Kitchen sizes and what they cost complete
Each total below is the running-foot rate multiplied by the size band in the same row, so the arithmetic is checkable against your own kitchen.
| Layout | Typical running feet | Essential ₹20,500 | Considered ₹27,500 | Fine ₹38,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight run | 7 – 9 ft | ₹1.4 – 1.8 L | ₹1.9 – 2.5 L | ₹2.7 – 3.4 L |
| L-shape | 10 – 13 ft | ₹2.0 – 2.7 L | ₹2.8 – 3.6 L | ₹3.8 – 4.9 L |
| L-shape with utility run | 13 – 16 ft | ₹2.7 – 3.3 L | ₹3.6 – 4.4 L | ₹4.9 – 6.1 L |
| Parallel with utility | 15 – 18 ft | ₹3.1 – 3.7 L | ₹4.1 – 5.0 L | ₹5.7 – 6.8 L |
| U-shape, larger township flat | 18 – 22 ft | ₹3.7 – 4.5 L | ₹5.0 – 6.0 L | ₹6.8 – 8.4 L |
Ex-GST. Excludes appliances, sink, tap and chimney, which typically add ₹85,000 to ₹2.6 lakh.
The utility balcony is half the design
Most Thane township flats hand over with a utility balcony off the kitchen: three to five feet of width, a drain, a tap and usually a window. Used properly it takes the washing machine, the mop and bucket, the onion and potato storage, the gas cylinder where there is one, and the bulk grain tins. That removes the five things that make a Mumbai kitchen feel cluttered, and it means the main kitchen can be designed around cooking and nothing else.
Three practical points. The utility is semi-exterior, so it gets BWP or marine ply, not MR, with sealed edges and a humidity-tolerant shutter finish. It should not be enclosed — most societies prohibit it, and it is what ventilates the wet work. And the door between kitchen and utility should be a full-height sliding or folding leaf rather than a hinged door, because a hinged door in that position eats the circulation the kitchen needs at its busiest corner.
Wet work in the utility, cooking in the kitchen
Worked example: 14 running foot L-shape with a utility run, Ghodbunder Road
A 2015 township tower, piped gas, 3-foot utility balcony with a drain. The family cooks three meals a day and wanted two people to be able to work in the kitchen at once.
| Scope | ₹ lakh | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Civil work and plumbing | 0.18 | Sink relocated to the window wall; utility drain re-laid |
| Base and wall carcass | 1.05 | BWP in the utility and under the sink, 710-grade elsewhere |
| Shutters — laminate with acrylic on the tall bank | 0.72 | Matt laminate throughout; acrylic on the two tall fronts |
| Hardware | 0.48 | Soft-close hinges and runners; corner carousel; bottle pull-out |
| Granite counter and dado | 0.42 | 20 mm granite with a moulded edge; 600 mm tiled dado |
| Tall unit with pull-outs | 0.31 | Full-height larder beside the fridge position |
| Utility run | 0.16 | Marine ply, sealed edges, washing machine housing and bulk storage |
| Chimney and hob interface | 0.04 | Duct connection and gas point extension |
| Total, ex-GST | 3.36 | ₹24,000 per running foot |
Add 18% GST. Excludes appliances and the chimney unit. A comparable kitchen in Chembur would be around ₹15,000 higher, mostly on access and labour.
Piped gas or cylinder, and why it matters
Newer towers on Ghodbunder Road, in Kolshet and along Pokhran Road run piped gas with a metered valve in the kitchen. Older stock in Naupada, Panchpakhadi and around Wagle Estate runs on cylinders, which means the design has to give a cylinder a ventilated, accessible home — inside a base unit with a louvred front and a floor vent, never in a sealed cabinet — and the hob has to be within a sensible hose run of it. Where a society is switching to piped gas, and several here are, it is worth asking the timeline before designing, because a kitchen built around a cylinder cabinet and then connected to a piped supply wastes a usable base unit.
Two things we do differently in Thane
- We use a licensed plumber and keep the paperwork. TMC requires a licensed plumber for water-line alterations, and Thane society secretaries increasingly ask for the registration before releasing the deposit. It costs nothing to do properly and it is a genuine obstacle if you have not.
- We fit in one visit, not three. Ghodbunder traffic means every additional delivery is half a day. Carcasses, shutters, hardware, counter and appliances are sequenced into two deliveries rather than the usual four, with the counter templated from the installed carcass rather than from the drawing. It adds three days to the programme and removes a week of waiting.
For the suburb overall, see interior designers in Thane. For our kitchen materials, hardware brands and warranty across the city, see modular kitchen designers in Mumbai.
Kitchen and residential work by Greenbox Design Studio.
Frequently asked questions
Can we enclose the utility balcony to make the kitchen bigger?+
Most Thane societies prohibit it, and we would advise against it even where it is permitted. The utility is what ventilates the wet work and holds the washing machine, the bulk storage and the cylinder. Absorbing it gives you four more feet of cabinetry and puts all of that back into the cooking space.
What should the utility run be made of?+
BWP or marine ply with sealed edges and a humidity-tolerant shutter finish, on adjustable legs clear of the floor. It is a semi-exterior space that gets wet and sees monsoon humidity. MR-grade board in a utility balcony swells at the bottom edge within two years, and it is the commonest kitchen failure we are called to repair.
Our building still uses cylinders. How should the kitchen handle that?+
A dedicated base unit with a louvred front and a floor-level vent, positioned within a sensible hose run of the hob and accessible for changeover without emptying a drawer. Never a sealed cabinet. If the society is moving to piped gas soon, tell us — designing for both wastes a cabinet.
Is a Thane kitchen cheaper than a Mumbai suburb kitchen?+
Around 8–12% cheaper at a like specification, mostly on labour and delivery. The kitchens themselves tend to be larger, so the total is often higher even though the rate is lower. The material and hardware brands are identical to what we use in the city.
How long does a kitchen-only project take?+
Three to four weeks from final measurement, assuming no civil changes: a week for factory production, three to four days for carcass installation, a week for the counter to be templated and cut, then shutters, hardware and appliances. Plumbing or drainage changes add a week and a licensed plumber's sign-off.