HOW TO KEEP COST DOWN?

Replacement kitchen doors

Nowadays, it’s really easy to modernise a kitchen on a low budget just by replacing the doors, handles and worktop. A kitchen upgrade like this will cost £700 – £2500 inclusive of VAT (depending on quality and quantity of doors and worktops). So providing you are happy with the current layout and the existing units are in good condition, that’s a very cheap and completely viable option.

Labour and recycle 

If you are in for a complete remodel then on average you can save yourself up to £200 by removing the kitchen yourself. A good idea is to take photos of the kitchen weeks before removal and advertise your existing kitchen on the Facebook market or Gumtree. This can be a good way to make a few quid! Depending on style and condition, you could be surprised by how much someone is willing to pay. There is even such social media accounts like @theusedkitchencompany that may even be able to sell your kitchen for you and save the hassle.

Things to remember before removing the kitchen yourself. Physical labour (it isn’t light work), watch videos or get tips from someone experienced before just pulling things apart, you don’t want to damage anything, and its important to remember timing and waste, I mean no one wants to be stuck without a kitchen longer than needed right and you don’t want to be removing the kitchen when the fitters show up. Usually, there is more waste than expected, a skip is always recommended. Always consult your fitter before removing the kitchen yourself.

Appliances 

Doesn’t it seem like every day somewhere has an epic sale on? Do some shopping around for your own appliances, a bit of digging can save you hundreds. Always check with your kitchen sales rep or local installation team, as they will have access to trade deals which are likely to be cheap, although you may find some cheaper in sales.

Do your best to avoid expensive accessories and gizmos, they look cool, but often come with a hefty price tag. A sleek modern kitchen doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg, being savvy with your purchase open up avenues to splash out on that thing you’ve always wanted. Like the fridge with ice-cold water or that herringbone floor, you’ve seen in almost every Pinterest post imaginable. Handleless kitchens are stylish and ultra-modern and don’t have to cost a fortune, it all depends on the type of door. If you stick to stock colours and laminated doors, like our range Jayline or Rothwell, you could be in for a winner. Open display units can really complement a kitchen and will cost slightly less as you won’t need a door.

Trusted tradesmen

Finally and probably the most obvious and possibly overlooked. Using a trusted and reliable builder is an absolute must. A good set of reviews and portfolio of work is a good sign. Asking friends for recommendations is a good way to find the right fit for you also.

Usually, the cheapest builder isn’t the best, you don’t want them always coming back to repair things or worse have to pay others to rectify their mistakes. A good builder will most likely stay on budget and schedule, providing you don’t change the plan/design after the quoting is finalised.

The reason our Turnkey service is so popular is because we will carry out your whole project, all work will be clearly listed out and accurately costed. This also means you won’t have to find trusted plumbers, electricians, decorators and also manage everyone’s busy schedules. We’ll do all the hard work for you and it works best for both parties.

KITCHEN QUOTE EXAMPLES

Here are two example quotes where you can see the cost of a modern kitchen, these have been simplified for the sake of the blog.

Example quote A is a larger kitchen, with more units, doesn’t need additional work like plastering, decorating or flooring but it did need more electrical work as this clients consumer board wasn’t 18th edition compliant, the extra parts and labour will increase the price by £900 on average, they also didn’t replace most of the current appliances and sink.

Example quote B is a smaller kitchen but it’s a full Turnkey service, it needed a lot of gutting and building work and the client didn’t want to have to manage the other tradesmen to get it up to the spec needed for the kitchen install, with more appliances, labour and that beautiful engineered oak flooring the price racked up quickly.

to summarise

None of this is designed to scare you, on the contrary, we want everyone to have a good understanding of all the costs involved in a renovating a kitchen, so in fact, the average cost of a modern kitchen is only 8k for a dry fit but… if it isn’t a straight forward out with the old and in with the new then the actual average is closer to 12k – 14k, as a reminder here’s a list of all the cost to consider.

We hope that this guide has been helpful to budget and cost your modern kitchen and if it has please share the blog and give us some feedback.