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Kitchens in modular homes

From Modular Living Australia — the independent knowledge base Last updated: 13 Oct 2026

Three published rules shape a new kitchen in any Australian home, factory-built or not: engineered stone benchtops have been banned since 1 July 2024, new gas connections are prevented for most new homes in the ACT and for new homes needing a planning permit in Victoria, and a rangehood exhaust in a house is expected to move 40 litres per second to outdoor air.^[1][2][3][4] In a modular home those choices are made earlier, because the kitchen is built and fitted inside a module before it leaves the factory.

The kitchen is the most service-dense room in a house: water, drainage, power, ventilation and sometimes gas all converge on a few metres of wall. In a modular home it is also usually a room built in one piece in the factory. This page covers what that means and the national and state rules that now decide several kitchen choices for every new home.

Why the kitchen is decided early §

Modular plans usually keep the kitchen whole within one module, because splitting cabinetry and service runs across a join is difficult; floor plans and customisation in modular homes explains where joins fall. The cabinetry, benchtops, sink, appliances and the pipes and cables behind them are then installed in the factory along with the rest of the module.

The consequence for a buyer is timing. Benchtop material, cooktop fuel, rangehood type and the position of every appliance are decided before production starts. A change requested once the module is built is a change to finished work, and a change after installation may mean opening linings that were closed in the factory. The questions at the end of this page are worth settling before the design is signed off.

Benchtops: the engineered stone ban §

Since 1 July 2024, the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs has been prohibited in Australia, and importing them has been prohibited since 1 January 2025.^[1] The ban applies to the work itself, so it makes no difference whether a benchtop would be cut and fitted in a factory or on site.

What remains permitted matters to owners of existing homes and to anyone buying an established modular home:^[1]

• Engineered stone already installed can stay; the prohibition does not require removal.
• Natural stone such as granite is excluded from the ban.
• Finished products that need no processing, such as kitchen sinks, are excluded.
• Legacy engineered stone can be repaired, removed, minimally modified or disposed of under controlled conditions, after the work health and safety regulator is notified.
• In most jurisdictions, a benchtop removed to allow other work can be reinstalled.

Which other benchtop materials fall inside or outside the definition of engineered stone is not covered by the sources compiled here. A builder offering a "stone-look" benchtop should be able to name the product and confirm its status in writing.

Can a new home connect to gas? §

Two jurisdictions now restrict new gas connections for homes, and the rules decide the cooktop as much as the hot water system.

In the ACT, a regulation in force since 8 December 2023 prevents new connections to the gas network — including installing a gas meter where none exists — in residential, commercial and community facility zones, and for Class 1 to 4 residential buildings in other zones. Projects with applications lodged or approved before 2 March 2024 were covered by a transition. Covered buildings are expected to be designed all-electric; existing connections are unaffected.^[2]

In Victoria, three separate rules apply:^[3]

• New dwellings needing a planning permit: clause 53.03, in force since 1 January 2024, prevents a permit for connection to reticulated natural gas where the application was lodged on or after that date. It does not cover dwellings that need no planning permit, and it does not cover bottled or reticulated LPG.
• Small second homes: under Amendment VC253, a small second home must not connect to reticulated gas whether or not it needs a permit. Victorian small second home rules are covered in granny flat rules in Victoria.
• All new homes from 2027: the state describes the Building and Plumbing Amendment Regulations 2025 as finalised, requiring all new homes to be all-electric from 1 January 2027. These regulations are not yet in force. Existing gas cooking is unchanged.

Gas connection rules in other states and territories are not covered by the sources compiled here. Whether the Victorian 2027 regulations will restrict bottled LPG for cooking in new homes is also not confirmed by the source.

For a modular buyer the fuel decision has a physical side. Gas pipework, if any, is installed in the factory and joined to a supply on site, so the choice is fixed before the module is built.

Rangehoods and exhaust §

Under clause 10.8.2 of the ABCB Housing Provisions, as summarised in Victorian guidance, exhaust from a kitchen — including a rangehood — and from a laundry is to achieve 40 litres per second, and exhaust from a bathroom or toilet 25 litres per second. In each case the exhaust is discharged through a shaft or duct to outdoor air.^[4] A rangehood that recirculates air back into the room does not discharge to outdoor air. Whether the clause requires a kitchen exhaust in every home, or sets the standard for one where it is installed, should be confirmed with a certifier; the source summarised here does not address that point.

In cold climates the same guidance adds requirements for ventilating the roof space itself.^[4] For a modular kitchen, the duct route from rangehood to outdoors runs through a ceiling and roof built in the factory. It is worth confirming on the plans where that duct exits and how the penetration is weatherproofed, particularly if the roof is completed on site.

Summary §

Common questions §

Can I have a stone benchtop in a new modular home?

Not engineered stone: its manufacture, supply, processing and installation has been prohibited since 1 July 2024. Natural stone such as granite is excluded from the ban.^[1]

Do I have to remove an existing engineered stone benchtop?

No. The prohibition does not require installed engineered stone to be removed, and legacy stone can be repaired or removed under controlled conditions after notifying the regulator.^[1]

Can a new granny flat in Victoria have a gas cooktop?

Under Amendment VC253, a small second home must not connect to reticulated gas, whether or not it needs a planning permit.^[3] The source describes the restriction in terms of reticulated gas; from 1 January 2027 the state says all new homes must be all-electric, a rule not yet in force.^[3]

Can a new home in Canberra connect to gas?

Not in the zones covered. Since 8 December 2023, new gas network connections — including a new gas meter — are prevented in residential, commercial and community facility zones and for Class 1 to 4 residential buildings elsewhere.^[2]

Does a rangehood have to vent outside?

Victorian guidance on clause 10.8.2 of the Housing Provisions states kitchen exhaust, including a rangehood, is to achieve 40 L/s discharged through a shaft or duct to outdoor air.^[4] Confirm with a certifier how this applies to a particular kitchen.

What is not covered here §

Gas connection policies outside the ACT and Victoria, and the status of particular benchtop products under the engineered stone definition, are not covered by the sources compiled here.

No published source compiled here compares the cost of a kitchen in a factory-built home with a site-built one, or reports how factory-fitted kitchens perform over time. Statements on those points come from builders describing their own products.

Kitchen accessibility requirements under the Livable Housing Design Standard, appliance energy ratings and cabinetry standards are not covered; for accessibility see the Livable Housing Design Standard and factory-built homes.

Questions worth asking §

• What benchtop material is specified, and can the supplier confirm it is not engineered stone?
• Is the cooktop electric, gas or bottled LPG, and is that permitted for this home in this state?
• Does the rangehood duct to outdoor air, and where does the duct leave the roof?
• Which kitchen choices must be final before production starts, and what does a later change cost?
• Which services are joined on site, and where are the connection points?

Related: gardens and outdoor space with a modular home · living in a modular home

References §