Kitchen Remodelling Process: From Concept to Completion in Derby
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This page sets out Derby Kitchen Fitter's own six-stage process for taking a kitchen remodel from a first sketch to a finished room, based on projects completed for households across Derby and the surrounding towns. If you'd rather look at finished kitchens before reading through each stage, the Derby Kitchen Fitter home page has recent project photos and a way to book the free design visit that starts things off.
What's Included In A Full Remodel, And What Costs Extra
- Initial consultation, lifestyle assessment and site survey
- 3D design, material selection and technical drawings
- Structural work such as wall removal and beam installation, carried out by qualified trades
- Full rewiring and lighting installation by Part P registered electricians, who issue the safety certificates
- Plumbing connections carried out to NVQ Level 2 and City & Guilds standard
- Gas hob and range cooker fitting and commissioning by Gas Safe registered engineers
- Plastering and finishing by master plasterers
- Removal and legal disposal of the old kitchen as a registered waste carrier
- Final testing, certification and a sign-off walkthrough
- 5-year labour and installation guarantee plus 2-year product guarantee
Not Included / Costed Separately
- Planning permission application fees payable to the local authority
- Structural engineer's calculations or reports where an independent report is required for load-bearing wall removal
- Party wall agreements with neighbours, where applicable
- Redecorating of rooms outside the kitchen that are affected by extension or wall-removal work
- Appliance or specification changes made mid-project once materials have already been ordered
- Temporary kitchen hire or alternative catering arrangements during the 6-10 week build
Coordinating The Trades Yourself vs One Accountable Team
| What matters | Managing separate contractors yourself | Derby Kitchen Fitter's integrated team |
|---|---|---|
| Point of contact | Separate calls to your builder, electrician, plumber and plasterer | One team and one point of contact from the first measurement to the final adjustment |
| Trade qualifications | You check and verify each contractor's certification yourself | Part P registered electricians, Gas Safe engineers, and plumbers qualified to NVQ Level 2 and City & Guilds as standard |
| Joinery and cabinetry | Varies by whoever you book | Carried out by joiners with formal City & Guilds training and a bench-joinery background |
| Waste disposal | Often arranged informally or left to you | Handled as a registered waste carrier, disposed of legally |
| Guarantee | Each trade guarantees only their own work, if at all | 5-year labour and installation guarantee, plus 2-year product guarantee, covering the whole job |
| Scheduling | You chase availability and manage the sequence | Every trade scheduled and supervised as part of one project |
What A Full Remodel Costs, And Why The Range Is Wide
A full kitchen remodel covering structural work, rewiring, plumbing, cabinetry and finishing typically runs from around £12,000 for a modest galley or single-wall kitchen up to £35,000 or more where wall removal, extended plumbing runs, or premium worktops and handleless cabinetry are involved. Timescale is usually 6-10 weeks once work starts. Because so much of the cost depends on what's found once the old kitchen is stripped out - the condition of the wiring, whether a wall turns out to be load-bearing, what state the floor is in underneath - the figures above are a starting point rather than a quote. A full, itemised price only comes after the free design visit and site survey, once the drawings reflect your actual layout and specification.
Coordinating The Trades Yourself vs One Accountable Team
| What matters | Managing separate contractors yourself | Derby Kitchen Fitter's integrated team |
|---|---|---|
| Point of contact | Separate calls to your builder, electrician, plumber and plasterer | One team and one point of contact from the first measurement to the final adjustment |
| Trade qualifications | You check and verify each contractor's certification yourself | Part P registered electricians, Gas Safe engineers, and plumbers qualified to NVQ Level 2 and City & Guilds as standard |
| Joinery and cabinetry | Varies by whoever you book | Carried out by joiners with formal City & Guilds training and a bench-joinery background |
| Waste disposal | Often arranged informally or left to you | Handled as a registered waste carrier, disposed of legally |
| Guarantee | Each trade guarantees only their own work, if at all | 5-year labour and installation guarantee, plus 2-year product guarantee, covering the whole job |
| Scheduling | You chase availability and manage the sequence | Every trade scheduled and supervised as part of one project |
One Written Quote, One Team, One Sign-Off
Derby Kitchen Fitter was set up because too many remodels had gone the same way elsewhere: a quote that crept up once work was underway, and no single trade willing to own a mistake once everyone had moved on to the next job. The response was to put the whole cost into one itemised quote before work starts, with nothing added later that wasn't agreed up front, and to keep the same project-managed team on site from the first measurement through to a formal sign-off walkthrough at the end. The team's own line on it is that they "only fit kitchens to the standard we'd want in our own homes - and we put that in writing before we start." That team covers more than fitting units: stone and solid-surface worktops - granite, quartz, Dekton, marble and Corian among them - are laser-templated and jointed on site by the same stonemasons on every job, and where a kitchen needs updating rather than a full strip-out, factory-grade spray finishing can respray existing cabinetry dust-free and colour-matched to ranges such as Farrow & Ball or Little Greene. The same crew also fits supply-only kitchens bought from Howdens, Wren Kitchens, Magnet and premium German handleless systems for customers who've ordered elsewhere and just need a qualified team to install them. Every remodel carries the 5-year labour and installation guarantee and 2-year product guarantee, confirmed at that final walkthrough rather than left as a verbal promise.
Where This Remodelling Process Runs
The six-stage process above runs the same way wherever the job is, but the site survey and planning stage look different depending on the property. Inside Derby, older streets bordering the city centre often carry conservation area status, which can add time to the drawings-and-permission stage if the remodel changes a window opening or an external wall, while newer estates on the edge of the city more often carry covenant restrictions from the original developer instead - something the design visit checks for early rather than partway through the job. Ground closer to the Derwent can also limit where new electrical and plumbing runs are routed, since parts of it fall within flood risk mapping. Further out, the same process covers Belper, Duffield and Wirksworth along the Derwent valley; Ripley, Heanor, Ilkeston and Alfreton to the north-east; Chesterfield and Dronfield further north; Long Eaton and into Nottingham to the south-east; and Matlock, Bakewell and Buxton toward the Peak District, where older stone-built cottages tend to have thicker solid walls that can lengthen the structural-survey stage before drawings are finalised. Materials storage and off-site joinery run out of the Stenson Rd workshop in Sunny Hill, Derby.
Remodelling Process Questions From Derby Homeowners
Do we need to move out of the house during a full kitchen remodel?
Most families stay in the house, but you should plan for 6-10 weeks without a working kitchen while structural work, services and installation are completed. A temporary kitchen setup (kettle, microwave, a spare fridge in another room) makes day-to-day living manageable, and the project team will talk through what that looks like for your specific layout before work starts, since a small terrace with only one usable room to retreat to needs a different plan than a house with a utility room or dining room to fall back on.
What happens if something unexpected turns up once the old kitchen is stripped out?
It happens on a fair number of remodels, particularly older Derby properties - old wiring that doesn't meet current standards, damp behind plaster, or a wall that turns out to be load-bearing when it wasn't expected to be. Work stops on that specific issue, you're shown what's been found and told what it means for cost and timeline, and nothing extra is carried out without your agreement first.
Do you handle planning permission and building control paperwork for us?
Yes - drawings, documentation and the building control application are prepared and submitted as part of the service, and the team liaises with the planning authority and building control on your behalf. The application fees themselves are paid direct to the local authority and aren't included in the kitchen quote, since they're set by the council rather than by us.
Is the plumbing, electrical and gas work subcontracted out to whoever's free that week?
No - it's carried out by the same in-house trades on every job: plumbers qualified to NVQ Level 2 and City & Guilds standard, Part P registered electricians who issue the safety certificates, and Gas Safe registered engineers for any gas hob or range cooker connections. That's part of why there's one team accountable for the whole remodel rather than a chain of separate contractors.
How much of the quoted price is likely to change once work starts?
The itemised quote is written to hold, but it's based on what's visible and agreed at the design stage - if something structural or hidden turns up during strip-out, that's raised with you as a separate, agreed cost before any extra work happens, not added to the final bill afterwards.
Can you respray or update our existing kitchen instead of a full remodel?
Yes, where the carcasses and layout are sound, factory-grade spray finishing can respray existing units dust-free and colour-matched to ranges such as Farrow & Ball or Little Greene, which costs considerably less than a full strip-out and works well when the units themselves are still in good condition but the colour or finish has dated.
Will you fit a kitchen we've bought from Howdens, Wren or another supplier?
Yes - installation-only work is carried out for kitchens supplied by Howdens, Wren Kitchens, Magnet and premium German handleless systems, using the same qualified electricians, plumbers and joiners as a full remodel, so the fitting standard and guarantee terms don't depend on where the units were bought.
What guarantee covers the finished kitchen?
A 5-year labour and installation guarantee covers the fitting itself, and a 2-year guarantee applies to products, both confirmed in writing at the final sign-off walkthrough rather than left as a verbal assurance.
Can you respray or update our existing kitchen instead of a full remodel?
Yes, where the carcasses and layout are sound, factory-grade spray finishing can respray existing units dust-free and colour-matched to ranges such as Farrow & Ball or Little Greene, which costs considerably less than a full strip-out and works well when the units themselves are still in good condition but the colour or finish has dated.
Will you fit a kitchen we've bought from Howdens, Wren or another supplier?
Yes - installation-only work is carried out for kitchens supplied by Howdens, Wren Kitchens, Magnet and premium German handleless systems, using the same qualified electricians, plumbers and joiners as a full remodel, so the fitting standard and guarantee terms don't depend on where the units were bought.
What guarantee covers the finished kitchen?
A 5-year labour and installation guarantee covers the fitting itself, and a 2-year guarantee applies to products, both confirmed in writing at the final sign-off walkthrough rather than left as a verbal assurance.
Start With The Free Design Visit
The site survey and written quote cost nothing and carry no obligation to book, but they're the step that turns a rough idea into real numbers - so a kitchen sitting unused, or one that's simply worn past its best, doesn't have to stay that way through another winter. Get in touch to arrange a design visit and see where your remodel would sit in the process above.
Kitchen Fitters Derby, Fitted Kitchens, Derby
Call 01332-529933