New kitchen - to do or not to do

bambos

We have saved some money and are having a conservatory built which will be intergrated as pet of the house and therefore open plan, it will serve as our dining area and a snug. Once built we will double the size of our kitchen but the new half is a bit bitty (two doors to navigate, air vent and partition wall) we looked into a new kitchen and it's looking to be around £12k from all the well known companies, we have already had all the flooring done last year.

I quite like the kitchen style and colour as does DH and we wondered if it would be spending money for the sake of it. We thought about changing the worktop (this is a must as its rotten in a few places) and re tiling but the units are fine. As for the bitty end I thought about a breakfast bar above the air vent and maybe a Welsh dresser on the far wall to create more storage. In addition I would like an extractor.

My question is this, is it financially viable to stick with what we have or would the cost of replacing a few things mount up and cost just as much (we don't want diamond encrusted worktop or anything)

Has anyone updated their kitchen in this way or does it work out too expensive?

Doozergirl

An open plan conservatory is subject to building regulations as it is classed as an extension. I presume you are aware?

I'd rather have a warm house than a new kitchen!

If the units are fine, then of course changing other things will be cheaper.

I don't think that changing door fronts is economical or particularly successful for many people.

bambos

Thanks Doozergirl,

Yes I thought that we may have to apply for planning and emailed the local planning department last week but no reply yet as when I researched it online it was a bit of a mine field as its part conservatory and part extension.

Thanks for the advice.

Doozergirl

If the conservatory is open, it is classed as an extension.

Planning is also not the same as Building Control. It's quite possible that in planning terms it falls under permitted development, but it still needs to be built to quality standards.

Planning decide if it suits the local area, looking from the outside.

Building Control ensure it is built correctly.

mgalllfc

i have recently bought a new house and have had Howdens, Magnet, Wickes and another local kitchen supplier out to size our kitchen up and are now asking us to make an appointment to go in and give us the hard sell.

i am interested in their prices but will most probably use their designs and sizes etc and buy everything myself via diykitchens.com which should be able to supply everything i need for less than half the price.

bambos

That's a good idea mgalllfc I may try that option too, Thankyou.

Thanks Doozergirl that's really useful information as my local planning dept seem to be taking their time with my enquiry.

Grenage

We changed our door fronts and flooring before we sold our house; I wish we'd done it sooner, as it was a complete transformation. Might as well of been a new kitchen.

Be wary about the conservatory that's open to the house. You will have a very hot room in summer, and an ice box in winter.

I assume you're not planning on moving house in the near future, but mention it just in case; puts a lot of people off.

bambos

Thanks Grenage,

Yes we were wary of having it open to the house initially but we are having solid walls either side with a row of Windows at the top and dwarf walls at the front either side of sliding patio doors. We have also opted for A rated glass and opted for the Activ Blue glass roof which apparently keeps it cool in summer and warm in winter. In addition to the above we are having a wood burning stove installed so hopefully this will combat any winter weather, it's going to be 4 1/2 meters in width and 3m projection so not huge.

I think we will leave the door front as they are probably what we would choose but we priced up buying a ridgid kitchen from DIY kitchens last night and all in it would be just under 4K so only the cost of hiring someone to fit it so it's looking a bit more tempting. I would be happy to do it ourselves but I would like the professional finish and don't think I would be confident fitting a worktop and tiling.

SuzieSue

bambos wrote: »

We have also opted for A rated glass and opted for the Activ Blue glass roof which apparently keeps it cool in summer and warm in winter..

I have this in my conservatory and it is freezing cold in winter and boiling hot in summer.

Have you had a conservatory before? If not, I would visit one with the sort of roof you are thinking of having and see how cold it is in winter.

Have a proper extension or you will live to regret it. A conservatory cannot be used all year without spending a fortune on heating.