Is my kitchen quote fair? A UK price-sense check

The hardest thing about a kitchen quote is that the word "kitchen" can mean five different things in five different quotes. One includes the cabinets, the worktops, the appliances, the tiling, the flooring, and the decoration. Another covers only the installation labour and assumes you have ordered everything from Howdens or IKEA yourself. The two can differ by £10,000 and neither is wrong. They are pricing different jobs.

This guide is a checklist to turn that confusion into a comparison you can trust. For ranges and tier definitions, start with the kitchen renovation cost guide. For the general method, see how to compare builder quotes.

Typical price, so you have a benchmark#

In 2026, a UK kitchen typically costs £6,000 to £12,000 for a budget refit (IKEA or Howdens-style units, mid-range appliances), £12,000 to £25,000 for a mid-range kitchen with better cabinetry and a stone or solid worktop, and £25,000 to £60,000 or more for a premium or bespoke kitchen. Most homeowners land between £10,000 and £18,000. Labour is typically 30 to 40% of the total, materials and appliances the rest.

If your quote is well outside these bands, that is your first thing to ask about. The answer is often "this includes appliances and yours doesn't", or "this is labour only", which is a useful answer.

The supply-vs-fit trap#

This is the single biggest source of confusion in kitchen quotes. Before any other check, work out which model each quote is using:

• Supply and fit. The contractor sources the cabinets, worktops, sink, taps, and integrated appliances, then installs them. Higher headline price, but everything is in one number.
• Install only. You order everything (typically from Howdens, B&Q, IKEA, or a kitchen showroom) and the contractor fits it. Much lower headline price, because the materials are not in it.

A "£8,500 kitchen" can be a fair install-only quote or a wildly under-priced supply-and-fit quote. The label on the line tells you which is being priced. If the quote says "supply and fit" but the cabinets, worktops, and appliances are not listed with brands or models or a PC sum, you cannot tell what you are buying.

What a fair kitchen quote should itemise#

A reasonable kitchen quote breaks the price into at least these lines, with a number against each:

• Strip-out and disposal of the old kitchen, including units, worktops, and any wall tiling being removed.
• First-fix plumbing: extending or relocating supplies and waste for the sink and dishwasher, replacing isolation valves.
• Electrics: new sockets to current spacing regs, dedicated circuits for appliances (induction hob, single oven, double oven), under-cabinet lighting, extractor connection. Part P-notifiable work needs a registered electrician.
• Gas: any work moving or capping a gas hob must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• Plastering and making good where walls are repaired after the strip-out.
• Cabinets: number of units and the brand or range, with a price.
• Worktops: material (laminate, solid wood, quartz, granite, sintered stone), linear metres, and templating/cutting if applicable.
• Sink and taps: supply (if included) and fit.
• Appliance fit: oven, hob, hood, dishwasher, fridge-freezer. Supply itemised separately if included.
• Splashback or wall tiling: stated square metres and tile spec.
• Flooring: type, area, and prep. Often a separate sub-trade.
• Decoration: walls, ceiling, woodwork, after install.

A single lump sum that says "Kitchen fitting, £14,000" tells you none of these. See how to read a builder's quote for the general format you should expect.

What is typically excluded#

Items that often quietly fall outside the headline price:

• Flooring, especially for a layout change that exposes subfloor.
• Decoration after install, walls and woodwork.
• Appliance supply, where the customer is expected to order direct.
• Worktop templating and cutting for stone or quartz, sometimes priced as a separate vendor invoice.
• Part P certification for new electrical circuits.
• Gas Safe certification for any cooker or hob work touching gas.
• Removing the old kitchen from the property, as opposed to just from the room.
• Building Regs sign-off for any structural change (knocking through to a dining room, removing a chimney breast, fitting a steel beam).

For the broader pattern across trades, see hidden costs in builder quotes.

Red flags specific to kitchens#

• "Supply and fit" with no brands or PC sums. You cannot tell whether the cabinets are Howdens trade or IKEA, and the contractor can substitute downwards without you noticing. Insist on the brand and range.
• No worktop material named. The price difference between laminate and quartz can be 5 to 10x for the same linear meterage. A line that says "worktops, £1,800" with no material is meaningless.
• No appliance circuit detail. A modern kitchen typically needs a dedicated 32A induction circuit, a dedicated 16A oven circuit, and split ring mains. A line that says "electrics, £900" with none of this is under-scoped.
• Gas hob mentioned but no Gas Safe engineer named. Illegal if a non- registered person does it. Walk away.
• No Part P notification path. Required for new circuits in a kitchen. An electrician's qualifications should be on the quote.

For the general red-flag pattern, see am I being overcharged.

Before you sign#

1. Is it supply-and-fit or install-only? If supply-and-fit, are brands and PC sums named for cabinets, worktops, and appliances?
2. Is the worktop material specified?
3. Are the electrical circuits broken out and Part P notified?
4. If any gas work is involved, is the engineer Gas Safe registered?
5. Are flooring and decoration in or out, in writing?
6. Is the total in the typical band for your tier and region?

If three or more of these are unclear, the quote is not ready to be compared against another. Get the missing items in writing before you decide.

The shortcut#

Running this comparison by hand means knowing cabinet ranges, worktop rates, appliance fit times, and electrical regs. Check the Quote does that part for you: paste or upload your kitchen quote and we check every line against current UK rates for your postcode, flag what sits above the fair range, and tell you what is missing. Your first check is free.