Pricing·6 min read

How to Price a Kitchen Renovation

Kitchen renovations have the widest price range of almost any domestic job — from a £3,000 unit replacement to a £60,000 bespoke refit. The difference is almost never about the building work. It's about the kitchen itself. This guide covers how to price the building and fitting work correctly, and how to handle the relationship between your labour costs and the kitchen supply.

Cost ranges by type of renovation

These are labour and fitting costs only — the kitchen units, worktops, and appliances are separate unless you're supply-and-fit.

Type	Labour cost range	Notes
Basic unit replacement (same layout)	£1,500 – £3,000 labour	Like-for-like swap, no structural changes
Full refit (same layout)	£3,000 – £6,000 labour	Strip out, new electrics and plumbing, fit new kitchen
Layout change (move sink or appliances)	£5,000 – £9,000 labour	Drainage and electrical rerouting adds significant cost
Extension or structural opening	£8,000 – £20,000 labour	Opening a wall, adding bifolds, extending into rear

Supply and fit vs labour only

Decide early whether you're supplying the kitchen or fitting one the customer has bought. Both are legitimate models, but they have different implications. Supply-and-fit gives you more control over quality and schedule (you're not waiting for a customer's delivery), and you can mark up the units. Labour-only is simpler but means you're dependent on the customer getting the right items delivered on time — which they frequently don't. If doing labour only, state clearly in your quote that delays caused by late or incorrect deliveries will be charged at your day rate.

Trades involved

Trade	Days	Notes
Kitchen fitter / carpenter	3 – 7 days	Unit assembly, fitting, worktop templating and fitting
Electrician	1 – 2 days	Rewire circuits, add sockets, cooker circuit, extractor
Plumber	1 – 2 days	Sink, dishwasher, fridge water feed
Tiler	1 – 3 days	Splashback. Often done after units are in.
Plasterer	0.5 – 1 day	Making good after chasing and removal of old units
Labourer	1 – 2 days	Strip out, waste removal

What drives the price up

Moving the sink — involves extending the soil pipe and often cutting through a concrete floor. Can add £500–£1,500 depending on the run.
Structural opening — if the kitchen is being opened into a dining room or extended, you need steels, building regs, and more time.
Worktop material — laminate worktops are easy to fit. Granite, quartz, and solid wood require a template visit, specialist fabrication, and a two-person fit.
Appliances — integrated appliances (dishwasher, fridge, oven) take longer to fit than freestanding. Allow extra time.
Tiling — a full height tile to the ceiling takes three times longer than a standard splashback height.
Floor — if the customer also wants flooring done as part of the project, add it as a separate line. It often gets mentioned late.

What builders forget to include

Worktop cutouts — a sink cutout, hob cutout, and any drainage grooves add time to the worktop fitting, especially with solid stone.
Making good the ceiling where the old extractor fan was routed — often in the wrong position.
Pelmets and cornices — small items but time-consuming to fit neatly. Don't treat them as included in the unit price.
Appliance testing — always test every appliance before handing over. A fault found on the day of handover is your responsibility if you don't flag it immediately.
Final fix plumbing — filling and flushing the system after the plumber finishes.

Tip

Get the kitchen delivery date confirmed before you book the job in. Most delays on kitchen refits happen because units arrive late, damaged, or with missing items. Build a buffer of at least two days between delivery and your start date.

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More guides

How to Quote for a House Extension→How to Price Labour and Materials as a UK Tradesperson→How to Create a Building Quote by Voice→