A full kitchen strip-out and refit in West Sutton — Howdens units, porcelain floor tiles, metro splashback, replastered walls, and a complete rewire and replumb. Here's how the job came together, from first visit to handover.
Complete Kitchen Renovation in West Sutton: Howdens Units, New Tiles and Full Rewire
Some kitchen jobs are straightforward: swap out the units, fit a new worktop, done. This one in West Sutton wasn't that. The clients wanted everything touched — new Howdens cabinets, porcelain floor tiles to replace worn-out laminate, a metro tile splashback, fresh plaster on two walls, updated plumbing and a full rewire of the kitchen circuits. Six trades, one project, one timeline to coordinate.
This is how we ran it.
What We Found on the First Visit
The existing kitchen was a mid-nineties installation — original units, a cracked ceramic worktop, laminate flooring that had lifted at the edges. The wiring was old enough that a modern induction hob wouldn't run safely off it. One wall had damp patches under the plaster from a slow-leaking pipe fitting behind the sink unit. None of that was visible until we started looking properly.
The scope that came out of that first visit: full strip-out, electrician and plumber in before anything else goes back, replaster the two worst walls, then cabinets, floor, splashback, and appliances.
Planning the Layout
The clients had a clear idea of what they wanted — a galley-style layout with wall and base units on one side, the sink under the window, and an integrated oven and dishwasher. We drew up the cabinet positions and appliance locations and used that drawing to brief the electrician on socket positions, the cooker circuit location, and where the extractor ducting would run through the wall. The plumber worked from the same drawing for the sink waste and supply runs.
Getting the trades briefed from a single drawing before anyone picks up a tool is what keeps a multi-trade project from unravelling mid-job.
Strip-Out, Replastering and First Fix
We stripped the old units and flooring in a morning. The damp patch behind the sink unit turned out to be a compression fitting that had been weeping for years — it came out clean once the cabinet was down. The plumber sorted the pipe run while the wall was open.
Two walls got replastered: the one behind where the units would go (old skim had blown in places), and the window wall where the pipe repair left a patch. Plasterwork dried over a week before anything went back in.
Electrician came in for first fix during the drying period — new ring for sockets, a dedicated 32A circuit for the induction hob, and the extractor ducting roughed in ready for the hood.
Installing the Howdens Units
The cabinets were Howdens — a mid-range shaker door in a light grey finish. We hung the wall units first, checked everything was level across the run, then fitted the base units and set the height for the worktop. The worktop was a laminate with a light wood grain — the clients had chosen it to keep the kitchen feeling open rather than dark.
Sink cut, hob cutout templated and routed, worktop jointed at the corner. The integrated oven and dishwasher went in once the cabinets were settled and the electrician had confirmed the circuits were ready.
Floor Tiles and Metro Splashback
The floor went in after the base units were hung but before the plinths. We used a porcelain tile in a warm off-white — 600×600, laid in a grid to keep the lines clean. The subfloor needed levelling compound in one corner where the old laminate had been covering a dip; that went down the day before tiling started.
The splashback ran full-height between the worktop and the wall units — classic white metro tile, brick bond pattern, dark grey grout. It's a reliable combination that photographs well and cleans easily.
Electrics Second Fix and Plumbing Completion
Once tiles were set, the electrician came back for second fix: sockets into their final positions, hob connected to the 32A circuit, extractor wired and tested. The plumber completed the sink installation — tap, waste, dishwasher connection — and pressure-tested everything before we signed it off.
All electrical work was notified to the local authority under Part P. The clients received the completion certificate with the handover pack.
The Finished Result
The kitchen that came out of this project is a significant step up from what was there before — not just aesthetically, but in terms of what's behind the walls. Sound wiring, sorted plumbing, properly plastered surfaces. The Howdens units are solid and will last. The porcelain floor is easy to maintain. The metro splashback looks right and will continue to look right in ten years.
For a project of this scope in West Sutton, the timeline was five weeks from strip-out to handover, including the week of plaster drying time.
Frequently Asked Questions — Kitchen Renovation in West Sutton
How long does a full kitchen renovation take in West Sutton?
A full renovation — units, tiles, electrics, plumbing and plastering — typically takes four to six weeks from strip-out to handover. The main variable is plaster drying time, which adds a week before cabinets can go in. Projects that don't need replastering run faster. We give a timeline at the planning stage based on the specific scope.
Do I need a separate electrician and plumber, or do you coordinate the trades?
We coordinate all trades from a single project drawing. Your electrician and plumber work from the same layout we produce at the design stage, so there's no briefing gap between trades. If you don't have your own electrician or plumber, we can recommend people we work with regularly across South-West London.
Are Howdens kitchens a good choice for a full renovation?
For most residential projects, yes. The unit construction is solid, the range is wide enough to cover most layouts, and the pricing is fair for what you get. The key is accurate measurement and a good installation — units that aren't levelled properly or hung without checking the wall for true will look poor regardless of brand. Installation quality matters as much as the cabinet itself.
How much does a full kitchen renovation cost in West Sutton?
A full renovation including units, worktop, tiles, electrics, plumbing and plastering varies considerably depending on kitchen size, the spec of units and worktop, and the condition of what's behind the existing kitchen. We quote each project individually after a site visit — that's the only way to give an accurate number without guessing at what we'll find when the old kitchen comes out.
Do you handle kitchen renovations in areas near West Sutton?
Yes — we work across Sutton, Cheam, Worcester Park, New Malden, Kingston and the wider South-West London area. See our kitchen fitting service page for more on what's included in a full project.
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