A new kitchen or bathroom is one of the biggest single jobs a household commissions, and it is also one of the hardest to budget for. The quotes that come back can vary by thousands of pounds for what looks like the same work, and without a reference figure it is hard to tell a fair price from an inflated one. This estimator gives you that reference.
Set the room, size, finish level, scope and region above, and watch the estimated cost move in real time, broken down into the parts that actually drive the bill.
How to read the results
- Estimated project cost is the headline range: the typical market spread for your setup, shown as plus or minus fifteen per cent because every job is slightly different.
- Labour is the cost of the fitter's time plus the plumbing and electrics, usually the largest single component and the one that swings most by region.
- Materials is the units, worktops, sanitaryware and tiles. On a labour-only job this line drops to zero, because you are supplying those yourself.
- Waste/disposal is the cost of stripping out the old room and getting the rubbish off site: skip hire or licensed waste collection.
- Midpoint is the central estimate the range is built around, handy as a single planning number.
What a kitchen fitting cost actually covers
A kitchen fit is rarely just hanging units. A typical full job includes removing the old kitchen, any changes to plumbing and electrics, fitting the new units and worktops, plumbing in the sink and appliances, tiling or splashbacks, and making good the walls and floor. At the budget end you are looking at flat-pack or entry-level units and a straightforward like-for-like layout. At the premium end you have bespoke or in-frame units, stone worktops, integrated appliances and a changed layout that moves services around.
That spread is why a budget kitchen and a premium one are not the same job with a different price tag: they are different amounts of work as well as different materials. The estimator reflects both, scaling the finish level and the room size together.
What a bathroom fitting cost looks like
A bathroom is smaller but more service-heavy per square metre. The cost is driven by the sanitaryware you choose, the amount of tiling, and how much the plumbing has to move. Swapping a suite in the same positions is the cheap end. Moving the soil pipe, fitting a walk-in shower with a tanked wet area, or fully retiling floor to ceiling pushes you toward the premium figure fast. Because so much of a bathroom is behind the tiles, the state of what is already there matters more than in almost any other room, which is why a firm quote always follows a site visit.
Supply and fit versus labour only
The biggest decision that moves the number is scope. Supply and fit gives you one accountable price and one point of contact: if a unit is wrong, it is the fitter's problem to put right. Labour only is cheaper in the estimate because the materials are not in it, but you take on the ordering, the delivery, the storage and the risk of a missing part stopping the job. For most households supply and fit is worth the premium for the simplicity; experienced project managers and trade buyers often go labour only to control the spec and the margin. Switch the scope above to see the difference for your room.
Do not forget the waste
Stripping out an old kitchen or bathroom produces more rubbish than people expect: old units, broken tiles, packaging from the new fittings and rubble from any wall or floor work. Getting it off site legally costs money, and a quote that does not mention it is a quote with a gap in it. The estimator keeps waste and disposal on its own line so you can check that any quote you receive has accounted for it rather than absorbing it silently into labour.
What to do with the number
If the estimate is in the same range as the quotes you have, that is a good sign the quotes are fair. If a quote comes in well below the budget figure, ask what has been left out: waste, making good, or the plumbing and electrics are the usual suspects. For a whole-project view that goes beyond a single room, use the home renovation cost calculator to size the full job. To understand how the manufacturers and fitters behind these projects win work, see kitchen and bathroom manufacturers.
When you are ready to compare real quotes properly, the guide on quotes that win more jobs explains what a good one looks like from the inside. Explore the rest of the free tools to budget other parts of the project, and if you want a second opinion on a quote, talk to us.