We’ve decided to replace the 30yr old kitchen in our new house and have chosen DIY Kitchens, based on good reviews and huge choice on their website. I don’t mind planning it slowly and getting it together over a few months, but as they’ve 10% off until 11th September we need to get it ordered asap. Trying to keep it under £10k, but we’ve got a big room (about 5 x 3.5m) to fill. I’ll do most of the fitting myself.

Things we still need to decide:

Worktops. We want quality, so no laminate. Any advice? Wood? Granite? Something else?

Appliances. Anyone recommend a good place for a hob/fridge freezer/extractor/oven? Any brands we should look out for/avoid? Will second hand bits from ebay look crap in a shiny new kitchen?

Flooring. My mum and dad have flotex which feels lovely, lasts well and is warm. However, it’s a bit old fashioned. Any good alternatives?

Any other general tips gratefully received.

Cheers
Bita

Ygm

Quality tops, wood, granite or corian or something similar.
Appliances – boots the chemist or the coop, there all selling them!
Second hand – as long as there’re clean go for it.
Some of the cushion/vinyl floors look pretty good but you need a good flat base for them.

IMO/E

You will get the best deal if you shop around and are prepared to stick to standard units (eg no fancy larder cupboards)
I would focus on new appliances as second hand do tend to look gruby
Worktops we had wood and it was a PITA with ongoing maintenance. Granite is great but generally expensive, I’d rather have top quality laminate and decent appliances.
Floor is another item with mind boggling choice. Make sure its durable as kitchen floors have a tough life.

http://www.worktop-express.co.uk if you go for solid wood.

Granite not as durable as you might think, it marks scratches and stains and more or less everything dropped on it breaks. Also factor in a high fitting cost, as it usually requires on site adaption even when cut offsite to make it fit right.

I’d look at faux granite type surfaces but couldn’t find any cheap enough so went with wood and the faff of oiling etc.

Ikea units are non standard widths and seem to dictate their own integrated appliances for the fit to be right. from my experience of them (their sales and planning experience), I would avoid.

I might have a Bosch ceramic hob and double oven going in a few weeks 😀
.. but I would consider going new whilst the coffers are open

Good choice on using DIY kitchens, I used them in December and cant praise them highly enough. Quality was way better than the competition and the cost lower.

We ended up going for a granite top, if you shop around, you can get some good deals. I have to say it gives the kitchen a real quality finish that you wont get with laminate and without the ongoing maintenance of wood. My opinion would be to spend the money on granite rather than fancy appliances.

Very much my personal opinion, but here goes.

Built in appliances are a pain in the arse to deal with when they break/need adjusting/stuff leaks down behind etc. Get free standing so you can just yank them out of the slot when needed rather than have to dismantle the bastard things out of carcasses and worktops.

Thanks for the advice folks.

hooli – where did you buy the granite from? Do you think there is much difference in quality? Is it worth getting samples in?

Jamb – got my mind set on a fancy pull out larder, and the mrs wants some rounded units which really put the price up.

Brassneck – let me know if you’re selling the hob and oven. Pretty sure the wife will want new though.

russ – ta mate

Granite not as durable as you might think, it marks scratches and stains and more or less everything dropped on it breaks. Also factor in a high fitting cost, as it usually requires on site adaption even when cut offsite to make it fit right.

We’ve been very lucky then with ours over the last 14 years.
No stains or scratches and no adaptation required. I suspect there’s different qualities of granite and some feel ‘softer/plasticy’ compared to ours.
That said we did use a company that knows what they’re doing.

Built in appliances are a pain in the arse to deal with when they break/need adjusting/stuff leaks down behind etc. Get free standing so you can just yank them out of the slot when needed rather than have to dismantle the bastard things out of carcasses and worktops.

Well said , thats why white goods are white so they blend in with any colour, if it breaks take it out and oput another one in, fridges and freezers also generate a lot of heat from the compressor and cooling coil and all that heat is trapped behind the units, and behind a wooden door.

Wooden worktops look good but need regular oiling, granite the same to stop getting stained .

We got the granite from somewhere called Granite zone, they are an online company with fitters but no showroom. The job was average – not sure I would use them again but you cant argue with their prices and you don’t pay until it is done and you are happy.

I refused to pay and got them to replace a piece as I wasn’t happy but maybe that was a 1 off?

I would get samples for sure, things look very different in your own house with different lighting to a showroom or computer screen.

I supply or supply and fit kitchens full time. if i was pricing a £10k kitchen and told the punter to get free standing appliances they’d chase me out of the house! Everyone wants them hidden some how.
Yes they’re more hassle to get out but if fitted correctly it’s only an hours work to swap a dishwasher or a washing machine etc.
If your thinking of granite, use a local supplier. Good granite isn’t cheap. Expect to pay about £400 per linear metre (600mm square edged) and £30 for upstands, plus cut outs, sink holes and grooves.
I’ve got granite and it’s fine, it’s been in about 7 years and if it was laminate, it probably would be looking to be replaced by now.
Curved units and pull outs mmmmmm……….. It’s going to cost!

We’ve just had ours done, first time I’ve not done it myself, go new with the appliances, don’t cut corners with the work tops as they are what you see the most. And get one gadget at least!. There are lots of good granite places out there but it ain’t cheap!!

Just finished putting all the units on the DIY Kitchens website and it’s come out at just under £4500 for about 8 base units, 7 tall units and 2 wall units. This is including fancy pull out bits and curves. Sounds reasonable and should look good.

We have about 4 linear metres of worktop to buy, so would £2k cover this including cut outs etc? I like the idea of having a round butchers block integrated on the end of one of the worktops too.

Easily, and decent appliances too!

We just replaced our kitchen with the new system from Ikea, and it was amazing to fit. You fit a rail along the wall to a level height and then all the units just hang on it and slide together, level front to back with screw legs at the front and that’s it. Really happy with it, we got the new worktops they are doing which is chipboard centre but with real oak laminate on the surface. It is a pain to oil but I haven’t devoted the right amount of time to doing it, once done a few times it should be okay.
I bought a secondhand Siemens double oven for £95 off the bay, like new! Retailed at over £1000 new and it is immaculate. I also bought a Neff cooker hood which was also immaculate for £60. Both look great and saved a fortune

Built in appliances are a pain in the arse to deal with when they break/need adjusting/stuff leaks down behind etc. Get free standing so you can just yank them out of the slot when needed rather than have to dismantle the bastard things out of carcasses and worktops.

You also get a better selection with free standing, larger fridges and they cost less…….

Just because the baying public make you fit spec them russ doesnt make them good.

Freestanding for the smart money.

Spending 2 hours pulling my parents rather expensive fridge(howdens) out on chrismas day because it was over heating wasnt fun.

My twopeneth. My wife was determined to get white granite worktops. Everyone tried to talk her out of it including me but we got them anyway. I have to say, she was right. All you need to do is wipe them if you spill something nasty like tea or wine on them. Apart from that we give them no special treatment and a year later they still look pristine.

Flooring, personally I’d only ever put tiles in a kitchen.

My only word of warning for new kitchen stuff is… My wife, lord bless her, was convinced we needed a belfast sink. Now it’s in, I’ll agree it looks great. The problem is when you come to use it. For small people it’s fine, their little legs don’t bring their hands too high up so they can comfortably use the sink. For normal sized people the base of the sink is a long way away and if I spend any period of time washing things up in it, my back starts to ache as I end up stooping over the thing.

Had granite for ten years now and it still looks great. You just have to be aware of what not to put on it, which is really just anything with sand/grit attached. Ive got a free standing 1100mm range cooker, a free standing american style fridge which all seem to look okay to me.

also look at Porcelain tile flooring 600mm sq but although glossy look good, they are VERY slippery when wet, so go for honed.

If your near IKEA keep an eye out in the reduced bit near the tills. Microwaves, ovens, extractors, dishwashers all appear in there and I think a lot of them are made by German manufacturers like Whirlpool.

Also, stainless steel sinks, taps and stuff.

German manufacturers like whirlpool the american company who prides them selves on their kit being usa COE ?

I didn’t say they were better, I said everyone wants them hidden.
On a percentage of kitchens I fit , 9 out of 10 want hidden (be it free standing behind doors or inter grated)
Apart from American style fr/fz’s
My w/m and t/d are hidden in an 800mm tower unit because I also think free standing are better, but my other half didn’t want to see them and niether did I.

Overheating is often caused by not following the manufactures instructions on adequate ventilation.

Does anyone know a quartz fitter and/or supplier in the Southampton area?

Cheers