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.
Whatever prompted you to look into a new kitchen, whether wear and tear, a growing family or plans to move, we can survey your Durham home and give you a price in writing. Homes in the North East typically come in at £7,200–£20,000, VAT included, for this kind of work. We also cover Chester-le-Street, Houghton-Le-Spring and Stanley, and the same steps apply wherever you are in County Durham.
- Guide price
- £7,200–£20,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 1–3 weeks on site
- Postcodes
- DH1
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- County Durham
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Kitchens prices in Durham
Below is a breakdown of typical costs for a new kitchen in Durham. Because rates in the North East are about 10% below the national guide, the overall guide comes to £7,200–£20,000, including VAT. Size, materials and access move the figure, and a free-of-charge survey settles it.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in 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:
- 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
- Tiling, flooring and any wall removal or replastering
What do you get?
- Measured survey and layout planning for your room
- Plumbing for sink, dishwasher and washing machine
- Electrics and new circuits by qualified electricians, with certificates
- Gas connections by a suitably registered engineer where needed
- Units, worktops and appliances fitted, levelled and adjusted
- Splashbacks or wall tiling to your chosen design
Building in 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.
Winters are cold and the upland dales see snow and strong winds; former coal workings mean ground checks can be needed before building extensions.
None of this holds for every street in Durham, which is why we look at your actual house before pricing a new kitchen rather than assuming from its age alone.
Planning and building rules in Durham
Each UK nation sets its own consent rules, and Durham is in England. What follows is a plain summary; we check the specifics for your property with the council before pricing anything.
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.
From survey to handover
Survey and measure
Book a visit and we'll come to you. The survey covers measurements, the state of what's there now and any obvious constraints, so the price that follows is based on your actual home, not an average.
Quote in writing
We turn the survey notes into a written quote. The price is fixed for the specification we agree, and the document sets out materials, scope and payment stages in plain language.
Dates and permissions
Next comes planning the work itself. We set a start date that suits you, line up the right trades, and make sure any approvals for a new kitchen are in place before the first day on site.
On site to finish
On site, the agreed plan is followed and any change is put in writing first. At completion we do a final clean, go through the snagging list with you and leave you with the relevant documents.
What you can expect from us
Frequently asked questions
Do I need planning permission in Durham?
It depends on the work, the size of the project, your property type and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. Durham is in England, so England's rules apply. Many smaller jobs need no planning application, but some still need building control approval. We check what applies to your address before quoting.
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.
How much will a new kitchen cost in Durham?
As a guide, expect to pay £7,200–£20,000 including VAT for a new kitchen in Durham. That range is adjusted for the North East, which runs about 10% below the national guide. Where your project lands depends on size, materials, access and the condition of what is already there. We confirm a fixed price in writing after a free survey of your home.
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.
Can a new kitchen be part of a knock-through?
A new kitchen often goes hand in hand with removing a wall to create an open-plan kitchen-diner. The wall removal, steel beam and building control approval are done first, then the plastering, and finally the kitchen is fitted into the new space. Doing both under one plan avoids fitting a kitchen twice and lets you design the layout for the larger room.
Nearby towns
Coverage for Durham spans DH1. Close by, Chester-le-Street, Houghton-Le-Spring and Stanley are covered too, and the rest of our UK-wide area follows the same survey-then-quote process from start to finish.