KITCHEN RENOVATION
COST CALCULATOR LONDON

How Much Does a New Kitchen Cost in London in 2026?

A mid-range fitted kitchen typically costs £10,000–£20,000 and a premium open-plan renovation £40,000–£100,000 in 2026, with around 10% of homeowners spending over £50,000. London projects sit towards the top of each range, and most Buildaway clients spend £15,000–£35,000 (HomeOwners Alliance, Homebuilding & Renovating).

Those national figures hide a wide spread. A cosmetic refresh of doors and worktops on sound carcasses can cost under £5,000, while a handmade kitchen in a knocked-through extension can pass £100,000. Size matters less than most people expect. The scope of work, the cabinetry tier and the worktop material move the price far more than an extra metre of units does.

London adds its own costs on top. Parking suspensions, congestion and ULEZ charges for trade vans, skip permits and restricted working hours in flats all push labour above the UK average. The calculator builds these in, so the range you see reflects London, Kent and Essex rather than a national average. Every figure includes VAT.

Recent Buildaway Kitchens in London and Kent

These photos are from kitchens our team has fitted, showing the finishes the calculator prices: shaker cabinetry, quartz worktops, large-format splashbacks and integrated or freestanding appliances.

Kitchen Cost Guide by Size and Quality (London 2026)

For a like-for-like replacement in London, expect from about £5,000 for a compact kitchen with budget units up to £31,000 for a large U-shape with premium units. These figures include fitting, plumbing, electrics, waste removal and VAT (Buildaway project pricing, 2026).

Like-for-like replacement with laminate worktops, fitting, plumbing, electrics, waste removal and VAT. Worktop upgrades, appliances and extras are added on top. Bespoke cabinetry runs at roughly 2.3 times the mid-range figure. Market benchmarks: HomeOwners Alliance, Homebuilding & Renovating (2026).

Where Does the Money Go in a Kitchen Renovation?

Cabinetry is the single largest line in a kitchen budget, often up to half of a bespoke project, and fitting plus electrical work add roughly another 30% combined. Worktops and appliances make up most of the rest, which is why those two choices change your total so much (Which?).

What Affects the Cost of a Kitchen in London?

Scope of work drives kitchen cost more than size. Moving plumbing or knocking through a wall adds 20–40% to the base price, and London access, parking and waste costs add more. VAT at 20% applies to most domestic kitchen work, so a £20,000 kitchen includes about £3,300 VAT (gov.uk).

A like-for-like layout keeps the existing water, waste and gas positions, which avoids lifting floors and chasing walls. Relocating a sink across the room needs a new waste run and possibly a pump, and moving a hob needs a new cooker circuit. Older London housing adds surprises: Victorian and Edwardian terraces often have uneven walls and lath-and-plaster ceilings, and 1960s flats may need a rewire before new circuits can go in.

Access is the other London factor. A third-floor flat without a lift, a terrace with no rear access or a street needing a parking suspension all add labour hours. These are the points our surveyor checks on the free site visit, which is why the written quote can differ from the calculator range.

How Long Does a Kitchen Renovation Take?

A kitchen refresh takes 3–5 working days, a like-for-like replacement 2–3 weeks and a new layout 3–4 weeks. An open-plan knock-through usually needs 5–8 weeks on site, plus lead time for steelwork and stone worktop templating (Buildaway project data, 2026).

Five Ways to Cut Your Kitchen Cost Without Cutting Quality

The biggest savings come from keeping the existing layout, choosing a mid-range cabinet tier and reusing working appliances. Together these can take 30–40% off a typical London kitchen without changing how the finished room looks or works (Buildaway project data, 2026).

• Keep the layout. Leaving the sink, hob and dishwasher where they are is the biggest single saving on labour.
• Mix worktops. Use quartz on the island and laminate or wood on the back run to get the look for less.
• Reuse good appliances. Freestanding appliances in working order can stay, saving £1,800 or more.
• Refresh sound carcasses. If the units are solid and square, new doors and worktops give a new-kitchen look for under half the price.
• Order early. Ordering units 6–8 weeks ahead avoids rush lead times and lets us schedule trades back to back.

Planning a bathroom too? Our bathroom cost calculator works the same way, and doing both rooms together saves on waste removal and trade visits.

Why Get Your Kitchen Estimate From Buildaway?

Buildaway is a renovation contractor based at 55 Chislehurst Road, Bromley (BR7 5NP), fitting kitchens across London, Kent and Essex. The calculator uses the same pricing as our written quotes, so the range you see is the range we would expect to quote after a survey.

Our team handles the whole job: design, strip-out, plumbing, electrics, plastering, fitting and decorating, so you deal with one contractor and one programme. Electrical work is carried out by qualified, registered electricians and gas work by Gas Safe engineers. Every installation is covered by our 18-month workmanship warranty.

We fit kitchens across London, Kent and Essex, including Bromley, Chislehurst, Beckenham, Greenwich and Hammersmith. See our kitchen design and fit-out service or read the full London kitchen renovation cost guide.

Kitchen Cost Calculator FAQs