Cheery's country living adventure

Cheery_Daff

😂😂😂 Good job I didn't leave a scathing review - I sent them to her old house 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Cafe was very nice about it (the first hour and a half was their fault!) And my sister was in near hysterics, crying with laughter, so I suppose the overall aim was achieved 😂😂 Sent another lot - delivery estimated for 3.20 but I'm not holding my breath 😂😂

rtandon27

Oh dear Cheery! - it was an honest mistake!  I'd be a mighty happy camper if my sister sent cakes!

Cheery_Daff

Right - financial shenanigans. 

CAR INSURANCE
* opened post - all as expected
* quick phone call to confirm I am main driver on Mr Cheery's policy, and he is main driver on mine (ridiculous, but it's staying like that til February now)

COVID VOUCHERS
* redeemed latest two vouchers
* transferred £50 to kitchen fund

MATCHED BETTING
* Checked final amount for month - £49. 
* Transferred £49 from MB to current account, and then to kitchen fund

PROLIFIC
* checked final balance - a pathetic £6.13 - cashed out and transferred to kitchen fund

BANKS & YNAB
* all reconciled and budgeted for July
* transferred £580 that would normally have gone to mortgage OP to the kitchen fund instead

Kitchen fund now stands at a nicely impressive £2286.24. Most pleased. This is on top of our original budget, so either it can offset it a bit, or we can go for something slightly more expensive. 

Cheery_Daff

Now, bear with me while I gather all my relevant kitchen quotes and try to make sense of them all! 

Current kitchen quotes

Howdens
Nice design, but only do painted cupboard doors (which we didn't want) and don't do granite worktops (which we did want)
(A) Curved units, with worktop (possibly wood, can't remember) = £5284.34
(B) Curved units, without worktop = £4418.39
(C) Curved posts (but not curved units), with worktop = £4426.84
(D) Curved posts (but not curved units), without worktop = £3359.89

Local place
(E) Solid wood, curved units, without worktops = £6084.00
(F) Solid wood, curved units, with granite worktop = £10,516
(G) Vinyl wrapped doors, curved units, without worktop = £4528
(H) Vinyl wrapped doors, curved units, with granite worktop = £8960

Builder's blokes (local kitchen makers)
(J) Bought in kitchen, curved doors,  without worktop = £4324.28
(K) Bought in kitchen, curved doors, with oak worktop = £5914.28
(L) Bought in kitchen, curved doors, with granite worktop = £7384.28
(M) Handmade solid oak doors with lacquered finish, can't have curved doors, without worktop = £6362
(N) Handmade solid oak doors with lacquered finish, can't have curved doors, with oak worktop = £7952
(O) Handmade solid oak doors with lacquered finish, can't have curved doors, with granite worktop = £10,422

Ok. This is like making a decision about the mortgage all over again! We have some boundaries guiding our decisions.

1. Mr Cheery is very keen on curved doors, or at least curved shelves
This rules out options C & D, and means M, N, and O are only possible if either we can convince him to accept slanted, rather than curved, or the geezers can do curved shelves without doors. 

2. We really wanted wood, or at least wood effect, rather than a painted colour
This would rule out Howdens altogether

3. Mr Cheery wants granite worktops
This would rule out Howdens (unless we bought granite separately, and I was trying to avoid co-ordinating loads of different places!), and would also rule out options K and N. 

Other things to consider
We've not seen anything other than an overall price for any of these, but Howdens did send a broken down price to the builder, who reckons it includes a fridge, but no oven, or oven housing, and reckons they've not included enough worktop. No idea whether to believe him or not! 

Neither the local place nor the builder's pals include appliances (we would need a fridge, under counter oven, and would like an induction hob with knobs on, which the local place and Howden's couldn't find on their lists, but which we have found on the internet). 

Ok - new post crossing them all off...

Cheery_Daff

NOT ACTUAL DECISIONS, BUT PRIORITISING A BIT

Oh no!! Looks like I can't do colours on this new forum!! How am I going to do my list?!?!

Howdens
Nice design, but only do painted cupboard doors (which we didn't want) and don't do granite worktops (which we did want)
(A) Curved units, with worktop (possibly wood, can't remember) = £5284.34 - No, this worktop wasn't very nice anyway!
(B) Curved units, without worktop = £4418.39
(C) Curved posts (but not curved units), with worktop = £4426.84 - No - don't like the curved posts
(D) Curved posts (but not curved units), without worktop = £3359.89 - No - don't like the curved posts

Local place
(E) Solid wood, curved units, without worktops = £6084.00 - 
(F) Solid wood, curved units, with granite worktop = £10,516 - No - can get granite far cheaper elsewhere
(G) Vinyl wrapped doors, curved units, without worktop = £4528 - No - didn't want vinyl wrapped doors
(H) Vinyl wrapped doors, curved units, with granite worktop = £8960 - No - didn't want vinyl wrapped doors

Builder's blokes (local kitchen makers)
(J) Bought in kitchen, curved doors,  without worktop = £4324.28 - No - can't get granite much cheaper than their quote anyway so no point buying separately
(K) Bought in kitchen, curved doors, with oak worktop = £5914.28
(L) Bought in kitchen, curved doors, with granite worktop = £7384.28
(M) Handmade solid oak doors with lacquered finish, can't have curved doors, without worktop = £6362 - No - can't get granite much cheaper than their quote anyway so no point buying separately
(N) Handmade solid oak doors with lacquered finish, can't have curved doors, with oak worktop = £7952
(O) Handmade solid oak doors with lacquered finish, can't have curved doors, with granite worktop = £10,422

Ok, that narrows down the choices a bit! Let's consolidate that into a new post (I am SO much missing coloured font here!!)

Cheery_Daff

THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LEFT WITH AFTER ALL THAT

To compare like with (roughly) like, let's add the builders granite quote (which they gave separately) to both the Howdens and Local Place quotes. 

Howdens
(B) Curved units, without worktop = £4418.39 - No - replaced by B2
(B2) Howdens curved units, with separate granite worktops = £7478.39

Local place
(E) Solid wood, curved units, without worktops = £6084.00 - No - replaced by E2
(E2) Local place solid wood, curved units, with separate granite worktops = £9144

Builder's blokes (local kitchen makers)
(K) Bought in kitchen, curved doors, with oak worktop = £5914.28
(L) Bought in kitchen, curved doors, with granite worktop = £7384.28
(N) Handmade solid oak doors with lacquered finish, can't have curved doors, with oak worktop = £7952
(O) Handmade solid oak doors with lacquered finish, can't have curved doors, with granite worktop = £10,422

Ok, and now let's rank them in price order, just for a comparison

(K) Builder's blokes, Bought in kitchen, curved doors, with oak worktop = £5914.28
(L) Builder's blokes, Bought in kitchen, curved doors, with granite worktop = £7384.28
(B2) Howdens curved units, with separate granite worktops = £7478.39
(N) Builder's blokes, Handmade solid oak doors with lacquered finish, can't have curved doors, with oak worktop = £7952
(E2) Local place solid wood, curved units, with separate granite worktops = £9144
(O) Builder's blokes, Handmade solid oak doors with lacquered finish, can't have curved doors, with granite worktop = £10,422


SOME FINAL THOUGHTS (for now)

Current favourite (from me, with no consultation from Mr Cheery) is looking like option (L) - as long as we can have wood/wood effect, not painted. 

If we can't, then we'd probably be choosing between local place with granite worktops from elsewhere (a faff), or an extra £1288 to have handmade from the builder's blokes - as long as they could do us curved shelves. 

Gosh, this was SUCH a helpful process! (For me, at least - not sure about for you!)  

South_coast

🤯         

Cheery_Daff

South_coast said:

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😂😂😂 sorry! My head was doing just that, with everything in separate emails. Writing it all out in one place just made it so much easier to compare! 😂

hb2

Cheery, it sounds as if you have had a lot to do this month, whether or not you managed to cross a lot of things off your list. 

I'm glad that working through the process here has helped you clarify your thoughts about the kitchen; it's a lot of money to spend and you want to get it right.

I sang via Zoom this morning, then OH and I sat in a friend's garden and played Mah Jong this afternoon. I'm spending a quiet evening with the cats now, I expect OH is asleep in the other room!

dawnybabes

Don’t Howdens do ‘wood’ now ? Mines a howdens (albeit about 10 hrs old) and is real wood.  Is it cheaper to fit the howdens one ? The units come ready assembled.