Budgeting for your dream kitchen
Where do you begin when considering a budget for your new kitchen? It’s very difficult to pin down precise numbers at the planning stage, but there’s lots that you can do to mitigate spiralling costs at the tail-end of a project.
Before you even start, consider things like:
Are you ripping out and starting from scratch with new cabinetry and appliances?
Are you undertaking any structural changes?
Are you extending the space and therefore needing new foundations, walls, roof etc.?
Is this part of a much larger house refurbishment?
It’s good to have a really clear answer to these questions before you begin and decide how big a project you’re looking at. The scope of work needed will play a large part in budget planning and it’s key to get this right from the start.
We’ve compiled a couple of lists of the elements to consider when fitting a new kitchen. The first one allows for a basic “remove and replace”, and the second for minor structural works, with alterations to services. Beyond this, you’ll need a builder or professional project manager to help give you a clearer idea of other costs.
For a basic “remove and replace” refit, you should allow for the following:
Cabinetry and internal accessories - from £14-16k for a small kitchen upwards.
A gorgeous double larder
Fitting - typically £3000-4500, but hugely dependent upon size.
Worktops - for Silestone quartz, allow around £1200 for templating, fabrication and fitting, then around £300-£650 per square metre, depending up the price group. Don’t forget to allow for upstands and splashbacks, too, in the total area you need.
We can create inspirational mood boards to help you pick your kitchen colours and finishes
Handles - from £300 for really good value but good quality handles, or blow the budget on handles from Buster & Punch at around £60 each!
Cabinet lighting - around £300-400 typically.
Appliances including sinks and taps - the world is your oyster here...
Additional trades e.g. electrician and plumber, decorator.
As a general guide, for a kitchen refit, we would recommend budgeting anywhere from £35-45,000 upwards for your new kitchen. This would include all the above (except additional trades) for a high quality, hand-painted, solid wood carcass, medium-sized kitchen with a high quality quartz worktop. Prices will vary significantly depending upon the size of the kitchen and the exact specification.
Depending upon the scale and scope, you might also need to allow for the following structural and enabling works:
Structural alterations including steels, blockwork, stud walls, windows and doors.
Flooring including new sub-floors, underfloor heating (if desired) and finishes, making sure you allow for adhesives, other ancillaries and fitting/tiling.
Plumbing including drainage alterations.
Electrics.
Joinery (e.g. skirting, architraves etc.).
Plaster-boarding / plastering.
Decorating.
OUR TOP TIPS WHEN BUDGETING FOR A NEW KITCHEN
Flooring can date easily, especially when everything else in the kitchen is new. If your flooring is tired or doesn’t suit the style of the new space, it’s worth replacing it. Plus, it’s much harder to do afterwards, so this is something to have a really good think about when considering your budget. You can get good quality flooring e.g. porcelain tiles, laminate or luxury vinyl tiles (LVT), for around £40-50 per square metre. Laying the floor typically costs a little less than that per square metre to lay wood or laminate, or a bit more for tiling. Think about how well it will wear in a kitchen - we tend to steer away from wood in kitchens, as this can wear and stain more easily than other options.
Underfloor heating is brilliant, if your budget allows, especially with tiled or stone floors (it’s arguably less necessary with laminate, wood or LVT). That warm, even spread of heat across the whole room is lovely. There are lots of options, including low-profile water-based systems that can be retrofitted above an existing concrete slab, so it’s important to do the research and choose what’s right for you. Just make sure that the builder / plumber doesn’t lay it under where the cabinets are going or in a pantry.
It’s always risky removing parts of an old house (and it doesn’t even have to be that old), because you can never be sure what you’ll find. Depending on the age of the property, you might find asbestos, damp, damaged or unsafe electrics, dry rot etc, which could add significantly to your budget. In addition to this, regulations are constantly being updated so, for example, your electrician may need to upgrade the circuits he’s been working on as part of the refit. That contingency may well be needed!
If doing more than just a refit, we’d recommend that you think about using a professional project manager. Money spent on their fees can save much more money, time and stress over the course of the project. We can recommend great project managers, whether for smaller or larger projects, with whom with worked on many projects. And be very wary of thinking you can do this yourself if you have a busy day job - it takes time and experience to do it properly.
Don’t skimp on the fitting. We’ve seen examples where a client has used their own fitter or builder to save money and the results have been disappointing. Instead, use a fitter who’s been recommended and has fitted the type of kitchen units being supplied. This is not a cheap undertaking, but that saying ‘you get what you pay for’ is relevant here - your kitchen will look great and last for longer.
Reuse appliances if you can, but don’t compromise on the design to incorporate an older appliance, especially if it’s integrated, as you will need to spend money on refitting it, as well as replacing it in time. Better to budget for new appliances and get the kitchen you’re looking for with no regrets, if you can.
Spend money on the things you use and touch most - fridges, dishwashers and so on, as well as handles, switches etc. These are the sorts of things that get the heaviest use and therefore need to last, and so it’s worth investing in them from the very beginning.
Finally, be wary of substituting cheaper alternatives without really understanding why they cost less. Sometimes you might be paying unnecessarily for a brand name or for functionality that you don’t actually need. But in other cases, there are reasons why something is cheaper and it will definitely be an inferior product. A good example is worktops - you can get some very cheap quartz, but this tends to have more resin than more expensive brands, meaning it will stain more easily and won’t be as UV-stable, meaning the sun will cause it to fade quickly.
It’s a costly venture to put in a new kitchen, but one that can make a huge difference to how you live in your home. It can create new light, space and places to work and play, with family and friends. We’d be delighted to share further insights if you’re considering a new kitchen and guide you through deciding on what’s best for you and your budget. Feel free to get in touch for a free consultation and find out more about how we can help.