Buying a new kitchen is the easy part, what catches people by surprise is the labour cost to actually fit it. Kitchen fitting is a multi-trade job: a kitchen fitter handles the unit installation, worktop templating and fitting, and appliance placement, but you will almost certainly need a plumber for sink and appliance connections and an electrician for sockets, lighting, and integrated appliances. Knowing what each trade charges helps you budget accurately and spot inflated quotes.

In 2026, the realistic labour bill to fit a straightforward new kitchen (10–15 units, standard layout, no structural changes) is £4,000–£7,000, and seldom below £4,000 in London, where £5,000–£9,000 is typical. That figure covers the whole job: hanging and levelling the units (the bare “fitting” element, £800–£2,500 on its own), plumbing the sink, dishwasher and washing machine, the electrician’s first and second fix for sockets, cooker circuit and lighting, templating and fitting the worktop, tiling the splashback and connecting appliances. A quote at the bottom of the cabinet-only range is almost always excluding those trades, ask what it includes before comparing.

Kitchen Fitting Labour: Cost Breakdown

The table below separates the kitchen fitter’s own labour (units, plinths, cornices, handles, appliance placement) from the realistic total once the plumber, electrician, tiler and worktop fitter are included, which is the number you should budget for.

Kitchen SizeUnitsFitter’s labour onlyFull fitting labour (plumbing, electrics, tiling, worktop)
Small galley (6–8 units)Up to 8£600–£1,200£2,500–£4,000
Standard (10–12 units)10–12£900–£1,800£4,000–£6,000
Large (14–18 units)14–18£1,400–£2,500£5,000–£7,500
Large / complex (island, bi-fold, structural)18+£2,000–£4,000+£7,000–£11,000+

London and the South East add roughly 25% to these labour figures, a standard kitchen fit in London is seldom under £5,000 all-in.

Kitchen Fitter Day Rates 2026

TradeNational Day RateLondon / SE Day Rate
Kitchen fitter£180–£280/day£230–£360/day
Plumber (appliance connections)£200–£320/day1£260–£400/day2
Electrician (kitchen circuits)£220–£350/day£280–£450/day
Tiler (upstand / splashback)£180–£260/day£230–£320/day

A standard 10-unit kitchen typically takes an experienced fitter 3–5 days. Complex layouts with an island, tall units, or bespoke worktops take 6–10 days. The fitter’s day rate multiplied by 3–5 gives a rough sense-check for the labour-only quote.

What Is Included in “Kitchen Fitting”?

A kitchen fitter’s quote typically covers:

  • Removing old kitchen units and worktops (unless quoted separately)
  • Fitting all wall and base units plumb, level, and aligned
  • Installing plinths, cornices, pelmet, and end panels
  • Templating and fitting worktops (laminate is cut on-site; stone/solid surface worktops are templated and returned by a specialist fabricator)
  • Fitting sink bowl (but not connecting the plumbing)
  • Placing integrated appliances in housings (but not connecting gas or electrical)
  • Fitting doors, drawers, handles, and soft-close hardware

What is not typically included:

  • Plumbing connections (sink waste, tap supply, dishwasher, washing machine)
  • Electrical connections (oven, hob, extractor, fridge, sockets)
  • Gas hob or range cooker connection (Gas Safe engineer required)
  • Tiling splashbacks or upstands
  • Plastering, painting, or flooring

What Drives the Cost Up?

Worktop material, a kitchen fitter can cut laminate worktops on-site. Quartz, granite, or solid surface worktops require a templating visit followed by fabrication and a return installation visit. Specialist stone installers typically charge £150–£250 per linear metre fitted, and this is usually separate from the kitchen fitter’s scope.

Structural changes, moving a doorway, removing a wall, or widening an opening to create an open-plan kitchen-diner adds significant cost. Structural work typically costs £1,500–£6,000+ depending on scope.

Relocation of services, moving the sink to the opposite side of the kitchen means extending or re-routing drain waste pipes, which increases the plumber’s scope materially.

Integrated vs freestanding appliances, integrated appliances (oven, dishwasher, fridge-freezer behind a door panel) require more precise fitting and often custom-height plinths.

Number of sockets and circuits, modern kitchens require dedicated circuits for ovens and hobs. If the consumer unit needs upgrading or additional circuits adding, electrical costs rise significantly.

Strip-Out: Old Kitchen Removal

Removing and disposing of an existing kitchen is sometimes included in a fitter’s quote, sometimes not. If charged separately, expect:

  • Strip-out labour: £150–£400 (half to full day)
  • Skip hire (if needed): £180–£350 for a 4-yard skip

Alternatively, many local councils collect bulky waste for £50–£100, and kitchen units in good condition can be donated to a local habitat for humanity-style charity or sold on Facebook Marketplace.

Worked Example: Standard 12-Unit Kitchen

Trade / TaskDaysDay RateCost
Kitchen fitter (units, worktops, appliance placement)4£230£920
Plumber (sink, dishwasher, washing machine connections)1£280£280
Electrician (oven circuit, additional sockets, extractor)1£300£300
Tiler (ceramic tile upstand, 5 m²)0.5£220£110
Strip-out (included in fitter’s quote)--£0
Total labour£1,610

Materials (units, worktop, sink, taps, tiles, adhesive, fittings, waste pipes) are not included above. For a mid-range kitchen from a major retailer, allow £2,500–£8,000 for units and worktops depending on specification.

Building Regulations

Kitchen fitting itself does not require Building Regulations consent, but associated work does:

  • Electrical: New circuits or consumer unit upgrades fall under Part P. The work must be carried out by a competent-person-scheme registered electrician (NICEIC, NAPIT, etc.) or notified to your local authority.3
  • Gas: Hob and range connections must be made by a Gas Safe-registered engineer.4 This is a legal requirement, not optional.
  • Structural: Any load-bearing wall removal requires a Building Regulations application and structural engineer’s calculations.5
  • Extraction: Part F of the Building Regulations requires adequate ventilation. Kitchen extractors must discharge to outside; a recirculating unit with carbon filters does not on its own satisfy Part F, so a separate extract fan (60 litres per second) is then needed.6

Getting the Right Fitter

  • Ask specifically whether the quote is labour only or supply and fit, and get a written breakdown.
  • Confirm whether stone worktop templating and fitting is included or a separate specialist cost.
  • Ask who coordinates the plumber and electrician, some fitters project-manage the whole job, others expect you to arrange trades separately.
  • Check reviews for punctuality and finish quality, not just price. A kitchen left half-fitted while you wait for the fitter to return is a common complaint.

The rules in this note are those that apply in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own building standards and permitted development rights.

References (6)

Figures in this note were checked against the sources below on 7 September 2026. Superscript numbers in the text point to them. Every source the site cites, by topic.

  1. 1costvery strongOffice for National Statistics.RN-MMT1DOA price, true at 2026-01. The ASHE Table 14 dataset gives annual estimates of paid hours worked and earnings for UK employees by sex and by full-time or part-time status, broken down to four-digit Standard Occupational Classification, which is the level that isolates individual construction trades such as bricklayers, carpenters, plasterers and electricians. Released 23 October 2025 as the 2025 provisional edition (zip, about 10.7 MB), with revised and provisional editions back to 2017. A correction dated 19 December 2025 suppressed annual pay estimates for SOC 3312 police officers in some areas; construction occupations are unaffected.
  2. 2costvery strongHomes and Communities Agency, a government page.RN-IJYN87A price, true at 2026-01. The GOV.UK publication page for the Homes and Communities Agency guidance on dereliction, demolition and remediation costs, prepared with Ove Arup and Partners. Held for its regional adjustment factors, which are what the register uses it for: the multipliers that take a national construction rate to a region. It is not a source of current prices, and the rates in the guidance itself are of its own date.
  3. 3technicalvery strongMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.RN-JYJ3I5The document that decides what electrical work a homeowner may legally do themselves, and the exact list of notifiable jobs. Regulation 12(6A), reproduced at paragraph 2.5, makes only three things notifiable: the installation of a new circuit, the replacement of a consumer unit, and any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location. Regulation 12(9) defines special location as, in a room containing a bath or shower, the zone extending vertically from finished floor level to 2.25 metres (or the shower head position if higher) and horizontally 600mm from the edge of the bath tub or shower tray. Paragraph 2.7 states that all other electrical installation work is not notifiable, namely additions and alterations to existing installations outside special locations, and replacements, repairs and maintenance anywhere. Paragraph 2.8 gives worked examples: a built-in cooker is not notifiable unless a new cooker circuit is needed, and connecting an electric gate or garage door to an existing isolator is not notifiable but running a new circuit from the consumer unit to that isolator is. Paragraph 2.2 confirms Part P reaches outdoor work including fixed garden lighting, pond pumps and outbuildings such as sheds, detached garages and domestic greenhouses. Notifiable work must be certified by self-certification by a registered competent person, third-party certification, or a building control body (paragraph 3.1), with the compliance certificate issued within 30 days (paragraph 3.4). Note that Approved Document P is a source of guidance rather than a ban: non-notifiable work still has to comply with BS 7671.
  4. 4technicalvery strongHealth and Safety Executive, guidance.RN-RJTAHSHSE's gas safety answers for homeowners and occupiers: what to do if an appliance is suspected unsafe, and the advice that all gas appliances, flues and pipework be installed, maintained and serviced annually by a Gas Safe registered installer. HSE is the enforcing authority for gas safety, so this is the regulator's own position.
  5. 5technicalvery strongLABC (Local Authority Building Control), guidance.RN-72GJ49LABC on when a replacement kitchen or bathroom needs building regulations approval. The answer is that swapping units like for like usually does not, but moving or adding drainage, altering ventilation, new electrical circuits and structural alterations do, and a bathroom's ventilation requirement catches most people. Building control's own answer to the question homeowners ask most about a refit.
  6. 6technicalvery strongMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.RN-QD1SFFTable 1.1 sets minimum intermittent extract rates: kitchen with a cooker hood extracting outside 30 l/s, kitchen without one 60 l/s, utility room 30 l/s, bathroom 15 l/s, sanitary accommodation 6 l/s. Extract terminals and fans other than cooker hoods should be as high as practicable and no more than 400mm below the ceiling; a cooker hood should sit between 650mm and 750mm above the hob if the manufacturer gives no figure. Table 1.7 requires background ventilators of at least 8000mm2 equivalent area in habitable rooms and kitchens for a dwelling, 10,000mm2 for a single-storey dwelling. Background ventilators should be at least 1700mm above floor level and at least 500mm from a fan in the same room. On replacement windows, paragraph 3.14 says new windows must carry background ventilators no smaller than the originals, and paragraph 3.15 gives the fallback minimums where the old size is unknown: 8000mm2 habitable rooms, 8000mm2 kitchen, 4000mm2 bathroom. Paragraph 3.32 confirms that replacing an extractor fan or cooker hood on existing cabling is not notifiable.

  1. ASHE Table 14.6a, hourly pay excluding overtime by occupation, 2025 provisional, Office for National Statistics, accessed 17 September 2026. Priced at 2026-01, so no calibration is needed. ons.gov.uk

  2. Guidance on dereliction, demolition and remediation costs, regional adjustment factors, Homes and Communities Agency with Ove Arup and Partners, accessed 21 September 2026. Priced at 2026-01, so no calibration is needed. gov.uk

  3. Approved Document P: Electrical safety – Dwellings, 2013 edition, HM Government (GOV.UK), accessed 7 September 2026. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

  4. Gas safety - Home owners, Health and Safety Executive, accessed 7 September 2026. hse.gov.uk

  5. When does a replacement kitchen or bathroom need building regulations approval?, LABC (Local Authority Building Control), accessed 7 September 2026. labc.co.uk

  6. Approved Document F: Ventilation, Volume 1: Dwellings, 2021 edition, HM Government (GOV.UK), accessed 7 September 2026. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk