Kitchen fitting cost: what fitters charge to install a kitchen
Labour-only kitchen fitting prices by size and per unit, fitter day rates by region, what the plumber, electrician and gas engineer add, and how retailers price fitting.
Fitting a kitchen you have already bought costs £1,000 to £3,000 in labour for a standard kitchen in 2026, and £2,800 to £4,500 or more for a large one. The number of units sets the fitter's price, and the plumber, electrician and gas engineer add the rest. We give labour-only prices by size and per unit, fitter day rates by region, what the other trades cost, and how B&Q, IKEA and other retailers price fitting.
Kitchen fitting cost by size
These are 2026 labour-only prices for fitting units, doors, drawers, worktops and handles you have already bought. Plumbing, electrics, gas, tiling and taking out the old kitchen are priced on top.
| Kitchen size | Units | Typical layout | Labour only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 5 – 8 | Galley or single wall | £1,000 – £1,800 |
| Medium | 8 – 12 | L-shape | £1,800 – £2,800 |
| Large | 12+ | U-shape or with an island | £2,800 – £4,500+ |
The unit count drives the price, because every cabinet is another carcass to build, level and fix, and another door to hang. A straightforward standard kitchen lands near the middle of the £1,000 to £3,000 range. An island puts a large kitchen at the top of its band, because it adds a second run of units and worktop.
Fitting is the smaller part of the bill. Delivery and installation make up 15 to 20% of the full cost of a new kitchen, and the units, worktops and appliances take most of the rest.
Kitchen fitting price per unit
Fitters who price per unit charge about £120 to £150 for each cabinet installed. On that basis the cabinets in a 10-unit kitchen cost £1,200 to £1,500 to fit.
Ask whether the unit price includes the worktop. Worktop fitting is sometimes quoted as its own line, at £200 to £400 for laminate and £400 to £1,000 for solid wood or quartz.
Kitchen fitter day rates and hourly rates
Fitters quote either a fixed price for the whole kitchen or a day rate. The UK average day rate is £200 to £350, or £35 to £55 an hour, and the rate follows local labour costs.
| Region | Day rate |
|---|---|
| UK average | £200 – £350 |
| London and the South East | £300 – £450 |
| Midlands | £180 – £270 |
| North of England, Scotland and Wales | £165 – £255 |
Kitchen fitters in London and the South East charge £300 to £450 a day, so a 7-day fit costs £2,100 to £3,150 in labour there, against £1,155 to £1,785 in the North, Scotland and Wales.
The day rate times the days on site gives the labour. At £200 to £350 a day over 5 to 10 working days, that is £1,000 to £3,500.
What a kitchen fitting quote includes
A kitchen fitter's quote covers the carpentry: building and fixing the carcasses, hanging the doors and drawers, fitting the worktops and adding the handles. It rarely covers plumbing, gas, electrics, tiling, plastering or taking the waste away.
Labour only has no fixed meaning, so two quotes can price different jobs. A fitting-only quote for a standard kitchen runs £800 to £2,500, and one that adds plastering, painting and tiling runs £2,000 to £6,000.
Usually priced separately:
- Plumbing: some fitters connect the sink and the dishwasher. Moving the waste or the water supply goes to a plumber.
- Electrics: a fitter can set up the white goods but cannot wire anything into the mains unless they are also a qualified electrician.
- Gas: connecting or moving a gas hob is work for a Gas Safe registered engineer.
- Tiling and plastering: a tiler charges about £300 a day, and replastering walls damaged in the rip-out is a separate plasterer's job.
- Stone or quartz worktops: templated and fitted by a specialist once the base units are in.
- Removal: taking out the old kitchen costs £200 to £500, and a skip £225 to £320.
Plumber, electrician and gas engineer costs
The other trades come in for half a day to 2 days each on a typical kitchen. These are 2026 labour prices for the jobs a kitchen fit calls on.
| Trade or job | Price |
|---|---|
| Plumber | About £50 an hour |
| Sink and plumbing connections | £150 – £300 |
| Electrician | £250 – £400 a day |
| Gas Safe engineer, per gas connection | £150 – £400 |
| Appliance fitting: oven, hob or extractor | £150 – £300 each |
| Worktop fitting, laminate | £200 – £400 |
| Worktop fitting, solid wood or quartz | £400 – £1,000 |
| Tiler | About £300 a day |
| Removing the old kitchen | £200 – £500 |
| Skip | £225 – £320 |
Moving anything costs more than reconnecting it where it was. A hob in a new place needs new gas pipework as well as the connection, and a sink on an island needs its waste taken under the floor.
Flat-pack or rigid units: the difference in fitting cost
Rigid units arrive built, so the fitter only has to level, fix and join them. Flat-pack units have to be assembled on site first, and that adds roughly 30 to 50% to the fitting time.
A fit that takes 3 days with rigid units takes about 4 to 4.5 days flat-pack. At £300 a day, the extra time adds about £270 to £450 to the labour.
Howdens and Magnet supply rigid units. IKEA, B&Q and Wickes sell flat-pack ranges, and a flat-pack kitchen from Wickes can cost under £1,000, usually before worktops and fitting. A flat-pack kitchen saves on the units and gives some of that back in labour.
What B&Q, Wren, Wickes, Howdens and IKEA charge to fit a kitchen
B&Q prices kitchen fitting after a survey. Through B&Q's installation service, a planning appointment matches you with a local approved installer, who surveys the room and writes a detailed quote. The survey costs £50, refunded if you go ahead, and the workmanship is guaranteed for 2 years.
IKEA offers fitting through independent contractors with a 5-year guarantee, and shows no installation price alongside its kitchens. Wren kitchens are also fitted by installers the retailer subcontracts. Howdens units arrive rigid and Wickes ranges come flat-pack, so the same kitchen takes fewer fitting days from Howdens.
Whichever retailer supplies the units, check its fitting quote against independent labour for the same kitchen: £1,800 to £2,800 for a medium L-shape of 8 to 12 units. A supply-and-fit quote above that buys one firm answering for the measure, the order and the fit, so a damaged door or a wrong measurement is the firm's problem rather than yours.
How long it takes to fit a kitchen
Most kitchens take 5 to 10 working days to fit, and a simple swap of units in the same layout takes 3 to 5. Flat-pack units, tiling, plastering, new flooring or a sink or hob in a new place all add days, because each trade has to finish before the next starts.
On a fit-only job, the work runs in this order:
- The old kitchen comes out, and the plumber and electrician run any new pipes and cables while the walls are open.
- Plastering and flooring, if they are part of the job.
- The base and wall units go in, then the worktops.
- The sink and taps are connected, then the appliances.
- Splashbacks or tiles go on last.
In a whole-house renovation the fitter comes in late. Rewiring, pipework and plastering come first, and the kitchen goes in at second fix, so the fitter's days go on the fit itself.
Paying a kitchen fitter: VAT, fixed prices and the final payment
A fitter charges VAT only if they are VAT-registered, which is required once turnover passes £90,000. A sole trader below that may add none, and a registered firm adds 20%, so a £2,500 labour quote becomes £3,000.
Compare quotes on a fixed price against a written scope. A quote that lists no plumbing, electrics or removal has left them for you to arrange.
Pay in stages as the work is done, and keep the last payment back until a snagging list of doors that do not close square, gaps at the worktop joints and marks on the panels has been cleared.
Building regulations and gas rules for a kitchen fit
In England, fitting new units rarely needs building regulations approval. New sockets and lights, changes to existing circuits and replacing a sink are all exempt, but a new fuse box needs approval.
An electrician registered with a competent person scheme certifies the work and tells the council, so no separate building control application is needed. The certificate should reach you within 8 weeks of the work finishing.
Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, anyone employed to work on gas appliances in a home must be a Gas Safe registered engineer and competent in that area of gas work. A fitter can only connect a gas hob if they are registered themselves, and the engineer's competencies are listed on the back of their Gas Safe ID card.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The approval list above is England's. Wales has its own Approved Documents, and Scotland issues building warrants rather than building regulations approval. Minor work inside a Scottish home must still meet the Scottish building standards where no warrant is needed. Northern Ireland runs separate building control, so ask the council before any rewiring or wall removal starts.
Common questions
How much does it cost to fit a kitchen, labour only?
Fitting a standard kitchen costs £1,000 to £3,000 in labour in 2026, and a straightforward job lands near the middle. A small kitchen of 5 to 8 units runs £1,000 to £1,800, and a large U-shape or island kitchen £2,800 to £4,500 or more. The plumber, electrician, gas engineer and strip-out take the whole labour bill to around £3,500 to £5,000.
How much does a kitchen fitter charge per day?
A kitchen fitter charges £200 to £350 a day on UK average in 2026, or £35 to £55 an hour. Rates run £300 to £450 in London and the South East, £180 to £270 in the Midlands, and £165 to £255 in the North, Scotland and Wales. Most kitchens take 5 to 10 working days.
How much does it cost to fit a kitchen per unit?
Fitters who price per unit charge about £120 to £150 for each cabinet installed. The cabinets in a 10-unit kitchen cost £1,200 to £1,500 to fit on that basis. Worktop fitting, appliance connections and the other trades are usually priced as separate lines.
How much does B&Q charge to fit a kitchen?
B&Q prices kitchen fitting on a detailed quote from a local approved installer after a home survey, rather than as a set price. The survey costs £50, refunded if you go ahead, and the workmanship carries a 2-year guarantee. An independent fitter charges £1,800 to £2,800 in labour for a medium kitchen of 8 to 12 units.
Do kitchen fitters do plumbing and electrics?
Some kitchen fitters connect the sink and the dishwasher, but mains wiring and gas work go to other trades. A fitter can set up the white goods but cannot wire them into the mains unless they are also a qualified electrician. A gas hob needs a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Do kitchen fitters charge VAT?
A kitchen fitter charges VAT only if they are VAT-registered, which is required once turnover passes £90,000. A registered fitter adds 20%, so a £2,500 labour quote becomes £3,000. Check whether each quote includes VAT before comparing totals.
How much does it cost to remove an old kitchen?
Removing an old kitchen costs £200 to £500 in labour, plus £225 to £320 for a skip. Many fitters include the removal if it is asked for at quote stage, and many dispose of the old carcasses free. Some charge a small fee, so check that line before comparing quotes.
Can I fit a kitchen myself to save money?
A confident DIYer can fit basic units, and doing part of the job yourself saves £500 to £1,000. Worktop joints, templated stone worktops, gas and electrics are where self-fits go wrong, so those parts are worth paying for. Gas work goes to a Gas Safe registered engineer.