How can I plan my new kitchen cost?

Cost is a daunting factor in planning your new kitchen. We’ve all seen television programmes where budgets spiral out of control. These nightmare scenarios do nothing for the average consumer confidence when entering into a new kitchen project. Try not to let this put you off though! A refitted or refurbished kitchen can add value to your home and ease daily living. With careful consideration and prioritisation, you can plan your new kitchen cost in a reliable and organised way.

Size and Spec

Your budget will undoubtedly dictate the specification of your kitchen. Consequently, the size of your floor area should be your first consideration when you plan your new kitchen cost. A kitchen extension or large kitchen refit will naturally be more costly than a refit or refurb of a smaller space. In addition, larger spaces are likely to be fitted with a greater number of appliances, one or more kitchen islands and require larger areas of worktop. If you’ve got your heart set on a higher price range of marble, for example, the worktop area of a large kitchen will form a substantial chunk of your budget.

Average Cost

So with all of these variables, how do you work out the average new kitchen cost? Well, it’s actually pretty unhelpful to hold too much store by average prices. The costs of suppliers range wildly on geography, and the choice of materials and size of the space vary from project to project. Not to mention the variations on functionality within your room. Not everyone wants smart appliances which are fully integrated to your home network. Having said that, many sources pin the UK average of a new kitchen to be somewhere between £7,000 – £10,000.

Dividing your Budget

To make sure that you spend your budget in the right places, divide it into subsections based on priority. Not everything has to be top of the range, and not everything has to be on a shoestring. You can achieve a great kitchen simply by spending in well chosen areas. Maybe you have your heart set on a durable and low maintenance granite worktop. We’d understand why; spending your money here will bring lasting style and function to the room. You may be a kitchen techie; you want your new kitchen to integrate the highest spec kitchen appliances and white goods. Know where you want to spend on high end products and where you are happy to compromise. 

Choosing Materials

So, when you choose your materials, this process of prioritisation should have helped. If you know from the outset that you want quartz or dekton worktop, you can select your flooring or splashback materials with a very strict guide on cost. Try to avoid compromising too much on any of your kitchen materials. Remember that this is a high traffic room, and taking shortcuts is often a false economy. You’ll find yourself shelling out again in a couple of years, where more durable materials would still have been going strong.

Controlling Costs

It’s often the unexpected costs which can prove challenging as you embark on your new kitchen. The impact of relocating your kitchen function to elsewhere in your home for the duration of the work, for example. At the planning stage, make sure that you allocate some budget for indirect costs of your new kitchen. In addition, you should always plan for a 10% contingency. This will cover you for unexpected challenges such as unforeseen plumbing issues. If you don’t spend it, then great! It’s much better that it’s there should you need it, though.

The truth, really, is that you cannot plan your new kitchen cost using averages alone. Decide which one feature you think is the most important. For example, your choice of stone worktop, which you know will be a joy to use and last long into the future. With this cost set, you can then plan the rest of the space in a realistic and constructive way.