You're not just asking what a kitchen costs, you're trying to figure out what your kitchen will cost.

That's a harder question. Every quote you've seen online gives a different number. Budget kitchens from £5,000. Luxury from £50,000. Mid-range somewhere in between. None of it tells you what to actually expect when you call a designer, visit a showroom, or start getting quotes for your specific home. This guide breaks down real UK kitchen costs in 2026, from budget refits to bespoke luxury projects, so you can plan properly before you spend a penny.

Quick Answer: What Does a New Kitchen Cost in the UK?

A new kitchen in the UK typically costs between £8,000 and £130,000+ in 2026. Budget kitchens with standard units and basic appliances run £8,000–£15,000. Mid-range fitted kitchens with better materials and semi-integrated appliances cost £15,000–£35,000. High-end kitchens with premium cabinetry and appliances sit at £35,000–£60,000. Bespoke luxury kitchens—fully custom designs with structural changes and top-tier finishes—start around £50,000 and regularly exceed £100,000. The biggest variables are the size of your space, quality of cabinetry, appliance choices, and whether structural work is involved.

Kitchen Cost Breakdown: Where Your Money Actually Goes

Understanding where the budget goes helps you make smarter trade-offs. Here's how a typical kitchen project breaks down:

These figures assume you're replacing an existing kitchen in the same footprint. The moment you start moving walls, adding extensions, or reconfiguring the room, costs increase significantly.

Cabinetry: The Foundation of Your Budget

Cabinetry typically accounts for 30–40% of your total kitchen cost. The price difference between a flat-pack kitchen and bespoke joinery is enormous, and it shows in daily use.

Flat-pack and budget fitted kitchens use 16mm carcasses with basic hinges. They work. They won't last 25 years. Mid-range kitchens step up to 18mm carcasses with soft-close hinges and better drawer runners. Bespoke kitchens use premium hardware (Blum, Grass, Hettich), solid construction, and finishes that won't peel or discolour.

The visual difference between a £10,000 kitchen and a £40,000 kitchen isn't always obvious in photos. The difference in how drawers glide, how doors close, how finishes hold up after five years of family life—that's where you feel it.

Worktops: More Range Than You'd Expect

Worktop costs vary wildly depending on material and edge profile:

• Laminate: £200–£800 for a standard kitchen

• Solid wood: £1,000–£3,000

• Quartz (Silestone, Caesarstone): £2,500–£6,000

• Granite: £2,000–£5,000

• Dekton/Neolith: £4,000–£8,000

• Natural stone (marble, quartzite): £5,000–£15,000+

Installation adds £400–£1,200 depending on complexity. Undermount sinks, drainer grooves, and waterfall edges all increase the price.

Appliances: The Hidden Budget Killer

Appliances are where budgets spiral. A basic integrated oven costs £300. A Wolf or Gaggenau range costs £8,000–£15,000. Both cook food.

For luxury kitchen costs, appliances often represent 20–30% of the total project. A Sub-Zero fridge-freezer alone runs £12,000–£20,000. High-end extraction, steam ovens, warming drawers, and integrated coffee machines add up fast.

My advice: decide your appliance tier early. It's easier to adjust cabinetry spend than to downgrade appliances once you've fallen in love with a particular range.

What Drives Bespoke Kitchen Costs Higher?

A bespoke kitchen isn't just a more expensive version of a standard kitchen—it's a fundamentally different product. Here's what you're paying for:

Design Complexity

Bespoke kitchens are designed around your specific room, your specific life, and your specific brief. That means custom dimensions, unique storage solutions, and details that don't exist in any catalogue.

I recently completed a project where the client wanted a kitchen with no kickboards and no wall units—a completely freestanding aesthetic that looked more like furniture than fitted kitchen. That required engineering solutions you can't buy off the shelf. The design time alone was three times what a standard layout would take.

Structural Work

Many luxury kitchen renovations involve structural changes: removing load-bearing walls, installing steels, reconfiguring doorways, adding roof lights. One project last year required eight steel beams, including a single 8-metre span, to create the open-plan living space the client wanted. The structural work alone was £35,000 before a single kitchen unit was ordered.

Kitchen renovation costs rise sharply when structural engineering enters the picture. Budget an additional £15,000–£50,000 for significant structural alterations.

Premium Materials and Finishes

Bespoke kitchens use materials and finishes that aren't available in standard ranges. Hand-painted cabinetry rather than vinyl-wrapped. Solid brass hardware rather than chrome-plated zinc. Natural stone rather than quartz composite.

These choices compound. A kitchen with 40 handles at £15 each costs £600 in hardware. The same kitchen with £85 brass handles costs £3,400. Multiply that logic across every specification choice and you understand why fitted kitchen prices vary so dramatically.

Real Project Examples: What Kitchens Actually Cost

Here's what actual kitchen projects have cost in the Wirral and Cheshire area recently:

Project 1: Mid-Range Kitchen Refresh

• 4m × 3m galley kitchen

• Shaker-style cabinetry, quartz worktops, mid-range Bosch appliances

• No structural changes

• Total: £28,000

Project 2: Open-Plan Kitchen Renovation

• Victorian terrace, knock-through to dining room

• Two steel beams, complete rewire, new flooring throughout

• Handleless cabinetry, Dekton worktops, Miele appliances

• Total: £72,000

Project 3: Full Luxury Kitchen and Living Space

• Complete ground floor transformation

• Five walls removed, eight steels installed

• Bespoke island with integrated seating, Butler's pantry, premium appliances

• Total: £140,000

The difference between these projects isn't just money—it's scope. The £140,000 project delivered a completely different home. The £28,000 project delivered a beautiful new kitchen in an existing space.

How to Set a Realistic Kitchen Budget

Setting the right budget means being honest about what you actually want. Here's how to approach it:

Start with your non-negotiables. If you've dreamed of a Wolf range for ten years, that's £10,000 of your budget spoken for before you design anything. If you need the wall between kitchen and dining room gone, structural work is non-negotiable. List these first.

Get a professional assessment early. A 30-minute conversation with a kitchen designer who understands construction will tell you more than weeks of online research. They can spot constraints (soil stacks, structural walls, electrical capacity) that dramatically affect cost before you fall in love with an impossible layout.

Budget for the whole room, not just the kitchen. New kitchens often expose tired flooring, dated lighting, and walls that need replastering. A £50,000 kitchen budget should include £5,000–£10,000 for these finishing touches, or you'll have a beautiful kitchen in a room that doesn't match.

Add 10–15% contingency. Hidden problems emerge when you strip out an old kitchen. Asbestos in old flooring. Damp in external walls. Wiring that doesn't meet current regulations. Budget for surprises and hope you don't need the money.

Consider phasing if needed. Some clients complete structural work and cabinetry in phase one, then upgrade appliances in phase two. Others install the kitchen they can afford now, knowing they'll refresh worktops and hardware in five years. There's no shame in building toward your dream kitchen over time.

What to Watch Out For

Quotes that seem too good to be true usually are. A £15,000 quote for a kitchen that others have quoted at £35,000 isn't a bargain—it's missing something. Either the specification is different, the installation quality will suffer, or costs will creep up once work begins. Compare like with like.

"Price match" promises hide quality differences. A showroom promising to match an online quote is often swapping soft-close drawers for standard runners, premium handles for cheap alternatives. The headline price matches, but the kitchen doesn't.

Paying the full amount upfront is risky. Reputable kitchen companies take a deposit (typically 30–40%), stage payments linked to milestones, and a final payment on completion. Anyone demanding 100% upfront is a red flag.

Most problems I see come from people who bought the cheapest quote without understanding why it was cheapest. The renovation itself might cost more to fix than doing it properly in the first place.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should I spend on a kitchen for my house value?

The old rule was 5–10% of your property value, but this oversimplifies. A £600,000 house in Heswall might warrant a £50,000–£80,000 kitchen if the current layout doesn't suit the market. A £1.2 million house with a functional kitchen might not need anything. Spend based on how you'll use the space and how long you plan to stay, not arbitrary percentages.

Is a bespoke kitchen worth the extra cost?

If you're planning to stay in your home for 10+ years, value quality and craftsmanship, and have specific requirements that standard ranges can't meet—yes. Bespoke kitchen cost reflects genuinely superior materials, hardware, and joinery. If you're renovating to sell within five years, a well-specified mid-range kitchen often makes more financial sense.

How long does a kitchen renovation take?

A straightforward kitchen replacement takes 2–3 weeks. Add structural work and you're looking at 6–10 weeks. Full ground floor transformations with complex structural alterations run 12–16 weeks. The design and planning phase adds another 4–12 weeks before work begins, depending on complexity and local planning requirements.

Can I save money by buying units and hiring a fitter separately?

Sometimes, but it's riskier than people expect. You become the project manager, responsible for coordinating deliveries, resolving problems between trades, and managing the timeline. If something goes wrong—damaged units, incorrect measurements, appliances that don't fit—there's no single point of accountability. Some people thrive managing this complexity. Most find it stressful and wish they'd paid for proper coordination.

What's included in a typical kitchen quote?

This varies enormously, which is why comparing quotes is difficult. Some include everything: design, supply, installation, electrics, plumbing, plastering, flooring, decoration. Others quote for supply-only, or supply and basic installation. Always ask for an itemised breakdown showing exactly what's included and, just as importantly, what isn't.

Do I need planning permission for a new kitchen?

For a straightforward kitchen replacement, no. If you're adding an extension, building into a garage, or altering a listed building, you'll likely need planning permission or listed building consent. Internal structural work typically falls under Building Regulations rather than planning. A good designer will advise what approvals you need before starting.

Making the Right Investment

A new kitchen isn't just a cost—it's an investment in how you'll live for the next decade or more.

The families I work with aren't just buying cabinets and appliances. They're buying mornings where the whole family can be in the kitchen without colliding. Sunday lunches where guests don't feel exiled to another room. Homework sessions at the island while dinner cooks. The best kitchens don't just look beautiful—they change how a home functions.

If you're considering a kitchen project in the Wirral, I'd welcome a conversation about your space and what you're hoping to achieve. Book a consultation and let's explore what's possible.