Kitchen and Bathroom Renovations

This is the question we're asked more than any other, and the one most quotes avoid answering. During bathroom refurbishments, a typical timeline is one to two weeks on site, while kitchen renovations usually take two to three weeks. It's important to note that moving plumbing or drainage to change the layout adds time; however, a like-for-like replacement in the same positions takes less time.

In homes with only one bathroom, we carefully sequence the work to keep the WC usable for as much of the build as possible and inform you at the start about which days it won't be available. 

Kitchens have a common hiccup that can catch people off guard. Stone worktops are templated after the units are installed, cut off-site, and then returned, which typically takes one to two weeks between units going in and worktops arriving. During this period, there is no work surface and no sink available. On the other hand, laminate worktops avoid this issue entirely because they're cut on site. We always plan a temporary sink and appliance arrangement around it regardless of the material chosen, but it's beneficial to know this as you prepare for your property improvement plans.

Some clients buy their kitchen or bathroom from a supplier they've already chosen and ask us to install it. Others would rather we source everything so the whole job sits on one invoice with one point of responsibility. 

We hold trade accounts with several building merchants and suppliers, meaning no matter where the work is taking place, we can still offer a great price. 

Kitchens and bathrooms almost never need planning permission, the exceptions are listed buildings and, occasionally, properties in conservation areas. Building regulations do apply, though, and more than most people expect.

Electrical work in both rooms is notifiable under Part P, with specific zoning rules for bathrooms governing what fitting can go where relative to the bath or shower. Part F requires mechanical extract ventilation in both rooms. Moving a soil pipe or altering below-ground drainage brings Part H into play, and removing a wall to open a kitchen into a dining room is structural work needing sign-off and, usually, a steel.

We handle notification and certification as part of the job. You should receive electrical certification at handover, worth having whoever does your work, us or anyone else, confirm that in writing before they start.

Two jobs of the same floor area can differ by a factor of three, so any figure quoted before a survey is a guess. What actually moves the number, in order:

Whether the layout changes. Keeping sink, WC and appliances where they are is far cheaper than moving them,  relocating a soil pipe or running new drainage is the single biggest swing. Specification. Units, sanitaryware, brassware and tiles span an enormous range, and this is where your budget mostly goes. Worktop material in kitchens: laminate, solid wood, quartz and granite are genuinely different orders of cost.

After those: how much tiling, whether the floor is being replaced, whether existing electrics need rewiring to current standards, and what condition the walls are in once the old room comes out,  replastering is the most common mid-job addition.