New kitchen cost in Ireland: what actually decides the number

27 August 2026 · The Home Upgrade Co.

Search for kitchen prices in Ireland and you will find ranges so wide they are almost useless: one guide quotes a figure, the next quotes several times that, and both describe "a new kitchen". Neither has seen your room. This guide explains why those numbers disagree, what genuinely decides the price of a kitchen, and how to get a figure that applies to your house rather than to an average.

How much does a new kitchen cost in Ireland?

There is no national price for a kitchen. The room size, the number of units, the worktop, the door finish, the appliances and whether services move all change the figure before anyone quotes.

Every published kitchen price range is an average taken across jobs that have almost nothing in common. A small galley kitchen keeping its existing layout and a large open plan room with an island, a stone worktop and the sink moved to the other wall are different jobs in every way that costs money. Averaging them produces a number that describes neither.

That is why we do not publish a price list. A figure typed into a website cannot know the shape of your room, how many units it takes to fill it, or whether your plumbing is where you want the sink. What we can do is measure the room on a free visit, design it in 3D so you can see exactly what you are buying, and give you one itemised quote where every element is priced separately.

What decides the price of a new kitchen?

Six things: whether the layout moves, the size of the room and the unit count, the worktop material, the door finish, the appliances, and any structural work.

These six explain nearly every gap between two kitchen quotes, listed roughly in order of how much they move the number.

Why do kitchen quotes vary so much?

Because quotes include different things. Design, delivery, fitting, worktop templating, appliance housings and removal of the old kitchen appear in some quotes and not others.

Two quotes for the same room can look thousands apart and still describe entirely different jobs. One is supply only, leaving you to find a fitter. Another includes fitting but not the worktop. A third covers design, manufacture, delivery, installation and the finishing work, with nothing left to arrange. Until you know what sits inside each number, comparing the totals tells you nothing at all.

Ask every company the same three questions: who fits it, what happens to the old kitchen, and what is not included in this figure. The third question is the one that finds the gaps. On our quotes, the 3D design, manufacture to your measurements, delivery and full installation by our own installers are all in the one price, covering units, doors, worktops, splashbacks and appliance housings.

Where does the money actually go in a kitchen?

Mostly into the cabinetry and the worktop. Doors and worktops between them usually account for more of the total than the carcasses they sit on.

It surprises people that the boxes are rarely the expensive part. The carcasses are the structure, but the visible surfaces, the doors and the worktop, are where the money concentrates, and they are also the parts you touch every day. Appliances then sit outside that entirely, as a budget you control independently and can spend as much or as little on as you like.

This matters because it tells you where a saving is worth making. Trimming the carcass spec saves less than you would think and costs you the part that has to last. Choosing a different worktop material or door finish moves the total far more, and is a decision about appearance rather than durability.

How do you reduce the cost of a kitchen without regretting it?

Keep the services where they are, spend on what you touch daily, and take the room in stages if you need to.

The cheapest decision available to most people is also the least visible: leave the plumbing and electrics where they are. A layout that works already does not need moving, and the money saved buys a better worktop or better hinges, which you will notice every day for a decade.

Beyond that, a useful exercise before any quote is deciding which of the six factors above you actually care about. Money spent on a stone worktop and good soft close hinges is felt constantly. Money spent moving a sink two metres, in a kitchen where the old position was fine, mostly is not. When the quote is itemised properly you can see both, and make that call with real figures rather than guessing.

Is a custom kitchen more expensive than a flat pack one?

Not necessarily, once fitting and filler panels are counted. A custom kitchen is made to your measurements, so it fits the room without gaps to disguise.

Flat pack and modular kitchens come in fixed sizes, which is fine in a room built to fixed sizes. Irish homes, particularly older ones, tend to have alcoves, chimney breasts and walls that are not quite square, and standard units in those rooms leave gaps that get filled with panels. A kitchen made to your measurements uses that space instead of hiding it, which usually means more storage from the same room.

The comparison people miss is that a flat pack price is often supply only. Once assembly, fitting, worktop and the trims needed to make standard units look deliberate are added, the gap narrows considerably. Compare complete installed prices, not the sticker on the box.

What does a kitchen renovation cost on top of the kitchen itself?

Anything structural, and any trade the kitchen does not include. Flooring, plastering, wall removal and rewiring are separate budgets from the kitchen.

A kitchen quote covers the kitchen. If your project also involves taking out a wall, replastering, new flooring throughout or a rewire, those are building costs that sit alongside it. People are often quoted for a kitchen and surprised by a renovation, or the reverse, and the two get blurred together in most published cost guides.

If your kitchen is part of a bigger job or an extension, bring the design in early. We can design from an architect's plans so the services go in the right place first time. The full sequence, stage by stage, is in our guide to what a kitchen renovation in Dublin actually involves.

How do you get a real number for your kitchen?

Have the room measured and designed, then priced item by item. We do that on a free visit, and the quote lists every element separately.

The only figure worth planning around is one built from your actual room. Our design visit is free and available within 2 working days: we call out anywhere in Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow, measure the room, and your 3D design and complete itemised quote follow within a further 2 working days. You see the finished kitchen from every angle before anything is ordered, and the quote is yours to sit with for as long as you like.

There is no cost, no obligation and no chasing from us either way. If you go ahead, the kitchen is made to your measurements and fitted by our own team within 12 weeks of sign-off, and the finished kitchen carries our 2-year warranty on wood products, written on your quote.

Questions people ask about kitchen costs

How long does a new kitchen take from first visit to fitted?

The free design visit is available within 2 working days, your 3D design and itemised quote follow within a further 2 working days, and the kitchen is fitted within 12 weeks of sign-off.

Do you charge for a kitchen design or quote?

No. The design visit, the 3D design of your room and the itemised quote are all free, with no obligation to go ahead and no chasing afterwards.

Is a new kitchen cheaper if you keep the same layout?

Yes, usually by a wide margin. Leaving the sink, hob and appliances where they are avoids plumbing and electrical work, which is the single biggest saving available on most kitchens.

Do you cover Meath, Kildare and Wicklow?

Yes, we design and fit kitchens across Dublin and surrounding counties, including Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. The free design visit and itemised quote work the same wherever you are.