New Kitchen, how much?

moneyistooshorttomention

Re price level to pay.

I'm still not really sure what people mean by a "bespoke" kitchen - all definitions welcome. I'm sort of assuming that, whatever kitchen one gets, it will "fit neatly" where it's required to. Would "bespoke" mean, for instance, "Never mind wall cabinets being basically either 720 or 900 high - if you want one specially made to be 690 high then we'll make it from scratch" ?

I started by thinking mine would be around £5,000. I soon got disabused of that idea and revised my expectations to £10,000 (including repainting and new vinyl on the floors). I'm hoping to keep it to that level and nervously hoping it won't creep in the direction of £15,000. Just how dear can a kitchen be, after all, when the only integral appliance I'll have in it is a built-in cooker? No dishwasher or microwave (don't want them). No fridge, freezer or washing machine - going to keep my existing freestanding ones. Vinyl and not tiles on the floor.

My expectations are that my kitchen will be exactly as I want it when done - ie no wishing I'd been able to afford a dearer wotever-it-is of something. My personal considerations are that I spend quite a bit of time in my kitchen (ie cooking from scratch, preserving, etc) - so it's got to work well/look nice. This house is planned to be a lifetime house for me (so that means around 20 years or so then probably) - but, on the other hand, it's not one I "love" (as the amount of money I had available for it meant a lot of compromises had to be made) and so, if chance ever arose to sell it and buy a better one, then it would be sold. A gorgeous house in a gorgeous setting would merit the most "top end" kitchen one could possibly stretch to - as it would be a "keeper" of a house iyswim.

Davesnave

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Re price level to pay.

If you are on a fixed income the 'how much?' ought to reflect that, plus the amount of work you still have to do on the property and the value of the property itself.

Planning ahead for 20 years is realistic, but it's not much good if a posh kitchen stops you getting another vital part of the house sorted for another 6 or 7 years.

Long before the 20 years is up, you may also need to downsize, rather than choose to. In that circumstance, an over-specified kitchen might help you to sell, but it won't necessarily add any value over and above an average one.

moneyistooshorttomention

Davesnave wrote: »

If you are on a fixed income the 'how much?' ought to reflect that, plus the amount of work you still have to do on the property and the value of the property itself.

Planning ahead for 20 years is realistic, but it's not much good if a posh kitchen stops you getting another vital part of the house sorted for another 6 or 7 years.

Long before the 20 years is up, you may also need to downsize, rather than choose to. In that circumstance, an over-specified kitchen might help you to sell, but it won't necessarily add any value over and above an average one.

There are two further very expensive jobs waiting to be done on the house after the kitchen:(. But they will just have to "wait their turn". They are things I can manage without for however-long-I-have-to if I must. The other things the house still needs are relatively cheap and can wait-if-they-must (apart from one urgent thing I shall be doing soon anyway).

Re downsizing - this is a detached house - but it already counts as "downsizing" to many peoples eyes. It's a bungalow and not a house and is conveniently located (within this particular area). It was coincidence that it was a bungalow I got - rather than a two-storey house. It was the best option available at the time for my money anyway.

So - it counts, I guess, as my "surreptitious amendments" - ie doing something that even a healthy 20-40 year old person might do anyway - but which is also suitable if health lets one down. That's the way I operate personally - eg I wanted a large walk-in shower anyway (which - surreptitiously - would also do for someone with health problems). A workman suggested one of those grab rail things on the wall - and that was refused - as that would count as "visible evidence of older person in residence".

So I've chosen exactly the same house I might have chosen in my 20s anyway and getting it together the way I might have in my 20s anyway - but, surreptitiously, it would also still be suitable if there were any health problems.

So - if I got that lottery win or something we all hope for - then I'd sell up and buy another house. Otherwise - the only move I would make would be in an "upwards" direction (harp/sitting on clouds/etc scenario). You don't want to know what my views would be on any thoughts of moving to "A Home" - suffice to say it wouldn't even be considered ever.

Doozergirl

We've put Minerva in a few times this year. I think it's great.

The marble one is indistinguishable from marble. Same sort of weight, cool to touch and looks the part.

moneyistooshorttomention

Doozergirl wrote: »

We've put Minerva in a few times this year. I think it's great.

The marble one is indistinguishable from marble. Same sort of weight, cool to touch and looks the part.

:D Pleased to read that. :D

I've just been reading some home blog entries by a couple that changed their worktops to Minerva. It started with a post about them having lots of problems finding a workman that would do it and culminated in they finally found one - but he staged a series of let-downs on them.

End result though was that they decided to DIY and do it themselves in the event. Even with DIY'ers doing it - they are now pleased with their new worktop.

I'll be avoiding the whole "try to find a workman myself + risk of let-downs" scenario by employing a firm that will do an A-Z complete job for me.

phoebe1989seb

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Re price level to pay.

I'm still not really sure what people mean by a "bespoke" kitchen - all definitions welcome. I'm sort of assuming that, whatever kitchen one gets, it will "fit neatly" where it's required to. Would "bespoke" mean, for instance, "Never mind wall cabinets being basically either 720 or 900 high - if you want one specially made to be 690 high then we'll make it from scratch" ?

I don't think we've ever paid more than about £15-20k for a kitchen, but have always tried to get a 'bespoke' look, which we've achieved by various methods -

1) Choosing to buy cabinets that are designed to be hand painted so we can opt for a more 'interesting' colour than offered by the usual suspects;

2) Designing and building our own island units so we have something unique;

3) Sourcing unusual fixtures and fittings to add individuality.....for example, in our last kitchen (in a large extension with vaulted ceiling and custom double-height windows) we hung a one-off light fitting found on ebay for £200 that cost the original owner £2000. In our current kitchen we are using a (ridiculously extravagant) Steam Valve Original tap and Voysey inspired wallpaper

The main reason for doing this - other than the fact that DH and I share an interest in interior design - is that we tend to buy the more quirky/unusual houses that imho warrant having a less ordinary kitchen

Every house we've sold in which we have fitted a kitchen (five), our buyers have cited the kitchen as one of the things they loved most about the property and several years - and owners - down the line those kitchens are still in situ in all but one house, which I guess speaks volumes

Otoh, DH once had a client who bought a very high end house only to rip out the £100k Clive Christian kitchen the previous owners had fitted prior to selling. DH arrived to find it in a skip on the driveway

moneyistooshorttomention

A £100k kitchen:eek:.

Ripping out a £100k kitchen:eek:

It's reassuring to see you saying yours are around £15k-£20k. As I know your tastes are rather more expensive than mine - so if you can come in at that figure - then I should come in at noticeably less than that.

I guess you could say I need have no conscience whatsoever about ripping out a cheap bodged tatty flatpack kitchen, with laminate worktops, way out-of-date and simply doesn't "work".

I don't have any taste/imagination really for getting a house together. Not one of my skills:(. But - never mind - I've got the skill I want to have most (in a very different direction). Hence I take a darn good look round to see what other people are doing these days and then decide on the most "Scandinavian" style option out of that.:rotfl:.

I'm wary of getting those painted units myself - I like the look of them - but have visions of having to repaint them at intervals. Don't know if I'm right on that or could I expect them to stay pristine?

I think the one more "individual" type thing I'll be doing, by the look of it, is I decided years ago that my "lifetime" kitchen would have a water filter tap. So I will be having that.

glasgowdan

You know you can genuinely get a quality kitchen fitted for £6-8k right? Never mind people who regularly use forums to make sure people know they've got some money....just find a local joiner who has experience of using diykitchens.com, pick the bits you like, ask them to ensure everything is ordered and get it fitted, finish the decor yourself. Ours came in at 10k including 1000 for a full skim of the room and professional decorator, appliances, plus expensive flooring, 400 for a full bulkhead above the units. It's a superb kitchen, proper quality, feels very unique to us

moneyistooshorttomention

The thought of trying to find a local joiner to fit my kitchen myself wouldn't be my favourite pastime normally. Add in the "Pembrokeshire Promise" that happens so frequently in this area. I've had let-down after let-down after let-down with workmen since moving. It's regarded as normal here (clue - it isn't. I'm not used to it).

Hence - my preference for picking a firm that will do an "all-in" job and deal with everything from start to finish. That way - there is a co-ordinating firm - with offices I can visit;) - and that know they aren't going to get thousands of £s of their money until the job is completely finished. That way - someone is co-ordinating (other than me) and I won't have workmen playing "cat and mouse" with My Life (ie thinking I can drop My Life whenever they want for as long as they want) and I know there is a start date that My Life gets put into abeyance on and a stop date when I can resume My Life again.:)

Out of interest - with one co-ordinating firm dealing with the lot - I obviously don't expect to pay until the job is finished (so that I can make sure it is finished and satisfactory imo). Would the firm concerned expect a deposit out of me before work starts and, if so, how much would it typically be?

It's been the norm at least that I've carried on as per normal and paid for work here after it's finished (even if it's been a several thousand £ job) and I would imagine that, amongst other things they might be saying about my (what they might regard) as "high standards" (clue = they're not high at all. Just normal) I do pay for work literally as soon as its finished and I've inspected it.

moneyistooshorttomention

'Fraid I'm going to come in dearer than yours did glasgowdan:(.

I've just checked out that website you gave. They're not bad-looking kitchens - but I couldn't see any that are solid wood. They all say things like "veneered centre panel".