Replacing a kitchen
after the water goes down.
Rockhampton knows this drill. The cabinetry is rarely salvageable, the paperwork decides how much you get back, and the rebuild is your one chance to specify better.
The short answer
Photograph everything before you move or throw out anything — that is what the claim rests on, and it is free. Assume base cabinets that sat in water are gone, whatever anyone offers to dry out. Then use the rebuild to specify so the next one can be dried rather than replaced.
Document before you clear
The strongest thing you can do for a claim happens in the first hours, and it is free: photograph everything before anything is moved or thrown out. Every cabinet, the water line on the wall, the underside of the sink base, the floor, the appliances, serial numbers where you can reach them. Wide shots and close shots. Insurers assess what you can evidence, and a cleared kitchen is very hard to evidence after the fact. Keep the damaged doors somewhere until the assessor has been.
Why flooded cabinetry usually does not come back
Standard chipboard carcasses swell irreversibly once water gets into the core, and it happens through the unsealed bottom edge and the back panel rather than the visible faces. A kitchen can look fine for a fortnight and then the doors stop closing as the carcass distorts. Moisture-resistant board resists it considerably better but is not a submarine. Assume base cabinets that sat in water are gone, and be sceptical of anyone offering to dry them out and re-hang the doors.
How the quote side normally runs
Most insurers want an itemised scope and quote, and many will accept one from a supplier of your choosing rather than only their preferred repairer — but that varies by policy and by insurer, so ask yours directly rather than assuming either way. What helps in every case is a quote that itemises cabinetry, benchtop, hardware, appliances and installation separately, because that is how assessors work through it. We quote in that format as standard. What we cannot do is tell you what your policy covers; that conversation is between you and your insurer. The Insurance Council of Australia publishes general guidance on the claims process, and if a claim is disputed, AFCA handles complaints.
The rebuild is your one cheap chance to specify better
You are replacing the kitchen anyway. The incremental cost of specifying it to cope better next time is small compared to doing it as a separate project later. Moisture-resistant carcasses throughout rather than only under the sink. Laser-bonded edging instead of glued, because glued edging lifts first when it gets wet. Legs and kickboards that can be removed and dried rather than a sealed plinth that traps water. Drawers rather than low cupboards, so contents sit higher. Stone or porcelain rather than laminate on the benchtop, since laminate swells at the join.
Raised homes and under-house kitchens
Rockhampton’s high-set housing stock exists for a reason, and a second kitchen or kitchenette under the house is common. If you are rebuilding one, the specification conversation is different again — that space will get wet at some point in its life, so nothing should be there that cannot be dried out or removed. Talk to us about it rather than replacing like for like out of habit. Rockhampton Regional Council holds the flood mapping for your address.
What we can do
Design, itemised quote in the format assessors expect, supply delivered assembled, and installation by our own team. We work to your timeline, which after a flood is usually driven by when the floor and walls are dry and signed off rather than by us. See the price bands for the price bands so you know roughly where you are before the assessor visits.
Last checked: September 2026. This is general information, not building, legal, financial or insurance advice. Rules, funding and figures differ by council, insurer and individual circumstance and change without notice — confirm with the authority linked above before you commit to anything.
Frequently asked
Common questions
If your question is not here, call the studio. We would rather talk it through than have you guess.
Ask us directly →Will insurance cover a new kitchen after a flood?
That depends entirely on your policy, your excess and how the damage is assessed, and flood cover in particular is not included in every policy. Ask your insurer directly. What we can provide is the itemised scope and quote that a claim generally needs.
Can I choose my own kitchen supplier for an insurance job?
Often yes, though some policies steer you to a preferred repairer and some make that a condition. Ask your insurer before you commission anything. If you are free to choose, an itemised quote separating cabinetry, benchtop, hardware and installation is what assessors work from.
Can flooded kitchen cabinets be dried out and saved?
Rarely, if the carcasses are standard chipboard and sat in water. The board swells from the unsealed edges inward and the distortion often shows up weeks later, after the repair has been signed off. Moisture-resistant board does better. Be cautious of anyone promising to salvage submerged base cabinets.
What should I photograph before cleaning up?
Everything, before anything moves. The water line on the walls, every cabinet inside and out, under the sink, the floor, appliances and their serial numbers, both wide and close. Keep damaged doors until the assessor has attended. It costs nothing and it is the difference between an evidenced claim and an argued one.
Delivered assembled
The assembly is done
before it arrives.
Carcasses built square on a bench, Blum hardware fitted, doors hung and adjusted to even gaps. On site you are fixing finished cabinets to a wall, not building them on the floor. Our own team fits it in Central Queensland; your installer fits it anywhere else in Australia. Prefer to build it yourself? The same kitchen ships flat pack.
American oak and stone
Timber island, stone top
Black joinery, marble bar
After the water
One kitchen out.
One chance to specify better.
Moisture-resistant carcasses, laser-bonded edging and removable kickboards cost very little extra while you are rebuilding anyway, and change what happens next time. We work to whenever your floors and walls are signed off, not to our calendar.