Handmade kitchen

sethsgran

A few years ago there was a thread on the forum about a company who handmade kitchen cabinets. We are currently looking at replacing our kitchen. Can anyone recommend any independent cabinet makers please. We haven't set a budget yet but we are looking for ideas. Our son will be fitting this with dad so we need supply only. Thanks in advance

CKdesigner

Hi sethsgran

It really depends on what you mean by 'hand made'.

Also generally the first port of call when someone needs a new kitchen would be a kitchen designer unless you want to just change the units for exactly the same combination as you have already.

CK

sethsgran

Thanks CK we will be knocking a wall down etc and the layout will change so,I think we will be waiting for the wall down and then decide on the new layout.

DirectDebacle

sethsgran wrote: »

A few years ago there was a thread on the forum about a company who handmade kitchen cabinets. We are currently looking at replacing our kitchen. Can anyone recommend any independent cabinet makers please. We haven't set a budget yet but we are looking for ideas. Our son will be fitting this with dad so we need supply only. Thanks in advance

When the building work is completed enough for you to be able to plan the layout take a drawing to a kitchen planner at B&Q or similar. They'll fill the space with available off the shelf units and no doubt there will be odd spaces to infill. Get a print out of the plan and list of units.

Then find a local joinery shop/cabinetmakers. Get quotes for making units to fill the spaces that the off the shelf stuff won't.
E.g. if a run ends with a standard 600mm unit and a 37.5mm gap to the wall ask the joiner to quote for making a 637.5mm unit and door(s). This will obviously replace the listed 600mm unit, which won't be required.

You can use standard carcasses for the bulk of your kitchen. Bespoke wall and base units to fill the spaces standard units won't fill.

All doors/drawer fronts and necessary carcasses will be made to your specification. They can use one of the ready made carcasses as a template for matching finish and hinge locations.

Something for you to research and mull over. Good luck.

sethsgran

Wow fantastic help. Thank you so much

CKdesigner

DirectDebacle wrote: »

When the building work is completed enough for you to be able to plan the layout take a drawing to a kitchen planner at B&Q or similar. They'll fill the space with available off the shelf units and no doubt there will be odd spaces to infill. Get a print out of the plan and list of units.

Then find a local joinery shop/cabinetmakers. Get quotes for making units to fill the spaces that the off the shelf stuff won't.
E.g. if a run ends with a standard 600mm unit and a 37.5mm gap to the wall ask the joiner to quote for making a 637.5mm unit and door(s). This will obviously replace the listed 600mm unit, which won't be required.

You can use standard carcasses for the bulk of your kitchen. Bespoke wall and base units to fill the spaces standard units won't fill.

All doors/drawer fronts and necessary carcasses will be made to your specification. They can use one of the ready made carcasses as a template for matching finish and hinge locations.

Something for you to research and mull over. Good luck.

Sorry directDebacle

I think that is completely the wrong advice. Firstly it is dishonest, getting a 'design consultant' from a DIY store to design the space with no intention of making a purchase from there. And secondly, notoriously the designs these DIY store consultants create are often quite limiting.

An independent kitchen designer will make much better use of the space, and I think would be 2 or 3 hundred pound well spent.

CK

DirectDebacle

CKdesigner wrote: »

Sorry directDebacle

I think that is completely the wrong advice. Firstly it is dishonest, getting a 'design consultant' from a DIY store to design the space with no intention of making a purchase from there. And secondly, notoriously the designs these DIY store consultants create are often quite limiting.

An independent kitchen designer will make much better use of the space, and I think would be 2 or 3 hundred pound well spent.

CK

So you think it is good advice to tell someone considering spending several thousands of pounds on home improvement not to obtain several quotes for the work.

You also think paying someone a few hundred pounds to tell them what can be fairly easily worked out themselves or can be done for free by others, is also a good idea.

Spoken like a true salesperson whose only true design is on the size of their commission.

This is a moneysaving site.

It is not my advice that lacks integrity or relevance and it was appreciated by the OP, whether you agree with it or not.

ryder72

Nothing wrong with what CKDesigner said.

There are 2 choices-
Getting a 'free' design done by a designer whose repertoire of units is perhaps a grand total of 100 units so the room is designed around units available to the designer rather than what suits the user best and what makes best use of the space available in the kitchen.

OR

Paying for a design and getting the best possible layout for the room and using the design/plans to get the best possible price for that layout.

Try it for yourself. Find a good professional designer and then compare the design to something cranked out by a designer working with a limited catalogue and see the difference for yourself.

What isn't MSE about option 2? After all no one goes to multiple architects to get designs done. Sensible people get a good architect to design a house/extension and then get multiple builders to quote for that design. What is the difference between this example and what CKDesigner has suggested?

As regards dishonesty - your suggestion was to use services of a service provider with no intention to use them whatsoever. What could be more disingenuous than that. Don't know what you do for a living but here is a reality check for you - Nothing is free. The cost of your 'free' design is built into the product that is sold to you. Lets say you to go B&Q to get the 'free design' and choose not to buy from them you may argue that it's cost you nothing, but something else you buy from them has this cost loaded onto the product so the sooner you wake up and get back to reality the better it would be for everyone.

ryder72

Ohh and let me add - a lot of good kitchen designers who charge for their service will usually offset the cost of the design against a purchase from them so OP could go to a handmade kitchen designer as well to get this design done if they feel the designer can deliver what they're looking for.

CKdesigner

So you think it is good advice to tell someone considering spending several thousands of pounds on home improvement not to obtain several quotes for the work.

Several quotes for the supply and installation yes - but this was not your intention from your first post was it.

You also think paying someone a few hundred pounds to tell them what can be fairly easily worked out themselves or can be done for free by others, is also a good idea.

Paying a proper kitchen designer to design the space properly for the customer is a very good idea, after all if you want your car servicing you take it to a mechanic, if you have tooth ache you go to a dentist. If you need your kitchen re designing - go to a kitchen designer. And why, if its so easy to do, didn't you say in your first post that they should design it themselves?

Spoken like a true salesperson whose only true design is on the size of their commission.

No sorry - I'm a kitchen designer.

This is a moneysaving site.

100% agree with you there. But it most definitely is not a site to promote dishonesty!

It is not my advice that lacks integrity or relevance and it was appreciated by the OP, whether you agree with it or not.

I think the OP needs to see all the facts and then decide the acceptable course of action for them.

Leif

There is nothing wrong with getting multiple quotes, including designs, if you intend to go with one of them. I did just that. What is dishonest is to get designs done when you intend to fit the kitchen yourself.

Several hundred pounds for a design is not really that much compared to the total cost. They might come up with some good ideas, and point out some issues, such as not obstructing a boiler with a cupboard (they need a lot of clearance.)