Key Takeaways
- A London kitchen renovation costs £18,000 to £60,000+, against a UK range of £6,000 to £15,000 for the same scope (MyJobQuote, Checkatrade, 2026).
- That is £1,300 to £1,800 per m² in a small kitchen and £900 to £1,200 per m² in a large one, because fixed costs spread further.
- London labour carries a premium: kitchen fitters charge £300 to £450 a day against £200 to £300 nationally (MyJobQuote and Rated People, 2026).
- Opening up to a kitchen-diner adds £2,500 to £6,500+ for steelwork and building control, on top of the figures above.
- Most projects take 3 to 5 weeks, or 6 to 8 with structural work. Allow 10 to 15% contingency, 20% in a pre-1919 house.
Planning a new kitchen in London and trying to set a realistic budget? This guide breaks down what a kitchen renovation costs in the capital in 2026, by tier, by square metre and by element, using current UK trade pricing, and says clearly what each figure includes.
How much does a kitchen renovation cost in London?
A kitchen renovation in London costs £18,000 to £60,000 or more, with most homeowners spending £20,000 to £35,000. That is roughly 35% above the UK average, where MyJobQuote's 2026 data puts a complete kitchen supplied and installed at £6,000 to £15,000.
Scope is where kitchen quotes stop being comparable. Every figure below covers a complete renovation of the existing room: strip out, first and second fix plumbing and electrics, plastering, flooring, units, worktops, appliances, tiling and decoration. It does not include structural work, which is a separate £2,500 to £6,500.
Per square metre that is £1,300 to £1,800 in a small kitchen and £900 to £1,200 in a large one, because the electrician, plumber and fixed set-up cost the same whether the room is 8 m² or 20 m².
| Kitchen tier | What you get | London cost |
|---|---|---|
| Budget / refresh | New units, laminate worktops, basic appliances, retained layout | £12,000 to £20,000 |
| Mid-range | Quality units, stone or composite worktops, integrated appliances, new layout | £20,000 to £40,000 |
| High-end / bespoke | Handmade cabinetry, premium stone, structural changes, luxury appliances | £40,000 to £60,000+ |
What affects the cost of a kitchen renovation?
The gap between a £20,000 and a £50,000 kitchen comes down to a handful of decisions: room size, cabinetry, worktop, whether the layout moves, and how much structural work is involved.
- Moving the services: keeping the sink, hob and waste where they are is the cheapest decision you can make.
- Cabinetry: chipboard carcasses run £65 to £300 per unit, MDF £70 to £400, solid wood £150 to £2,000+. Across 15 units that is a five-figure spread.
- Worktops: laminate £40 to £80 per metre supplied, solid wood £100 to £200, quartz or granite £300 to £500+.
- Appliances: oven £300 to £1,500, hob £200 to £1,200, fridge freezer £400 to £2,500, dishwasher £300 to £1,000.
- Structural work: a kitchen-diner means a steel beam and building control. See removing a load-bearing wall.
- London labour: MyJobQuote puts London labour 10 to 25% above the rest of the UK, with fitters at £300 to £450 a day against £200 to £300.
- Property age: period homes hide old wiring, uneven floors and dated pipework that must be brought up to standard once exposed.
Kitchen renovation cost breakdown by element
Labour is the largest single line, but its share moves with specification. Rated People's 2026 breakdown puts labour at 30 to 40% of a typical kitchen budget; on a budget London kitchen, where the units are cheap and the trades are not, it reaches 45 to 60%.
| Element | Typical London range | Benchmark rate |
|---|---|---|
| Strip out and disposal | £450 to £900 | Plus £150+ skip |
| Design and project management | £500 to £3,000 | |
| Units and cabinetry | £3,000 to £20,000 | £65 to £2,000+ per unit |
| Worktops and splashbacks | £1,000 to £8,000 | £40 to £550+ per metre |
| Appliances | £1,500 to £10,000 | Oven £300 to £1,500 |
| Plumbing and electrics | £2,000 to £6,000 | £250 to £400 per day |
| Tiling, flooring and lighting | £1,500 to £6,000 | Tiled floor £800+ |
| Plastering and decorating | £1,000 to £3,500 | £180 to £250 per day |
| Fitting labour | £2,200 to £9,500 | £300 to £450 per day |
Fitted vs flat-pack vs bespoke
Cabinetry is the biggest single decision in your budget, and each type has a place depending on the property.
| Kitchen type | Best for | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|
| Flat-pack / standard | Tighter budgets, simple rooms, rentals | £ |
| Fitted (modular) | Most family homes, cost against quality | ££ |
| Bespoke / handmade | Period homes, awkward spaces, resale | £££ |
In London's period stock, alcoves, chimney breasts and sloping floors are common, so bespoke cabinetry often pays for itself. For a modern flat, fitted units with an upgraded worktop deliver most of the impact for less. See our worktop comparison.
Does an open-plan kitchen need structural work?
Often, yes. Many London terraces are opened up by removing the wall between kitchen and dining room. That needs a steel beam, engineer's calculations and Building Control sign-off, adding £2,500 to £6,500 or more.
It is also why the same "kitchen renovation" is quoted at £22,000 by one firm and £28,000 by another. We manage the structure and the fit-out as one project. See our structural alterations service and open-plan conversions page.
Kitchen renovation costs by London area
Prime central boroughs sit at the higher end because the properties are larger and the specifications higher, not because trades charge more per day there. Outer boroughs are more competitive on labour, though access and parking claw the difference back. We work across all 32 boroughs, from a Chelsea townhouse to a suburban semi. See our kitchen renovation London page.
Is a new kitchen worth it?
A kitchen is the room buyers scrutinise most, and it is consistently among the improvements most likely to add value and speed a sale. The strongest returns come from light, sociable space rather than higher spend. The trap is over-specifying for the area: a £50,000 kitchen in a modest flat rarely returns its cost, while the same spend in a family house on a good street usually does. See which renovations add the most value.
How long does a kitchen renovation take in London?
A standard London kitchen renovation takes 3 to 5 weeks, and 6 to 8 with structural work. MyJobQuote puts the fitting itself at 5 to 10 days, which is the part most quotes describe. The rest is the trades either side, in our order of works.
| Stage | Duration |
|---|---|
| Strip out and disposal | 1 to 2 days |
| Structure and steelwork, if any | 1 to 2 weeks |
| First fix plumbing and electrics | 3 to 5 days |
| Plastering and drying out | 3 to 5 days |
| Flooring | 1 to 2 days |
| Unit installation | 3 to 5 days |
| Worktop template to fit | 1 to 2 weeks, mostly waiting |
| Second fix, appliances and tiling | 3 to 5 days |
| Decoration and snagging | 2 to 3 days |
Plan for the worktop gap. Stone is templated only once units are installed, then takes 1 to 2 weeks to fabricate, so you live with a temporary sink for a fortnight. That belongs in the programme.
What does a kitchen quote leave out?
Most kitchen overspends are items nobody priced rather than prices that moved. Check these before signing:
- Appliances, often excluded or carried as a provisional sum below what you will choose.
- Worktop templating and fabrication, often invoiced separately by the stone supplier.
- Making good walls and floor behind the old units, including levelling.
- A new consumer unit if the board cannot carry an induction hob and oven.
- Extraction ducted to an external wall rather than a recirculating filter.
- Decorating the adjoining room after a knock-through.
How to budget and save on a London kitchen
Hold back a contingency of 10 to 15%, and 20% in a pre-1919 house, as Rated People recommends for older properties. On a £25,000 kitchen that is £2,500 to £5,000 not yet committed to a nicer worktop. Beyond that:
- Keep the plumbing where it is. Moving the sink and waste adds cost for no visible gain.
- Spend on the worktop, save on units. Quartz on standard carcasses reads high-end for far less.
- Get a fixed, itemised quotation so you can adjust every line.
- Use one accountable team for design, build and fit-out.
- Order early. Stone, joinery and appliances carry lead times that stretch labour costs when they slip.
GS Renovation delivers kitchen renovations across all of London. For a free, itemised quote, get in touch or call 07472 424 226. Budgeting a wider project? See our full house and bathroom cost guides.