Let us tell you firsthand that no renovation is smooth sailing. Issues can crop up at the drop of a hat that are out of your control and things can spiral into chaos fast. So, it’s important to go into the experience with an open mind and some resilience. Having said that, we’ve created a handy guide to ease the process for you and hopefully alleviate you from experiencing common issues that could crop up & keep you clued up on costs that could arise.
So, to celebrate the launch of our e-book “An Essential Guide To: Kitchens” , let us share with you some key snippets from the downloadable guide available to buy and in no time, you’ll be equipped with all the right knowledge to nail your kitchen renovation.
Our Essential Guide Starting Point
Knowing what things actually cost
In the e-book we’ll cover how to plan your budget from scratch, how to onboard trades with accurate costs from the onset and how to predict costs. So to help you get started now as a preview, below are average UK costs for everything from worktops, to appliances etc.
Units:
A standard kitchen cupboard base unit costs between £20 – £70 and between £20 – £50 for a wall unit. Higher-quality units cost between £70 – £130 for a base units and £70 – £100 for a wall unit.
Kitchen worktop:
For a 3m length of kitchen worktop, expect to spend between £200 – £800 for laminate; £300 – £900 for wood; £500 – £5000 for stone. This excludes templating & fitting.
Appliances:
For budget brands expect to spend around £2500 and for premium brands, you’re looking at closer to £6000 (hob / extractor, cooker, microwave, fridge / freezer, dishwasher & washing machine).
Plumbing:
A typical plumber will charge between £40 – £60 per hour, or between £325 – £375 per day.
Electrics:
An electrician will typically charge around £55 per hour or £400 per day.
LVT & Laminate flooring:
Between £15 – £60 per m2, plus around £250 per day for installation.
Wood flooring:
Between £35 – £60 per m2, plus around £35 per m2 for installation.
Tile Flooring (or splashback):
Between £20 and £400+ per m2, plus around £300 per day for installation.
Important:
These are estimates as of 2024 and you should bear in mind that other factors such as your location, the quality of your chosen builder & the scope of works will affect these costs. Use as a guide only.
Costs estimated using a combination of our own knowledge & Checkatrade.
Finding your trades
We’d always recommend you speak with 3 sets of contractors to get an idea of what the benchmark will be for your renovation costs. Not only is it useful to compare costs, but by having multiple quotes at your disposal you can use these as a bargaining tool. For example if you’re keen to move forwards with a certain trade but one of their costs is coming in a little high, show them the cheaper quote to demonstrate you have another trade willing to do the same job for a cheaper rate and see if they’ll match it.
Always choose a builder that’s come off of a recommendation and never hire anyone without doing your background research first. Check company filings online, their Checkatrade profile, Google reviews & social media platforms as a minimum.
How to find contractors with no recommendations to go off of?
For London try: https://www.the-page.co.uk/
For the UK try: https://www.checkatrade.com/
Key questions to ask trades
- Are materials included within your quote? If so does that include protection?
- What guarantee can your builder offer? How long is it for & what exactly does it include.
- Do you sub-contract out work to external third party builders, or is it an in-house team?
- Will your builder be providing a contract?
- What are the payment terms?
- What insurance do you have?
- Do you have any reviews, references or sites you can visit to see former examples of work?
Jargon busting
You may be surprised to learn that builders like to talk shorthand and not often in layman’s terms. So to you there might be a lot of lingo you’ve not heard before. In the e-book we cover 10 key terms you’ll here frequently. For now though, here are two common terms it’s worth understanding:
FIRST FIX
The first fix involves all the stuff going on behind the scenes. Such as the installation of cables, back boxes, and hidden wiring. It’s done usually before any furnishings or cosmetic work are done, as it can be the messy work. It allows for things like cables to be positioned in the agreed positions of built-in appliances, lighting, and sockets etc before they’re fully installed.
SECOND FIX
The second fix is the installation of the things you can see – e.g. installation of a tap itself (not the plumbing) or a wall light fixture on the wall (not the hidden wiring).
Learn more through our e-book
If you’ve enjoyed this intro into kitchen renovations, try downloading our e-book here. It’s packed with information on how to plan layouts, discount codes, kitchen budgeting tips, logistical planning tips & more.
