How to Price a Kitchen Installation in the UK — A Tradesperson's Guide

A kitchen is one of the most profitable jobs you can take on — and one of the easiest to underprice. There are more trades, more materials and more chances for things to go sideways than almost any other domestic job. Get the quote right and you make good money; get it wrong and you're working the last week for free.

Here's how to price a kitchen installation properly, from the first site visit to the final invoice.

Start With a Proper Site Survey

Never quote a kitchen off a photo or a quick chat at the door. Go and look. The things that move the price most are the ones you can't see in a brochure — the state of the walls and floor, where the services run, and what's hiding behind the old units.

On the visit, check the condition of the floor and whether it needs levelling. Find out where the gas, water, waste and electrics currently run and whether they need moving. Look for damp, rot or dodgy old wiring that'll need sorting before you fit anything. Measure properly and confirm whether the customer has bought the units or expects you to supply them.

Break the Job Into Trades and Phases

A kitchen is rarely a one-man job, and pricing it as a single lump is how you lose track of costs. Break it down so nothing gets missed:

Strip-out and disposal of the old kitchen. Any building work — knocking through, plastering, flooring. First-fix plumbing and electrics — moving pipes, adding sockets and spurs. Unit installation and worktops. Second-fix — connecting appliances, taps, sinks, sealing. Tiling, splashbacks and finishing.

Some of these you'll do yourself, others you'll bring in a sparky or a gas engineer for. Price each phase, including the subcontractors, so the final number reflects the whole job — not just your bit.

Supply and Fit, or Fit Only?

Decide early whether you're supplying the kitchen or just fitting the customer's. Fit-only is simpler but lower margin. Supply-and-fit lets you make a margin on the units, worktops and materials — but you carry the risk if something's damaged or back-ordered.

If you're supplying, get fixed prices from your suppliers before you quote, and add a sensible margin on materials rather than passing them on at cost. You're doing the sourcing, collecting and chasing — that's worth paying for.

Don't Forget the Hidden Costs

This is where kitchen quotes get eaten alive. Build these in from the start: waste disposal and skip hire, which adds up fast on a full strip-out; making good walls and floors that were never square to begin with; appliance quirks where the new oven or extractor never quite fits the old gap; and the time you'll spend collecting materials and waiting on deliveries.

A contingency of 10–15% on a kitchen isn't padding — it's the difference between a profitable job and a stressful one.

Quote Properly and Stage the Payments

Put it all in writing. A proper quote lists the work, what's included, what's excluded, and a clear total. It protects you when the customer "remembers" you agreed to something you didn't.

For a job this size, never wait until the end to get paid. Take a deposit upfront to cover initial materials, stage a payment when the units go in, and take the balance on completion. Staging the payments keeps your cash flow healthy and means you're never exposed for the full amount.

How Dayrates Helps

Once the quote's agreed, Dayrates lets you turn it into staged invoices, track deposits and payments, and store every material receipt against the job — so when the kitchen's done you know exactly what you made on it, not just what you charged. Try it free for 14 days, no card needed.

Price the whole job, not just your trade, build in the hidden costs, and stage the payments. Do that and kitchens become some of the best-paid work on your books.