Kitchen Renovation in Lausanne

Are you looking for a kitchen renovation in Lausanne, whether to modernise a flat near the centre, refresh a kitchen in an older building or rethink the one in a villa on the hillside? This page describes what this type of project involves in a city built on a slope between Lake Geneva and the upper town, and how to prepare your request. SOS Travaux passes your description on to tradespeople and companies in the area, who contact you to prepare a free, no-obligation quote.

Flat, older building or villa: kitchen projects in Lausanne

A kitchen is not a single trade. A full renovation involves stripping out the existing kitchen, plumbing and electrics, fitting the units and worktop, connecting the appliances, tiling or a splashback, and ventilation or an extractor hood. Depending on the case, you may change only a few elements or redo everything down to the services.

In Lausanne, three situations come up naturally.

• The small urban flat. In a university city, with UNIL and EPFL nearby, many homes are modest in size. The kitchen is often narrow, sometimes open to the living room. Every centimetre counts: made-to-measure units, compact built-in appliances, high-level storage. The design work weighs more than the volume of fitting.
• The older building. The districts close to the Cité and the centre include buildings whose walls, floors and pipes are not those of a recent construction. Renovating the kitchen then reveals the state of the installations behind the tiles and under the floor covering.
• The villa. On the hillsides, a house kitchen offers more freedom: room for an island, an opening onto a terrace, ventilation that is simpler to vent outdoors. The project is freer, but it requires coordinating more people.

What the slope between Ouchy and the Cité changes for your kitchen

Lausanne descends towards the lake from the upper town, and even the m2 metro, very steep, is a reminder of the terrain. For a kitchen project, this terrain has very practical consequences.

Access and delivery. The units, worktop and large appliances arrive by lorry. On a steep or narrow street, parking the vehicle, carrying items up stairs or using a small lift affects the organisation. Tell each company the floor, whether there is a lift, the dimensions of the stairs and whether it is possible to stop in front of the building.

Rented apartment blocks in town. In a shared building, the noise of cutting and drilling affects the neighbours. The house rules (hours, notices to residents) fall under the building regulations or the managing agent: check with them before fixing dates.

Stacks and waste pipes. In an older building, moving the sink or dishwasher is not trivial: the water supply and waste are connected to a shared stack. The tradesperson assesses what it is reasonable to change and what stays in place.

The hood and the façade. A hood with outdoor extraction requires a passage through the wall, and therefore work on the façade or on an existing duct. In a co-owned building, this affects a common part. In an old district or around the cathedral, where the old town of the Cité is a sensitive area, the façade may be subject to particular requirements: check with the municipality before committing to anything.

The canton of Vaud also has protected buildings and sites, such as its old towns. If your home is in such an area, the question of changes visible from the outside must be raised with the municipality beforehand.

Permit, landlord, co-ownership: the steps for a kitchen in Lausanne

Permit. In the canton of Vaud, the building permit is issued by the municipality. When cantonal departments need to give an opinion, the file goes through the cantonal permits centre (CAMAC). Simply replacing units and appliances does not generally trigger this procedure; moving a partition, altering a façade or a protected building may do so. The safest approach is to ask the relevant municipal department, describing precisely what you plan.

Energy. The Vaud energy law and the cantonal energy directorate regulate certain aspects of works, and a cantonal subsidy programme exists. A kitchen renovation on its own does not necessarily fall under it, but if you are changing appliances linked to a wider installation, check the conditions with the relevant cantonal department.

Tenant. If you rent, the landlord’s written consent is needed before touching the fitted units, connections or fixed appliances. Attach a description of the work and, if possible, a simple plan.

Owner in co-ownership. If the work affects a shared stack, the façade or the hood extraction, consult the co-ownership regulations and inform the administrator or managing agent. A vote at a meeting may be required for certain work.

Describing your kitchen to receive comparable quotes

A quote is only useful if the company has properly understood the project. Before requesting offers, gather the following:

• the type of home (flat, older building, villa), the floor and the access (lift, stairs, parking);
• the approximate dimensions of the room and one or two photos of the existing kitchen;
• what stays and what changes: floor, walls, plumbing, electrics, openings;
• your wishes for the layout and appliances, even as a simple list;
• your status (owner, tenant with the landlord’s consent, co-owner);
• your scheduling constraints, especially if this is your only kitchen.

You can then request a quote describing these points.

Reading and comparing kitchen quotes in Lausanne

A kitchen renovation involves several trades. Two set-ups are possible: a single contact coordinates everything, or you coordinate the different trades yourself as the client. Ask each company which one it proposes, as this changes your workload and who is responsible for follow-up.

A serious quote itemises at least:

1. the removal and disposal of the old fittings;
2. the plumbing and electrical work;
3. the fitted units: cabinets, worktop, hardware;
4. the appliances, with their references;
5. the tiling or splashback;
6. the ventilation or hood, with its extraction method;
7. the making good of walls and floors after the work;
8. what is excluded and how unforeseen issues will be handled.

Several factors affect the cost: the extent of the services work, the choice of appliances and worktop, how bespoke the fitted units are, how difficult the home is to access and the condition of the existing kitchen. Two offers far apart are often explained by a different scope rather than by a real price difference: compare item by item.

Other useful pages for your project in Lausanne

• The trade in general: kitchen renovation
• The city: works in Lausanne
• The canton: canton of Vaud
• In the same municipality: bathroom renovation in Lausanne, electrician in Lausanne and air conditioning in Lausanne