How much for a modest kitchen replacement?

[BigBoysDontCry]

I know it's a bit of "how long is a piece of string" question, but just trying to see if anyone has any recent experience of costs that might be for something similar to what I'm looking for.

I have an L shaped kitchen, units are currently on an area about 2m by 4m, i'm proposing just to replace as close to what I have to make it easier.

It would need to include a sink, hob, extractor, oven and microwave housing (current oven and microwave are fine to reuse) and a built in dishwasher. I have some wall units and easy as to whether to include or not.

Current kitchen is the original in my older new build (about 23 years old). Ex and I have split up and i've bought him out. Once adult DC are independent I'll sell the house - could be a few years away. I've more or less done up everywhere except the kitchen. The bathrooms were replaced about 10 years ago and are fine.

I just don't have much to spend, I just want something basic and plain. I'm sure anyone buying will want to design their own but the current state of it will put people off I'm sure. Some of the plastic coating is cracked and coming off. I've thought about trying to peel that off and paint the units but they really aren't in a good enough condition, I think i'd be wasting my time. Replacing the doors and worktops I don't think would work either, there are parts of the units that are broken where DC decided to stand on them to reach into a cupboard and broke them when they were younger. Kitchen should have been replaced years ago but we couldn't agree what to do (ex wanted to knock down walls etc and I really wasn't that fussed so nothing got done as per...)

Thoughts?

You’re probably looking at about 5k minimum.
I just paid £3200 for units and worktop for a small 2.5 x 3.5 kitchen. Did get a dishwasher in that price. But had to buy appliances oven/hob/hood separately. Still need to buy sink/taps/splashback tiles and floor tiles. It’s so misleading when on the website it gives a price of £999 for a small kitchen,
£1300 for a medium but when you go there, it’s always double-triple!

Thanks, that's why i'm so wary. You see upfront estimated prices but when you start to add on essentials (not extra luxuries) it at least doubles.

I could cope with about £5k but i suspect that it would be more and possibly a lot more even if at first you think the units are about £2k.

As I said, i'm definitely not looking for top end dream kitchen, just something, neat, clean and serviceable to allow the next owner to put their own stamp on it.

To be fair I think the house would sell regardless and I don't expect to exactly get my money back but the house has a lot going for it otherwise and this is just detracting from it big time. I'm not looking for "wow", just something that when they leave after viewing they don't even remember what the kitchen looked like 😂

We've been in this house since almost new and our last house was a new build that we were in for a couple of years so the only kitchen we've ever replaced was when eldest was a baby and he's almost 25! I can't remember how much it cost, it was from MFI and was pretty basic but I remember that it still cost more that we expected.

I hope yours looks fab when it's all done 😊

Have you tried looking for 2nd hand kitchens on Facebook marketplace. Also I’m told DIY kitchens and IKEA are very reasonable

Agree with pp worth looking at the ikea kitchen service. The sellers of our house put a new ikea kitchen in to help sell the place (I'd have preferred they didn't tbh so I could have chosen my own from the start but I understand why they did it). It has been perfectly fine for the 8yrs we've been in our house. We are just now starting to think about replacing it but only because we are in a position to do the work downstairs - it would probably be fine for a few more years if we weren't.

Edit to add, ikea has an online design tool that prices it all up for you, so you'll get a rough idea. Then if you want a detailed design, you can book an appointment in the store to go through everything in detail.

Ikea - £4-5k

You can actually save loads by self installing the ikea kitchen. Even if you pay a handy man to help final fit and worktops. As all ikea kitchen is flat pack so it’s just time of building all the carcass first. Each is just a drawer unit basically.
And even easier and cheaper if you opt for no upper cabinets. Ie have one area floor to ceiling units is better

If you go to diykitchens.com you can design and price up kitchen units online. Fitting costs would be extra though.

The good thing about diykitchens is their low prices and transparent pricing policy. None of the smoke and mirrors pricing, fake discounts and pressure selling employed by most of the main kitchen suppliers.

Thanks all, that info is much appreciated. There is only DS and I and neither skilled in the DIY department (apart from painting now!) but we can build flat pack (once I replace the tools ex took). I'll get DS on the case with doing a plan as he's excellent at that sort of thing.

I really don't want to go with a kitchen firm. We had a plumber out last year who I liked and did good work without ripping me off and when I was chatting about the type of tap he was going to replace the kitchen one with, i mentioned that I didn't want anything fancy as I would be looking to replace the kitchen as soon as I could get the money together. He said to let him know when I was looking to get it done as he worked with a decent joiner. It was a local plumber who has been in business for 30 years so I trust that he will work with someone decent. When I get a price for units, i'll maybe go down that route if it's looking affordable.

Unfortunately due to the configuration of the kitchen, i don't really have scope for any full height units other that the one that currently houses the oven and microwave.

I'll try to do a diagram and add it.

Could you use a service that just replaced the doors? You can also get granite overlays on existing worktops.

Could you use a service that just replaced the doors? You can also get granite overlays on existing worktops.

Unfortunately I don't think that will be an option, as I said earlier, when DSs were younger they used parts of the units to stand on and broke bits and they are 23 years old so can't really complain tbh.

I mean the units are 23 years old :)
Diagram hopefully attached

From the look of your diagram you need:

• 1x60cm oven housing
• 2x30cm base units (what you've marked as 'half units') - presume these have at least one drawers?
• 2x30cm wall units (above the half units)
• 1x corner unit (90x90cm maybe)
• Wall units above the corner unit
• 1x120cm sink unit
• 1x 60cm dishwasher housing
• 1x 60cm wall unit above dishwasher
• 1x60cm full height oven housing unit
• Worktop - about 3.5m in total I'd say
• Appliances - oven, hob, sink, taps, extractor.

Also need to factor in plinth to cover the bottom of the cabinets and maybe end panels for anything not up against a wall where the sides are exposed.

Have a go with the Ikea kitchen planner tool. It's quite fun and you can select different doors etc. It will give you a full cost for everything you've chosen and I think it prompts you if you've forgotten things like the cabinet legs and plinth.

That is fantastic @lifemakeover I'm really grateful for your help. I'm just about to get painting for the rest of the day (and probably tomorrow) but I'm going to set DS up to sort out some prices for the units (once he's helped with the painting!). He's not currently working (autistic with crippling social anxiety) but has a very good honours degree in computer science, so is clever and very numerate and has been helping me sort the house out. Younger DS is still away at Uni, he's also clever but dyspraxic so not the best with his hands 😂

We are on the countdown with the painting, hoping to get the dining room and utility done over the next couple of days and that really just leaves the kitchen and my wee study. The study will need to wait until I next have time when I'm not working as there is too much to move to do it this week while I'm off.

It's all been a bit of a slog over the last year but we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately each time you do a room, the rest looks worse...😁

Ah sounds like your DS will be a wizz at the kitchen planning! I think you are looking at around £3.5k for the units and appliances.

Oh, don't forget flooring - will that need to be changed?

Hmm yes, the flooring question.. We have engineered oak flooring from the front door, through the hall, into the kitchen and dining room and also the front living room. There is an area that isn't exactly the same as the original in the bit where the sideboard is (that used to be a separate utility room that we opened out and moved the utility into a room made at the back of the garage (essentially so the cat could have a cat flap in the side door that led into the garage). The flooring could use being sanded and refinished or I'm looking at needing to replace it all which would be a lot or as a minimum, put a join in at the end of the hall and replace the kitchen and dining room. So I'm hoping that if I manage to stick to the exact same footprint, I could save the flooring issue for further down the line. The flooring does not extend far under the units.

I'm not sure how much it would cost to get it all sanded and redone.

I believe with engineered wood you can stand to get it sanded at least once? floors underneath are concrete.

We're getting our kitchen units from Magnet (can be installed by one of their own chaps or you can use your own person). Quote is coming out at roughly £6k (could have paid a lot more or a bit less, but the units are what we wanted), which includes cooker, hob, extractor, worktop, upstand, two double cupboards, one corner cupboard and four single cupboards.

Thanks @Sunnyside4 that's really useful. DS is quite excited about doing the plan - he's carefully measured up and has shot up to his computer to do it. It's really nice to see him so animated.