A new fitted kitchen is often the best way to add value and functionality to your home. New worktops, cupboards and appliances can make any home feel revitalised, but how do you know the kinds of sums you should expect to pay for a kitchen renovation? You know – the real cost of a fitted kitchen.
How can you get an accurate price for your project before you commit to its undertaking?
Estimating the cost of a fitted kitchen may seem daunting to some of you, which is why we’ve added a handy guide to help. In reality, you don’t have to spend a fortune to have a stunning new kitchen. For example, we offer a kitchen makeover for £2,495 or a brand new fully fitted kitchen for £3,995, which even includes appliances! Sure, you can invest tens of thousands of pounds in your kitchen but as you can see from these prices you don’t have to.
Picking the kitchen cupboards and worktops is pretty straightforward these days. As is finding and pricing your appliances, fixtures and fittings. The internet has helped a lot in this department. However – as is often the case – the mystery for homeowners comes when attempting to accurately price the skilled tradesmen who are needed to transform your old, shabby kitchen into a brand new gourmet heaven.
Because – and let’s be honest – how often does your average homeowner need to estimate the price of electricians, plumbers, joiners, tilers, plasterers and labourers all in the same job? Without accurate quotes from these guys, you’ll never get the true fitted kitchen cost for your home.
So exactly how long should the important jobs take and what should you realistically expect to pay for them?
We’ve broken the Basic jobs down for you to see exactly where the time and money goes.
Rip Out:
- The careful removal and disposal of your old kitchen units, appliances and fittings is the very first job to consider allowing for in your timescale and budget. Typically, the average kitchen can be dismantled and cleared swiftly, allowing you to move onto the next step without delay.
- Time: 1 day
- Cost: £100-£150
Initial Preparation:
- As any great artist will tell you, the best paints in the world will look drab on a cheap canvas! The preparation of your room is vital for the perfect installation of your new kitchen.
- Time: 1 day
- Cost: £100-£150
Electrics:
- The electrics are the first things to go back into your kitchen once the room has been cleared and prepared. A skilled electrician can talk you through your socket and lighting requirements, before getting to work with new ring circuits and the varying installations needed to make your new fitted kitchen functional. Electrics are potentially lethal, so always use fully certified and highly recommended tradesmen for these jobs.
- Time: 1-2 days
- Cost: £200-£300
Plumbing (First and Second Fix):
- Before you start to see your kitchen coming together, the plumbing will need to be installed. Like electricians, skilled plumbers are a must when installing your new kitchen and likewise when estimating its cost. The last thing you want is leaking pipework behind your beautiful new kitchen cupboards.
- Time: 1-2 days
- Cost: £200-£300* (assuming new sink, washing machine and dishwasher are required*)
Joiner / Carpenter:
- The visual magic happens once the joiners start working on your new fitted kitchen. This is the point when you see worktops and cupboards being fitted – the point when you can begin to visualise what your new kitchen will look like. It’s also the joiner who is responsible for making your kitchen fit perfectly into even the most awkward of spaces, with no gaps, dips or poor quality joins to be seen when he’s finished. This is a skill that requires an experience and qualified craftsman.
- Time: 2-3 days
- Cost: £1,200* (for 10 units, 2 scribed joints, 1 hob and 1 sink installation*)
Tiler:
- The last tradesman you need a price for is the all-important tiler. This is the guy who makes good great. He is responsible for putting the finishing touches to the installation and he shouldn’t be overlooked when calculating the cost of a fitted kitchen.
- Time: 1-2 days
- Cost: £200-£300* (avg 5m of wall to tile)
The cost of a fitted kitchen in numbers
So there you have it – the real cost of a fitted kitchen. The average installation cost ranges from £2,000 to £2,400 and it should take between seven and eleven days, providing that you can book these tradesmen on consecutive days, which often isn’t possible. Don’t forget that these prices do not include your actual kitchen and appliances either. Nor does the timescale include the hours, days, weeks and months you may spend looking at hobs, cupboards, dishwashers, tiles etc…
