IT SEEMS obvious but doing all you can yourself, from going out and sourcing materials to installing and finishing, is the key to saving money on a kitchen renovation.

Erin Ransley, of Tweed Heads, recently completed a kitchen renovation and knows a thing or two about savings.

She got the entire job done for under $5000.

"The most savings happen when you get out there yourself and look for the bargains and talk to people," Miss Ransley said.

To begin with, she said shopping locally with the smaller outlets would result in immediate savings.

"The smaller guys often have more room to move on price and it is good to support local business," Miss Ransley said.

Another good tip was not being afraid to bargain. Ask for a quote and then ask them to sharpen their pencil after that.

The more labour you could do yourself, the more the savings, she said, so do the things you are capable of and leave the technical stuff to the professionals.

One aspect of a kitchen reno most people cannot do and should not attempt is the cabinet making. Doors, cupboards and bench tops are best left to the professionals, like Ben Smith from Unique Coastal Kitchens, who says DIY jobs often cost more than getting a professional to do your cabinet making.

"I don't want to bag out the big warehouse chains that sell ready-made cabinets, but by the time you go and buy all your tools and materials, then put the job together, what you get is a substandard job for often more cost," Mr Smith said.

He also recommended shopping around for kitchen companies like his who made their entire kitchens from scratch.

"I had the floor tiles laid by a professional but did all the grouting myself and tiled and painted the splashback," Miss Ransley said.

Another cheap, easy and DIY component to renovations was painting, as a good paint job could make a huge difference.