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temporary kitchen setup

Temporary Kitchen Setup: UK Hire Starts at £70 a Day

Set up a temporary kitchen in the UK before renovation work starts. Compare pod hire from £70 a day with DIY options, and check power, plumbing, and access.

The Extension Works 9 October 2026
Temporary Kitchen Setup: UK Hire Starts at £70 a Day

Temporary Kitchen Setup: UK Hire Starts at £70 a Day

Temporary kitchen pod on a UK driveway

The quickest reliable route is to hire a driveway pod or indoor capsule if you want full facilities with minimal fuss, or build a DIY kitchenette near your existing plumbing with a portable induction hob, a small fridge and a washing station if you want to keep costs down. Either way, get any electrical work checked by a competent electrician before you rely on it.

TL;DR:

  • Domestic pod hire costs £70 to £150 daily or £350 to £800 weekly, with a two to four week minimum; check delivery and hookup fees.
  • Place a DIY kitchenette near existing power and water, grouping an induction hob, small fridge, toaster oven, microwave, and slow cooker along one wall.
  • Have a competent electrician check the circuit and handle notifiable work; never plug full size cookers into standard extension leads, and retain the installation certificate.
  • Measure driveway access before booking: providers commonly require about 5.2 to 5.9 meters of length and 2.4 meters of width for delivery.
  • Tell your home insurer about hired pods, added appliances, and new wiring, since policies may exclude temporary structures or electrical installations unless declared.
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Table of Contents

Temporary kitchen options explained: what each type gives you and when to choose it

Matching the right setup to your site and timeline saves you money and stress later. The main choice is between a hired, ready-made unit and a DIY arrangement built from appliances you already own or buy cheaply.

Driveway pods are the most common hired option for home renovations. They arrive as a self-contained unit with a hob, oven, sink and worktop already fitted, and most providers can install one within a few days of booking provided your driveway meets their size requirements. Indoor capsules work on the same principle but fit inside a garage, utility room or spare bedroom, which suits sites with no outdoor space or a short driveway.

For larger projects or short-term events, commercial options scale up the same idea:

  • Shipping container kitchens offer more space and often 3-phase power for catering-grade equipment.
  • Trailer kitchens suit sites needing mobility, such as multi-location events or phased building works.
  • Marquee kitchens work well for outdoor events but need weatherproofing and a stable, level base.

Flat pack and modular indoor units sit between the two extremes. They’re built from lightweight panels that assemble inside an existing room, which makes them a practical choice when access is too tight for a pod but you still want a dedicated, enclosed cooking zone rather than an open kitchenette on a landing or in a garage.

Costs and hire terms: realistic price ranges and what questions to ask

Domestic temporary kitchen pod hire typically costs £70 to £150 per day or £350 to £800 per week, with most providers setting a minimum hire period of two to four weeks. Longer bookings typically work out cheaper per week than short emergency hires, according to the same temporary kitchen hire cost guide, so it pays to book as soon as your renovation dates are fixed rather than waiting until strip-out week.

Quoted prices rarely cover everything. Delivery, collection, a pre-hire site survey, crane access for tight sites and utility hookups for water and power are common extras, and rates shift with season, distance from the depot and the specification of the unit itself. Commercial setups for events typically carry their own pricing structure, often needing 3-phase power and a formal site survey before a quote is confirmed.

Before booking, ask a provider:

  • What’s included in the daily or weekly rate, and what counts as an extra?
  • Is there a discount for hiring 8 weeks or more?
  • What are the driveway or access requirements for delivery?
  • Who handles the electrical and water connection, and is that cost included?
  • What’s the cancellation or extension policy if your build overruns?

DIY temporary kitchen setups: essential appliances, layout and meal strategies

If hiring a pod isn’t the right fit for your budget or site, a well-planned DIY setup can keep you cooking properly for weeks. The goal is a small, functional cluster of appliances in a spot with existing power and, ideally, water nearby.

A practical appliance list, based on what works for most households during a renovation cooker and fridge setup:

  1. A portable induction hob for real cooking without a gas or fixed electric connection.
  2. A toaster oven or air fryer for roasting, grilling and reheating.
  3. A microwave for speed and reheating leftovers.
  4. A small fridge to keep perishables safe and close at hand.
  5. A slow cooker for low-effort batch meals that need no attention during the day.

Pick a room away from the main work zone, such as a spare bedroom, utility room, conservatory or garage, and choose one with a hard, wipeable floor or lay down protective sheeting. Group the appliances along one wall near a socket, keep cables routed along skirting rather than across walkways, and store dry goods in sealed boxes to keep dust and pests out.

Meal strategy matters as much as kit. Lean on one-pot dishes, batch-cook meals you can reheat across several days, and keep a short rotation of simple recipes rather than trying to replicate a full kitchen repertoire. A compact “kitchen essentials” box, holding a kettle, a couple of pans, basic cutlery, chopping boards and cleaning supplies, means you’re not hunting through storage boxes every time you need to cook.

Pro Tip: Keep a washing-up bowl and drying rack permanently set up next to your water source so cleaning becomes a two-minute habit rather than a daily chore you put off.

Power, plumbing and safety: what professionals must handle

Not every part of a temporary kitchen is a DIY job. Under Part P of the Building Regulations, some electrical work in kitchens is notifiable and must be carried out or overseen by a competent electrician to meet BS 7671 wiring standards, and notifiable work should come with an Electrical Installation Certificate once finished.

Keep these points in mind before you plug anything in:

  • Don’t run a cooker-rated appliance, such as a full-size oven or induction hob, from a standard extension lead; overloaded leads are a common cause of tripped circuits and fire risk.
  • A temporary dedicated circuit, installed by a qualified electrician, is the safer option if you’re running several appliances from one area for weeks at a time.
  • Check the total load of your appliances against the circuit’s rating before you commit to a layout.
  • For plumbing, a temporary standpipe or an existing utility room tap usually covers washing-up needs without the cost of new pipework.
  • Keep a separate bowl or small basin for handwashing away from food-prep washing to reduce cross-contamination risk.

A kitchen rewire, where one’s needed, typically costs £800 to £2,500 depending on scope, with cooker circuits often pushing costs towards the higher end.

Space planning, dust control and hygiene while work is underway

Choosing the right location is the first decision that affects everything else. Pick a room with some physical separation from the work zone, reasonable access to power and water, and a door you can close against dust. Garages and outdoor setups need extra thought: check ventilation, protect appliances from damp, and avoid running cables across areas where trades are working.

Dust control keeps food and appliances safe and cuts down on cleaning:

  • Zip walls or taped-up polythene sheeting seal off the work zone from your cooking area.
  • HEPA extraction helps when sanding, cutting or demolition is underway nearby.
  • Sealed containers for dry goods and utensils stop fine dust settling on anything you’ll eat from.
  • A daily wipedown of surfaces and appliances, as recommended in guidance on temporary kitchens during a remodel, keeps grit out of your food.

Pro Tip: Set the temporary kitchen up one to two weeks before strip-out and test every appliance on the actual circuit you’ll be using, rather than discovering a tripped fuse on the first morning without a working kitchen.

Agree with your contractor in advance which services, such as water shut-offs or power isolation, might be interrupted and when, so you’re not caught out mid-cook.

Waste management and disposal methods in a temporary kitchen setup

A temporary kitchen produces the same food waste, packaging and washing-up water as any other, but without the bins and drainage built into a finished room. Keep a dedicated bin with a lid close to your cooking zone, lined and emptied daily, to avoid smells and pests building up in a confined space.

Food waste should go straight into your usual council collection or a sealed caddy rather than sitting in general building waste, which is often being skipped separately during a renovation. Washing-up water needs somewhere proper to go: pour it down an existing sink or outside drain rather than onto soil or a driveway, since greasy water left standing attracts pests and can smell within a day in warmer months.

Recycling still matters during a renovation. Keep a second small bin or box for cans, bottles and cardboard, and don’t let it merge with construction debris, since mixed waste is harder to sort and may affect what your contractor can legally dispose of through their own skip or waste carrier.

If your temporary kitchen sits in a garage or outbuilding with no easy drainage, a simple grey-water container that you empty into an indoor sink each evening avoids the need for any temporary pipework at all.

Safety considerations beyond electrical work: fire and ventilation

Electrical safety gets most of the attention, but fire risk and air quality matter just as much in a temporary setup. Keep a small fire extinguisher or fire blanket within reach of your cooking appliances, particularly if you’re using a portable induction hob or toaster oven on a surface that wasn’t designed for cooking.

Induction hob with nearby fire blanket

Ventilation becomes more important in an enclosed space like a garage, spare room or indoor capsule. Cooking without an extractor fan or open window lets steam, grease particles and carbon monoxide from any gas appliance build up faster than in a normal kitchen, so crack a window or door whenever you’re cooking, even in colder months.

Keep flammable materials, including cleaning products, packaging and dust sheets, away from the hob and toaster oven. A toaster oven or air fryer left running unattended on a cluttered surface is one of the more common causes of minor kitchen fires during renovations, so give each appliance clear space on a heatproof surface.

If you’re using a gas-powered portable appliance of any kind, make sure the room has adequate ventilation and never run it in a fully sealed space overnight.

Most domestic temporary kitchens don’t need planning permission, since a hired pod or an indoor DIY setup is considered temporary rather than a permanent structure. It’s worth checking this with your local planning department if your pod will sit on the driveway or front garden for several months, particularly if you live in a conservation area or your property has specific planning conditions attached.

Insurance is the detail that catches people out. Tell your home insurer before you set up a temporary kitchen, especially if it involves a hired pod on your property or new appliances and wiring inside the house. Some policies exclude cover for temporary structures or additional electrical installations unless you’ve declared them, which matters if a fire or water leak happens during the renovation period.

If you’re hiring a pod or container, check whether the provider’s own insurance covers the unit itself, or whether that liability sits with you as the hirer. For any notifiable electrical work, keeping the Electrical Installation Certificate on file supports both resale value and any future insurance claim, since it proves the work met current wiring standards.

Installation requirements and driveway access notes

Driveway pods are a popular choice precisely because they don’t usually need foundations, but they do need a flat, stable surface and enough room to manoeuvre into place. Most UK pod providers ask for a driveway roughly 5.2 to 5.9 metres long and around 2.4 metres wide to position a unit safely, so measure your own access before requesting a quote.

Delivery vehicles need a clear run to the installation point, which matters if your driveway has a tight turn, overhanging trees or a narrow gate. A pre-hire site survey, often included or offered as an add-on, catches these issues before the unit turns up and can’t be positioned.

Indoor capsules and flat pack units sidestep most outdoor access problems but bring their own dimension checks: door widths, ceiling height and floor load all need confirming before delivery, particularly for anything heavier than a standard appliance.

Tips for maintaining functionality during the transition

The gap between your old kitchen coming out and your new one going in is the point where most households slip into takeaway meals and frustration. Treat the temporary kitchen as a fixed milestone in your renovation schedule rather than an afterthought you’ll sort out once the fitters arrive.

Set your temporary kitchen up before demolition starts, not after, so you’ve got somewhere working the moment the old one disappears. Test every appliance on its actual power source in advance, confirm water access, and agree with your contractor exactly when utilities might be switched off during the build.

Keep your routine simple for the duration: a short rotation of meals, a consistent cleaning schedule, and a clear spot for everything you use daily. Small consistency beats an elaborate setup you only use for the first week.

Living through a refit: a lived perspective on surviving the transition

Simplify your meals and accept that this isn’t the moment for ambitious cooking. Keep a handful of favourite tools within reach rather than packing everything away, and treat the temporary kitchen as a genuine milestone in your renovation plan, with some slack built into the schedule for the inevitable delay.

— Esskay

A managed alternative if you’d rather coordinate it all in one place

If juggling pod hire, electricians and a building schedule sounds like more coordination than you want, a managed extension project folds the temporary kitchen question into the wider build timeline instead of leaving it as a separate job. We handle design, planning permission, architectural plans and construction for single-storey rear extensions as one in-house service, so the sequencing between your old kitchen coming out and the new one going in is planned from the start rather than worked out mid-project.

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What that looks like in practice:

  • An instant online quote and live 3D modelling so you can see the extension before committing to anything.
  • A fixed VAT-inclusive price agreed upfront.
  • Full project management from initial sketches to final sign-off.
  • A workmanship warranty once the build is complete.

If a single-storey rear extension is somewhere on your plans anyway, get an instant quote and see how the timeline, including any temporary kitchen period, fits together before you book.

FAQ

Is £20,000 enough for a kitchen?

Budget varies hugely by size, specification and whether structural work is involved, so there’s no single figure that fits every kitchen. For context on wider renovation costs that often run alongside a kitchen refit, our guide to extension cost per square metre covers typical budgeting ranges for related building work.

How do you build a summer kitchen?

A summer kitchen is typically an outdoor cooking space built for warmer months, often with a hob, worktop and storage under some form of shelter. It’s a different project from a temporary renovation kitchen, which is built for short-term indoor or driveway use while building work is underway rather than as a permanent outdoor feature.

What is a ghost kitchen?

A ghost kitchen is a commercial food-preparation space used only for delivery orders, with no dine-in seating or storefront for customers. It’s unrelated to a temporary kitchen setup during a home renovation, which is built for a household’s own day-to-day cooking rather than for a food business.

Do DIY kitchens come flat pack?

Yes, flat pack kitchen units are a common choice for both permanent and temporary setups, arriving as panels you assemble on site. For a temporary renovation kitchen, flat pack or modular units suit tight-access sites where a full driveway pod won’t fit, giving you an enclosed cooking area without needing outdoor space.

How much does it cost to hire a temporary kitchen?

Domestic temporary kitchen pod hire typically costs £70 to £150 per day or £350 to £800 per week, with most providers setting a minimum hire period of two to four weeks. Booking a temporary kitchen for a longer period generally results in a lower weekly cost compared to short emergency hires.

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