A practical kitchen cost checklist
Kitchen renovation budget: what does the price actually include?
A kitchen units price is not necessarily a finished-room price. Before comparing offers, separate what you are buying, who is fitting it and which other work needs its own allowance.
Decide what you are changing
Write a brief before looking at totals. Are you replacing units within the existing layout, moving appliances and services, or changing the room itself? Record the current and proposed positions of the sink, cooking area and major appliances. Tell each supplier and installer which layout they should price.
If you are also building an extension or opening up rooms, distinguish the kitchen fit-out from the building work. Use the house extension cost checklist for the surrounding project. Do not assume a kitchen installation price includes structural work or alterations elsewhere in the home.
Free kitchen budget worksheet
Use your browser’s Print option to print this page or save it as a PDF. For each row, write “included”, “separate” or “not confirmed”. Record the supplier or installer responsible and the quote reference. A blank amount is unknown, not free.
| Budget item | Check the specification | Status, amount & provider |
|---|---|---|
| Units and fittings | Cabinets, doors, handles, hinges, storage accessories and end panels. | ________________ |
| Worktops | Material, edges, cut-outs, measuring, delivery and fitting. | ________________ |
| Appliances | Exact models, delivery, connections and removal of old appliances. | ________________ |
| Sink and taps | Products, waste fittings and who connects them. | ________________ |
| Removal and preparation | Old kitchen removal, waste, protection and making surfaces ready. | ________________ |
| Installation | Which products are fitted, by whom, and what is excluded. | ________________ |
| Services | Plumbing, electrics, heating and ventilation work to be confirmed by suitable professionals. | ________________ |
| Finishes | Flooring, wall finishes, splashbacks, lighting and decorating. | ________________ |
| Other project costs | Separate design or building work, delivery charges and practical arrangements while the room is unavailable. | ________________ |
| Tax and uncertainty | Confirm tax treatment; record contingency separately from quoted work. | ________________ |
Worked example: included is not the same as extra
Fictional amounts for arithmetic only—not typical kitchen prices. Suppose a written offer is £12,000, including £2,000 for appliances. A separate installer quote is £4,000. For this example, both quotes use the same tax-inclusive basis and there are no other known costs.
The known total is £16,000, not £18,000: the appliance amount is already inside the £12,000. If worktops are excluded and not yet priced, record “worktops: not confirmed” alongside the £16,000 rather than calling it a complete project budget.
If a revised appliance selection costs £2,600, ask the supplier for a revised offer confirming the replacement of the original allowance. Only if everything else stays unchanged would the total rise by £600, rather than the full £2,600. Keep each revision so you can see what changed.
Questions before you accept a price
- Does every quote refer to the same dated layout and product list?
- Are delivery, preparation, fitting and waste removal included or separately charged?
- Who supplies and who installs each item? Is any task left between two suppliers?
- What needs checking on site before the price can be confirmed?
- What are the payment stages, expected timing, quote validity and arrangements for changes?
Ask for missing answers in writing. Our builder quote comparison guide gives you a worksheet for keeping the differences visible. This checklist is for budgeting, not instructions for carrying out installation work.
Use an estimate without mistaking it for a quote
Estiquote’s Kitchen Renovation category gives an early modelled range from the project choices you enter. Read the assumptions before comparing it with a supplier’s offer: the scopes may differ. The app does not inspect your kitchen, read drawings or fetch live retailer prices.
Start with a free headline estimate. Project Pass adds the active project’s detailed modelled breakdown and shareable PDF when you need more than the headline. Keep written supplier and installer prices as the evidence for your actual budget. Read how the estimate is calculated and our content standards.