Cooke & Lewis Kitchen - Do I or Don't I?

lkalka

Adrian, that sounds great (sorry to hijack the thread but I think it was already going that way).

A couple of questions....which tap did you go for (is the seller still selling them)?

Also the sinks. Would you recommend any of the ones you bought.As you can probably guess I'm going through a simliar process.

I'm after worktop as well....was the b&q one a decent quality?

ragingbull

Many thanks for all responses. Think I'll shop around a bit more first before making any firm decisions.

adrian_bond

lkalka wrote: »

Adrian, that sounds great (sorry to hijack the thread but I think it was already going that way).

A couple of questions....which tap did you go for (is the seller still selling them)?

Also the sinks. Would you recommend any of the ones you bought.As you can probably guess I'm going through a simliar process.

I'm after worktop as well....was the b&q one a decent quality?

hi lkalka ,

the tap was from acompnay on ebay called venice bath.
http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/venice_bath

the tap isnt on there anymore im afriad, but it is exactly the same as the B and q one here; http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9996621&fh_view_size=150&fh_start_index=0&fh_eds=%3f&fh_location=%2f%2fcatal!!!1%2fen_GB%2fcategories%3c%7b9372014%7d%2fcategories%3c%7b9372039%7d%2fcategories%3c%7b9372150%7d%2fspecificationsProductType%3done_hole_taps%2fspecificationsSpecificProductType%3dhigh_neck_taps&fh_refview=lister&ts=1272356703058&isSearch=false

the b and q one is £180. the ebay one was £35. lol. came with all the fittngs too (braded pipes).

the sinks were the standard versions of these; http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9996650&fh_view_size=150&fh_eds=%3f&fh_location=%2f%2fcatal!!!1%2fen_GB%2fcategories%3c%7b9372014%7d%2fcategories%3c%7b9372039%7d%2fcategories%3c%7b9372150%7d%2fspecificationsProductType%3dstainless_steel_sinks&fh_refview=lister&ts=1272356823547&isSearch=false

we have the drainer, and the sink inset into the worktop (not undermount as these ones are). they were £28 in an end of isle sale about a year ago in b and q. they are still in there occasionally so shop about. You need to buy all the pipe work so allocate another £30 for that to. (b and q are thieves!).

we made a bit of a mistake which i might correct by fitting the tap between the two sinks so we could pour water into either. unfortuantly, the tap has a plastic bung in the end which i havent been able to remove yet, so if you turn the flow too hard some water splashes onto the worktop easily. this isnt a probelm as i made sure i sealed all edges 3 times with PVA and then with silicone after to avoid any water ingress. the tap is quite small dso doesnt have the reach i thought. might chnage the tap for a bigger one later in the future if i cant get bung out, but its not the end of the world! fancy one of them high pressure hose ones! lol

the worktops were oak wood block mix laminate from b and q. they seem pretty good quality so far. no scratches so far, and look great. (been in sice xmas) the edging tape was an !!!!!! to get on right and you have to be very patient when you are sanding down the edges so it doesnt crack and split as it is very brittle. on the whole tho, i would recommend it. it isnt the same quality as duropal, but it is 1/3 the price! depends on how long youre planning to have the kitchen for.

with me, i want it to be hard weriang, parctical, look great, have the wow factor and cost me !!!!!! all to fit. i think i ticked all the boxes. you will be able to judge for yourself once i post a thread on it. just waiting for the glass now.

hope these help. wait for the sales if you are patient eneough, and you have an understading missus then you can build it at your leasuire!

good luck

suisidevw

Cheers for the advice Adrian

daleuk_3

After reading this thread I may be able to save myself a chunk of money!

Say If I go get Ikea carcasses (do they supply without the doors? are they the cheapest/best option carcasses?), I could then source my own doors.. for example the B&Q It Gloss white slab doors - currently 75% off, handles and worktop.

My only concern would be that things wont align correctly etc. But I suppose they should? there all built in similar specs?

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?fh_view_size=150&fh_eds=%3f&fh_reffacet=styleStyle&fh_location=%2f%2fcatal!!!1%2fen_GB%2fcategories%3C{9372014}%2fcategories%3C{9372039}%2fcategories%3C{9372149}%2fspecificationsProductType%3dit_kitchen_doors___drawer_fronts%2f_special_offers%3E{SAVE75}%2fstyleStyle%3E{gloss_white_slab}&fh_refview=lister&fh_refpath=facet_159017215&ts=1272374776990

dacouch

How about one of these kitchens...

http://www.thekitchen.ikea.co.uk/domestic-policy/election.html

adrian_bond

daleuk wrote: »

After reading this thread I may be able to save myself a chunk of money!

Say If I go get Ikea carcasses (do they supply without the doors? are they the cheapest/best option carcasses?), I could then source my own doors.. for example the B&Q It Gloss white slab doors - currently 75% off, handles and worktop.

My only concern would be that things wont align correctly etc. But I suppose they should? there all built in similar specs?

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?fh_view_size=150&fh_eds=%3f&fh_reffacet=styleStyle&fh_location=%2f%2fcatal!!!1%2fen_GB%2fcategories%3C{9372014}%2fcategories%3C{9372039}%2fcategories%3C{9372149}%2fspecificationsProductType%3dit_kitchen_doors___drawer_fronts%2f_special_offers%3E{SAVE75}%2fstyleStyle%3E{gloss_white_slab}&fh_refview=lister&fh_refpath=facet_159017215&ts=1272374776990

hi daleuk,

i bought the same doors you are looking at from b and q when they were in 50% sale. lol, now 75%. if you want em, grab em now! not sure about ikea door sizes so couldnt tell you about direct replacement. im also not sure if they sell just the carcasses without door fronts.

when i did my kithcen, all the old lower doors were 723mm tall, and the tops were 520mm tall. these dont exist anywhere anymore. all i did was buy the lower cupbaords from b and q and fit them, and bought all the uppers from band q and cut them down.

i would recommend use of a large saw to cut the doors down if youre ggonna do this. i have a large wood saw at work that we use to cut mdf and perpsex which is exactly the same as the vertical saw b and q have. if you know your sizes, band q might even cut them for you (make sure you find someone without spots to do this!). make sure you cut them the right way up as it can pull at the laminate (test the saw on a scrap peice first). make sure you measure at least twice first, and use masking tape along the entire cut line to give it maximum support.

like is said, all my upper cupboards were 520mm. i couldnt afford to buy or mofify all the carcasses so i split a 600 one to make two 300 units, made my own corner unti, and cut all the doors from standard sizes to suit. i had a good long look online for made to measure doors and they simply cant compete with the b and q door price (all my doors cost about £150 - cheapest online was £450). dont be afraid to modify them. jsut use a good saw (proper one, not a hand held or jigsaw) and take youre time.

also, you will probably need to re drill the hinge holes in the back of the doors depending on your carcass configuration. i used a 35mm router bit, 11mm deep into each door, and set the standard offset width for each door. sounds complicated but its just really dusty and noisey. do it outside or you wll cry trying to clear up the mess!

it really isnt hard to do, it just takes time and some effort and you can create some great results. withthe doors being so cheap you can even afford to make some mistakes without crying!

good luck.

daleuk_3

Hi Adrian

Thankyou very much for that info! very useful and reassuring.

Yes at this price they really are a steal. Iv got a design consultation booked for Friday. So hopefully that will give me my final idea of layout of units etc.

Thing is there is basically not a kitchen in there atm. So I do need carcasses too. I understand that b&q's It range are not of the best quality. Im not sure if they are competitively priced either... I suspect that is where they make there money.

Let me get this clear, you bought the lower carcases and doors from b&q. And just bought the upper doors and modded to fit the existing?

Did you get hold of some laminate edging strip to recover the fresh door cuts?

Did you use the b&q close hinges? for both draws and doors? This is something I would like.. I wonder if there better/cheaper options?

I guess if I buy carcasses from elsewhere (if I can find them cheaper/better quality).. I would also buy the runners and hinges from the same supplier.. the doors would generally just screw into the carcasses, as long as they are the same size as the carcasse ... but this cannot be guaranteed until I got them I guess.

I think the 75% off sale is on till the end of the week.. however once I have my quote that is then valid for a further 2 weeks.

To sum up:

1) Im definately going to get the b&q It gloss white slab doors & drawer fronts.
2) Not sure to go with b&q carcasses or source others.. which may be better quality and/or cheaper.. but may have probs with fitting (I could sort, but would prefer to limit it)
3) sinks, taps, worktops etc. I would but from seperate sources, looking for bargains where I can.

adrian_bond

daleuk wrote: »

Hi Adrian

Thankyou very much for that info! very useful and reassuring.

Yes at this price they really are a steal. Iv got a design consultation booked for Friday. So hopefully that will give me my final idea of layout of units etc.

Thing is there is basically not a kitchen in there atm. So I do need carcasses too. I understand that b&q's It range are not of the best quality. Im not sure if they are competitively priced either... I suspect that is where they make there money.

Let me get this clear, you bought the lower carcases and doors from b&q. And just bought the upper doors and modded to fit the existing?

Did you get hold of some laminate edging strip to recover the fresh door cuts?

Did you use the b&q close hinges? for both draws and doors? This is something I would like.. I wonder if there better/cheaper options?

I guess if I buy carcasses from elsewhere (if I can find them cheaper/better quality).. I would also buy the runners and hinges from the same supplier.. the doors would generally just screw into the carcasses, as long as they are the same size as the carcasse ... but this cannot be guaranteed until I got them I guess.

I think the 75% off sale is on till the end of the week.. however once I have my quote that is then valid for a further 2 weeks.

To sum up:

1) Im definately going to get the b&q It gloss white slab doors & drawer fronts.
2) Not sure to go with b&q carcasses or source others.. which may be better quality and/or cheaper.. but may have probs with fitting (I could sort, but would prefer to limit it)
3) sinks, taps, worktops etc. I would but from seperate sources, looking for bargains where I can.

Hi daleuk,

i reused our old carcasees and cut, shaped and remade all the bits that were broken or wrong to suit my new design. they were only white melamine chipboard rubbish so they were really cheap to make and easy. as everyhing was being slotted in, i had to chop and change here and there, plus had to reduce the thickness of a few panels from 15mm to 12 and one even to 10mm to get the extractor in. the extractor can be held in place by the friction between the two wall cupbaord units and the side walls its that close!

if you dont have anything useabke then hte design is much more flexible for you. but more expensive as a result.

personally, i would go to ikea and take a look at their prices as well as the finish. my freinds have been installing a ikea kitchen and it looks great. carcasses are only 15 - 18mm normally and made from chipboard melmine rubbish unless you buy the real expensive stuff, but as youre going for the gloss white im guessing youre going for the modern clean look so dont need expensive veneered or solid wood carcasses!

we bought the laminate edging strip form bandq, cut it to size (both length and width and ironed it on. looks great, although we tried to make sure that all the strips are on the top or bottom of each door depending where it is so it can be seen that well. not that anyone would notice.

we re-used most of our old hinges, but where the redesigned systmes were in place i bought some 180 degree hinges from ebay. got 5 pairs (10 hinges) for about £10 delivered. they cost that per pair in b and q! made everything work a treat.

where we had very little room though (eg where we have a double door opener system to cover our carousel) i made up a few colapsible doors using piano hinge. this was bought from our loacl DIY shop (Godfreys in norwich) and cut to length and screwed between the doors and the curved mullion thingy. works really well and when folded closed looks great.

just think that the whole thing is made of wood, so can be chopped and cut and fitted easily. all the other components you can source at your leasuire from the internet or sales as you see fit and save loads. it might be worth the convience of having someone design and fit a new kitchen for you, but i diditn have that kind of money so did it my way.

i think you should get your design printed and speced out fully from ba nd q, listen to the gumf with a straight face etc, and then tkae your design down to your loacl ikea. They have a great design tool on their website so im told so you could recreate the b and q version bettwer and it goives you a full parts list to go straight to the warehouse and get everyhting. probably worth doing this before you go there i guess lol.

next time i do my kitchen (when i move house) this is exactly what i will do as they can be beaten on price and the quality looks fine from what i have seen.

good luck and keep us posted!

sdrian

amyandoli

We have a gloss white Ikea kitchen which - the cabinets are all well made. You do have to keep wiping them down all the time though as any smudges show up (and if youre picky like me, I wipe them all in thee same direction too lol). Very happy though- also with the worktops which were from B&Q. The taps and sink and appliances were on special from Wickes. We hired a van to collect everything over a weekend (including tiles from B&Q again) , as didnt trust home delivery to be at the right time for us plus the cost was an issue. We fitted it (6 wall cupboards, 7 floor cupboards ourselves and luckily have some trades in the family to sort appliances. I tiled - it's easier than you think and saves a fortune if you do a good job. Hope youre kitchen works out great for you x