Kitchen renovation

The short answer

A kitchen renovation usually means new units, worktops, appliances and flooring, and often moving plumbing or electrics. Most kitchens don't need planning permission or a building warrant unless you're knocking through a wall, moving a gas flue, or the property is listed. Costs vary hugely with unit quality, worktop material and how much of the existing layout is kept, from a straightforward refit to a full strip-out with structural changes.

What the project involves

A kitchen renovation ranges from swapping doors and worktops on an existing carcass layout, through to a full strip-out that repositions the sink, hob and appliances and involves new plumbing, electrics and sometimes gas work.

Bigger jobs often coincide with removing a wall to open the kitchen into a dining room or hallway, which brings in structural work as well as finishes.

Consents and regulations in Scotland

A like-for-like refit within the existing footprint generally needs no permission. Moving gas appliances requires a Gas Safe registered engineer; new circuits or a consumer unit change need to meet building regulations and are usually certified by a registered electrician (SELV/BS 7671 compliant work).

If the renovation includes removing or altering a structural wall, or the property is listed or in a conservation area and the work affects the external appearance (a new external flue or extractor vent, for example), a building warrant and/or listed building consent may be needed from the local council before work starts.

Sequencing

Strip-out first, then any structural or first-fix plumbing and electrical work, then plastering, flooring, unit installation, worktop templating and fitting, then appliance connection and final electrical/gas certification.

What commonly goes wrong

Underestimating lead times for made-to-measure worktops (stone worktops in particular can take several weeks after templating), ordering units before final measurements are confirmed, and not agreeing early who supplies which fittings, which causes delays when trades arrive to find items missing.

What it usually costs

Indicative ranges only, to help you judge a quote. They are not an estimate for your property — only the business doing the work can give you that.

• Like-for-like refit with mid-range units: driven mainly by carcass quality, door style and number of units.
• Worktops: laminate is the lowest cost option; quartz and granite cost significantly more and need templating time.
• Moving plumbing or electrics: adds cost for pipework, chasing walls and certification, more so in tenement flats with concealed original pipework.
• Structural openings: adds a structural engineer's fee, steel beam cost and building warrant fee on top of the kitchen fit-out.
• Appliances: integrated appliances cost more than freestanding but suit fitted layouts better.

What to do, in order

1. 1Agree the layout and check whether any wall is structural before finalising the design.
2. 2Get a building warrant if structural work or an external flue/vent change is involved.
3. 3Arrange first-fix plumbing and electrics before plastering.
4. 4Fit flooring before or after units depending on the chosen sequence with your fitter.
5. 5Have worktops templated once units are installed, then fitted a week or two later.
6. 6Complete final electrical and gas certification before appliances are used.

Local detail for the Lothians

• In Edinburgh's New Town and Old Town conservation areas, any new external extractor vent or flue on a front elevation is likely to need listed building consent even where the kitchen work itself does not.
• Tenement kitchens often sit above a neighbour's ceiling, so moving heavy stone worktops or repositioning plumbing can require notifying, or getting consent from, the flat below under the tenement's title deeds.
• Older Victorian and Edwardian kitchens in Edinburgh sometimes have shared or historic drainage runs; a plumber may need to trace these before agreeing a new layout.
• In West Lothian's newer housing estates, kitchens are more likely to be single-storey extensions with straightforward access, which usually keeps disruption and scaffolding costs lower.

When you need a professional

A structural engineer should assess any wall being removed or altered, and a City of Edinburgh Council building standards officer (or the relevant Lothian council) can confirm whether a warrant is needed before work starts.

Common questions

Do I need a building warrant for a new kitchen?

Not usually, if the layout and structure stay the same. A warrant is normally needed if you remove a structural wall, add a new external opening, or significantly alter drainage.

Can I keep using part of the kitchen during the work?

Rarely for a full renovation, since water and power are usually isolated during first fix. Many households set up a temporary kitchen elsewhere in the house.

Related pages

• Bathroom renovation

  Refitting a bathroom or en suite, from replacing a suite to reworking waste, ventilation and waterproofing.