A straightforward like-for-like kitchen usually takes one to two weeks on site, from strip-out to the final connections. Moving the sink, knocking through a wall or waiting for stone worktops can stretch that to three or four weeks or more. Most delays are avoided by settling the design, deliveries and services before the old kitchen comes out.
What happens before the kitchen fit starts?
It starts with a measured survey: walls, windows, doors, ceiling height, and where the water, waste, gas and electrics come in. That survey drives the design, which should show every unit, appliance, socket and light position.
Once you sign off the design, units and appliances are ordered. Lead times vary by supplier and are often several weeks, so the fitting date is usually set by delivery. Before strip-out, plan how you will manage without a kitchen. A kettle, microwave and fridge set up in another room makes the fortnight much easier. Clear the room completely, including wall cupboards, shelves and anything hanging on the walls, before the fitters arrive.
What are the stages of fitting a kitchen?
Most kitchen fits follow the same order of work, whatever the size of the room:
- Strip-out: the old units, worktops and appliances are removed, with gas and water safely isolated first.
- First fix: new pipework, waste runs, cables, back boxes and any gas pipe alterations are put in while the walls are open.
- Making good: walls are patched or replastered and left to dry, and ceilings may be skimmed.
- Fitting: base units are levelled and fixed, followed by wall units, tall housings and end panels.
- Worktops: laminate and timber are cut on site. Quartz, granite and solid-surface tops are templated once the units are fixed, then made and fitted later.
- Second fix: the sink, taps, hob, oven, extractor, sockets and lights are connected and tested.
- Finishing: splashbacks or tiling, plinths, sealing, flooring if it goes down after the units, and a final clean.
How long does a kitchen fit take?
These are typical durations once work starts on site. The usual causes of delay are drying times for plaster and screed, and surprises found behind old units:
- Like-for-like replacement in the same layout with laminate worktops: around 5–10 working days.
- Same layout with stone or quartz worktops: add roughly 1–2 weeks while the tops are templated and made, usually with a temporary worktop in the meantime.
- New layout with moved plumbing or electrics and new flooring: around 2–3 weeks.
- Knocking through a wall to make a kitchen-diner: 3–4 weeks or more, including structural work and plastering.
How much does it cost to fit a new kitchen?
Kitchen prices vary more than almost any other job, because the units and worktops can cost anything from a few thousand pounds to tens of thousands. The biggest variables are the number of units, the worktop material, whether the layout changes, and how much plumbing, electrical and plastering work is needed. Appliances are often bought separately. As a typical guide for the West Midlands in 2026, including VAT:
- Fitting labour only, for a typical kitchen including strip-out, connections and laminate worktops: around £2,200–£4,800.
- Standard to mid-range kitchen supplied and fitted, appliances extra: around £7,500–£15,000.
- Higher-specification kitchen with quartz or granite worktops, integrated appliances, a new layout and new flooring: around £15,000–£28,000.
How do I plan a kitchen layout that works?
Start with how you cook and who uses the room. The classic 'work triangle' still helps: keep the sink, hob and fridge reasonably close to each other, with nothing blocking the routes between them.
Whatever the shape, allow landing space either side of the hob and sink, put the dishwasher next to the sink, add sockets at worktop height where you will use them, and plan task lighting under the wall units. Measure your appliances, especially American-style fridge freezers and range cookers, before the design is fixed. The main layouts are:
- Galley: two parallel runs. Efficient in narrow rooms. Leave a clear walkway of roughly a metre or more.
- L-shaped: units on two adjoining walls. Flexible, and good for kitchen-diners.
- U-shaped: units on three walls. Plenty of storage, best in wider rooms.
- Island or peninsula: adds worktop and seating, but needs generous space all round, roughly a metre or more, and a plan for any water or power it needs.
Does a new kitchen need Building Regulations approval?
A straight refit with new units and fittings doesn't usually need Building Regulations approval. Some parts of the job are controlled, though:
- Electrics: in England, a new circuit, such as a dedicated cooker circuit, or a new consumer unit is notifiable. It must be certified by a registered electrician or approved by building control. Adding sockets to an existing kitchen circuit isn't notifiable, but must still be done safely.
- Gas: anyone working on a gas hob, cooker or gas pipework in your home must be Gas Safe registered. Ask to see their ID card, which lists the work they are qualified to do.
- Ventilation: where an extractor is installed as part of building work, Approved Document F sets minimum rates of 30 litres per second for a cooker hood that vents outside, or 60 litres per second for a fan elsewhere in the kitchen.
- Structure: removing or altering a wall needs a structural check and usually Building Regulations approval, plus a party wall notice if the wall is shared.
- Drainage: alterations to drainage may also need approval.
What should I check before the kitchen fit begins?
A kitchen fit is a sequence of trades, and the order matters. A clear plan, a fixed price for the agreed specification and a realistic date for the worktops will do more for the finished result than any single product choice. Before work begins, check these points:
- If your house was built or refurbished before 2000, textured ceiling coatings, old floor tiles and boards around boilers may contain asbestos. Have suspect materials tested before they are disturbed.
- Confirm who supplies what: units, worktops, appliances, sink, taps, tiles, flooring and lighting.
- Check the quote covers removing the old kitchen, and that whoever takes waste away is a registered waste carrier.
- Agree where deliveries will be stored and how floors and other rooms will be protected.
- Ask which certificates you will receive: electrical, gas and building control where relevant.
Sources
- Planning Portal – Is Building Regulations approval needed for a kitchen or bathroom?
- legislation.gov.uk – Building Regulations 2010, regulation 12
- HSE – Gas safety: home owners
- GOV.UK – Approved Document F (ventilation), Volume 1: Dwellings, 2021 edition
This guide is general information for homes in England, not legal or professional advice for your property. Rules change — check with your council or the Planning Portal before you rely on it.