Kitchens...

Teledude

Teledude

Teledude

Soldato
Joined
4 Dec 2003
Posts
2,847
Ok after our first house purchase falling through :mad: we think we may have found another :)

It needs a new kitchen soon'ish which is fine, as I am warming to the idea of kitchen gadgets :D

Anyone had any experience of this recently - and who did you use?!

Seems even Tesco do kitchens now, although they resell a brand and by all accounts can be very good, and they are prepared to do a deal :)
Looking at Magnet etc too....
 
[FnG]magnolia;23828736 said:
Value of property?
Budget to spend?
Size of kitchen?
Requirements of kitchen?
Click to expand...

300k
whatever it costs to put a smart kitchen in - could go 20k if needed with appliances :)
11x8'3 - not the biggest space but I think it could still work :)
To look good / be functional...
 
20k and tesco in the same thread

Behave

Dont even think about.. Howdens, magnet etc.

Bespoke is the way to go. Then you can have it exactly how YOU want it.

Bespoke Doesn't have to equal expensive either.

I'm having a bespoke handmade Kitchen fitted in a house renovation complete with solid oak worktops and belfast sink for less than Howdens can supply (And I have a trade account with Howdens)
 
mattyg said:
20k and tesco in the same thread

Behave

Dont even think about.. Howdens, magnet etc.

Bespoke is the way to go. Then you can have it exactly how YOU want it.

Bespoke Doesn't have to equal expensive either.

I'm having a bespoke handmade Kitchen fitted in a house renovation complete with solid oak worktops and belfast sink for less than Howdens can supply (And I have a trade account with Howdens)
Click to expand...

Who are you using if you don't mind me asking??

Im a DIY n00b so could be dangerous without guidance :D
 
I'm using

http://www.fkbnw.co.uk/

But there are hundreds around

When you walk down the high st and see an independant bespoke kitchen showroom chances are they are getting them made by a local kitchen manufacturer. Those manufacturers also supply and fit for themselves. So cutting out the middle man.

I may be able to get a recommendation if you let me know what area your in
 
Definitely good advice from mattyg. The big name high street places are useless - no decent design ideas and extortionate prices. For example the kitchen I'm about to get fitted is better quality and contains about a third more units than the one Magnet priced for me and I'm paying less than the magnet quote.

A decent fitter with links to a manufacturer is the way to go. That way the carcasses actually fit the space without you having to resort to filler panels.

the trick is finding a decent guy near you...
 
One bit of advice, don't skimp on electrical sockets, plan your layout, then confirm everything with the boss.

The times I have wired out a kitchen, & have it fully fitted & tiled, etc, only to have the boss, saying should have had another socket here & here.
 
Shelves

Try and get extra shelves in the cupboards. My bugbear with our old kitchen was the massive amount of wasted space unless you piled stuff up really high. Our new wall units are (a standard?) 90cm high, but I've got 3 shelves in there - so including the bottom that's 4 spaces each around 20cm for stuff.

Avoid granite worktops if you like take-away curry. The first spill of hot turmeric laced oil will stain them permanently :)

Avoid the chains like the plague:

- Useless designs. Filler panels everywhere.
- Useless fitters.
- Massive mark-up to pay for the salespeople and flashy showroom.
- Flatpack units.

For "toys" ask yourself are you *really* going to use it. An indoor BBQ and built-in coffee maker sound cool - but unless you're going to use them everyday it's wasted money.

You need a good local guy / small firm. Get recommendations and ideally see their work - if a tradesman is any good they will have some friendly customers who are willing to let you see their handiwork.
 
peterwalkley said:
Try and get extra shelves in the cupboards. My bugbear with our old kitchen was the massive amount of wasted space unless you piled stuff up really high.
Click to expand...

Been looking around for some Pull Out Storage baskets to use in one of my base cupboards, instead of shelves.

Can get four or five baskets in the unit, will make full use of the space.

Already have a pull out larder unit, amazing how much it holds.
 
bitslice said:
If you are doing this, varnish the wood shelves they sit on.
One mouldy vegatable that goes wet will make a stain you can't remove.
Click to expand...

I'm getting baskets similar to these.

pull-out-baskets.jpg
 
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