Kitchen refurbishment cost guide — Birmingham 2026
From a £4,500 like-for-like fit through to a £25,000 open-plan kitchen-diner with a knock-through — what's actually realistic, and where the money really goes.
Kitchen quotes vary by a factor of four for what looks like the same job. Here's where the differences actually come from, in 2026 Birmingham prices, drawn from real kitchen installs we've delivered in the last twelve months.
Tier 1: Like-for-like refit, units supplied
You've already bought the kitchen — usually Howdens, Magnet, Wickes or B&Q. We rip out the old, install the new in the same footprint, re-tile splashbacks, swap the worktop. No knock-throughs, no rewires, no replumb beyond connecting in. Typically 5 working days. From £4,500. If the existing plumbing needs a bit of love, our plumbing team handles it inside the same visit.
Tier 2: Mid-spec supply-and-fit
We supply the kitchen through our Howdens or Magnet trade account (usually 15–20% cheaper than retail), do the strip-out, install, tile, replaster where needed, and decorate. New worktop, new appliances installed, soft-close doors as standard. Typically 10 working days. From £11,500. Most popular tier across our Birmingham, Solihull and Wolverhampton book.
Tier 3: Open-plan kitchen-diner with knock-through
The big one. Removing a wall between kitchen and dining (often a load-bearing internal wall requiring a steel), re-floor the new larger space, run new lighting circuits, often re-route waste pipes, full new kitchen on a fresh layout. We bring in a structural engineer for the calcs and Building Control sign off. Typically 3–4 weeks. From £18,000, more commonly £22,000–£28,000 fully finished. Often runs alongside a wider property refurbishment — particularly common on BTL flips in Edgbaston, Selly Oak and the surrounding wards.
Where the money really goes
- Carcasses and doors: 25–35% of the total. Choosing 18mm carcasses over 15mm doubles the lifespan but adds about 15% to the cabinetry cost.
- Worktops: massive range. Laminate £40/m run installed; quartz £400+/m run installed. Quartz is genuinely worth it on a kitchen you'll keep.
- Appliances: a Bosch built-in pyrolytic oven is £700, a Neff Slide-and-Hide is £1,300, both will outlive you.
- Labour: 25–30% of the total on a mid-spec fit. Higher on tier 3 because of the structural and plastering work — often shared with the general repairs team.
- Hidden costs: rewire to current regs (if the existing isn't), waste removal (skip licence £80–£200 in Birmingham), and dust-proofing the rest of the house.
What we include in every quote
- Fixed price in writing, signed before any work starts
- Weekly photo update of progress
- Dust sheets and corridor protection (every visit)
- Skip and waste removal
- Building Control sign-off where required
- After-care: 12-month workmanship warranty across the install
Ready to talk? Book a free kitchen quote visit — we cover Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley and the wider Midlands. If you're also planning a bathroom refurbishment, we'll quote both together — same crew, single price, less disruption.