kitchen renovation costs: a contractor's breakdown
Kitchens are high-value jobs with a lot of moving parts. Plumbing, electrics, gas, joinery, worktops, tiling, flooring, appliances — the coordination alone can eat your margin if you have not priced properly. Here is what kitchens actually cost in 2026 and where the risk hides.
typical cost breakdown
Mid-range kitchen renovation for a typical 3-bed UK home. This assumes a full strip-out and refit, not just changing doors.
| Item | Cost Range | Risk Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strip out & disposal | £500 - £1,000 | Low | Predictable unless asbestos is present |
| Kitchen units (supply & fit) | £3,000 - £8,000 | Medium | Howdens = Low. Bespoke joinery = High. |
| Worktops | £800 - £3,500 | Medium - High | Laminate = Low. Granite/quartz templated on-site = High. |
| Plumbing | £600 - £1,200 | Medium | Moving the sink location adds cost and risk |
| Electrics | £800 - £1,500 | Medium | New consumer unit or rewire pushes this up |
| Gas (hob, boiler relocation) | £300 - £800 | Low | Gas Safe registered sub. Straightforward if no relocation. |
| Tiling (splashback & floor) | £800 - £2,000 | Low | Standard metro tiles = certain. Complex patterns = Medium. |
| Flooring | £400 - £1,200 | Low | LVT or vinyl. Subfloor prep can add cost. |
| Plastering & decoration | £400 - £800 | Low | Straightforward. Old kitchens may need more prep. |
| Appliances | £1,000 - £4,000 | Certain - Low | Usually customer-purchased. Confirm before quoting. |
| Skip / waste | £300 - £500 | Certain | Fixed price, book in advance |
Total range for a mid-spec kitchen: £8,900 - £24,500. The huge range comes down to unit quality, worktop material, and how much layout change is involved.
where kitchens blow budgets
- Worktops. Templated stone worktops are measured after the units are fitted, then fabricated off-site. If the template is wrong or the stone has a flaw, you are waiting weeks for a replacement. Mark bespoke worktops as High uncertainty.
- Layout changes. Moving the sink means moving waste and water. Moving the hob means moving gas and extraction. Each relocation is another subcontractor, another day, another point of failure. If the customer wants to move everything, your plumbing and electrical estimates should be Medium at minimum.
- Lead times. Bespoke units, stone worktops, and specialist appliances can take 4-8 weeks. If one item is late, your whole programme shifts. Price the risk of dead time into your quote or make sure the customer understands delays are at their cost.
- Scope creep. "While you are here, can you move that radiator?" "Actually, can we replaster the whole room?" Kitchens attract scope creep because customers see the mess and want everything fixed at once. Have a clear scope in writing before you start.
quoting kitchens with confidence
A kitchen with standard Howdens units, laminate worktops, and no layout changes is mostly Low-uncertainty work. You could quote close to your base estimate. A kitchen with bespoke joinery, granite worktops, and a full layout redesign is packed with High-uncertainty items. Your contingency needs to reflect that.
Rate each line item honestly, run the simulation, and quote at P80. Your quote will be higher on risky jobs and tighter on simple ones — which is exactly how it should be.