New Kitchen

Dolly said:
We initially looked elsewhere as we didn't necessarily want the hassle of measuring and ordering the units ourselves. However every single kitchen company we went to sent someone out to measure and they all had different measurements(!) - some were way off! In the end, and mostly because we found a very good fitter, we decided to do it ourselves. The fitter has been great and checked our order and pointed out a few things which helped (e.g. the required gap for units either side of the hood where there is a gas hob). We mocked up some plans using a free online CAD website, marked it up and ordered. No major bumps in the road as yet(!).
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If i used them i would be looking to fit it myself. Its things like the units come in say 1000mm or 500mm, what if your space is 1200mm. What fills that gap.
 
As TheCrow says, filler panels are used if the space can't be used another way. E.g. If you have a 3130mm wall, you may put your cooker in (-1100 plus any required space either side), a corner unit (-1130) and then you've got 900mm to fill (either a 600mm unit and 200mm spice rack or two smaller units). There are a lot of options on DIY kitchens and we used the CAD website to play around with what we thought would work best. There's also a load of 'how to' and 'faqs' on DIY kitchens website which we found was helpful (e.g. Measuring corner posts to ensure you don't have an overhang and clash with your door handles when opening cupboards).
 
hood1971 said:
We had out kitchen done by intoto recently and whilst the kitchen and units are lovely the service we got was not great. Found that we were doing most of the project managing and having to work from home most of the time, as each contractor did not seem to know what needed to be done. I think they are a franchise so each store might have different service.
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Cheers for the info. After some people mentioned on here DiyKitchens I looked into them and probably would actually go for them.

Feel pretty confident I can fit a kitchen, get the floors level etc. Only thing I'll get someone in to certify is the gas and probably electrics (although have help here).
 
UPDATE:

DIY kitchen arrived all present and correct.



Electrics all moved to make way for the Range:



Getting there:

 
Yes - tempted but just couldn't find the time between when the fitter was here. They're all painted now though - we managed the utility before the units went in and the left hand wall in the main kitchen which made it easier.
 
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I should also add that the walls are being tiled up to the units and so the paintwork is really only above the units and around the rest of the utility and doors.
 
Looks fantastic, a big upgrade.

I was all set for DIY Kitchens but I just couldn't persuade my Mrs that I would be able to get the measurements right. We have an 18 cabinet kitchen so there is plenty of room for error.

In the end I got Magnet to price match DIY kitchens so at least we have some come back. They will also send someone over to measure up and make sure everything is spot on.
 
Dolly said:
Small update: work starts tomorrow so thought I'd post a before photo:



NB: the kitchen isn't usually this bare - there has been a big clear out!
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If this was your current kitchen I hope you haven't just skipped it. What a waste of perfectly good units and appliances if you have.
 
I just ripped out my 23 year old Magnet kitchen and sold it for several hundred on Gumtree. I was amazed at the number of people who were interested.
 
danlightbulb said:
If this was your current kitchen I hope you haven't just skipped it. What a waste of perfectly good units and appliances if you have.
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I agree. That looks as if it should have some life left. Infact it looks like your typical inoffensive new build kitchen.

That would be an upgrade for many people, mine included in it's current state!
 
Adam said:
I agree. That looks as if it should have some life left. Infact it looks like your typical inoffensive new build kitchen.

That would be an upgrade for many people, mine included in it's current state!
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Donated cabinets to some friends and we've kept most of the appliances (only the oven has been replaced).

Original kitchen just wouldn't have been our choice and didn't have enough cupboard space. I also hated the worktop!
 
ash_scotland88 said:
how did you get on with DIY kitchens? I like some of their stuff but would be so worried about miss measuring or forgetting some small but important feature.
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I found their customer service to be very good and also went to their showroom and went through the plans with one of their sales people which helped a bit. We made one error which was the cupboards either side of the extractor hood needed to be slightly smaller due to regulatory requirements (which we hadn't realised until our fitter told us) and so had to re-order 2 units. We've been able to re-use the "wasted" units elsewhere in the utility room and so it's all worked out in the end.
 
Felix said:
What requirements is that?
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The designed at Magnet mentioned something similar to us as well. I don't know the exact rules but you are restricted by which cabinets you are permitted to use around the hob for safety reasons.
 
Felix said:
I can imagine there are restrictions either side of a hob but restrictions next to an extractor?
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I think the units above a hob have to be a certain height, and width away from the hob below.

40cm comes to mind but I can't recall in which axis..
 
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