Most kitchen budgets are set by the showroom quote, which covers units, worktops and appliances. The building work around it — electrics, plumbing, plastering, flooring, and any structural change — is a separate budget entirely, and it is the one that usually gets squeezed.
Split the two budgets from the start
Decide early what the supplier is providing and what the builder is doing. Most customers buy their kitchen directly and have us install and carry out the building work, which keeps both sides transparent.
Electrics are rarely a like-for-like swap
New layouts almost always mean new circuits, more sockets, under-unit lighting and appliance-specific supplies. Older properties may need a consumer unit upgrade before any of that is signed off.
Moving water and waste
Relocating a sink or dishwasher depends on being able to run waste with enough fall to the stack. On a suspended floor that is usually straightforward; on a solid slab it can mean chasing or re-routing at a real cost.
Lead times are part of the budget
Worktop templating typically happens after units are fitted, and the fabrication window sits in the middle of your project. Planning around it avoids paying for a trade to stand still.