New fitted kitchen needed - any opinions on where is best value for money?

PrincessJR

Hi,

We are in the process of buying a house in need of modernisation throughout. The first job will be moving the bathroom upstairs, after which we want to save for a new kitchen.

I'm doing a bit of research now so that I'm more clued up when the time comes. Can anyone give me advice on good retailers/fitters?
I am guessing that going to 'the big boys' i.e. B&Q, Wickes, Homebase etc will be the most expensive way to go and possibly not the best quality? (I could be wrong but I've always found them to be MDF-tastic as opposed to solid wood?).

Are there any decent independent places you can go to? We estimate the kitchen to cost between £8k - £10k but I may be way off there.

It's not a huge kitchen (roughly 15ft x 9ft) and we'd want a pretty standard 'L' shape with around 12 units (I think!)

Any advice/experience appreciated

lg13mza

diy-kitchens.com We just spent £8k on a bigger kitchen than that including all appliances (from elsewhere) with a fitted quartz worktop. Couldn't fault the service and quality. Thankfully we live near the showroom so could see beforehand what we'd be getting.

PrincessJR

Thanks very much!
Yes ideally we'd see what we were getting before hand but am I right in thinking they're in Yorkshire? I'll certainly check out their website though as 8k with appliances seems good.

Furts

I approached my kitchen like this. I drew up a specification - hinges, handles, panel thickness, door type, drawer front type, drawer boxes, worktop...you get the idea. Then took this to builders merchants and said competitively quote against this. I will then come back and fine tune with who is keen and helpful.

This approach ruled out the DIY sheds and independent retailers.

I got a good quality kitchen, (as kitchens go which is not saying much), at a keen price.

J_B

Furts wrote: »

I got a good quality kitchen, (as kitchens go which is not saying much), at a keen price.

From who?





(ten characters)

cddc

If you know what you want, can plan it, have your own fitter or are fitting yourself, then DIY kitchens are a good bet.

The sheds or a local independent would be better if you want a one stop shop service though you pay a bit more for the the privilege.

Ikea do the best budget kitchens, but are not great if your walls are wonky.

All kitchens at sensible prices are melamine faced chipboard mostly with wrapped or painted and lacquered mdf doors, though if you are looking for a more traditional door some are Ash or Oak with veneered centre panels.

Furts

J_B wrote: »

From who?





(ten characters)

It does not matter, be it Travis Perkins, Jewson, or a local builders merchant. It is simply a matter of who is receptive. In my case the mechant has been now been bought out, but I have a local builders merchant who would do exactly the same. I have been to them for worktops and kitchen items - they get whatever I require - that is the role of a merchant. They want the business and have to be keen with prices to get it.

Ramona123

Get a few local prices and see what you can come up but i agree with lg13mza, diy-kitchens.com and really good.

Chanes

We have used B&Q to fit two bathrooms and one kitchen (with another being fitted in Sept.) I know I have paid over what other people have done by using independents or sourcing and getting trades to fit but I have good reasons. Firstly, they are a big company and I deal with one person for all the trades and design. Secondly, when I have wanted something done they have made the changes I wanted quickly and lastly, the certificates for the compliance of the installations are delivered quickly and they guarantee the work for five years after completion. If you have the patience and time you can save yourself some money but the convenience of dealing with one company for everything was worth it to me. Good luck with whatever you choose.

POPPYOSCAR

We looked everywhere when planning our kitchen.

Decided on Ikea and we are very pleased with the fitting(we did it all ourselves) and the end result.

We bought as we planned for but then changed our minds on things and it was so easy to return and replace.

phoebe1989seb

Bit late to the party I'm afraid and I'm not sure of your location, OP, but we used Handmade Kitchens of Christchurch (handmadekitchens-direct.co.uk) for our cabinets and were very pleased with the price, quality and service. We did visit the showroom, as we used to live in Wilts, but the house we were buying the kitchen for is in the West Midlands where they were happy to deliver to......

Edited to add.....

In case you're still looking, OP - we purchased about five linear metres of base cabinets (including double Belfast sink cab with pilasters) plus three large wall cupboards. This came to just under 6k, but doesn't include hand painting (done myself) or worktops, appliances etc. Although our kitchen is around 15' x 15' we have several free-standing pieces to supplement the built in stuff. We always fit our own kitchens, do the tiling etc which cuts down the cost.

IMHO, Handmade Kitchens of Christchurch represent value for money for the quality - tulip wood etc.

Of course you may be looking for something less traditional!