A new kitchen installation replaces your old units, worktops and appliances with a new layout fitted to your room, including the plumbing, electrics, tiling and finishing needed to leave a complete, working kitchen.
Whether you live in one of the larger towns, such as Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees and Durham, or somewhere quieter in County Durham, the way we handle a new kitchen is identical. We survey, agree the specification with you, and confirm a fixed price on paper. Everything is planned under the regulations in force in England, and guide costs in the North East sit at £7,200–£20,000 with VAT.
- Guide price
- £7,200–£20,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 1–3 weeks on site
- Planning rules
- England
- Price level
- About 10% below the national guide
- Towns listed
- 12
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Kitchens prices in County Durham
The costs listed here are typical for a new kitchen around County Durham and include VAT. They reflect labour and material costs in the North East, about 10% below the national guide, giving a range of £7,200–£20,000. Exact pricing depends on your home, so we only fix it once a free site survey is done.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in County Durham |
|---|---|---|
| Value kitchen | Standard units and laminate worktops in a small or medium room, keeping the existing layout. | £4,500–£8,100 |
| Mid-range kitchen | Better units, some layout changes, built-in appliances and a choice of worktops. | £8,100–£18,000 |
| Premium kitchen | High-end units, stone worktops, an island and premium appliances in a larger room. | £18,000–£36,000 |
Your price depends mostly on:
- Length of units and the size of the room
- Unit range, door finish and worktop material
- Moving the sink, hob or other services to a new position
- Appliances, including built-in and premium models
What do you get?
- Removal and disposal of the old kitchen
- Plumbing for sink, dishwasher and washing machine
- Electrics and new circuits by qualified electricians, with certificates
- Units, worktops and appliances fitted, levelled and adjusted
- Splashbacks or wall tiling to your chosen design
- Making good, extractor ducting and a final clean
Housing across County Durham
Colliery villages across County Durham are lined with brick and stone terraces, many built for mining families. Durham City has Georgian and Victorian streets, Darlington has Victorian terraces and villas, and Peterlee and Newton Aycliffe were planned as post-war new towns. Dales farmhouses in Weardale and Teesdale are stone, often under stone or slate roofs.
Colliery terraces commonly suit loft rooms, rear extensions and window replacement, and many need repointing. New-town homes often benefit from rendering or cladding upgrades and roofline renewal, while stone farmhouses may need lime work.
Winters are cold and the upland dales see snow and strong winds; former coal workings mean ground checks can be needed before building extensions.
Planning and building rules in County Durham
Which rules apply depends on where you live. For County Durham, the answer is England, and the points below reflect that; we verify them with the council before quoting.
Internal work such as a new kitchen, bathroom, flooring, plastering or decorating does not need planning permission in England, unless the house is listed, when listed building consent may be needed even for internal changes.
Some internal work is covered by Building Regulations: new electrical circuits and work in bathrooms (Part P), new drainage, structural changes, extractor ventilation and any new window. Notifiable work is certified by a registered installer or by building control.
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
The four stages
A visit to your home
A free survey comes first. It gives us what we need to price a new kitchen properly, including dimensions, existing materials and access for deliveries, and gives you the chance to ask anything you like.
Written quote
You get the price in writing, itemised so you can see where the money goes. As long as the specification stays the same, that is the price you pay for a new kitchen.
Booking the work
With the quote agreed, we book the work in and handle preparation: permissions where needed, building control notifications, material orders and access arrangements for your County Durham property.
On site to finish
The job proceeds in the order set out in the programme, with dust and debris kept under control. Finally we tidy away, inspect the work together and pass the finished project over to you with its paperwork.
How we work
Questions about a new kitchen in County Durham
Do you cover Darlington, Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees?
Yes. As well as County Durham, we cover Darlington, Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees and the rest of County Durham. Our coverage is UK-wide, so the process is the same wherever you are: a free site survey, a quote in writing that fixes the price for the agreed scope, and one point of contact while the work is planned and carried out.
How long will I be without a kitchen?
You are usually without a working kitchen for one to two weeks, from strip-out until the sink and hob are reconnected. If stone worktops are being made to template, we can fit a temporary worktop so you can use the sink while you wait. Many people set up a microwave, kettle and fridge in another room. We plan the order of work to keep this period as short as possible.
What happens at the survey?
We visit your home at a time that suits you, look at the area involved, take measurements and check access, condition and any services that might be affected. We talk through what you want from a new kitchen, explain the options and answer questions. There is no charge and no obligation; afterwards we send a written quote.
Can I move my sink or cooker to a new position?
Moving the sink, hob or cooker is usually possible but adds cost, because waste pipes, water supplies, gas and electrics have to be rerouted. Sinks need waste pipes to fall towards the drain, so the position of the outside wall matters. Hobs may need a new circuit or gas run and a suitable extractor route. We check what is practical during the survey and price each change separately.
How long does it take to fit a kitchen?
Fitting a kitchen typically takes one to three weeks on site, depending on its size and how much the layout changes. Strip-out, first-fix plumbing and electrics, and any plastering come first, then units, worktops, appliances and tiling. Stone worktops are templated once the base units are in and usually fitted a week or two later. We give you a day-by-day plan before we start.
Towns in County Durham
Below is our list of County Durham towns for a new kitchen. If yours isn't shown, we may still cover it, so it is worth asking us directly.