Average dishwasher installation cost

Summary: How much does it cost to install a dishwasher, average dishwasher price and average dishwasher installation cost.

Buying a dishwasher is seen by many as a necessity rather than a luxury these days and so there is a good chance that if you move house and want to install a new dishwasher, the required fittings may already be in the kitchen or utility room, making the job relatively easy and thus representing a fairly low cost job for a plumber to do it for you.

Installing a dishwasher will probably be a one off job for most households as they can last upwards of ten years or more and it is probably best left to the professionals unless you have the correct tools and most importantly, the necessary plumbing experience to carry out the job.

Average Cost

Factors to consider

If you start to install a dishwasher yourself and run into problems you could find that you need specialist plumbing tools for the pipe work and a trip to the local DIY store could end up costing you more than if you had called a plumber to fit the dishwasher properly in the first place.

Some retailers will offer free or competitively priced installation with the delivery when you buy a dishwasher from them and part of the deal may be the disconnection and safe disposal of the existing appliance, should you be replacing an older model.

Appliances such as dishwashers have to be disposed of correctly and many retailers now offer this as standard within their delivery service. Look out for these deals when shopping online as electrical retailers compete with each other using added extras such as free delivery and installation and even recycling as well as competing on price.

Retailer installation offers may have conditions attached, so read the small print. If you need to have a kitchen unit taken out, for example, this will not be part of the deal. The supplier’s installer will expect to ‘take the old one out and put the new one in’ and that’s all. Any work apart from the actual plumbing will have to be completed in advance before they arrive. Specifying whether it is a completely new installation where there has not previously been a dishwasher or whether it is just a replacement appliance is usually required at the time of purchase.

A dishwasher has to be near to the cold water supply, a power point and the waste outlet. This is usually in the kitchen and under the kitchen sink is the most convenient and sensible place to plumb in the appliance.

Costs to consider

The difference in price between a quick install where everything is just ready to swap over and an entirely new arrangement can be a shock. A simple replacement procedure or new installation into a location where there is existing power, water and waste is under an hour’s job at the very most for a professional and you could reasonably expect to be charged an hour’s labour.

However, the price may differ depending on whether you are charged the tradesperson’s hourly rate or whether they charge a set fee for plumbing in a dishwasher. Average costs for the installation in the north of England range between about £40 and £80 and these rise slightly in the south, up to roughly £100 in some areas.

If you do have to arrange for the installation yourself, shop around and get quotes from a few plumbers, at least three, to get a realistic idea as to what is a good price for your area. If you know someone who has had a dishwasher installed recently, ask what they were charged, use that as a starting point and see if you can find a tradesperson who can better the price.

When purchasing a dishwasher, consider where you want to put it if it is a completely fresh installation as you could end up throwing money away simply because you want the dishwasher at the opposite end of the kitchen to the sink (which is also unwise in day to day use as you may need to rinse heavily soiled items before loading them).

If you need to add an extra power point, waste pipe or water inlet pipes, costs will be heading towards £200 or more so it is worth choosing the location for your dishwasher from a practical point of view first and keeping cosmetic plumbing work to a minimum.

Make sure that the size of your dishwasher is the same size as any units that you are intending to have taken out or you could again be causing unnecessary work by having base units cut and adapted and having to enlist the services of a joiner as well as a plumber.

Kitchen units are easy to remove yourself or a professional will have the job done for you in a fraction of the time, probably still within their first hourly rate if the rest of the job is simple enough.