New kitchen: must haves or what to avoid?

*~Zephyr~*

My Ikea kitchen is going in next week! I'm SO excited now, I can't wait.

I haven't bought any of the bits and piece for inside the cupboards yet so they aren't in the 0% deal we have BUT, most of what we want will fall under the Ikea Family deals, which the kitchen does, so I'm happy.

This time next week it will all be pretty much done! Well, apart from my floor tiles, but my tiler is on holiday for most of August, and he is so good I'm prepared to wait til the end of the month for the entire finished look.

One thing I do want to look at customising though is the plinths. Ikea plinths are fixed - screws from inside the cupboards - and I'd rather be able to remove the plinthsif I need too. Has anyone adapted Ikea plinths to use the clips that go on the legs?

rosie383

It is exciting isn't it?
We should be fitting by this time next week. I didn't think about how the plinths were fitted; TBH there have been so many other decisions which have had to be made that my brain is fried!
I like the double bevel edge that you have Suki. I have made so many changes that I'm not sure about proposing another one! If my brain is fried, my poor dh's must be cinders by now.
I will be so grateful to have a kitchen again. Washing up in a small bathroom sink and microwave food for 4 weeks is not something I would class as fun! Oh, and not having had a washing machine plumbed in either hasn't helped. I've done a huge load in the big machine in the launderette each week but because we had KMed a lot of stuff before we moved, we have been running out of clean clothes by the end of each week.
Just been painting the kitchen ceiling again. Maybe get up at 6 tomorrow and get the final coat done before the builders arrive. Got some cheapie dust sheets from poundland to protect the new tiles from the paint and they are rubbish! Honestly you could spit through them. Ended up on my hands and knees cleaning paint sponges off the whole floor in the dusk before the light faded completely. All of the electrics are done but no actual lighting connected up.

moneyistooshorttomention

Just clicked to this thread being here.

Duly saved - for a good read come the time when I can afford my new kitchen - so I have an idea of what pitfalls to look out for when deciding how I want it.:T

lush_walrus

rosie383 wrote: »

Quick question for those of you with a quartz or granite worktop...
Due to finally install the kitchen next week hopefully. Then the worktop people will come out to fit the worktop. I have asked for a full bull nose edge as I always think they are very tactile when I see them.
Just wondering now whether that is going to look old fashioned or not. Should I just go for a straight pencil cut edge which would be cheaper but would it look cheap or modern? Having a dark grey gloss kitchen with a modern look.

It depends what you like really, square edged or square polished is the most contemporary and many who have handless modern units opt for. But it isn't as tactile as the the bevelled options.

Personally I like square edged. Have you looked at samples or searched online for options? Some sites have really good examples of each type.

rosie383

Thanks LW. I have looked at many pictures online. Hard to tell from only pictures though.
What I do know is that when I have seen the bull nose edge, that's the one that I want to touch and it just feels good, if you get what I mean.
I know that this choice of edge has added to the cost, so I'm not sure if there is a contemporary option which would still be tactile and cost less.
Anyone know?

Islandmaid

Rosie, we went for square edge, but a thicker top, 70mm as opposed to the standard 50 mm - in my opinion it gives a more expensive look, and I think contemporary.

It's all personal taste really isn't it, pick what you love is my advice - it's you that will be living with it X

rosie383

Feels as if this kitchen is never going to happen! I know that it will but after all these weeks without a kitchen I'm getting a bit fed up.

Just want to ask another question if I may. After all of the advice on here, I am having mainly drawers in the base units but haven't really given a lot of thought as to heights of drawers. I know that at least one deep drawer is needed for pots. Likewise a deep one for things like cereal boxes, oil bottles etc. A shallow one for cutlery. Should everything else be in between? Or more deep ones?

What sizes did any of you go for? Any sizes that haven't been as useful and any which have been great that you wish you had more of?
Spoke to dh today. Looks as if possibly, maybe, hopefully, we will be off to Ikea later in the week to get it. I have my kitchen plan saved but can make any adjustments before the big day!

*~Zephyr~*

rosie383 wrote: »

Looks as if possibly, maybe, hopefully, we will be off to Ikea later in the week to get it. I have my kitchen plan saved but can make any adjustments before the big day!

I don't want to rain on your parade, but generally with a large order, such as a kitchen, you can't just rock up to Ikea and take it away the same day. Ours had to come from Peterborough distribution centre and when we bought the kitchen (way back in May!) we scheduled the delivery for the day before the installers came.

You might be lucky and your branch might have everything in stock, but brace yourself for having to wait a week or two for delivery

*~Zephyr~*

Day 1 Summary:
Kitchen cupboards removed: 20
Pipes moved: 4
Holes filled: 2
Dodgy Decor Uncovered Level: Extreme
Dinner: Pot Noodle and hulahoops

The old kitchen was ripped out yesterday. I must say, the Ikea fitters are blooming excellent! They are fast and careful and not fazed in the slightest at some of the dodgy work they uncovered as they ripped the kitchen out.

We need to have water pipes and gas pipes dropped to floor level because we discovered that they ran all around the room about 3 feet off the ground, hidden behind tongue & groove panelling. We also found about half a dozen power points behind the tongue and groove, most of them with very dodgy wiring and one of them with a nail driven through! The fitters dropped the water pipes yesterday, but arranged for a Gas Safe colleague to come and do the same for the gas pipes this morning. He will plumb in the plinth heater while he's here too.

The hole for the existing cooker hood is too low for the new chimney, so a new hole will be drilled today and the old one filled in. They will render the outside wall too to cover the hole.

Most of the wall tiles were tiled onto hardboard which was then screwed into the wall (wft!??) so they came off all in one piece (anyone want to buy a splashback??) and saved a bit of time. But the tiles around the sink, under the window took off most of the plasterboard with them, so that needs to be made good, which will also be done today.

Once they'd moved the water pipes the got cracking on building the first units. One magic cupboard, one drawer unit and the sink unit are together in shell form.

I'm really impressed by them. I must admit, I was sceptical about the 5-day completion time, but the speed and efficiency they're showing convinces me that my kitchen will be complete (bar the tiling) on Friday! So exciting!

Photos on instagram HERE if you want to watch progress:

rosie383

Wow Zephyr! It's happening!! Thanks for the link to the pics. It's always nice to have a wee nosy!

As for getting the kitchen on the same day, thanks for the heads up. I will call them and just check but we were assured that the doors and cabinets that we have chosen will be available in stock for us. I we wanted black carcasses they would have to be ordered, but white will be in stock as will the doors we want.
No way will we be using their delivery service. We have had awful service from them just getting bedroom furniture and wouldn't trust them!