First time buyer of a New Kitchen

inkwest

Hi all

My partner and I are looking for a new kitchen, and have been to a few places: Magnet (because they are well advertised), Ikea (good for as a benchmark / comparison) and a couple of independent German kitchen retailers in London, one which solely retails Leicht and another solely SieMatic. Through the forum, there are many other manufacturers mentioned, and I am getting to the point of information overload.

After seeing both Leicht (and the brochures we picked up from the retailer) and SieMatic in the showrooms, we can understand and appreciate the (small?) premium these carry and are quite fond of them. Magnet, while nice, does not inspire the same sentiments. Not sure if it's psychological, we just did not feel Magnet's prices particularly justifiable when compared to the Germans.

Can someone please help us to narrow down manufacturers (budget naturally will play a big part) and potentially recommend a handful of retailers / designers which we should see to get a better idea (and quotes)? We are in NW London.

Many thanks in advance to all.

purplejac

try howdens kitchens they have small showrooms and if you have a friendly joiner mate he can get you it at trade, magnet and all the other larger companys will be more expensive and magnet prices are ridiculous if you think about it the only difference between off the shelf kitchens and ordering and waiting six to eight weeks for a kitchen to come is the carcase thickness of 2mm ie b and q homebase etc etc go to howdens pick your kitchen it will be in stock and get a joiner to fit it, they have all the styles that everyone else has,it will be cheaper, and you dont have to wait 8weeks if you forget to order something or want to add to it.

tlrtone

Having fitted many kitchens in my time, the key things to look for are:

1. A good design - think practically and how you use your kitchen. Make a list of the important things you need. Your kitchen will last you 20+ years so getting it right at the planning stage is important and costs nothing! Think outside the box at options such as moving walls and doors and windows. At the planning stage you can draw out as many options and then get quotes. 20+ years is a long time so maybe the extra effort will make all the difference.
2. A competent fitter - get recommendations - a well installed "cheaper" kitchen that has a good design will last the course. A good kitchen fitter will also be able to adapt and adjust the design to make the most of the site conditions - ie walls not straight, doors in the wrong position, additional electrical points, etc
3. Look at the carcasses - the main base and wall units - look for an 18mm carcass and soft close doors and drawers. Also consider extra "features" such as built in microwaves, etc, but consider that they won't last 20 years, so how easy are they to change!

All in all, reasearch it as you have been doing and get each to plan out your kitchen so you get their ideas. But remember it is your kitchen, so take the ideas and challenge them!

good luck!

Ionkontrol

Have a look at Schuller kitchens.

jw2003

We went to a smaller, independent kitchen manufacturor and they were very competitive, they sent an experience fitter and everything was included in the price up front. We ended up with a really good kitchen that all visitors to the house complement Plus, it didn't work out much more than a kitchen from B&Q or Ikea by the time you totted it all up together. Things like 18mm carcasses and soft close doors and drawers were all standard. One way we saved costs was by not buying a stone/granite worktop - it would have turned our £4000 kitchen into a £6000 kitchen

inkwest

Thanks for all the tips.

@ tlrtone: agree on the built in appliances - microwave, fridge, etc, and find it "risky" - harder access to repair or fix. However, do like the clean flushed look of built-ins.

Agree on the planning and shopping around bit. There are so many brands and manufacturers, we've asked a few colleagues and friends, and all had different kitchens (Mobens, Howdens, Magnet, Ikea, and one with a combo kitchen, but then, they've always been keen on DIY), so can't really get an objective comparison - they all seem happy.

We were quite impressed with some of the German makers we've seen, as mentioned in the earlier post. They are a bit dearer, but not much (10%?) dearer than a mid-range magnet, like for like.

@ Ionkontrol: thanks for the suggestion on schuller - will look for a local retailer in London.

Thanks for your responses again.

tigergambit

Further to tlrtone's advice:

1. Be prepared to source your appliances seperately. You may not save much money but you will get far better quality brand name appliances with the accompanying guarantee for the same price. The internet is not always the cheapest either, but will give you a good guide price. I would always get the best appliances I can afford as this is the bit of the kitchen I will use most.

2. You will often find that you can get a better deal on worktops from a specialist supplier. I have used Worktops Express recently as they are local to me (but deliver nationally) and Howdens don't do worktops over 3m. The WE worktops (we had Canadian Maple) are really good quality and very reasonable price according to my carpenter/fitter.

3. A top quality kitchen fitted badly will never look as good as a cheap kitchen fitted well. Make sure you have an experienced fitter who knows what he's doing. Ideally a professional carpenter who has a plumber, electrician and plasterer in his team or on call.

ryder72

Dont know if you have finalised your kitchen.

Unless you are looking for a kitchen to install and sell on to someone else, I would avoid Ikea. To an extent, the same applies to the sheds.

Most German kitchens have an edge over the rest of the competition in terms of quality, design features etc. Look carefully though at certain German kitchen marked up to silly levels trading on 'German engineering'. Quite often these are German equivalents of Howdens/MFI and while still decent kitchens, often very basic.

If you need specific advise, please ask.