Refits and makeovers
Kitchen refurbishment
Kitchen refurbishment is a refit that keeps the existing carcasses where they are sound and replaces the parts you see and use: doors and drawer fronts, worktops, handles, sink, tap, splashback and lighting. Some jobs also swap a few damaged units or tired appliances. The layout and services usually stay where they are, which keeps the cost and the disruption well below a full new kitchen.
When do you need kitchen refurbishment?
Many kitchens are replaced because they look tired, not because the cabinets have failed. Carcasses often stay square and solid long after the doors have faded, the worktop has chipped around the sink and the hinges have loosened. A refurbishment puts the money into the surfaces you see and touch every day. It suits people who like their layout, landlords between tenancies and buyers who want a dated kitchen brought up to standard, usually in two to seven days on site.
We start with a free survey visit to check the carcasses before anything is ordered. We look for swollen board and water staining under the sink and dishwasher, sagging shelves, loose wall fixings and units that have dropped out of level. If most units are sound, you get an itemised written quote for the refresh. If several are damaged, or the layout no longer works for you, we say so and price a new kitchen alongside it so you can compare the two.
What is included?
- Free survey visit to check every carcass for water damage, level and fixings
- New doors, drawer fronts, end panels and plinths fitted to the existing units
- Old worktops removed and new laminate, wood or stone worktops fitted
- New handles drilled and fitted, with hinges and drawer runners adjusted or replaced
- Sink and tap replaced on the existing supplies and waste
- Tiled, glass or panel splashback fitted once the new worktops are in
- Under-cabinet and ceiling lighting updated by an electrician and tested to BS 7671
- Damaged units or tired appliances swapped where the rest of the kitchen is sound
How much does kitchen refurbishment 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 |
|---|---|
| New doors, worktops and handles on sound unitsCarcasses kept, everything you see replaced | £2,500–£6,000 |
| Refresh plus sink, tap, splashback and lightingA full visual refit without moving services | £4,000–£9,000 |
| Partial refit with some new units and appliancesDamaged units swapped, new appliances fitted | £6,000–£14,000 |
Guide ranges assume the existing layout and services stay in place with laminate or wood worktops; stone worktops, moved services, new circuits, flooring and plastering are priced as separate lines. Your price is confirmed after a free survey visit.
How long does it take?
Typical timescale: 2 to 7 days on site. 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:
Refurbishing a kitchen in England needs no planning permission or Building Regulations approval in itself, though a listed home may need listed building consent before historic features are removed. Swapping light fittings or adding sockets on existing kitchen circuits is not notifiable under Part P but must meet BS 7671; a new circuit is notifiable. A gas hob must be disconnected and reconnected by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
In Wales, a kitchen refurbishment needs no planning permission, though a listed building may need listed building consent. Electrical rules are stricter than in England: extending an existing circuit within a kitchen is notifiable under Part P, so new under-cabinet lighting or extra sockets added during a refit are usually certified through a competent person scheme or building control. Gas hobs must be reconnected by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
In Scotland, replacing doors, worktops, a sink or light fittings in a house does not normally need a building warrant, and most electrical work in a house does not either, but it must meet the building standards and BS 7671, so ask for an electrical certificate. A listed building may need listed building consent before historic features are removed. Gas hobs are disconnected and reconnected by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
In Northern Ireland, a kitchen refurbishment needs no planning permission or building control application, although a listed building may need listed building consent before historic features are removed. There is no Part P-style notification for domestic electrics, but new lighting and sockets should be installed and tested to BS 7671 and certified. A gas hob must be reconnected by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
What should you think about before starting?
- Open the sink cupboard and look for swollen board or staining; water-damaged carcasses should be replaced, not hidden behind new doors.
- Measure replacement doors against your carcasses rather than the old doors, as widths, hinge positions and drawer box sizes vary between ranges.
- Check whether the hinges and drawer runners can be reused; worn or mismatched fittings can stop new doors from sitting straight.
- Keep appliances that fit their housings, but check that any new integrated appliance matches the existing gap and door-fixing method.
- If several units are damaged, the layout no longer suits you or services need moving, a full new kitchen may be better value.
- Stone worktops are templated once the old tops are off and fitted about one to two weeks later, so plan for a gap without full worktops.
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 refurbishment
How much does a kitchen refurbishment cost?
A refresh with new doors, worktops and handles on sound units is typically £2,500 to £6,000 including VAT. Adding a new sink, tap, splashback and lighting takes most jobs to £4,000 to £9,000, and a partial refit with some new units and appliances is about £6,000 to £14,000. These are national guide ranges, and your price is fixed in writing once the scope is agreed after a survey visit.
Is it worth refurbishing a kitchen rather than replacing it?
Often, yes, if the carcasses are sound and you are happy with the layout. A refurbishment keeps the hidden structure and spends the budget on what you see. It stops being good value when several units are water-damaged, when you want to move the sink, hob or walls, or when the units are an unusual size that new doors will not suit.
How do you check whether my kitchen units are sound?
At the survey we check the carcasses one by one. We look for swollen or flaking board around the sink, dishwasher and kettle area, staining from old leaks, sagging shelves, damaged hinge holes, loose wall fixings and units that have dropped out of level. Sound carcasses are kept, and damaged ones are listed on the quote as replacements so nothing is left to chance later.
Can I keep my existing appliances during a refurbishment?
Usually, yes. Built-in ovens, hobs and integrated appliances can stay if they work well and suit the existing housings. If you replace one, the new appliance must match the housing dimensions and door-fixing method, and a larger oven or an induction hob may need a new cooker circuit. We check model numbers and sizes at the survey, before you buy anything.
How long will I be without a kitchen during a refurbishment?
Usually two to seven days on site. New doors and handles can often be fitted in a day or two with the kitchen usable between visits. Replacing worktops, the sink and the splashback takes longer, and stone worktops add about one to two weeks between templating and fitting. Ask about a temporary worktop so the sink can stay in use during that gap.
Will a refurbished kitchen look like a new one?
It can come very close, because doors, worktops, handles and the splashback make up most of what you see. The differences show inside the cupboards and in the layout, which stays the same. Matching new end panels, plinths and cornice to the doors matters, because old panels left in place give the age of the kitchen away.
Related guides
- Which kitchen worktop material should you choose?
- Should you replace your kitchen doors or fit a whole new kitchen?
- How do you live without a kitchen during a refit?
Related kitchen services
Where do we carry out kitchen refurbishment?
We take on kitchen refurbishment 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