Revealed: The hidden costs of a new kitchen

If you’re replacing or adding a new kitchen, don’t get caught out by unexpected costs. Read our guide to avoid busting your budget

1 MOVING PLUMBING AND ELECTRICS

Most kitchen renovations mean rearranging the existing layout. Depending on the extent of your remodelling, there could be some expense involved in redirecting or bringing in utilities and services (water supply, waste, gas or electricity).

Redirecting plumbing in order to provide a water supply is not usually too much of an issue.waste tends to be a little tricker, however, as it relies on the position of your drains.while small shifts in the location of appliances can usually be easily accommodated, the entire relocation of a kitchen (say, from the front to the back of the house) is trickier — not impossible but certainly more expensive.

New sockets will also be required where ovens, hobs, dishwashers, etc. are being relocated or being installed in a new room.you will need an electrician for this task: they will chase (channel) out the walls and run new wiring within them. Their rates will depend on how long the job takes, but expect to pay £150-£250 per day.you also need to factor in the cost of remedial work: filling in / plastering over chased walls.

If you are bringing in or relocating a gas appliance, floorboards will need to be lifted or solid concrete floors will need to be chased out.

2 WILL YOUR UNITS WITHSTAND NEW WORKTOPS?

Not all units will take the weight of stone or concrete worktops, and may need reinforcing; unsupported areas will need battens to be fixed underneath them to hold the worktop’s weight. Base units will need to be secured to the wall and to each other and have the end panels in place.they will also need to be level, with no variation greater then 3mm between them.

3 WILL WALLS NEED REINFORCING?

“Establish the type of wall first,” says Melissa Klink, Head of Design at Harvey Jones. “Load-bearing masonry walls are the best to support heavy cabinetry. A stud wall, with plasterboard, should be fine to install on, as long as metal plasterboard fixings are used.” You will need to fix into studwork behind. “By pressing the wall sheeting you can usually feel the studs (timber battens) where there’s more resistance.”

4 DON’T FORGET TO FACTOR IN THE COST OF LIGHTING

While you might automatically factor in the more obvious elements of your new kitchen design – the units, worktops, appliances – into your budget, don’t forget the lighting. Good lighting is crucial in such a task-orientated room and can become all the more important if the space is open plan to dining and living spaces.

Before you can work out what kind of lighting you require and where it will be positioned, you will need to have had a kitchen plan drawn up. Once you have this, you can see where lighting will be needed most. For example, worktops and islands can benefit from overhead lighting in the form of pendants or recessed spots. Some ambient lighting is also a good idea, particularly in kitchen diners where you might want a softer lighting after the cooking has finished. LED strips under units and worktops can create a nice glow, while wall lights and side lamps are good sources of background light. It is also a good idea to set the light scheme on dimmers so you can alter the light levels to suit the situation.

5 WORKING AROUND ORIGINAL FEATURES

One of the joys of renovating an older property is restoring original features to their former glory. However, these same features can make planning a modern kitchen tricky.taking this into account should mean you can plan for them early on, avoiding extra expense when the building work starts.

Not only does a kitchen redesign often involve the removal of a wall or two, but there is also the need for modern appliances and maximum storage, all of which can mean that these original features can become more of a nuisance than a benefit.

Consider the impact removing them could have on the space (as well as your budget) and aim to find ways to incorporate them into the new design. Although a fireplace or original range might take up valuable unit space, could storage perhaps be built in elsewhere — through high level shelving or suspended pot racks for example?

Low windows can also cause issues when it comes to positioning standard-height units. A wall with a low window is a good spot for a dining table, window seat, or low level storage such as deep drawers — certainly a cheaper option than blocking up or moving the window to make way for the kitchen.

6 BESPOKE VS. OFF-THE-SHELF

The most basic ‘off-the-shelf’ flat-pack kitchens are always going to be cheaper than a handmade bespoke kitchen. However, standard off-the-shelf kitchens do not suit all spaces — or tastes.

Happily, there is often a middle ground.the most successful and affordable kitchen schemes often combine bespoke elements with standard — for example standard carcasses with more eye-catching unit doors. Many people are now customising inexpensive kitchens from Ikea, for example, with paint, high-end handles or worktops from a different supplier.

If the size or shape of your kitchen doesn’t fit in with standard units, why not have just one or two units made to order and buy off-the-shelf for other areas? Freestanding kitchen units are another great option — some of the most beautiful kitchens use units, cabinets and shelving never meant for kitchen storage.

This might take more time, shopping around though — you can’t just walk into a kitchen showroom with your kitchen’s proportions and leave it at that.

7 THE COST OF THE LATEST APPLIANCES

When you start looking around at the appliances on offer for your new kitchen you will find a whole host of options out there, from instant boiling water taps to built-in coffee machines. Among these new and exciting appliances is the steam oven.

“Cooking with steam is such a healthy option,” says Luke Shipway, Product Manager at Caple. “Heat from the oven turns the water in the reservoir into steam, and meals will be cooked quickly and evenly. You can also use them to reheat previously cooked meals with excellent results.”

On the downside, steam ovens cost more than standard single ovens. Caple’s new SO110GM team oven comes in at £829, whereas one of its standard single ovens costs as little as around £200.

8 DEALING WITH UNEVEN FLOORS

Base units and larder units need to be level. Consider a DIY self-levelling compound.these are not expensive (a 20kg bag of Mapei Ultimate Leveller 1210 Self-levelling Floor Compound, giving a coverage of 5m2, costs just £9.99 from Screwfix). It is hard to give a price for a professional screeder but expect to pay between £100-£170 per day. Kitchen units with adjustable legs allow uneven floor levels to be easily overcome. Alternatively, use wedges or shims under legs of units located on uneven areas of the floor.

9 SWITCHING FROM GAS HOB TO INDUCTION?

“One thing that often gets overlooked when switching is that, in most cases, induction hobs require a higher Amp supply – typically 32Amp – which will mean you need a new supply from the distribution (fuse) board to make sure the power share across each hob spot doesn’t reduce the more pans you have on at one time,” says electrician Ben Stanton from Smart Electrical (Midlands).

“Your electrician will then see how to get the new power supply from your distribution board to the kitchen. If the distribution board is in the next room then it makes the job fairly simple. Floorboards in the bedrooms above might need to be lifted to run the cable. If that’s not an option then you might need to damage the ceiling or wall to get the cable across, or run them externally in a conduit (special tubing for electric cables) fixed to the wall. If you do require a new supply make sure you have a spare way (line) in your distribution board for the cable to be connected and make sure the circuit can be protected by an RCD (residual current device). If not then you would require a new distribution board.”

10 FITTING A HOT TAP

“If you want to add a hot water tap to your new kitchen, you’ll need to consider several factors to ensure your kitchen set up is compatible for installation and that you’ll receive the best performance possible from your new tap,” says Chris Penney, Grohe UK Training Manger. “Firstly, you’ll need ample space directly beneath the sink to accommodate the boiler.you will also require a mains power supply either underneath the sink itself or very close by, perhaps in the adjacent cupboard. Finally, you’ll also want to bear in mind what type of water pressure you have in your home. Most hot water taps will require a high pressure to perform as expected.

“Most hot water taps are simple to install and don’t require a professional however, seeking the expertise of a tradesperson is advisable with more complex taps to ensure the best performance and shelf life of the product.”

11 COOKER HOODS: RECIRCULATION VS EXTRACTOR

“To comply with the Building Regs, kitchens in new homes and extensions need sufficient ventilation to get rid of steamy and stale air.this is normally achieved via cooker hoods incorporating extractor fans channelled to the exterior via lengths of ducting,” says chartered surveyor Ian Rock.

“But if you just want to refurbish a kitchen or move an existing cooker hood there’s no compulsion to comply, so people sometimes just set cooker hoods up simply to filter the air and recirculate it. But this shortcut is not generally advisable as humid air trapped within kitchens commonly leads to associated damp issues — unless you also fit an independent wall or ceiling-mounted extractor fan. Another problem is that filters rapidly become gummed up, needing frequent renewal. Fortunately it’s nearly always possible to modify or extend ducting (e.g. using super-slim, low-profile flat ducting run along the top of wall units), so make sure your electrician allows for this in their quote — the materials are inexpensive and the labour will depend on the time spent, which is determined by the complexity of the job.”

12 INTEGRATING APPLIANCES

“Most integrated appliances will be developed to be counter depth and will allow space for the water and waste pipes behind, but bear in mind that most appliances will need a socket too,” says Sam Rogers, National Contracts Manager at Fisher & Paykel. Do factor this into your electrical plan to avoid costs later down the line.

“With some integrated fridges that have water and ice, you’ll need a water filter. Some have the filter inside the fridge, and others will need to have it placed in a cupboard alongside the fridge. Check this out before buying.

“Often built-in fridges are just 60cm wide and do not have enough space for a small family. Now there is a full range of larger integrated fridge freezers that are more family-oriented with 79cm and 90cm widths.”