Obtaining & Installation of new Kitchen

mookeymat

Hi,

Really hoping someone can give me some decent advice / confidence. Am looking to get my kitchen replaced in my flat - not a particularly large kitchen but the kitchen is a slightly odd shape & the current units/applicances were obviously the cheapest going at the time it was built & definitely no real thought was put into the best layout to make best use of the space.

I am a complete no-hoper when it comes to anything resembling diy/planning/designing etc & I also am extremely unconfident when dealing with anything such as this.

What I want is basically for someone who knows what they are doing to have a look at the current state of play & say what I would be best having or what I could have taking into account the kitchen layout.. A friend suggested getting someone from B&Q or Magnet out & getting them to look at the kitchen & getting a plan drawn up which I can than keep. The intention is not necessarily to buy the items/installation from either of the companies but to use the plan to show a kitchen fitter what I want in the hope that he can get me the items at trade price etc or that I can perhaps purchase the items perhaps cheaper elsewhere. Would either B&Q or Magnet charge me a fee for such a plan?

Would this seem a sensible / doable course of action? I dont have a huge amount of money so obviously like everyone else am trying to obtain the best at the lowest possible price.

Once i have resolved the above I need to find a reliable fitter, I live in SE London so London prices always are a bit higher than elsewhere in the UK - any suggestions as to where to obtain the best fitter? It would need to be someone who could meet all the necessary regulations & who could undertake plumbing, electrical, tiling or who has access to someone.

Any help would be really appreciated, I probably sound like a total donkey but I really do get quite anxious about these types of things.

Thanks

phill99

Hi Monkeymat. Don't apologise for sounding like a donkey. What you have said in your post is a range of resonable queries/questions. So you are not a Donkey at all!

Getting a kitchen fitted is normally the most significant home improvement project that home owners undertake. So you are right to ask questions and achieve what you want. If it is done properly, it will last for years, but if it is done wrongly, you will be p...ed off for years to come.

Magnets, B & Q and Howdens do a free design service and you are not obligated to buy from them. Your idea to get them to look at your kitchen is absolutely fine. But don't be pressured into buying from them.

Do you actually need to replace the whole kitchen? Are the carcasses serviceable? Could you get away with new doors and worktops etc? Or do you want to remodel the kitchen completely to give you more space/worksurface/storage?

Once you have a plan from whoever, you need to get a decent fitter that can coordinate all the work for you. There is a logical sequence to fitting a kitchen, and if you get it wrong, it will cost you! So having somebody in that can assist will save you money and hassle in the long run.

Appliance etc are always cheaper on the internet - there is a lot of competetion in this market, which is a boon for purchasers.

mookeymat

Thanks so much for your positive reply!!!! Funnily enough I was also thinking of Howdens as I have seen them mentioned a fair few times on here. Am assuming that if I decided to go with Howdens I would need to find a fitter with an account with them as I believe they only sell trade?

The carcasses are not too bad & I have thought that it would be a cheaper option to perhaps just alter the doors etc but the layout of the kitchen is not fantastic, the worktop is the cheapest thing you have ever seen but I will certainly take into account the advice you have given me.

thanks again!

phill99

Apologies for spelling yr name wrong! Think I'm the donkey!

CB1979_2

B&Q online do a kitchen planner facility too.
a bit cumbersome, but if you wanted to have a quick play then it's fairly decent.

just need the dimensions and away you go.

but i played around with it, then just took my dims into B&Q they designed it (pretty much copied what i had done anyway) and then i took that to howdens for a price too.

booty40uk

Hi mookeymat

Here is a reasonable online planner if you fancy a go yourself.

http://www.wrenkitchens.com/help/kitchen-planner

Best of luck

Andy

robrebrab

You could have a B&Q planner out but they will not leave you with the plan if you haven't made a committment to buy. Why should they do all the hard work for someone else to benefit.....

CB1979_2

go IN to the store, they gave me all the print outs & dims, etc.

pimento

robrebrab wrote: »

You could have a B&Q planner out but they will not leave you with the plan if you haven't made a committment to buy. Why should they do all the hard work for someone else to benefit.....

However, if you can take measurements and go into the store, they will give you the plan. I did this a couple of weeks ago.

I also went into Wickes (who were better) and they also gave e the plan, and IKEA who were wonderful.

I ended up with Howdens who did come to my home.

I've gone from knowing zero about kitchens to replying to thread offering advice in about a fortnight!

Meepster

Any designer who has any common sense, will make a slight adjustment to one or two of the unit sizes on their plan, so if you take it elsewhere and order it from the plan, it wont fit.

So double check anything you take away...

Colour_Republic

As a kitchen fitter myself I would advise you find a fitter first and then get them to do you a couple of designs rather than getting a store to do one. Stores have set unit sizes and some offer a larger range of sizes than others. A decent kitchen fitter will be aware of the different ranges and also with awkward spaces he (or she) would also be able to offer custom made units to make use of every available space.

Any kitchen fitter should do this all free of charge, they may also be able to source the kitchen for you at a cheaper price than you would pay. Howden’s are not my favourite kitchen as the trade ones are of fairly low spec (carcasses, hinges, drawers).

Finding a decent kitchen fitter is another matter. IMO it's a waste of time getting a fitter from B&Q and the likes as the store will add a percentage to the fitting fee, you could try some independent kitchen studios which although in general the fitting is of high quality, the products they offer tend to be in the high price brackets. The best way is still to ask friends and family who are happy with their kitchens and you can see firsthand. Failing that look locally and ask some fitters to come out and see how knowledgeable they are about different products on the market, personally I would stay away from anybody that only offers kitchens by one retailer but offers you choice. The fitter may have a preference with one type of kitchen because they are happy with the quality of it, but should tell you the pro's and con's for each one.

The fitter should be knowledgeable about the products and advise you

i.e. IKEA kitchens do not have a service void behind the carcasses meaning any service may have to be re-directed under the units or through the carcases itself, Howden’s kitchens do not come with soft-close or metal drawer boxes as standard, some B&Q kitchens are 15mm board rather than standard 18mm, some kitchens come with a hardboard back, some are 8mm/10mm/18mm etc. etc.

Personal choice for me in the mid-range price bracket are Wickes kitchens although your kitchen fitter should be able to buy the kitchen from Wickes suppliers which do not have the 6 weeks lead time and in addition the units come pre-assembled not flat packed which can add to install costs because of the time spent building the units.

Good luck