How Much it Costs to Get a Kitchen Fitted

Planning on upgrading your kitchen in the near future? Then you may be asking yourself how much kitchen fitters charge.

As you might imagine, there is no straightforward answer. That’s because the cost depends on where you live, what type of kitchen you’re having fitted and, of course, the size of your kitchen.

In this guide, we’ll give you average labour costs per hour for certain kitchen fitting jobs, as well as daily kitchen fitter rates overall. From there, you can work out roughly how much kitchen fitters charge and get a ballpark figure for your entire kitchen refurbishment or new installation.

First though, it’s worth noting that your kitchen fitter typically won’t do the electrical or plumbing work themselves, they’ll probably subcontract that work to another tradesman. This may be in your kitchen fitter’s overall quote for the work, or the individual tradespeople may charge separately.

But back to the question of how much kitchen fitters charge. If you want to pinpoint a figure, then the typical cost for fitting a new kitchen in the UK is around £6,000. However, lower-cost installations could be circa £1,500 and a higher-spec kitchen fitting can come in at £14,000.

Kitchen installation costs

Giving a more accurate reading, size-wise, your average kitchen here in the UK measures around 14 square metres. The installation cost alone for this is around £3,500.

So, the first thing to determine your overall kitchen installation cost is to measure the kitchen. After you’ve done that you can get going on the good bit: choosing your units, worktops, new sink, lighting, etc. Then you can work out more accurate installation costs for these individual items, which we have listed below in this guide.

Kitchen fitter rates – labour only

Kitchen fitters charge differently depending on where in the UK they are based. In parallel to general costs, the costs of a kitchen fitter are higher in the south: you can expect to pay more for a kitchen fitter in London than you would in Northumbria or Scotland, for example.

So, budget for anything from £250 to £350 for an eight-hour day, bearing in mind you’ll be at the upper end of this scale if you live in London. Then, depending on your remodel plans, you will probably have to factor in extra for an electrician (£250 to £400 a day), plumber (£325 to £375 per day), and tiler (£150 to £250 a day).

It’s worth getting three quotes from kitchen fitters. That way you can get a better idea of what seems over-priced, and what you’ll get for your money. Make sure those quotes are in writing so you can see an exact breakdown of the costs. If it’s too vague, ask them to break it down to individual jobs so you can fully understand the price of each element.

It’s not unreasonable to ask for examples of previous work either. Do they have past clients you can visit to see how they build their kitchen renovation? Or that you can at least look at via images or video? Most kitchen fitters should be able to supply this kind of thing.

Kitchen removal costs

If you plan on getting a completely new kitchen then you are probably looking at hiring a skip to get rid of the old units, worktops and other associated waste. This in itself can prove costly (around £90 a day). Then there is the time involved in dismantling your old kitchen (typically around two hours), which will be added to the labour costs.

9 Kitchen Costs to Consider

1. Units

The cost of installing kitchen units works out at roughly £40–£55 per cabinet. That can be accomplished in anything from one to three hours, depending on the size and complexity of the kitchen. For instance, in an upmarket kitchen you may also require ‘housing’ for a fridge freezer, washing machine and other appliances.

The kitchen units themselves can vary hugely in cost, depending on their size, material and design. Plain cupboard doors for a slim galley kitchen can come in at around £1,000, while Shaker cabinets for a large kitchen may be as much as £7,000.

2. Worktops

Expect to pay anything from £200 to £470 for your worktops to be laid. Again, the cost of this job is dependent on the size of the kitchen.

There is a huge variation in price when it comes to worktops again, based on the price of the materials used and how complicated they are to install. Basic worktops produced from laminate can cost around £400 to £600 (or around £35 and £60 per square metre). Marble, granite and quartz worktops, on the other hand, can set you back thousands of pounds. Depending on their thickness and quality, you can expect to pay between £300 and £1,000 per square metre for premium natural materials.

A material like marble is not only expensive, it’s heavy and can take far longer to get into place than a wooden or composite worktop. So depending on which worktops you choose, expect work to take anywhere from one to two days.

3. Sink

Expect to pay around £100 for your sink fitting and anything from £170 to £220 for the plumbing, which might involve changing the taps, replacing piping, and checking drain systems. In total, this should take from two to four hours, depending on the specifications of your new new sink. If you opt for a more complicated mixer or spray tap with a special finish, or a boiling water tap, the plumbing work will likely take longer than a simple faucet installation.

In terms of the cost of the sink itself, a stainless-steel sink comes in at around £50 whereas a high-end sink made from ceramic or even composite materials will set you back around £300.

Taps are just as variable in price, it all depends on your preference and budget. For a basic kitchen mixer tap, you’ll pay about £20. For a high-end designer version, you can pay as much as £200. Or if you’re after a pull-out spray tap, these options cost typically cost £100 or more.

4. Plastering

A plastering job on your kitchen (often this involves skimming areas where units and appliances from the original kitchen have been removed), can cost up to £60 per square metre. This can take as little as six hours, but up to three days if there’s a lot to skim.

5. Tiling

It’s not unusual for a tiler to charge around £65 per square metre of tiling. The size of the tile and the complexity of your desired pattern (if you want one) can also impact the quote. Generally, smaller tiles are more finicky and will take longer to lay, whereas larger tiles require less time.

Ceramic tiles will be slightly cheaper at around £20 to £40 per square metre. Porcelain tiles may be £25 to £50 for the same amount of coverage.

6. Flooring

When it comes to flooring, it’s typical to pay from £130–£165 per square metre for fitting. Again, this is dependent on the material involved. Expect this part of the job to last from five hours up to two days.

Depending on your desired look and feel, kitchen flooring can cost from £50 to £90 per square metre, whether that’s laminate or good-quality vinyl tiling.

7. Heating

Heating, too, tends to be measured in terms of metres, so budget for from £130–£165 per square metre. Typically, this can take anything from five hours up to two days, depending on the size of the floor involved.

Radiators cost anything from £50 for a basic model and £400 for mid-range, all the way up to £1500 for a designer version.

8. Lighting

Expect to pay around £140 to have a ceiling light installed by a qualified electrician. This should take from one to three hours. It may be though, that you also want under-cabinet lighting (or even under-island lighting). In which case your electrician will be around for a bit longer.

Downlighters come in at around £10 to £15 each, with a central lighting appliance costing from £50 to £100 depending on how large and elaborate you want it to be. For under-cabinet lighting, expect to pay around £270 for an electrician to install four lights.

9. Installing an extractor fan

Most kitchens these days require an electric fan to get rid of any cooking smells. Typically this might cost about £200 for installation, and taking from two to four hours.

In terms of the price of the fan itself, you’re looking at about £20 to £50.

Reasons to use a kitchen fitter

Kitchens are expensive – the cost of units and worktops alone tend to amount to thousands of pounds. While it can be tempting to try and cut costs and do the installation yourself, it’s trickier than it looks. A professional fit ensures that your new kitchen will be built correctly and look just as you designed it.

If you use a kitchen fitter and other tradespeople to install everything then it tends to be less expensive than getting the company you bought the units from to fit it. It also means you have more control over what exactly is happening with your kitchen refurbishment, in terms of time management but also the appliances you like – kitchen companies tend to recommend certain brands that they have relationships with.

Just make sure that once you’ve commissioned a contractor, you have everything ready to go (units, worktops, taps etc), and you’ve removed things like crockery and pans from the cupboards, so your kitchen fitter can get on with the job.

What you should get

You can reasonably expect a kitchen fitter to rip out your old kitchen and arrange for a skip to be delivered so that the material can be dumped or recycled. Your kitchen fitter will then build and fit your kitchen cabinets and any housing for major appliances required.

He or she will fit the worktops and build in the sink and taps (but not necessarily connect them – that’s a plumber’s task). If they have the skills, your kitchen fitter may even plaster the walls or tile on the backsplashes too. Some may even fit floor tiles.

It’s not unheard of for a kitchen fitter to lift a paintbrush either and do a little decorating (although this is often in addition to the fitting costs).

How long it takes

Again, size matters: you have to look at the square footage of the kitchen in question, the complexity of the desired design and the materials to accurately determine how long it will take. It also depends on whether or not all the materials have arrived on time.

Typically, though, you can expect your new kitchen installation to be fitted and ready in 10 days, perhaps a fortnight.

Kitchen fitting costs – determining factors

There’s really no one-size-fits-all answer to the question ‘How much do kitchen fitters charge?’ but if we had to pick one determining factor, the size of the kitchen installation is probably the biggest sway on price. But, the type of materials used is also very important for your calculation.

Not surprisingly, the design of the kitchen installation matters, as does the surface area of the walls to be tiled and any flooring to be fitted. Any plastering and refinishing work needs to be taken into account too – regardless of how small. Then there is the cost of getting in a Gas Safe engineer to make sure the cooker is attached properly. This involves checking and issuing of a safety certificate. If the plumbing is particularly complicated that will also add to the cost.

You can get a less expensive quote for your kitchen installation cost if you can do some of the work yourself, such as removing and disposing of the old kitchen cabinets.

Doing it yourself

Installing your own kitchen isn’t recommended unless you know exactly what you are doing and are prepared to put in the effort and time. Using a professional for a kitchen installation is not only safer, but easier and far more reassuring for you and your family.

If you’re buying the kitchen yourself then always shop around and look out for upcoming sales to get the best price. Make sure you check on delivery that what has arrived is exactly what you ordered. Otherwise, you might have to wait longer to get cooking in your new kitchen.