A new kitchen — whether part of a rear extension, a knock-through or a standalone renovation — is the single most popular home improvement in the UK. It's also the project with the widest cost range: a sensible kitchen renovation can come in at £25,000, while the same room as part of an extension with premium units can hit £150,000. This 2026 guide breaks down where the money actually goes, the cost of each component (units, worktops, appliances, build), and how to budget realistically.
Kitchen project cost by type (London/M25 corridor, 2026).
| Project type | From | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen renovation only (no extension) | £20,000 | £60,000 | Strip out, replumb, retile, refit. Existing footprint. |
| Kitchen renovation + knock-through to dining | £35,000 | £80,000 | Adds 1 steel beam, more glazing. |
| Single-storey rear kitchen extension (20–30 m²) | £55,000 | £120,000 | Most popular kitchen-extension type. |
| Side-return kitchen extension (12–18 m²) | £55,000 | £100,000 | Victorian terrace upgrade. |
| Wrap-around kitchen extension (30–45 m²) | £85,000 | £160,000 | Combined side + rear. |
| Premium kitchen extension with bespoke units | £120,000 | £200,000 | Bespoke joinery, premium appliances, statement glazing. |
How regional cost varies (m² rates for the typical build).
| Region | From | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime central London (W1, SW1, SW3, NW1) | £144,000 | £174,000 | Premium finishes and listed-building consent standard. |
| Inner London (SE/SW/E/NW/N inside South Circular) | £120,000 | £150,000 | Strong Article 4 / conservation-area constraints. |
| Outer London (Bromley, Bexley, Croydon, Sutton, Havering) | £55,000 | £120,000 | Mid-band labour rates, PD typically intact. |
| Kent / Surrey / Essex commuter belt | £52,250 | £132,000 | Affluent areas (Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Weybridge) sit near top. |
| Outer Kent / Essex / Hertfordshire | £46,750 | £114,000 | Below-London labour costs; longer logistics. |
IKEA: £4k–£8k. Howdens/Wickes mid-range: £8k–£15k. Designer mid-range (Magnet, Wren premium): £15k–£25k. Premium bespoke (Roundhouse, Plain English): £40k–£100k+. Choice of units is the single biggest cost lever.
Laminate: £40/m run. Solid wood: £200/m. Quartz: £350–£600/m. Marble: £600–£900/m. Sintered stone (Dekton, Neolith): £700–£1,200/m. A typical kitchen has 4–6 m of worktop.
Mid-range appliance package (oven, hob, dishwasher, fridge, hood): £3k–£6k. Premium (Bosch, Neff): £6k–£12k. Luxury (Wolf, Sub-Zero, Miele): £15k–£35k. Wine fridges and boiling-water taps add £1k–£3k each.
Moving the sink wall: £2k–£4k of M&E work. Moving gas to an island: £1.5k–£3k. Adding a utility room: £6k–£12k of build.
Aluminium sliding doors (3-panel): £6k–£12k. Roof lantern over kitchen island: £4k–£8k. Skylights: £400–£800 each. Bifold doors: £4k–£7k.
Engineered oak: £80–£140/m². Porcelain (large format): £80–£180/m². LVT: £40–£70/m². Polished concrete: £180–£280/m². Stone: £180–£400/m².
| Phase | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Design + survey | 2–3 weeks | Measured survey, kitchen designer brief. |
| Planning (if extension) | 8–12 weeks | PD or full planning. |
| Building Control + party walls | 4–6 weeks | Engineer designs steels, BC submission. |
| Strip-out | 1 week | Existing kitchen removed. |
| Build (extension only) | 6–10 weeks | Foundations, steel, brickwork, roof, glazing. |
| First fix M&E | 2 weeks | New runs to sink, hob, oven, dishwasher. |
| Plaster + screed | 2 weeks | Including UFH if specified. |
| Kitchen install + second fix | 2–3 weeks | Units, worktops, appliances, final M&E. |
| Snagging + handover | 1 week | Defects, certificates. |
For a typical £80k kitchen extension in London: build cost £45k–£55k (foundations, steel, brick, glazing, M&E, plaster), units £12k–£18k, worktops £3k–£5k, appliances £5k–£8k, flooring £3k–£6k, installation labour £4k–£6k, lighting and accessories £2k–£4k. The build cost is the only line you can fix early — units, worktops and appliances scale endlessly with finish level.
Renovation only (existing footprint, new units and replumb): £20k–£60k. Renovation + knock-through to dining room: £35k–£80k. Single-storey rear extension: £55k–£120k. The break-even is usually around £55k — below that, renovation makes more sense; above that, the marginal cost of extending is small versus the space gained.
Three usual overspends: (1) bespoke joinery units that look identical to mid-range Howdens once installed, (2) appliance packages where the wine fridge and boiling tap add £4k of low-use kit, (3) statement glazing (Crittall-style steel doors) that cost 3× their aluminium equivalent for the same opening. The most cost-effective premium spec is mid-range units with a stone worktop and one premium appliance (typically the hob/extractor).
Allow 1.2 m between island and run-of-units. Sink to hob distance: 0.9–1.8 m (the working triangle). Worktop height: 900–920 mm standard. Tall units either side of the oven housing for storage. Always allow a 300 mm filler at the end of a run for fridge / dishwasher repair access. Plan socket positions before plaster — moving them later means cutting plaster and re-decorating.
Kitchen extensions in London typically deliver 60–90% of build cost in resale value, sometimes more in prime areas. The kitchen-diner is the most-valued room for buyers — a poor kitchen reduces a property's perceived value by more than its cost-to-replace. A £55k kitchen extension on a £750k house typically pushes the asking price to £830k+.
A standard single-storey rear kitchen extension in London costs £55,000–£120,000 in 2026 for a 20–30 m² scheme. That includes the build, structural glazing and first-fix M&E. Kitchen units, worktops, appliances and flooring are client-supplied — typically £25k–£60k on top.
A standalone kitchen renovation (same footprint, new units, replumb) costs £20,000–£60,000 in London for a typical 12–20 m² kitchen.
Single-storey rear extensions up to 6 m on detached and 4 m on terraces sit inside Permitted Development. Side-return extensions on terraces usually qualify. Conservation areas and Article 4 zones need full planning.
A small rear extension (≤20 m²) with simple aluminium glazing, mid-range Howdens units and a quartz worktop comes in at £55k–£70k all-in. Roof construction is the area to economise on (flat warm-roof rather than lantern).
Plan on 6–8 weeks of design and planning, then 12–16 weeks on site for a standard single-storey kitchen extension. Add 4 weeks for wrap-around.
For a typical 4 m run + island kitchen: IKEA £4k–£8k, Howdens mid-range £8k–£15k, designer mid-range £15k–£25k, premium bespoke £40k–£100k+.
Yes — in London, kitchen extensions typically return 60–90% of build cost at resale, and substantially improve day-to-day quality of life. The kitchen-diner is the most-valued room for UK buyers.
The numbers above are real averages — but every project is different. Use our 60-second instant quote, configure your project in detail, or book a free site visit for a fixed written quotation in 5 working days.