2026 UK cost guide
How much does a kitchen renovation cost in the UK?
The units are only part of the budget. Electrics, plumbing, plastering, flooring, decoration and changes to walls or openings often explain why two kitchens with similar cabinets cost very different amounts.
Illustrative UK starting range
£18,000–£43,000a 20 m² kitchen renovation across three contrasting scenarios, including VAT where charged.
This is a deliberately wide scenario range from Proper Job pricing model v14, not a UK average, quotation or promise of local availability. Your useful range should use the actual property, postcode, size, scope, access and choices.
Why the range is wide
The same project label can describe a very different job
Keeping the existing layout and fitting practical units in a rental property is a different project from opening up a London family home, moving services and installing bespoke cabinetry, premium appliances and stone worktops. Room size is only one part of the cost.
North West
Straightforward and practical
£18,000–£24,000A practical rental kitchen keeping the existing layout, with builder-grade finishes and limited service changes.
South East
Typical family-home scope
£25,000–£33,000A family kitchen with good domestic units, associated trade work and a balanced level of alteration.
London
Premium and more complex
£33,000–£43,000A premium kitchen with wider alterations, relocated services, higher-specification finishes and more complex delivery.
How Proper Job turns the broad range into something useful
Guide Price uses the actual postcode, size, scope, finish, site conditions and likely extras to create a more relevant early range.
Detailed Estimate then uses architectural drawings to measure and itemise the work, while keeping specifications, site conditions and client choices that still need confirming visible.
What moves the price
- Whether the kitchen is supplied by the builder or installed only
- Cabinet, worktop, appliance and ironmongery level
- Moving plumbing, electrics, gas or ventilation
- Wall removal, steelwork, new openings and making good
- Flooring, plastering, tiling and decorating around the installation
What this example allows for
- A ballpark-stage standard-finish kitchen renovation allowance
- Typical installation and associated trade work for the selected area
- Regional pricing pressure across three contrasting UK examples
- VAT added for the homeowner-facing example where it is charged
Before you ask builders for quotes
- State clearly who supplies units, worktops and appliances
- Mark every service or wall that needs to move
- List flooring, tiling, plastering and decoration as included or excluded
- Keep a separate contingency for discoveries after the old kitchen comes out
Questions homeowners ask
Are the kitchen units included?
This example is an early overall allowance, not a named supplier package. Your own guide lets you distinguish supply-and-install from install-only work.
Why do installation quotes vary so much?
Some include electrics, plumbing, plastering, flooring and decoration while others cover only cabinet fitting. Compare the inclusions, not just the total.
What should I decide first?
Fix the layout and supply responsibility first. Those two choices make later quotes much easier to compare.
Use your project, not the example
Add the real size, finish, logistics and likely extras. Your first Proper Job guide is free.
Create my guide priceOther homeowner cost guides
Pricing example checked 17 July 2026.