Need help with kitchen fitting? Get a quote from Herts and Essex Renovations.
How much does a kitchen fitter charge?
We do not publish a single labour rate, because two kitchens with the same number of units can take very different amounts of time. A straight run against flat, square walls goes in quickly. An L shape in a Victorian terrace with a sloping floor and a chimney breast needs every carcass packed, every end panel scribed and the worktop cut to follow the walls.
What we can do is give you a fixed written price after measuring the room ourselves. That price lists the strip out, the fitting, the trades and the finishing separately, so you can see exactly where the labour goes.
What a fit only kitchen price normally includes
On a labour quote from us you should expect to see assembly and fitting of base and wall units, levelling and fixing, door and drawer alignment, plinths, cornice and pelmet, end panels scribed to the walls, and the sink and appliances connected and tested.
- Unit assembly, levelling and fixing
- Doors and drawers hung and adjusted
- End panels, plinths and fillers scribed to the walls
- Laminate or wood worktops cut and jointed on site
- Sink, tap and appliances connected and tested
Kitchen fitting
- Strip out, plastering and making good
- First and second fix electrics and plumbing
- Units fitted level, worktops templated and scribed
Kitchen installation labour cost: what adds to it
The biggest single swing is moving the sink or hob. That means new waste runs, new supply pipework and often a new electrical circuit, all of which come before any unit is fitted. Removing the old kitchen, plastering walls that come away with the old tiles, and levelling a floor are also labour items that a bare fitting price may leave out.
Stone and quartz worktops are templated and installed by a specialist after the units are in, so they usually appear as their own line. Splashback tiling, flooring and decoration are extra trades again. When one quote looks much cheaper than another, it is usually because one or more of these has quietly been left off.
Fit only or supply and fit?
Some homeowners buy the kitchen themselves and want a fitter for the labour. Others prefer us to supply through our trade suppliers so one firm answers for both the product and the installation. Both are fine with us. The labour content is the same either way; what changes is who deals with a damaged door or a missing panel when the delivery arrives.
If you are comparing a retailer's supply and fit offer against buying and hiring separately, ask each quote to state whether strip out, electrics, plumbing, plastering and worktop installation are included.
Want a professional to handle it?
Send us the room details and we will come back with a written quote, or call us for a chat first.
Common questions
- Is labour only kitchen fitting cheaper overall?
- Not always. It removes our product margin, but you take on checking deliveries, chasing missing parts and coordinating any trades the fitter does not cover.
- Does a fit only price include electrics and plumbing?
- Ours includes connecting the sink and appliances. New circuits or moved pipework are priced as separate lines and carried out by our qualified trades.
- Why will you not quote over the phone?
- Because wall condition, floor levels and service positions decide most of the time on site, and we only know those once we have measured the room.
- Is the old kitchen removal included?
- We include strip out and safe disposal when we quote it, and we always state it clearly so you can compare against quotes that leave it out.
The service behind this guide
Covering Hertfordshire and Essex.