How much does a kitchen renovation cost in Northern Ireland?
Prices checked October 2026 · Written by Darren Kearney, master joiner, Northern Ireland · How we price
A mid-range kitchen renovation in Northern Ireland costs about £12,400 – £16,400 for a typical 4.2 × 3 m room with trades doing the work, including materials, labour and a 10% contingency. Budget starts around £9,300; premium can reach £26,400. Doing the DIY-friendly parts yourself brings a mid-range job down to about £9,000 – £11,500.
Price my kitchen in 60 secondsCost by room size and finish
| Size | Budget | Mid-range | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small 3 × 2.5 m | £7,700 – £10,400 | £10,200 – £13,500 | £16,900 – £21,900 |
| Medium 4.2 × 3 m | £9,300 – £12,500 | £12,400 – £16,400 | £20,400 – £26,400 |
| Large 5.5 × 4 m | £11,400 – £15,300 | £15,200 – £20,100 | £24,900 – £32,300 |
DIY or trades?
| Finish | You do the DIY bits | Trades do it all |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | £5,900 – £7,700 | £9,300 – £12,500 |
| Mid-range | £9,000 – £11,500 | £12,400 – £16,400 |
| Premium | £17,000 – £21,500 | £20,400 – £26,400 |
Where the money goes
Mid-range kitchen, trades doing the work, in the order the job is done.
| Stage | Who | Materials | Labour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protect, patch & clean | DIY-friendly | £100 | £150 |
| Strip out & skip | DIY-friendly | £250 | £300 |
| Electrics | Trade | £200 | £1,000 |
| Kitchen units & worktops | Skilled DIY | £6,100 | £2,650 |
| Wall tiling | Skilled DIY | £150 | £150 |
| Paint walls, ceiling & woodwork | DIY-friendly | £200 | £400 |
| New flooring | Skilled DIY | £550 | £250 |
| Skirting & architrave | Skilled DIY | £150 | £150 |
| Finishing touches | DIY-friendly | £50 | £150 |
| Total incl. 10% contingency | £14,150 | ||
The biggest items on the shopping list
- Base units, shaker doors: about £1,600
- Oven, induction hob, hood: about £850
- Wall units, shaker doors: about £800
- Solid oak worktop: about £600
- End panels, fillers & plinth (20% of units): about £550
- Tall housing / larder unit: about £450
- Click LVT 5mm: about £400
- Ceramic sink + mixer: about £300
The full list for this kitchen runs to 47 items, with quantities and where to buy them.
Get the full list for your kitchen →How a kitchen renovation is done, step by step
- 1Protect, patch & clean
- Clear the room and cover floors, stairs and doorways you walk through
- Fill holes and cracks; patch-plaster any big damage
- At the end: hoover, wipe down, remove protection
- 2Strip out & skip
- Water and power made safe before units come out
- Rip out old units, worktops and tiles into the skip
- Check walls and floor for rot, damp or loose boards now, not later
- 3Electrics
- First fix: electrician runs new cables and back boxes before plastering
- Second fix: sockets, switches and lights connected after decorating
- Electrician tests it all and gives you a certificate. Keep it for when you sell
- 4Kitchen units & worktops
- Check the delivery against the order the day it arrives
- Base units levelled and fixed first, then tall units, then wall units
- Worktops cut, joined and sealed
- Sink plumbed, appliances fitted, cooker on its own circuit by an electrician
- Plinths, end panels, cornice and handles go on last
- 5Wall tiling
- Walls primed
- Tiles set out from the centre so cuts are even
- Leave 24 hours, then grout and wipe off
- Silicone the corners and edges, not grout
- 6Paint walls, ceiling & woodwork
- Fill, caulk gaps and sand
- Mist coat on new plaster, then ceiling first
- Two coats on walls
- Woodwork last, in satin
- 7New flooring
- Ply overlay screwed down every 150mm so the floor can't flex
- Undercut door frames so the floor slides under
- Lay the LVT, staggering the joints
- Door bars to finish
- 8Skirting & architrave
- Old skirting and architrave off carefully
- New lengths cut, mitred and fixed with grab adhesive and pins
- Fill nail holes, caulk the top edge, then paint
- 9Finishing touches
- Light fittings and new socket fronts on (power off at the fuse board)
- Blinds or curtain poles up
- Door stops on so handles don't hit the new paint
Easy to forget
- Set up a temporary kitchen (kettle, microwave, fridge) for 1–3 weeks
- Gas hob? Only a Gas Safe registered engineer can connect it
- Check appliance sizes against your units before you order
- Flooring goes down after painting, so it doesn't get splashed
- Book the electrician early: first fix is before plastering, second fix after
- Order everything at least a week before you start. Waiting on one part stops the whole job
- Keep 10% spare. Old houses always hide something behind the walls
Questions people ask
How much does a kitchen renovation cost in Northern Ireland in 2026?
A mid-range kitchen renovation costs about £12,400 – £16,400 for a typical 4.2 × 3 m room with trades doing the work, including materials, labour and a 10% contingency. Budget finishes start lower and premium can cost a lot more; see the table above.
How long does a kitchen renovation take?
About 20 working days of trade time on site, plus around 1 days waiting for plaster, adhesive or deliveries. Allow roughly 5 weeks start to finish, longer if you do parts yourself.
How much can I save by doing some of it myself?
Doing the DIY-friendly work yourself (protect, patch & clean, strip out & skip, kitchen units & worktops, wall tiling, paint walls, ceiling & woodwork, new flooring, skirting & architrave, finishing touches) saves about £4,100 on a mid-range kitchen. Leave electrics to qualified trades.
Do I need building control approval?
Usually not for a like-for-like refit. You will normally need building control approval if you remove or alter walls, change drainage, make a new opening for a window or door, add a toilet or bathroom where there wasn't one, or install or replace a boiler. If in doubt, ask your council's building control team before you start.
Can I fit a Wren or B&Q kitchen myself?
Yes, if you're handy. The hard parts are levelling the base units, worktop joints and scribing panels to uneven walls. Gas and electrics must be done by qualified trades. A fitter in Northern Ireland charges around £150 a unit for a dry fit, trims included.
What does a kitchen fitter charge per day in Northern Ireland?
Around £250 a day is typical for a joiner or kitchen fitter in Northern Ireland. Many fitters price per unit instead (about £150 a unit).
Do I need a Gas Safe engineer?
Yes, for anything involving gas. By law, gas hobs, cookers and pipework must be fitted or moved by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Ask to see their Gas Safe ID card.
Are there grants for this?
Not usually for a straightforward kitchen refit. If you're adapting a home for someone with a disability, you may qualify for a Disabled Facilities Grant through the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, which starts with an occupational therapist assessment. Check nidirect for the current rules.
Check whether it's fair, what it should include and what to ask the trade.
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Price my kitchenKitchen costs by town
- Belfast
- Lisburn
- Newry
- Derry/Londonderry
- Bangor
- Ballymena
- Newtownabbey
- Craigavon
- Omagh
- Enniskillen
- Coleraine
- Carrickfergus
- Antrim
- Newtownards
- Armagh
Other cost guides
- Bathroom renovation cost
- Bedroom renovation cost
- Living room renovation cost
- Hall and stairs renovation cost
- Utility room renovation cost
- En-suite renovation cost
- Home office renovation cost
Guide prices from price book v2026.10. Quantities come from the room size with waste allowances; materials use current UK retail prices including VAT; labour uses Northern Ireland trade rates (around £250 a day). How we price.