Makeover, refurbishment or full refit?
People use the words kitchen refurbishment, refit and remodel loosely, so it helps to be clear. A makeover, or refurbishment, keeps the existing units in place and updates the surfaces. A refit takes everything out and starts again, which is what our full kitchen installation service covers. A remodel usually means moving things around: a new layout, a relocated sink or an island.
If you are happy with where the sink, hob and fridge live, and the boxes are dry and solid, you rarely need a full refit to get a kitchen that feels new.
What a makeover can include
Most makeovers combine a few of the same building blocks. New kitchen doors and drawer fronts change the style overnight. Painting the existing cupboards suits solid timber or framed doors you like the shape of. Replacement worktops lift the whole room, and a new splashback, handles, plinths and under cabinet lighting finish it off.
Because we cover tiling, electrics and decorating as well, the walls, sockets and lighting can be updated in the same visit rather than booked as separate trades.
Checking the carcasses first
A makeover only works if what sits underneath is worth keeping. At the survey we check that the units are level and firmly fixed, look under the sink for swollen board, test hinges and drawer runners, and measure the door sizes. Water damaged carcasses or a layout that does not suit you any more are the two common reasons we suggest a refit instead.
Our guide to new kitchen doors versus a new kitchen goes deeper into that decision if you are weighing it up.
How the work is organised
You get a written, itemised quote and a day by day plan before we start. Worktop templating, if stone is involved, happens once any repairs to the units are finished, and doors and handles go on near the end so they are not marked during the dusty stages.
Since the boxes stay put, the kitchen is usually out of action for a shorter spell than a full installation, and the room is cleaned down at the end of each day.
What drives the cost of a kitchen makeover
The price depends on which parts you change and what you change them to. Worktop material makes the biggest single difference, followed by the number of doors and drawer fronts, whether they are replaced or painted, any new tiling, and how much electrical work the lighting needs. Repairs to tired carcasses add to it too.
Rather than quote a figure for a kitchen we have not seen, we itemise every element so you can choose where to spend and where to save.
Kitchen makeover questions
- How much does a kitchen makeover cost?
- It depends on the parts you change. Worktops, the number of doors, whether doors are painted or replaced, tiling and lighting are the main cost drivers, so we price each element separately after a survey.
- How much does a kitchen makeover cost in the UK?
- There is no honest national figure, because one makeover might be paint and handles while another is new stone tops and doors. Your written quote breaks the job down line by line so you can compare it with any other quote fairly.
- How much does kitchen makeover work cost compared with a new kitchen?
- Keeping the carcasses removes the cost of new units, strip out and most of the first fix work, so a makeover is normally the lower cost route when the layout already works. A full kitchen fit makes more sense when the boxes are damaged.
- Will a makeover make my kitchen look new?
- From across the room, yes, because doors, worktops and splashback are most of what you see. Inside the cupboards the original boxes remain.