What Order to Renovate a Kitchen: Step by Step
The right order to renovate a kitchen: strip out, first fix, plastering, flooring, units, worktops, second fix, tiling and decorating. With timings.
Kitchen Renovation in Glasgow
A full kitchen renovation in Glasgow with Kitchen Fitter Glasgow costs from £7,950, and most cost £8,500 to £18,000. We manage every stage, from stripping out the old kitchen through plumbing, gas, electrics, plastering, tiling and flooring to fitting the new kitchen, so you deal with one team instead of six. Most renovations take 2 to 3 weeks, with no VAT added and a 2-year written guarantee on the work.
- 2-year written guarantee
- Gas Safe registered engineer
- No VAT added
- Full renovationfrom £7,950,
- Home surveyFree
- Workmanship guarantee2 years, in writing
- VATNone added
What is a full kitchen renovation?
A full kitchen renovation replaces the whole room, not just the units. It usually means stripping the old kitchen back to bare walls, renewing plumbing and electrics, re-plastering, tiling and laying a new floor before the new kitchen goes in. Some renovations also change the layout, such as moving the sink to a window or opening the kitchen into a dining room. A kitchen refit, by contrast, swaps old units for new ones in the same room, which our supply and fit kitchens service covers.
Why do so many kitchen renovations overrun?
Most kitchen renovations overrun for three reasons: too many trades with nobody in charge, problems hidden behind the old kitchen, and structural work started without the right paperwork.
Juggling five or six trades yourself
A renovation needs a joiner, a plumber, a Gas Safe engineer, an electrician, a plasterer, a tiler and a floor fitter, in the right order. If you book them yourself, one late trade pushes back everyone behind them. The plasterer can't start until the electrician has finished the first fix, and the tiler can't start until the plaster is dry.
Problems hidden behind the old kitchen
Pulling out a kitchen that's been in place for 20 or 30 years often reveals what nobody could see: damp behind the sink, rot in the floor, old wiring or perished pipework. Without a plan for finding and pricing these, they become arguments and delays.
Structural work started without a warrant
Removing a load-bearing wall in Scotland needs a structural engineer's design and a building warrant from your council before work starts. Skipping it can leave you with work that has to be inspected, opened up or redone, and a problem when you come to sell.
Any one of these can turn a three-week renovation into two months without a working kitchen, with costs rising every week.
How do we manage a kitchen renovation?
We manage your renovation as one job with one plan, from the first survey to the final walk-through. Every trade is booked in the right order and answers to us, not to you.
| Stage | What's done | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
| Strip-out | Old kitchen removed, services safely disconnected, waste taken away | Our team, with gas disconnected by our partner Gas Safe registered engineer |
| Structural work (if needed) | Wall removed and steel beam installed to the engineer's design, under a building warrant | Our team, working to a structural engineer's design |
| First fix | Pipework and cabling run to the new positions | Our team for plumbing, our partner certified electrician for electrics |
| Plastering | Walls and ceiling repaired or skimmed | Trusted trades we arrange and manage |
| Flooring | New floor laid | Trusted trades we arrange and manage |
| Kitchen fitting | Units, worktops, sink and appliances fitted | James McCallum and our team |
| Tiling | Splashbacks and wall tiles | Trusted trades we arrange and manage |
| Second fix | Sockets, lighting, hob and oven connected and tested | Partner certified electrician and Gas Safe registered engineer |
| Handover | Snags put right, clean, guarantee and certificates handed over | Our team |
You receive the electrical certificate for the new electrical work and the paperwork for any gas work, along with our 2-year written guarantee.
How long does a kitchen renovation take?
A full kitchen renovation takes 2 to 3 weeks on site with us, depending on the size of the room and whether walls are moving. This is how a typical three-week renovation runs.
| Week | What happens |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Strip-out, any structural work, first-fix plumbing and electrics, plastering |
| Week 2 | Plaster dries, flooring laid, units and worktops fitted |
| Week 3 | Tiling, second-fix electrics and gas, appliances connected, snags, clean and handover |
Fresh plaster needs time to dry before tiling, and quartz worktops are templated once the units are in, so we plan around both. Read more about how long a kitchen takes to fit.
Can you knock through a kitchen wall in Glasgow?
Yes. We open kitchens into dining rooms and living rooms across Glasgow, but a load-bearing wall must have a structural engineer's design and a building warrant before any work starts. We'll tell you at the survey whether your wall is likely to be load-bearing and what the process involves.
Do you need planning permission to knock through?
Usually not. Removing an internal wall in a house or flat doesn't normally need planning permission in Scotland. The exception is a listed building, where internal changes can need listed building consent from your council. A building warrant is a separate requirement, and it applies to structural work whether or not planning permission is needed.
Building warrants and completion certificates
A building warrant is approval from your local council's building standards team to carry out the work, and it must be in place before the wall comes down. Once the work is finished, a completion certificate is submitted to the council to confirm it was built as approved. In Glasgow that's Glasgow City Council, and in Johnstone and Paisley it's Renfrewshire Council. Our guide explains when a building warrant is needed.
As a guide to cost, Checkatrade puts the average cost of removing a load-bearing wall in the UK at £1,250 to £1,750 (2026), before the engineer's design and warrant fees. We price wall removal for your home at the survey.
How much does a kitchen renovation cost in Glasgow?
A kitchen renovation in Glasgow costs from £7,950 with us, and most cost £8,500 to £18,000. The kitchen itself, appliances and structural work are priced separately, so you can see exactly where the money goes.
| What's in the price | What moves it up the range |
|---|---|
| Strip-out and disposal | A larger room, or a kitchen-diner |
| Plumbing to the existing positions | Moving the sink or adding a utility area |
| Gas and electrical work by partner trades | A new consumer unit, extra circuits or under-cabinet lighting |
| Plastering, tiling and flooring | Full-height tiling or premium flooring |
| Fitting the new kitchen | Solid wood or quartz worktops, an island |
The kitchen can be one you buy yourself, fitted through our fit-only kitchen fitting service, or one we supply. See our Glasgow kitchen fitting price guide for a worked example of a West End tenement renovation.
How do you live without a kitchen during a renovation?
Most families manage two to three weeks without a kitchen by setting up a small temporary kitchen in another room. These steps make it much easier:
- Pick a room with a sink nearby, such as a utility room or a room next to the bathroom, for washing up
- Keep the fridge running by moving it to another room before strip-out day
- Bring a kettle, microwave, toaster and slow cooker into the temporary kitchen
- Use paper plates for the messiest week, which is usually the first
- Plan simple meals and a few takeaways for week one
- Close doors and seal gaps to keep plaster dust out of the rest of the house; we protect the floors and doorways we work through
- Avoid booking around a birthday or Christmas if the kitchen is the centre of the celebration
Kitchen renovations near you
We renovate kitchens across Glasgow and the surrounding towns from our base in Johnstone, Renfrewshire. If you've searched for "kitchen renovation near me", these are the areas we cover most:
- Glasgow: West End and Southside tenements, the City Centre, Dennistoun, Shettleston and Maryhill
- Renfrewshire: Johnstone, Paisley, Renfrew, Linwood, Erskine and Houston
- East Renfrewshire: Newton Mearns, Giffnock, Clarkston and Barrhead, where open-plan kitchen-diners are a common renovation
- East Dunbartonshire: Bearsden, Milngavie and Bishopbriggs
- South Lanarkshire: Rutherglen, Cambuslang and East Kilbride
Renovating a tenement flat? Our tenement kitchen fitting page explains what's different. You can also see all the areas we cover and our full range of kitchen fitting services.
Guides that help you plan
Free, practical guides from James, written for Glasgow homes and checked against our current prices.
Do You Need a Building Warrant to Remove a Kitchen Wall in Scotland?
Do you need a building warrant to knock through a kitchen wall in Glasgow? When you need one, how to apply, inspections, costs and tenement rules.
Kitchen Layout Ideas: Galley, L-Shaped, U-Shaped and Island
Kitchen layout ideas: galley, single wall, L-shaped, U-shaped, island and peninsula, with the space each needs and which Glasgow homes suit them.
Plan your kitchen renovation
Tell us what you'd like to change, and we'll survey the room, check the walls and services, and send a fixed written price for the whole renovation.
Kitchen renovation questions
How long does a kitchen renovation take?
A full kitchen renovation takes 2 to 3 weeks on site with us. The first week covers strip-out, structural work, first-fix plumbing and electrics and plastering, the second covers flooring and fitting the kitchen, and the third covers tiling, second fix and handover. Removing a wall can add time while the building warrant is approved.
Do you do the plastering and tiling yourselves?
We manage them as part of your renovation. James and our team carry out the strip-out, joinery, plumbing and kitchen fitting, and we arrange trusted plasterers, tilers and floor fitters we know and schedule them in the right order. Gas and electrical work is carried out by our partner Gas Safe registered engineer and certified electrician.
Can I stay in my house during a kitchen renovation?
Yes. Most people stay at home during a kitchen renovation and set up a temporary kitchen in another room. The first week is the dustiest and noisiest, while the old kitchen comes out and walls are plastered. We protect floors and doorways and tidy up at the end of every day.
What happens if you find damp or rot?
We stop, show you the problem and explain the options before we carry on. Any extra work needed to put it right is priced and agreed with you in writing first. If something is leaking or unsafe, we make it safe straight away and tell you, so a hidden problem never becomes a surprise on your bill.
Can I reuse my existing appliances?
Yes, if they fit the new layout and are in good working order. We'll check their sizes at the survey and plan the new units around them. Integrated appliances need matching housings and door fixings, so send us the model numbers early. Gas appliances are reconnected by our partner Gas Safe registered engineer.
Is a renovation better than just replacing the units?
It depends on the room. If the walls, floor, plumbing and electrics are in good condition and you're happy with the layout, replacing the units through supply and fit or fit-only costs much less. If the room needs re-plastering, rewiring or a new layout, a full renovation does everything once and in the right order.
Do you need a building warrant to open up a kitchen?
You need one if the wall you're removing is load-bearing. The building warrant comes from your local council and must be approved before work starts, and a structural engineer designs the beam that replaces the wall. A non-load-bearing partition may not need one, but in a flat, opening the kitchen to the hall can affect the fire escape route, so we check with the council first.
Do you renovate kitchens near me in East Kilbride or Rutherglen?
Yes. We renovate kitchens in East Kilbride, Rutherglen and Cambuslang in South Lanarkshire, as well as across Glasgow, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire. Building warrants for structural work in South Lanarkshire are issued by South Lanarkshire Council, and we'll explain the process at your free survey.