New Kitchen, how much?

moneyistooshorttomention

Saverule wrote: »

I got the quote from the local company. £4,800 for the units only. Doesn't include work surfaces and this was with 30% off.
I've been be recommended Howden's, anyone used them?

DO NOT DO OLD FASHIONED! Unless like the grunge look or flares, they're coming back in fashion. Next, we'll be having those farmhouse vegetable wallpapers again. Anything old fashioned, even smeg fridges, make me want to cry!

Don't remind me re those wallpapers - now trying to remember what the wallpaper was like that I ripped off those kitchen walls in darn short order:rotfl:. I know it's very ironic that the next owner of my house will walk into it and go "Pure 2010's style throughout. How old-fashioned" - assuming it's sold on in the 2030's (as I anticipate is likely - with being in my 60s now).:rotfl:. Let's hope they get distracted by all the "West Wales arty/quirky" that is also steadily getting added....

DominicH

Following this thread with interest.

Some people say the key is to find a good fitter. OK, but how do you do that?
In my experience, even personal recommendations are a bit of a lottery. I've used strongly recommended tradespeople before who turned out to be mediocre.
I guess unless you're already personally familiar with their work, it's a matter of legwork -- following up references and inspecting the results yourself?

Drew210385

Those saying installation is a rip off, yes it well may be however for people like us, who didn't have the cash available to pay tradesman to do the work, it was no contest as the stores interest free credit agreements included the installation which worked well for us as paying a small chunk every month for a couple years we could manage.

Oh and yes we could have saved up for a couple years and then done the kitchen slightly cheaper but who's to say the cost of the kitchen and appliances wouldn't have gone up in that time?

Dakota_Deville

Kitchens, best way to seperate the costs of the units/fittings and labour. Wickes/band q/etc have fitters but you have to pay 20 vat on labour.

In london, small kitchen, leave sink, hob, oven, extractor ligts fridege in same postions no building works, kitchen about 6' 6" wide and 13 foot long - lbour for take out old and dispose, skim ceiling and walls, half tile wall, tiled floor fit new door and units etc - labour inc partes EG pipes wires, glue and grout for tiles, standard pain, london/se kent prices 6:6k to 11k plus vat in some cases - this is becsue builders have too much work on their hands but always check their work before orderings, never pay up front and if you pay, dont agree every so many days but agree goals and pay buly, ie half at the end.

I have never paid up front and on drives always when completed.

always_sunny

When getting quotes from tradesmen about kitchen, what's important to check and ask?
Do you pay cash in hand or invoice? (Obv different pricing)
Do you have a written contract, etc?

Ta

moneyistooshorttomention

The date is now set for my new kitchen to be installed soon.

Personally:
- I am specifying every single detail I require (the units/details like cornice and pelmet etc/handles/lighting/sink/tap/cooker parts/splashbacks/etc)

- Ensured the final quotation from him specified it all (looks like he does that anyway)

- I see I can reel up my account on the Internet and check what I've paid to date (as well as getting receipts as I go)

- Basically my final written quotation is the contract. Though, I've been making various queries to/fro by email (rather than by phone) and so there's proof of what we've agreed about various points. I guess I'm deemed to have "accepted the contract" when I went to pay my deposit. Though, in the event, he wasnt bothered about taking a deposit from me after all (which I took as personal compliment I'd been deemed trustworthy) - but I gave him one anyway.

- Looks like I'm going to end up paying by a mixture of cheque and debit card payments. Credit card would be possible (but an extra fee for doing so). Bank transfer would be possible. Cash would be possible (though not as a deliberate thing - to avoid paying taxes. My assessment is he sticks to the law).

martinsurrey

John_Lilburne_2911 wrote: »

Credit card would be possible (but an extra fee for doing so).

Please pay £101 on a credit card and swallow the fee.

If you do you will be covered by Section 75 of the consumer credit act 1974 (in effect you can treat the card issuer as the supplier if the supplier breaches the contract)

If anything goes wrong, you'll thank me.