must show before approval: to-scale plan and elevation, millimetre widths, standard heights, appliance gaps, and a ten-minute check.

- [Why Social Housing Kitchens Get a Stainless Steel Bench](/blog/stainless-steel-bench-social-housing-kitchens) — Why housing programmes spec a 304 stainless steel bench at the sink run in social housing kitchens, where laminate stays, and why it suits a 20-year asset.

- [The Kitchen Spec Document, Explained: What to Check & Sign](/blog/kitchen-spec-document-explained) — What a kitchen spec document is, what a proper one contains, and the three things to check before you sign: dimensions, appliances and who does what.

- [Replacing Kitchens in Occupied Social Housing](/blog/replacing-kitchens-occupied-social-housing) — How kitchen replacement works with tenants in place: days without a sink, sequencing services, dust and respect, and what providers should require.

- [Designing a Kitchen Around a Freestanding Oven in NZ](/blog/kitchen-design-standalone-oven-nz) — Kitchen design for a freestanding oven: getting the 600 mm gap right, benchtop junctions, the rangehood over it, and when built-in cooking earns its premium.

- [Living at Home During a Kitchen Renovation: A Survival Plan](/blog/living-at-home-during-kitchen-replacement) — How to live at home during a kitchen renovation: what goes offline and when, the temporary kitchen that works, dust control, kids, pets and takeaway nights.

- [Glass Splashback vs Tile in Volume Rental Housing](/blog/glass-splashback-vs-tile-volume-housing) — Glass splashback vs tile for rentals and volume housing: one panel and no grout against tile's maintenance line, the real cost picture, and when tile wins.

- [Replacing a Kitchen in the Same Layout: What You Save](/blog/replace-kitchen-same-layout-keep-plumbing) — Replace a kitchen in the same layout and the cost drops: sink stays by its waste, cooker keeps its circuit, no re-pipe, no re-wire, and a far shorter programme.

- [Appliances by Others: What It Means in a Kitchen Contract](/blog/appliances-by-others-kitchen-contracts) — What appliances by others means in a building contract: who supplies, wires and plumbs the fridge, stove and dishwasher, and who owns the gaps between trades.

- [Child Safety Catches on Kitchen Cupboards in NZ](/blog/child-safety-catches-kitchen-cupboards-nz) — Which kitchen cupboards get child safety catches in NZ social housing, what the hardware is, built-in versus retrofit cost, and what landlords should copy.

- [Kitchen Renovation Surprises in an Older Auckland House](/blog/existing-home-kitchen-replacement-surprises) — The surprises an old house springs on a kitchen renovation: out-of-square walls, water damage, borer and tired wiring, and how to price each one calmly.

- [Kitchen Bench Height vs Window Sill: The Villa Problem](/blog/kitchen-window-sill-vs-bench-height) — Kitchen bench height vs window sill in NZ villas: a 900 mm bench meets a 750–850 mm sill. The four options ranked, with junction details that last.

- [Swollen Laminate Benchtop Edge: What Can Actually Be Saved](/blog/swollen-laminate-benchtop-edge-fix) — Swollen laminate benchtop repair, honestly: why wet particleboard never shrinks back, how to dry, seal and re-edge, and when a section or the whole top goes.

- [Under-Sink Water Damage: Repairing the Sink Base Cabinet](/blog/sink-base-floor-water-damage-repair) — How to repair under-sink cabinet water damage: the poke test, drying time, finding the leak, then an overlay panel, new base shelf or replacement sink base.

- [Kitchen Bin Drawers: Designing a Recycling Station That Works](/blog/bin-drawer-recycling-station-design) — How to design a kitchen bin drawer and recycling station in NZ: 450 vs 600 mm bases, litres that fit a week, runner ratings, smell control and retrofits.

- [Kitchen Sink Sizes NZ: Bowls, Configurations and What Fits](/blog/kitchen-sink-sizes-bowl-configurations) — Kitchen sink sizes in NZ explained: the 450 x 400 mm bowl standard, single vs 1.5 vs double configurations, inset vs undermount, and the base cabinet behind it.

- [Replacing Kitchen Kickboards: Clips, Cuts and the Flood Tell](/blog/replacing-kitchen-kickboards-toe-kicks) — How to replace a kitchen kickboard in NZ: clip-off vs screwed, cutting the 150 mm board, plinth clips, sealing wet zones, and the swollen-kick flood tell.

- [Benchtop Edge Profiles and Joins Explained (NZ Guide)](/blog/benchtop-edge-profiles-joins-explained) — Benchtop edge profiles in NZ explained: square, pencil round, bullnose and shark-nose on laminate, eased and mitred stone edges, and where joins belong.

- [Replacing a Kitchen Benchtop: Cost and What's Involved](/blog/replace-kitchen-benchtop-cost-nz) — What replacing a benchtop costs in NZ — honest installed bands for laminate and engineered stone, why stone takes two visits, and the sink, tap and levelling costs people forget.

- [Kitchen Island Dimensions With a Sink and Dishwasher](/blog/kitchen-island-dimensions-sink-dishwasher) — How long and deep an island needs to be to take a sink and a dishwasher, the clearances around it, and the overhang seating actually needs.

- [Kitchen Tap Repair or Replace: How to Tell](/blog/kitchen-tap-repair-or-replace-nz) — Which kitchen tap faults are worth repairing, which parts are actually replaceable, and when a new mixer is the cheaper answer.

- [Minimum Kitchen Size in NZ: What You Can Fit](/blog/minimum-kitchen-size-nz) — The shortest run that still works, minimum bench either side of a sink and hob, and how small a kitchen can get before it stops functioning.

- [What a Garage Spice Kitchen Costs in Auckland](/blog/garage-spice-kitchen-cost-auckland) — Where the money goes in an Auckland garage spice kitchen: a compact joinery run priced like any small kitchen, plus the plumbing, power, ducting and consent that swing with your site.

- [What Goes in a Spice Kitchen? The NZ Spec Guide](/blog/what-goes-in-a-spice-kitchen-nz) — The item-by-item Auckland spice kitchen spec: gas wok burner vs induction, ducted extraction, benchtops that cope with turmeric, pot drawers, spice pull-outs and 20kg rice storage.

- [Laundry Cabinets: Fitting a Real Laundry Into a Cupboard](/blog/laundry-cabinets-small-auckland-laundries) — The machine sets the layout, not the cabinetry. Clearances for front and top loaders, why a bench over the machines needs planning, tub versus sink, and where a laundry cabinet gets wet and stays wet.

- [Tiling and Waterproofing That Passes: Wet Areas Done Right](/blog/tiling-and-waterproofing-that-passes-nz) — Why most tiling failures are really waterproofing failures, how a wet area is built up correctly in NZ, and what to check before you sign off a bathroom, splashback or re-grout job.

- [A Universal-Design Teaching Kitchen for a Supported Learning Centre](/blog/universal-design-teaching-kitchen-supported-learning-centre) — How to design an accessible teaching kitchen for students with a range of physical disabilities: a bench run around the walls, an open centre for wheelchairs, roll-under stations, safe appliances and clear sightlines for staff.

- [Wheelchair-Accessible Kitchen Bench Heights & Clearances](/blog/wheelchair-accessible-kitchen-bench-heights-clearances-nz) — The measurements that make a kitchen usable from a wheelchair: worktop and knee-clearance heights, roll-under depth, clear floor space, turning room and reach ranges, with NZS 4121 as the reference and height-adjustable options.

- [Accessible Appliances & Controls for a Teaching Kitchen](/blog/accessible-appliances-controls-teaching-kitchen-nz) — Choosing appliances a student with a disability can use safely: induction with safe-touch controls, front-mounted dials, side-opening ovens at reach height, lever and sensor taps, tempered water and high-contrast controls.

- [Kitchen Joinery, Producer Statements and CCC Consent in NZ](/blog/kitchen-joinery-producer-statements-ccc-consent) — How kitchen joinery fits the NZ building consent and Code Compliance Certificate process, which producer statements and records of work apply, and what the main contractor needs at CCC time.

- [The Single-Wall Townhouse Kitchen: Layout, Dimensions and Cost](/blog/single-wall-townhouse-kitchen-design-cost) — What fits on a 2.4 to 3.0 metre single-wall townhouse kitchen, where the appliances-by-others land, the one-wall work triangle, and the real Auckland supplied-and-installed price band.

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