Guide · The fitting
Refitting a kitchen without changing the layout
The KÜINA team · Updated October 11, 2026
The short answer
Keeping the sink and the hob where they are saves €1,500 to €3,000 and around five days of work. It is the right call almost always, with two exceptions: when the sink is in a corner and two people cannot stand there, and when the fridge forces you to cross the kitchen to open it.
What you save
| What you avoid | What it saves |
|---|---|
| Moving the sink waste | €200 – 500 |
| Running water to another point | €200 – 400 |
| A new extractor outlet | €200 – 700 |
| Hacking off and retiling fully | €400 – 1,200 |
| Days on site | 3 to 5 days fewer |
Between the money and the days, a "dry" refit can give you the same-looking kitchen for considerably less. What does not change is the price of the units: that depends on how many there are and what is inside them.
The three no-move refits, smallest first
- Doors and worktop only. Doors, drawer fronts and worktop change, carcases stay. €2,500 to €6,000, two or three days. Only worth it if the carcases are sound, level and built to standard sizes.
- New units in the same layout. New carcases, doors, hardware and worktop, with the sink and hob where they were. €6,000 to €12,000, five to eight days. The most common option and the one that gives the best return.
- New units and one thing moved. Everything new, but moving only the hob, which needs power and no waste. €7,000 to €14,000. Moving a hob costs far less than moving a sink.
When moving something is worth it
There are four situations where spending that extra €1,500 to €3,000 changes how the kitchen works every day:
- A sink in a corner. Two people cannot stand there and there is no worktop to one side for the draining. It is the most common layout mistake in flats from the seventies and eighties.
- The fridge at the far end. If fetching the milk means walking past the hob, the kitchen is awkward however new it is.
- Less than 60 cm between the hob and the sink. Nowhere to put anything down between what is boiling and what is dripping.
- A door that opens into a unit. Sometimes this is solved by rehanging the room door the other way, which costs €150 instead of €2,000.
The tiling problem, and three ways round it
The no-move refit has one friction point: the old tiling that shows where new units do not cover exactly what the old ones covered. Three ways out:
- A panel over the existing tiles, in the worktop material or something similar. €60 to €180 per linear metre, one day's work and no dust.
- Raising the wall units a few centimetres so they cover the old line. Free, but check they are still within reach.
- Tiling only the band between worktop and wall units, which is the part you see. Cheaper than hacking off the whole wall.
What does not work is hoping it lines up. It has to be decided beforehand, with the plan in front of you.
Questions we get asked
Can I change just the doors?
Yes, if the carcases are true, the board is not swollen along the bottom and the sizes are standard. It is worth a visit to check: if the carcases have gone, new doors are money thrown away.
Can a partition come out to open the kitchen onto the living room?
It depends on whether it is load-bearing. That is a question for a structural professional, not a kitchen salesperson, and in a block of flats it usually needs permission and sometimes a licence. If it is viable, allow €1,500 to €4,000 for the wall alone and two more weeks.
How long does a no-move refit take?
Five to eight working days from strip-out to snagging, plus the wait for the worktop if it is stone or porcelain.
Do I need planning permission?
For a kitchen refit that touches neither structure nor facade, most Spanish municipalities only require a prior notification, and the building may require notice to the residents' association. Confirm it with your town hall before starting.
Shall we look at it with your kitchen on screen?
An hour in the showroom, your kitchen on screen and the price fixed the same day. No commitment, and no follow-up calls unless you want them.
