How Long Does It Take to Fit a Kitchen? Days and Stages

Kitchen fitting times

Fitting a kitchen takes 10 days on average, or 2 full weeks, depending on its size and scope, Checkatrade’s kitchen fitting cost guide says.

Job	Time	Source
Fitting a kitchen, on average	10 days (2 full weeks), depending on size and scope	Checkatrade, kitchen fitting cost
Fitting a small, simple kitchen	A few days	Checkatrade, new kitchen cost
Fitting a medium to large kitchen	1 to 2 weeks	Checkatrade, new kitchen cost
Fitting a bespoke kitchen	Around 10 to 15 days	Checkatrade, bespoke kitchen cost
A bespoke kitchen project, from design to finishing touches	Around 6 months	Checkatrade, bespoke kitchen cost

What makes a kitchen take longer to fit

Besides size, the time depends on the scope of the job, and Checkatrade’s kitchen fitting cost guide lists several price factors that are extra work on site: the number of units and appliances, how complex the layout is, the area to tile, and any plastering or painting needed first. Heavier worktop materials such as marble take longer to fit than wood or composite, the same guide says.

A fitter can only time the job you describe, so describe the same units, appliances, worktop, tiling and wall preparation to each one, and ask how many days they will be on site.

How long a bespoke kitchen takes to fit

Fitting a bespoke kitchen takes around 10 to 15 days, on Checkatrade’s bespoke kitchen cost guide. The same guide says to allow around 6 months for the whole project, from design and planning to delivery, installation and finishing touches.

Bespoke items can be more difficult to fit, so Checkatrade strongly recommends a kitchen fitting specialist, and it prices the fitting by the day for two people, as these jobs are often done in pairs.

Kitchen refit order of work and who does each stage

A fitting quote can be expected to include removing the existing kitchen, fitting the units and worktops, installing the sink, taps and appliances, and painting, plastering and tiling if you ask for them, Checkatrade’s kitchen fitting cost guide says. The fitter provides a dry fit and will not connect the appliances to the mains supplies or set them up for use, so the connections go to other trades.

Stage	Who does it
Removing the existing kitchen	The kitchen fitter
Fitting the units and worktops	The kitchen fitter
Installing the sink, taps and appliances, unconnected	The kitchen fitter
Painting, plastering and tiling	The kitchen fitter, if you ask for them in the quote
Connecting a gas cooker to the gas supply	A Gas Safe registered engineer
A dedicated cooker circuit or isolator switch	An electrician

Besides the fitter, a new kitchen usually needs a plumber, an electrician, a Gas Safe registered engineer, a plasterer and a painter and decorator, Checkatrade’s new kitchen cost guide says. The budget checklist in the fitting cost guide also has lines for lighting, the extractor fan, heating, and skip hire and disposal.

Connecting a gas cooker

Anyone employed to work on gas appliances in a home must be a Gas Safe registered engineer and competent in that area of gas work, the HSE says. You can buy the cooker, move it into position unconnected and prepare the area, and the engineer then works in this order, on Checkatrade’s gas cooker guide:

1. Isolates the gas supply
2. Checks the clearances, the ventilation and the surface
3. Connects the bayonet fitting or hose
4. Carries out a tightness test
5. Tests each burner and the oven
6. Secures a freestanding cooker with any anti-tip chain or restraint the manufacturer requires
7. Provides documentation that the work meets Building Regulations

A new circuit for a cooker

A dedicated cooker circuit or isolator switch is an electrician’s job, and dual fuel and range cookers often need both trades, Checkatrade’s gas cooker guide says. A complete new circuit, for example for a cooker, is notifiable electrical work, the Planning Portal says.

Missing parts and time spent waiting

When you hire a kitchen fitter, you provide the designs, units, worktops, tiles, appliances, fixtures and fittings, Checkatrade’s kitchen fitting cost guide says. A kitchen fitter’s day rate is £250 to £350 on Checkatrade’s figures, and fitting costs do not include time spent waiting for parts.

Agreeing a start date with a kitchen fitter

With an independent fitter rather than one business that supplies and fits, the timeline is yours to manage and the tradespeople work for you, Checkatrade’s fitting cost guide says. Among the Nottingham kitchen fitters compared on supply and fit, fit-only and bespoke work, Kitchen Design Studio in West Bridgford employs its own fitting team, which manages the whole installation, and Kitchen Fitter Nottingham in Giltbrook fits any make of kitchen and gives a price within 5 working days of visiting.

Agree the start date once the kitchen is on site and the other trades are booked around the fitter.