What a kitchen costs
Kitchen Island Cost: UK Prices With and Without a Sink
A kitchen island can be a standard carcass with a basic worktop, a custom slimline design or a working part of the kitchen with electrics, plumbing and a sink, and the price depends on which you choose. Here are the UK prices for each, what a fridge, dishwasher, sink, boiling water tap or extra seating costs as an addition, and the rules for a sink or a new circuit.
Kitchen island cost by type
Checkatrade’s kitchen island cost guide prices three types of island. The cheapest is a standard carcass, the cabinet body, with a basic worktop. The dearest is an island with electrics, plumbing and a sink.
| Type of island | What the price covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | An island carcass with a basic worktop | £770 on average |
| Custom slimline | A slimline island, custom made | £900 to £1,200, £1,050 on average |
| With a sink | An island with electrics, plumbing and a sink | £3,650 on average |
Small kitchen island cost
A small kitchen island can cost as little as £770 for a standard carcass with a basic worktop, on Checkatrade’s figures. A custom slimline island costs around £1,050 in the same guide, £280 more than the standard island’s average, and bespoke islands can reach thousands of pounds.
Among the Nottingham kitchen fitters compared for bespoke kitchens, Design Time in West Bridgford builds bespoke cabinetry to the space, and Tom’s Kitchens Design in Colwick makes kitchens from any wood to any specification. Colourhill, which has a showroom in Beeston, makes its kitchens in its own Nottinghamshire factory.
Cost of a kitchen island with a sink
An island with electrics, plumbing and a sink costs £3,650 on average on Checkatrade’s figures, nearly five times the £770 average for a standard island. Ask for the island you want to be priced as one job, with its plumbing and electrics, rather than as a standard island with a sink added.
Do not budget an island with a sink at the standard island price
Planning a sink, plumbing and electrics into the island on the £770 figure leaves the budget £2,880 short of the £3,650 average on Checkatrade's figures.
Building regulations for an island sink or circuit
A sink in an island means drainage work. A refit with new units and fittings does not generally need building regulations approval, but the Planning Portal says drainage works that form part of the refit may require it.
The Planning Portal lists a complete new circuit, for example for a cooker, as notifiable electrical work. Adding a socket to an existing kitchen circuit is not notifiable, because a kitchen is not a special location under the Building Regulations 2010.
Name the sink, its drainage and any new circuit when you ask for a price, so every quote covers the same work.
Describing an island with a sink on a quote
Do this
Fit an island with a sink and a dishwasher, including the plumbing, the drainage to the sink and any new electrical circuit
Not this
Kitchen island with sink
Kitchen island appliance and seating costs
Checkatrade’s island cost guide prices five additions to an island, each with a low, high and average figure.
| Addition | Low | High | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fridge | £650 | £810 | £730 |
| Dishwasher | £325 | £490 | £407 |
| Sink | £121 | £245 | £183 |
| Boiling water tap | £450 | £1,200 | £825 |
| Extra counter seating, per m² | £100 | £200 | £150 |
The boiling water tap has the widest range of the additions, from £450 to £1,200, and the highest average at £825, on Checkatrade’s figures.
Extra counter seating is the one addition priced per m², at £100 to £200 with an average of £150 on Checkatrade’s figures, so its cost rises with each square metre of seating you add.
What to decide before getting an island quote
If the island is part of a whole new kitchen, ask for it as a separate line on the quote, so you can see what it adds to the cost of the kitchen. Whether it is part of a new kitchen or a job on its own, settle these before you ask a firm to price it.
Decide before you ask for an island price
- The size of the island, and whether it is standard, custom slimline or bespoke
- Whether it has a sink, which means drainage work
- Which appliances go in it, such as a fridge or a dishwasher
- Whether you want a boiling water tap
- How many square metres of extra counter seating you want
- Whether its sockets can be added to an existing kitchen circuit or it needs a complete new circuit
Common questions
How much does a kitchen island cost in the UK?
A kitchen island costs £770 on average for a standard carcass with a basic worktop, on Checkatrade's figures. A custom slimline island costs £900 to £1,200, and an island with electrics, plumbing and a sink costs £3,650 on average. Checkatrade prices a fridge, dishwasher, sink, boiling water tap and extra counter seating as separate additions to an island.
How much does a kitchen island with a sink cost?
An island with electrics, plumbing and a sink costs £3,650 on average, on Checkatrade's figures. That is nearly five times the £770 average for a standard island with a basic worktop. The sink means drainage work, which may require building regulations approval when it forms part of a kitchen refit.
How much does a small kitchen island cost?
A small kitchen island can cost as little as £770 for a standard carcass with a basic worktop, on Checkatrade's figures. A custom slimline island costs around £1,050, with a range of £900 to £1,200, and bespoke islands can reach thousands of pounds.
Is a slimline kitchen island cheaper than a standard one?
No, a custom slimline island costs more than a standard island on Checkatrade's figures. The custom slimline island costs £900 to £1,200, with an average of £1,050, against a £770 average for a standard carcass with a basic worktop. The standard island is the cheapest of the three types Checkatrade prices, and the island with electrics, plumbing and a sink is the dearest, at £3,650 on average.
How much does it cost to add seating to a kitchen island?
Extra counter seating costs £100 to £200 per m², with an average of £150 per m², on Checkatrade's figures for island additions. The total depends on how many square metres of seating you add, since it is the only addition in the table priced per m² rather than per item.
How much does a fridge or dishwasher add to a kitchen island?
Checkatrade prices a fridge at £650 to £810 and a dishwasher at £325 to £490 as additions to a kitchen island. The averages are £730 for the fridge and £407 for the dishwasher. Of the additions priced per item, only a boiling water tap averages more than the fridge, at £825.
Do you need building regulations approval for a kitchen island?
Usually not for the units themselves, but the drainage for an island sink may need it. The Planning Portal says a refit with new units and fittings does not generally require building regulations approval, while drainage works that form part of the refit may. A complete new circuit, for example for a cooker, is notifiable electrical work, while adding a socket to an existing kitchen circuit is not.
Where the figures come from
- Checkatrade, kitchen island cost read 2026-09-17
- Planning Portal, building regulations for work to a kitchen or bathroom read 2026-09-17
- Planning Portal, electrics and building regulations read 2026-09-17
- The Building Regulations 2010, regulation 12 read 2026-09-17
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