Refits and makeovers
Kitchen strip-out and removal
Kitchen strip-out and removal is taking an old kitchen out safely so the room is ready for the next one. Gas is capped by a Gas Safe registered engineer, circuits are made safe by an electrician, and water is isolated and capped. Units, worktops, appliances and, where agreed, old tiles come out, and the waste goes through licensed routes with old appliances sent for recycling.
When do you need kitchen strip-out and removal?
A strip-out looks like the simple part of a new kitchen, but it is where the hidden risks sit. Gas pipes, live cables and water supplies run behind the units, and homes built before 2000 may contain asbestos in textured ceilings, old floor tiles or boards in a boiler cupboard. People book a strip-out on its own when a builder or another fitter is doing the rest, when a leak has ruined the units, or when a house is being cleared for renovation.
We plan the day before anything is pulled out. At the survey we check where the gas, electrics and water run, how the waste will leave the house and whether a skip or a van suits the job. On the day, floors and the route out are protected, services are made safe first, and units come out in order, wall units before base units. If material that might contain asbestos turns up, work in that area stops until it has been tested.
What is included?
- Survey of gas, electrical and water positions and the route out of the house
- Floors, doorways, stairs and the route to the skip or van protected
- Gas supply disconnected and capped by a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Kitchen circuits isolated and made safe by an electrician
- Water isolated and supplies capped so the rest of the house keeps running water
- Wall units, base units, worktops, sink and appliances removed in order
- Old tiles stripped and walls prepared for plaster, where that is agreed
- Waste taken through licensed routes and old appliances sent for recycling
How much does kitchen strip-out and removal 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 |
|---|---|
| Old kitchen removed and disposed ofUnits, worktops and appliances, including skip hire | £200–£500 |
| Removal with services made safeGas capped by a Gas Safe engineer, circuits made safe by an electrician | £300–£700 |
| Strip-out back to bare wallsOld tiles removed and walls prepared for plaster | £500–£1,200 |
Guide ranges include labour, protection, waste removal or skip hire and, where listed, making services safe; asbestos testing or removal and replastering are priced separately. Your price is confirmed after a free survey visit.
How long does it take?
Typical timescale: 1 day for most kitchens. 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:
Removing a kitchen needs no planning permission in England, but a listed home may need listed building consent before historic fittings are taken out. Only a Gas Safe registered engineer may disconnect and cap a gas supply, and circuits should be made safe by an electrician to BS 7671. A skip on the road usually needs a council permit, which the skip firm normally arranges, and waste should go with a carrier registered with the Environment Agency.
In Wales, a strip-out needs no planning permission, though a listed building may need listed building consent. Gas must be capped by a Gas Safe registered engineer and circuits made safe by an electrician. Disconnection itself is not notifiable, but the new kitchen's electrics usually will be, because extending an existing circuit within a kitchen is notifiable under Part P in Wales. Skips on the road normally need a council permit, and waste should go with a registered carrier.
In Scotland, taking out a kitchen does not need a building warrant, though a listed building may need listed building consent before historic features are removed. Gas must be disconnected and capped by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and circuits made safe to BS 7671. A skip on a public road needs a permit from the council, usually arranged by the skip firm, and waste should go with a carrier registered with SEPA.
In Northern Ireland, removing a kitchen needs no planning permission or building control application. A Gas Safe registered engineer must disconnect and cap any gas supply, and circuits should be made safe and tested to BS 7671. A skip on a public road needs a licence from the roads authority, which the skip firm normally arranges, and waste should go with a carrier registered with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
What should you think about before starting?
- If the house was built before 2000, consider an asbestos survey first; textured ceilings, old floor tiles and boiler cupboard boards can contain it.
- Old steel sinks sometimes have bitumen sound-deadening pads underneath, which may contain asbestos and should be tested before the sink is broken up.
- Decide what is being kept, such as a working oven or units for a garage, and label it clearly before the strip-out day.
- Check where a skip can go; one on the road usually needs a council permit, which the skip firm normally arranges.
- Leaseholders should check the lease and building rules on working hours, lift use and waste storage before booking a strip-out.
- Line up the new kitchen soon after the strip-out, as the room stays without a cooker or sink until the services are reconnected.
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 strip-out and removal
How much does it cost to remove an old kitchen?
Removing an old kitchen and disposing of it typically costs £200 to £500 including VAT, covering units, worktops and appliances with skip hire. With the gas capped by a Gas Safe engineer and circuits made safe by an electrician it is about £300 to £700, and a strip-out back to bare walls with old tiles removed is roughly £500 to £1,200. Prices are confirmed after a survey visit.
Who disconnects the gas and electrics before a strip-out?
A Gas Safe registered engineer disconnects and caps the gas supply to the hob or cooker, which is a legal requirement everywhere in the UK. An electrician isolates the kitchen circuits and makes the cable ends safe to BS 7671, and the water is turned off and the supplies capped. Only then do the units and appliances come out.
What happens if asbestos is found during a kitchen strip-out?
Work in that area stops. Homes built before 2000 may contain asbestos in textured ceiling coatings, old floor tiles, some boiler cupboard boards and the bitumen pads under old steel sinks. Suspect material is sampled and tested by a specialist, and if it does contain asbestos it is removed by a specialist contractor under the asbestos regulations before the strip-out carries on.
Where does the old kitchen go after it is removed?
Into licensed waste routes. Units, worktops and packaging go by skip or van with a registered waste carrier to permitted sites, and old appliances go for recycling, which matters most for fridges and freezers because their gases need specialist treatment. Anything you want to keep or sell, such as a working oven, is set aside before the strip-out starts.
Do I need a skip for a kitchen strip-out?
Not always. A small kitchen can often go in a van in one or two trips, while a larger strip-out with tiles and plaster usually needs a skip. A skip on your drive needs no permit, but one on the road usually needs a permit from the council or roads authority, which the skip firm normally arranges. We agree the method at the survey.
Can you strip out a kitchen for another fitter or builder?
Yes. We can take out the old kitchen on its own and leave the room ready, with gas capped, circuits made safe and water isolated, so your builder or fitter starts with a clear space. Tell us at the survey what condition the walls and floor should be left in, because stripping back to bare walls is a bigger job than removing units.
Related guides
- 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 strip-out and removal?
We take on kitchen strip-out and removal 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