Kitchen fitting
Kitchen installation
Kitchen installation is the whole job of turning a room and a set of units into a working kitchen: removing the old one, preparing walls, floors and services, fixing and levelling the cabinets, fitting worktops, sink and appliances, and finishing with panels, plinths, tiling and decoration. It covers kitchens you have bought yourself as well as kitchens we design and supply.
When do you need kitchen installation?
People usually call a kitchen installer at one of two points: they have bought a kitchen and need it fitted properly, or the old kitchen has had its day and they want one company to handle the lot. Either way, the quality of the fit decides how the kitchen looks and lasts. Level carcasses, tight worktop joints and doors that line up come from careful preparation, not from the price of the units.
We run the whole installation. After a free survey visit we measure the room, check the walls, floor and service positions, and confirm what has been bought or what we will supply. You get an itemised written quote, then a fit carried out in the right order: strip-out, first-fix electrics and plumbing, units, worktops, second fix, tiling, flooring and a final check together before handover.
What is included?
- Free survey visit, measurements and an itemised written quote
- Removal and disposal of the old kitchen, with gas and electrics made safe
- First-fix electrics and plumbing for the new layout
- Base, wall and tall units fixed, levelled and secured to the wall
- Worktops cut, jointed and sealed, or templated for stone
- Sink, tap and integrated appliances fitted and connected
- Gas hobs connected only by Gas Safe registered engineers
- Panels, plinths, cornice, splashback and a final check before handover
How much does kitchen installation cost?
These are national guide prices including VAT at 20%. Prices are higher in London and the South East and lower in much of the North, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Choose your area below for a local range.
| Typical project | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Small kitchen, 5–10 units, fit onlyYour units fitted, laminate worktop, sink and appliance connections | £1,500–£2,500 |
| Medium kitchen, 10–15 units, fit onlyAs above, for a typical family kitchen | £2,500–£3,500 |
| Large kitchen, 15+ units or an island, fit onlyTall larders, island, more cut-outs and panels | £3,500–£4,500 |
| Mid-range kitchen, supplied and fittedRigid units, quartz or solid wood worktops, integrated appliances, fitting and the usual trades | £18,000–£35,000 |
Fit-only guide ranges cover labour for units, laminate worktops and standard connections; stone worktops, new circuits, moved services, tiling, flooring and plastering are priced as separate lines. Your price is confirmed after a free survey visit.
How long does it take?
Typical timescale: 3 to 12 days on site for the fit; 1 to 3 weeks with services, tiling and flooring. The programme for your kitchen is set out in the quote, and depends on the size of the room, what is moving, lead times for units and worktops and, after plastering, drying time.
Do you need permission or building regulations approval?
The rules differ across the UK. Choose your nation:
Fitting a new kitchen does not need planning permission in England. Listed building consent may be needed if the building is listed, and a new vent through the outside wall of a flat may need planning permission and the freeholder's consent. Electrical work must meet BS 7671, and new circuits or a new consumer unit are notifiable under Part P, so they are certified through a competent person scheme or building control. New extraction should be designed to Approved Document F rates (about 30 litres per second for a hood ducted outside), a refit should not leave ventilation worse than before, and only Gas Safe registered engineers may connect a gas hob.
In Wales, fitting a kitchen does not need planning permission, though a listed building may need listed building consent. Part P is wider than in England: extending an existing circuit within a kitchen is notifiable, as well as new circuits and consumer units, so most kitchen electrics are certified through a competent person scheme or building control. New extraction should be designed to the Welsh Approved Document F rates, a refit should not leave ventilation worse than before, and gas work is for Gas Safe registered engineers only.
In Scotland, replacing kitchen fitments, adding an extractor fan and most electrical work in a house do not need a building warrant, but the work must still meet the building standards and BS 7671, so ask for an Electrical Installation Certificate. Removing a load-bearing wall or changing how waste water is discharged needs a warrant first. Gas hobs must be connected by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Every home in Scotland must have an interlinked heat alarm in the kitchen, so it is kept or refitted, and tested, as part of the job.
In Northern Ireland, a like-for-like kitchen refit needs no planning permission or building control application. There is no Part P-style notification for domestic electrics, but the work should be installed and tested to BS 7671 and certified. Structural alterations and new drainage go to council building control under the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, and gas work is for Gas Safe registered engineers only.
What should you think about before starting?
- Book the survey before you order a kitchen, so the plan is checked against real wall lengths, window heights and service positions.
- Leave every box sealed until the fit; parts get lost or damaged once packaging is opened and stacked around the house.
- Decide where the sink, hob and dishwasher go early, because moving them later means repeating plumbing, electrics and tiling.
- Plan for one to two weeks without a working kitchen; a microwave, kettle and a temporary sink elsewhere make it easier.
- Order stone worktops for templating as soon as the base units are fixed, as fabrication usually takes one to two weeks.
- If the house was built before 2000, consider an asbestos survey before strip-out, especially with textured ceilings or old floor tiles.
How does the project run?
- Guide price. Use the online guide-price tool or call us for a realistic range for your area
- Free survey visit. We measure the room, check walls, floors and service positions, and look at the plan or delivery
- Itemised written quote. Broken down by stage and trade, with any worktop templating, engineer or approval costs listed
- Fitting in the right order. Strip-out, first fix, units, worktops, second fix and finishing, with the trades booked in sequence
- Final check and handover. A walk-round together, certificates for electrics and gas, and the manufacturers' documents
Questions about kitchen installation
How much does kitchen installation cost?
Fitting labour for a medium kitchen of 10 to 15 units is typically £2,500 to £3,500 including VAT, before regional adjustment. A small kitchen costs from about £1,500 and a large kitchen with an island up to about £4,500. A mid-range kitchen supplied and fitted is roughly £18,000 to £35,000. Your price is fixed in writing after a survey visit.
How long does it take to install a kitchen?
Most kitchens take three to twelve days on site to fit, depending on the number of units and whether services are moving. Allow one to three weeks overall once electrics, plumbing, tiling and flooring are included, plus one to two weeks between templating and fitting if you choose stone worktops.
Will you fit a kitchen I have bought myself?
Yes. We fit kitchens bought from any retailer, trade counter or online supplier, flat-pack or rigid. On the survey we check the plan, and before fitting we check the delivery against it. Missing or damaged parts are for the supplier to replace, and we tell you straight away so the fit can be re-planned.
What order does a kitchen installation follow?
The usual sequence is strip-out, any structural work, first-fix electrics and plumbing, plastering, base and wall units, worktops, second fix of sockets, sink, tap and appliances, then splashbacks, flooring and decorating. Some floors go down before the units and some after, depending on the floor type, which we agree at the survey.
Do I need building regulations approval for a new kitchen?
Usually only for parts of the job. Fitting units does not need approval, but new electrical circuits are notifiable in England and Wales, removing a load-bearing wall needs approval everywhere, and in Scotland structural work needs a building warrant. Gas work must always be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Can I use my kitchen during the installation?
Not for most of it. Once the old kitchen comes out there is no sink or cooker until the new one is connected, usually a week or two for an average kitchen. We plan the job so the water and power are off for as little time as possible, and we tell you which days will be the most disruptive.
Related guides
- How long does it take to fit a new kitchen?
- Flat-pack or rigid kitchen: what is the difference?
- What happens during a kitchen installation, day by day?
- How do you live without a kitchen during a refit?
Related kitchen services
Where do we carry out kitchen installation?
We take on kitchen installation across England, Wales, mainland Scotland and Northern Ireland. Choose your area for local guide prices and the rules that apply there.
England
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Devon
- Dorset
- County Durham
- the East Riding of Yorkshire
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- the Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Merseyside
- Norfolk
- North Yorkshire
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Tyne and Wear
- Warwickshire
- the West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire