Fitted Kitchen Cost Guide - Home Improvement Costs

The average cost to refit a kitchen is £12,000 to £22,000 based on the size of the kitchen. A budget refit can cost less than £5,000 while about 15 per cent of new kitchens exceed £40,000.

All the factors affecting your kitchen budget are discussed in this kitchen replacement cost guide.

New Fitted Kitchen Cost
	Low Cost	Average Cost	High Cost
	£3,500 – £12,000	£12,000 – £22,000	£22,000 – £40,000+
Kitchen Size	Small to Medium	Small to Large	Medium to Large
Cupboards	6 to 10	8 to 14	More than 14
Scope of the Work	Cupboard & Worktops	Complete	Complete
Bespoke Units & Worktops	No	No or Yes	Yes
Add an Island	No	No or Yes	Yes
Appliances	Budget to Average	Good	Best
Appliance Installation	DIY or Pro	Pro	Pro
Plumbing & Electrics	No	No or Yes	Yes
DIY Labour	Yes or No	No	No

Fitted Kitchen Refit Overview

The simplest refit does not include stripping out the kitchen by removing plastering, replacing or adding electrics and plumbing. The shape of the new kitchen will be the same, but with new cupboards, worktops, flooring, sink, handles, etc.

When you want to change kitchen design or upgrade its functionality, a complete demolition will be done. This gives you the opportunity to start with a clean slate and create your dream kitchen, though at a higher cost, plus when it comes to planning a new kitchen, there will be a lot more involved than there would be with a simple refit.

The table above is an overview of costs and factors. The details are below and address these issues:

A detailed list of kitchen refit prices
Cost factors that will help you determine where in the range your new kitchen will fall
Permitting requirements
Advice on whether DIY kitchen refitting is a good idea
Time it takes for fitters to do the work
Refit kitchen prices from other readers
The opportunity to get free quotes from experienced kitchen fitters local to you

A Menu of Itemised Fitted Kitchen Costs

Unless you have an unlimited budget, you will have to make decision about how to allocate your money.

This table shows ranges for the most common work and materials used in a kitchen refit.

Kitchen Item	Cost Range	Factor
Remove Old Kitchen	£400-£850	Size of kitchen
Electrical work	£500-£1,500	Extent of work, number of outlets and lighting fittings
Plumbing work	£750-£2,000	Number and type of fixtures, extent of plumbing moved/added
Units	£180-£515 each	Quality and number
Worktops	£200-£2,000	Material. E.g. laminate (£), solid timber (££-£££) or quartz (££££)
Taps	£35-£200+	Type and finish
Island	£550-£2,500	Size, quality of the goods, whether it has electrics or plumbing
Installation Charge	£900-£2,000	Number of units, worktops, fixtures and taps
Lighting	£50-£500	Number and quality of the fixtures
Backsplash	£225-£600	Tile type, size and backsplash size
Flooring	£15-£100 per /M²	Common options are vinyl and laminate (£), wood and tile (££-£££) and stone (£££)
Appliances	£400-£3,500	Number and quality of the appliances and DIY installation or not

Not all listed will apply to your kitchen refit. The “+” signs indicate that the cost of premium items can exceed the given ranges.

Kitchen Replacement Cost Factors

Whether you spend less than £5,000 or more than £35,000 depends on these factors.

Kitchen Size: The larger a kitchen is, the more you’ll spend on everything, more or larger cabinets, more worktop, more flooring and lighting, etc.
Scope of the Work: If you’re having plumbing and electrics modified, your cost will be significantly higher.
Basic or Bespoke: Your options include pre-built units and standard worktops that cost less than bespoke items in addition to bespoke.
Materials: The material you use for your worktops makes a big difference in total cost.
Including a Kitchen Island: An island adds cost but also increases the functionality of your kitchen. If it has electrics and plumbing, the cost will be higher.
Appliance Quality: Appliances can be budget-friendly or very expensive. Besides the number of appliances, cost factors are their size, features and functions.
DIY Labour: If you enjoy DIY projects and have some skills, this is an area where you might save money. Removing the old cupboards, worktops and flooring and installing the new appliances and fixtures are possible DIY jobs.

Is Refitting a Kitchen a DIY Job?

As mentioned, removing old materials is easy, as long as care is taken.

If you’re getting into the electrics or plumbing, leave it to the tradesmen unless you know exactly what you’re doing, understand the dangers and take necessary precautions.

It’s best to hire kitchen outfitters for installation of the new plumbing and electrical work, fitting cabinets and worktops, installing fixtures and similar skilled work.

Because you’re making a large investment in your home, you will be most happy with your new kitchen when it has the fit and finish you expect.

Permitting

Permitting is required when modifying electrics and plumbing, through part H and part P of the building regulations code. The cost of the permitting will be £75-£200 depending on exactly what work is done.

Permitting not needed for replacing cabinets, worktops, flooring or light fixtures only. Planning permission will only be required if you’re fitting the kitchen as part of a larger house extension, or if you live in a graded building and are making building alterations as part of the project.

Time Schedule

Here’s is a sample timeline for kitchen refitting. Some might not apply to your kitchen remodel.

Removing the old kitchen: 1-3 days depending on how large the kitchen is and how extensive the refit will be.

Plumbing and electric first fixing: 2-3 days each. The work will be done consecutively rather than at the same time to prevent tradesmen from getting in each other’s way.

Plastering the wall: 3-5 days

Installing cupboards: 1-3 days depending on number.

Installing worktops and backsplash: 1-2 days for most materials, longer for tile.

Installing flooring: 2-4 days including for tile floors.

Finish electric and plumbing: 1 day to install sockets, light fixtures, sink and handles.

Appliances: 1-2 days touches and cleaning up the job site.

It is likely there will be some days when no work happens. This is because it is difficult to schedule tradesmen so that one starts immediately when another is finished.

Expect your kitchen to be torn up for at least two to three weeks and possibly longer if the work is extensive or if there delays of more than a few days.