Should I Mix & Match a Flatpack Kitchen?

3smees23_2

Hi,

I'm considering my options in terms of a flat pack kitchen. I have priced arange with Ikea, which at first I seemed happy with. however I then looked on B&Q as they sometime have their 15% off weekend (coupled with vouchers from work I could end up saving 25%!).

However the B&Q are pretty expensive in terms of their cookers, hobs,sinks, taps. I am considering getting these from Ikea, I may even get the integrated appliances from there as well.

I think I may look around on the internet for worktops as I'm not sure about having joins in them!

Does anyone see any problems with mixing and matching the different aspects as described above? Presumably all integrated appliances will fit all flat pack integrated carcasses?

Any potential problems would be appreciated.

Cheers

Sam

DigForVictory

You've done the obvious checks with a tape measure, at least once, sober & witnessed? (Rules out most preliminary human error.)

You've looked at how work tops fit onto units? Methods vary.

You've checked where power cables are allowed for & that power using gizmos have long enough cables to work with existing wiring?

I wouldn't presume a thing about integrated appliances, I'd ask. And get an answer in writing in case (read Martin's SAD FART thing?).

I like a "patchwork" kitchen, especially one that costs less, but measure (at least) twice, pay once...
Good Luck!

penguingirl

Check the sizes- particularly with IKEA stuff as I don't think they are standard, so you might have difficulties there, particularly with integrated things.

But in theory buying things from separate places is a good way to save some money- we got our units from DIY kitchens, our worktops and sink from a local timber yard, our handles from a local ironmongers and used our existing appliances (plus new hob from appliancesonline) so it can definitely be done!

What do you mean about worktop joins? Are you talking about in corners or on straights?

cheekyweegit

I measured and designed my kitchen myself, got the doors greatly reduced in B & Q sale, then went to Homebase to get a cabinet & appliance quote only.

Method in the madness, with that, as then went home and looked up the appliances online and found them significantly cheaper at Boots & Sainsburys online.

Back to Homebase (I should add I had no intentions to getting my kitchen from here) and got them to match the online prices from Boots / Sainsburys less 10% thanks to their Price Match /Promise Policy. They did try to get out of it saying I could not have it as they did not stock the items in store, but I asked if I could have them from their store there and then and they said they needed to order them in. Funnily enough that's what you needed to do with Boots & Sainsburys. Need I say more ?

A frantic call to someone Senior and price match agreed. Printed quote received and a must for the next bit. A short walk to B & Q and much debate there with the staff and management over their adverts to beat any quote (mine was several hundred cheaper), I eventually got the kitchen, including matching backing boards (wet wall?) for going between the bunker / work top and wall cabinets I wanted for not much more than the prices of the appliances in their brochure. Almost buy the appliances (AEG electric hob, double oven and cooker hood) and get the kitchen free.

So, in short definitely worth pricing the goods up in different places then getting them to price match if possible. Ask if it's not advertised.

Hope this helps and makes sense.

Edit - I used https://www.dealpond.co.uk for looking up my appliance prices, it's what a I call a scraper site which looks up lots of sites for you for your chosen appliance. Once you have found the cheapest place you can go through quidco / topcash back and / or look for discount codes.

Oh and this website is pretty good too http://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/?refsource=apadwords&cr!!!!!APD&gclid=CIXEpMzc-rkCFcLHtAod4XYA5g

Finally don't buy any Hotpoint grey frost free under counter fridge or freezer. Drawers are very flimsy in both and the paintwork is coming off mine / showing signs of rust. Works fine though but replacement drawers are not cheap.

3smees23_2

penguingirl wrote: »

What do you mean about worktop joins? Are you talking about in corners or on straights?

On the straights as Ikea sell their worktops in 2.54m (i think) lengths, according to their site that is. The largest worktop will be nearly 18ft so didn't really want 3 joins in it.

3smees23_2

cheekyweegit wrote: »

A frantic call to someone Senior and price match agreed. Printed quote received and a must for the next bit. A short walk to B & Q and much debate there with the staff and management over their adverts to beat any quote (mine was several hundred cheaper), I eventually got the kitchen, including matching backing boards (wet wall?) for going between the bunker / work top and wall cabinets I wanted for not much more than the prices of the appliances in their brochure. Almost buy the appliances (AEG electric hob, double oven and cooker hood) and get the kitchen free.

So you didn't buy the appliances from B&Q? If that was the case then what element of the quote did they reduce in order to price match? Did they take a couple of hundred off the total or did they have to apply it to each item? Surely to price match they would have made you buy it all? Sorry...may be missing the point!! :undecided

Cheers

cheekyweegit

3smees23 wrote: »

So you didn't buy the appliances from B&Q? If that was the case then what element of the quote did they reduce in order to price match? Did they take a couple of hundred off the total or did they have to apply it to each item? Surely to price match they would have made you buy it all? Sorry...may be missing the point!! :undecided

Cheers

I did get my hob, oven and hood from B & Q along with the rest of my kitchen.

They took my whole cheaper Homebase Quote, the one which the price matched the hob etc with Boots / Sainsburys then after much panic and discussion matched it, then reduced it by 10% as per their price promise.

I bought my under counter fridge and freezer separately, not from there but appliances online as linked to above. Fantastic service from order to delivery.

Sorry about the confusion and hopefully this makes sense.

sweaty_betty

We are also mixing and matching. We have all our cupboards from one place, worktop from another, appliances, sink etc from various places (it took ages to knock a few quid of each of them!). The only slight irritation is having to wait in for different delivery times

penguingirl

3smees23 wrote: »

On the straights as Ikea sell their worktops in 2.54m (i think) lengths, according to their site that is. The largest worktop will be nearly 18ft so didn't really want 3 joins in it.

Ah ok makes sense. I think when we were looking most suppliers do 4m lengths so that would still be a bit short for you. You've probably already done this, but is there any way of doing the joins in the corner in a way that takes the length off the 18ft bit, so for example if I had 2 walls that were 6 foot (and the width of worktop is about 2ft) I can do it using one 6ft piece and one 4ft piece if that makes sense. But it would depend on what units you had underneath the joins and you'd still need to find a supplier that did 5ft lengths.

3smees23_2

penguingirl wrote: »

Ah ok makes sense. I think when we were looking most suppliers do 4m lengths so that would still be a bit short for you. You've probably already done this, but is there any way of doing the joins in the corner in a way that takes the length off the 18ft bit, so for example if I had 2 walls that were 6 foot (and the width of worktop is about 2ft) I can do it using one 6ft piece and one 4ft piece if that makes sense. But it would depend on what units you had underneath the joins and you'd still need to find a supplier that did 5ft lengths.

Yeah that makes sense Even if I did that there would still be a join mid worktop, but don't have much option. Oh well!

adandem

My kitchen is a total mix and match but you'd never know! We replaced some doors and added new units too. Sink was bought online as was the tap. Worktop bought locally. Cooker is freestanding so bought separately. Chimney extractor bought separately too. As already posted, be careful with ikea. We toyed with the idea of completely refitting with an ikea kitchen but it wasn't such a bargain when we got a gull quote and we didn't want to be restricted to their units in the future.