Kitchen Fitting Costs UK — What to Charge for Fitting a Kitchen in 2026

Fitting-Only vs Supply-and-Fit

The first decision on any kitchen job is how much of it you're taking responsibility for. There are two broad models, and they carry very different ticket sizes, margins and risk profiles.

Fitting-Only (Labour Only)

With fitting-only, the customer buys the kitchen themselves — usually from a national retailer like Howdens (via a trade account), Wickes, B&Q, Wren or an independent kitchen showroom — and you turn up and fit it. You charge for your labour and any consumables. This is the simplest model: you carry no stock risk, no markup exposure on units that get discontinued, and no cashflow tied up in materials.

The downside is that your revenue is capped at the labour value, and you're at the mercy of whatever the customer ordered. If they've under-ordered units, missed an end panel, or chosen appliances that don't fit the cabinetry, that becomes your problem on site. Many experienced fitters prefer labour-only precisely because it's clean — but they protect themselves by reviewing the customer's plan and order before starting, and quoting extras for anything missing.

• Small kitchen (galley / 6–8 units): £1,000–£1,800 labour
• Medium kitchen (10–14 units): £1,500–£2,500 labour
• Large or complex (island, tall units, awkward layout): £2,500–£4,000+ labour

Supply-and-Fit (Full Project)

With supply-and-fit you source the units, worktops, appliances and sundries, mark them up, and fit the lot. The ticket is much bigger — a typical supply-and-fit project runs £5,000–£15,000 and high-end jobs go well beyond that. You make margin on both the materials and the labour, and the customer deals with one point of contact instead of juggling a retailer and a fitter.

The trade-off is risk. You're carrying the cost of the kitchen until you invoice, you're liable if a unit arrives damaged or an appliance fails, and you tie up cashflow. Most fitters running supply-and-fit take a substantial deposit (often 40–60%) to cover the materials order before they buy anything. A sensible materials markup is 15–30% depending on how much design and procurement work you've done. If you're going to run this model, get a trade account with a supplier so your buying price gives you room to mark up and still beat the retail price the customer could get themselves.

What the Job Actually Involves — and the Other Trades

A kitchen looks like a joinery job, but it isn't. It's a sequence of trades, and you either hold the relevant qualifications yourself, sub them in, or coordinate the customer's own contractors. Either way you have to price every one of these elements or you'll be out of pocket. The typical sequence on a full job runs like this:

• Rip-out: Strip out the old kitchen — units, worktops, appliances, tiles and sometimes flooring. Allow for disconnecting (and capping) services safely, plus waste removal and disposal.
• First-fix services: Move or extend plumbing supplies and waste, and run new electrical circuits, before the units go in. This is the point of no return — get the layout right here.
• Units / carcasses: Level, scribe and fix the base and wall cabinets to walls and to each other. Out-of-square walls and uneven floors are normal and eat time.
• Worktops: Laminate worktops you cut and fit on site. Solid surface, quartz and granite are templated and fitted by a specialist stone company — usually after the units are in, on a separate visit.
• Appliances, sink and taps: Install integrated and freestanding appliances, fit the sink and connect taps and waste. Gas hobs must be connected by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• Tiling / splashbacks: Tile or fit a splashback or upstand once worktops are in.
• Plastering and flooring: Make good walls and ceilings; lay or finish the floor — sometimes before units, sometimes after, depending on the spec.

The two that catch fitters out most are electrics and plumbing. New circuits, additional sockets, a cooker point and spotlights are notifiable electrical work — under Part P of the Building Regulations this needs a qualified electrician (or a Building Control notification). Gas appliances are a legal Gas Safe matter. Unless you hold those tickets yourself, price a subbie's day or quoted figure into the job, plus a markup for managing them. Allow roughly £400–£1,200 for the electrics and £300–£800 for the plumbing on a typical kitchen, more if services are being significantly relocated.

What Affects the Price

No two kitchens take the same time or cost the same. These are the factors that move the number most:

• Number of units: The single biggest driver of fitting labour. More cabinets, more end panels, more cornice and pelmet — more time. This is why per-unit pricing works for many fitters.
• Kitchen size and layout: Galley kitchens are quick; L-shaped, U-shaped and especially island layouts add complexity, services runs and worktop joints.
• Worktop material: Laminate is cheap and same-day. Quartz, granite and solid surface cost several times more, need templating, and usually require a return visit — factor both the material cost and the schedule gap.
• Moving services vs keeping the layout: A like-for-like swap where the sink, hob and oven stay put is far cheaper than relocating them, which drags in extra plumbing and electrical work.
• Appliance integration: Integrated appliances with custom door fronts take longer to fit and align than freestanding ones.
• Removing the old kitchen: A full rip-out and disposal is a chargeable line, not a freebie.
• Structural changes: Removing a wall to open up the kitchen is a separate, much bigger cost (steel/RSJ, building control, structural engineer) and should never be buried in your fitting price.
• Quality of finish and region: A high-spec kitchen with handleless doors, perfect reveals and seamless worktops takes longer. Labour rates in London and the South East run well above the North and Midlands.

Quick Reference: Kitchen Fitting Prices UK 2026

For full supply-and-fit projects — units, worktops, appliances and all labour combined — typical total project values look like this:

How to Quote a Kitchen

The fitters who make consistent margin on kitchens don't quote a single lump sum — they itemise. Breaking the job down protects you when the spec changes mid-job and shows the customer where their money goes. Structure your quote around these lines:

• Rip-out and disposal as a separate line — including skip or waste-carrier costs.
• Fitting labour — price either per unit (a common, defensible way to quote) or on a day rate. A typical install takes around 5–10 days depending on size and complexity; multiply your days by your £180–£280 day rate per fitter.
• Worktops — split laminate (your labour) from stone (supplier's templated and fitted price, marked up).
• Appliances — listed individually if you're supplying, with your markup.
• Electrics, plumbing, gas and tiling — either as separate priced lines or as subbie costs with a management markup on top. Never absorb these into a flat figure.
• Contingency — build in an allowance for what you'll find behind the old units. Out-of-square walls, rotten floors, dodgy old wiring and hidden pipework are normal, not exceptional.

On a supply-and-fit job, take a deposit that covers the materials order before you buy anything, and stage payments against milestones (deposit, first fix, units in, completion). That keeps your cashflow positive and your risk contained.

Pitfalls and Callbacks

Kitchens generate more callbacks and margin-killers than almost any other domestic job. The recurring ones are predictable, which means you can price and plan for them:

• Under-estimating the days. The most common error. A kitchen that "looks like a four-day job" routinely runs to seven once scribing, services and snagging are counted.
• Out-of-square walls and floors. Older properties are rarely true. Levelling base units and scribing fillers on bowed walls takes real time — assume it.
• Worktop templating timing. Stone worktops are usually templated after the units are fitted, then fitted on a return visit days later. That gap leaves the customer without a usable kitchen and you with a split job — manage their expectations up front.
• Forgetting to price the other trades. The classic margin-killer: quoting the joinery and forgetting the electrician, the plumber, the gas connection or the tiling.
• Appliance and handle mismatches. Wrong-size appliance apertures, integrated doors that don't line up, or handles ordered in the wrong finish all cause delays and friction.
• Waste and disposal. A ripped-out kitchen is a lot of bulky waste. If you haven't priced the skip or waste carrier, you're paying for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to fit a kitchen?

Labour alone to fit a kitchen typically runs £1,000–£3,000 depending on the number of units and complexity, with large or island kitchens reaching £4,000 or more. A full supply-and-fit project — units, worktops, appliances and all trades — usually lands between £5,000 and £15,000, with high-end bespoke kitchens reaching £30,000 and beyond. Always quote the fitting labour and the other trades (electrics, plumbing, gas, tiling) as separate lines.

How long does it take to fit a kitchen?

A typical kitchen install takes 5–10 days for one or two fitters. A small galley kitchen with a like-for-like layout might be done in 3–4 days; a large kitchen with an island, relocated services, stone worktops and integrated appliances can run two weeks or more once you factor in the worktop templating gap and the other trades' visits. Stone worktops almost always add a return visit, so the customer is usually without a fully working kitchen for part of that window.

Should I charge per unit or a day rate?

Both work — the trick is being consistent. Per-unit pricing is quick to quote, easy for the customer to understand, and scales naturally with the size of the job, but it doesn't capture awkward layouts or out-of-square walls well. A day rate (typically £180–£280 per fitter) better reflects the real time on complex or older properties, but you need to estimate the days accurately or you'll under-quote. Many fitters use per-unit as a starting figure, then sanity-check it against the number of days they expect the job to take.