Kitchens – how much?!

My wife and I have finally bought a house and whilst most of it just needs a lick of paint to refresh it, the kitchen needs a revamp. I’m talking new units, appliances, re-skim of the walls and artex ceiling, flooring etc etc. We’re taking advantage of the free design services of the normal high street stores (i.e. Wickes) as well as getting more local kitchen stores in to design/quote. We’re also considering getting a kitchen delivered and getting a local fitter to do all the graft. I’m guessing we will get a range of quotations but I’m expecting anything from £7k – £14k.

Having never done this before, I have absolutely no idea what is reasonable or what the pitfalls are of buying a new kitchen. Unfortunately, I gave neither the time nor the skill to do any of the hard work myself, except maybe taking out the old kitchen with a sledgehammer!

Anyone got any tips on how to get a decent kitchen at a reasonable price?

TIA.

Do not use the fitting service offered by the supplier. Get your own workmen in to do it.

How big is the kitchen? Whereabouts in the country are you?

I think your range for quotes looks about right

I really recommend Ikea. For around £50 they come to your house for a 2hr slot and measure up and put it all in their design programme. You can then buy the kitchen and fit independently or pay them to fit it for you. Ball park figures of £8 to £12K all in sounds about right. Ikea warranty all the work and give all gas & electrrical certs. If bits are missing they sort it all instantly, takes a lot of hassle out the process.

PS – Ikea sub out the work to trained local kitchen fitters.

Thanks both. The kitchen is approx 3.5m x 3.5m and we’re looking at a U shape layout. It also has a similar sized room attached to the side which would require plastering and some lighting but no cabinets. Ikea are on the list of potential suppliers though I’ve heard issues about their warranty not being worth the paper its written on….though the same can be found for just about any supplier it seems! Oh, and our new place is just outside Bristol.

I would back up TJ on the fitting.
With that in mind, plan a long way in advance, and find a good and recommended fitter.
Everyone in our area is busy, only the less reliable lower quality tradesmen are available at shorter notice.
Get one booked in and then organise the delivery of the kitchen.
Howdens is a good option, they are supposedly Trade Only so your fitter should be able to sort this for you.
Trades men like Howdens as they get the discount and pass on what they want to you, also the base units come already assembled.
This also means that you need to get your ducks in a row as they take up loads of space…

DIY Kitchens gets my vote. You need to find and employ your own tradesmen but kitchens are really easy to fit.

Take advantage of a free design service (Howdens were good for this) and then copy the ideas you get with DIY Kitchens.

I just ordered a kitchen from Howdens. In fact it’s sat in the conservatory as won’t be fitted until later in the month.

Kitchen units, integrated dishwasher and free standing fridge freezer, £4k. 25 year warranty.

Carpenter I know and trust to fit fit £800-900.

Same quotes around a year ago were £7-8k but seem to have come down in price.

Ooh,we’ve just done this.

As you’d expect the cost can vary massively depending on what you choose for things like worktops and appliances, quality of cabinets,hinges fittings etc.

Your price range looks about right to me though. The top end price should get you good appliances, nice quartz or granite worktops, high quality doors and cabinets, blum soft close hinges etc

We ended up using Howdens for the cabinets,doors,fittings etc. Appliances from various suppliers on the Internet (ie whoever was cheap for what we wanted) worktops from a local stone place. Fitting by brother in law.

Howdens don’t officially sell direct to public, but we found it pretty easy to open a trade account with them and order everything ourselves.

It’s an absolute minefield out there though, and very confusing

We were initially quoted £26k for what we wanted by a local one stop kitchen shop, in the end it cost about 13k by doing it in the way I described above.

Also, not sure how old your house is, but ours (built in 1930s) is wonky as anything,and doesn’t have a straight wall anywhere, which made fitting a nightmare.

This is all encouraging stuff! Howdens is on the list as well though we were put off by the need to go via an intermediary tradesman; interesting to hear you managed to set up a trade account.

Also, that’s the second recommendation for DIY kitchens…they look very good, if a little complicated!

I have this headache coming up next year on current trajectory of renovations. What with personal changes in circumstance, I’m actually thinking of just selling the house instead.

Any fitter or builder will have a Howdens account.
Discounts from list vary up to 90% but Howdens will ask the fitter if they want to add a markup.

Here’s one I did recently, similar size to yours in a U shape. I think all units and appliances came to £1600 inc VAT

Just tell howdens that you’re a private landlord, looking to refit a couple of your houses. They’ll open you an account no problem

I fitted our kitchen (inc Elec, plumbing and Gas) and it really wasn’t difficult at all…

Came with instructions which I followed and it all worked out fine. Made a bit of the mess of the grouting, but covered the tiles in photos so you don’t notice….

Kitchen by Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr

We just did this using b and q
If you do the same do not accept their first price. We designed at easter and after not ordering immediately, they rang me a couple of weeks later with an offer to close the deal. I got all appliances (cooker, hob, dishwasher and fridge) free! It reduced the cost of the kitchen by almost £2k!

Then got a local fitter to fit.

If you have kids or dogs then stay away from high gloss stuff, it scratches easily and shows every fingerprint

On a similar note, earstone worktops look good but stain really easily, especially with tea or blackurrent squash. Once stained the only way to get the finish back is to sand the top down again.

Your price range is correct. As has been said find your own fitter and do not expect him to be available straight away. It could take you some time to find one but it will be worth it. Howdens are ok but not the bargain they used to be. Diy have good reputation. Ikea cannot be beaten on price and the quality is not bad either. But there are many other smaller quality brands that a good fitter will know about. Find a good fitter before the kitchen as he will give you good unbiased advise that is based on practical experience.A salesman/designer is always trying to sell you something.Ignore special offers and free dishwashers they are a con.Hope this one helpful . I have fitted kitchens good living for the last 30 years .There is only one make I will not fit and that is W…s.

Another recommendation for diy kitchens. My fitter rated the build quality. Lots of choice and you can colour match units to farrow and ball colours if you want. It is tricky working out which panels you need but my kitchen guy just gave me a list.
My tip would be to sort the floor at the same time and plaster as early as possible.

We went with Howden’s via a local fitter for cabinets, worktops and appliances came from elsewhere. Couple of years on still really pleased with it. Much depends on finding the right person to work with. I would personally try to avoid the one stop shops that provide their own fitters.

Thanks everyone, some very useful tips there. Good to see that the names we were considering have been recommended and that I’m roughly in the right ball park on price. Think I’m going to heed the advice to find a decent local fitter and see what they recommend. Time wise, we’re not expecting anything to materialise within 6 months anyway.

Fatbikedog: don’t happen to work around Brizzle? Happy to do an STW discounted rate, yeah??! 😉

Fatbikedog: serious question from my wife, why would you recommend against using the kitchen supplier that shall not be named?

Get a larger kitchen sink rather than the standard size like the above. Save you time having to mop up the floor later on. 😛

The two pics above have rather large kitchen but tiny kitchen sink. Are those designed by people who don’t cook? 🙄

I am more than happy with my ikea units. Been in over a long time now

IKEA kitchens are great. The units are deeper than average plus the base units go closer to the ground, 8cm iirc which gives you more cupboard space too. Plus the hanging rail method of install makes it a doddle to fit.

We fit probably 10 to 15 kitchen a year as part of our main building work, and just to second what fatbikedog said, we won’t have anything to do with the firm he almost mentions, not that the quality is so very different from some other budget kitchens, more to do with the appalling after sales service when there are problems with damaged/ missing parts.
(And there almost always are)

What do you do in your sink chewk ? Throw sexy parties ?

My sink currently has pride of place at the window so you can stand and look out vacantly as the dishwasher does the dishes.

My remodel has the dining table by the window and a small sink in the back wall

Kitchen fitter here. Absolutely nothing wrong with Wickes kitchens as far as I’m concerned. Nearly every kitchen cabinet out there is made from 18mm melamine faced chipboard and it always surprises me when people get snooty about where the kitchen came from. As mentioned before, Howdens cabinets come ready built as opposed to flat-pack which helps a fair bit and Wickes do an off-the-shelf range (as well as their normal range) which is in 15mm but apart from these they’re all fairly similar.
If buying from Ikea don’t use their worktop cutting service as they often don’t allow for details such as decor end panels and so they come up short. They also cut them based on a square room ,which is never the case, whereas a kitchen fitter will make them up to fit the actual walls of the kitchen allowing for any run out.
Hope this helps.

trail_rat – Member
What do you do in your sink chewk ? Throw sexy parties ?

Cleaning 12 inches to 14 inches woks the traditional way with bamboo brush. 😛

If the wok cannot go into the sink with a bit of space to spare then it is very inconvenient. 😀

I have many different size woks and chopping boards too.

Did this last year but ended up having a family friend who owns a kitchen company do ours. That said we had stopped around first and learned some lessons:
1. Fitter make or breaks your kitchen. A good fitter will make almost any cabinet look great. Here is where to spend cash.
2. Big sink! I’ve got family in the US and grew up there so may be biased here. We went with a Blanco Silgranit one which family in the states have. Bought on Amazon for 250 ish. It’s bombproof.
3. If you go for painted cabinets consider having them painted in situ. They come primed (almost looking finished) and get brushed on site. Yes it’s more expensive but when they need touching up it’s easier to do and not obvious unlike with pre sprayed units
4. Don’t be pressed into a design that bludgeons a manufacturer’s units into your space. Howdens did this for us initially and the design just didn’t really work.

Apologies, ignore me, no experience of Wickes, it’s the other firm that begins with w we have had issues with?

infidel – Member
2. Big sink! I’ve got family in the US and grew up there so may be biased here. We went with a Blanco Silgranit one which family in the states have. Bought on Amazon for 250 ish. It’s bombproof.

This man knows his cooking! 😛

Sink – Blanco u-line

How long is a piece of string 😉

Kitchen refits vary enormously depending upon unit quality and as TJ hinted where in the country you are (labour costs, markup etc). What’s interesting (stunning) is when you hear what developers pay when fitting say 10, 20, 30 … kitchens.

All that being said the top end of your budget should get you something pretty nice with quality appliances.

Be nice to chew, he is only speaking his opinion. Without getting drawn into being accused of racial sterio types its my experience that Asian kitchens tend to have rather large sinks. I imagine Chew would agree hence his post.

Alpha 1653
I am in Monmouth so can get to North Bristol but I do it to earn a living. W…s kitchens are poor quality and even poorer after sales service. I am sure you can work out who it is. Not Wrens.

Brizzle based here and looking at new kitchens too. Current one is IKEA and strongly considering them again but also looking at Howdens. They’re coming round on Friday to do a design measuring thing.

Tall wall cabinets that go right* to the ceiling give a lot of extra hidden, dust-free storage space.

Really think about the layout and how YOU (not a kitchen “designer”) use the space. Our kitchen is tiny, but still room for multiple people doing different things e.g someone washing up, someone making brews, someone else cooking etc. Same for dishwasher location – washers with cutlery drawers are really handy, even more so if that drawer opens directly adjacent to the kitchen cutlery drawer for unloading.

I’ve been very impressed with our Ikea kitchen which is now coming up to 10yrs old – especially with quality of things like drawers, runners and taps (compared to similar priced B&Q stuff elsewhere that I’ve just had to repair).

*stop just short of the ceiling and use a narrow infill piece or doors might rub on a wonky ceiling.

Tall wall cabinets that go right* to the ceiling give a lot of extra hidden, dust-free storage space.

Although if you’re in an old house, you may have quite a slope to contend with…

FBD: small world, I’m from Chepstow / schooled in Monmouth. To be fair, Mon to Bristol’s probably a bit far but thanks for the advice!

Howdens are good. Just bought my son a kitchen for 6K, Magnet not bad either as that’s what I have.
Must admit I prefer the Magnet worktops although Howdens now do Granit.

Alpha 1653. Yes small world. I was brought up in Bristol.

Other plus point about Howdens is that it’s all in stock, so next day pick up or delivery on full kitchens and you can just pop in for bits.
As said above, they’re not quite as cheap as they used to be.
I’ve heard good things about Benchmarx, might be worth a look.