Kitchen quote from John Lewis - seems really high, and that's with a discount [London]

TeamMCS

Interesting thanks Emmia. I'll have to do some more digging through the quote and see what fat can be cut, and see if JL would be prepared to negotiate 

Emmia

TeamMCS said:

Interesting thanks Emmia. I'll have to do some more digging through the quote and see what fat can be cut, and see if JL would be prepared to negotiate 

We also have handles and a single drawer - if you've gone handleless you're looking at an extra £3k difference on the price of the brochure sample kitchen (rather than £2k and drawer upgrades may also have added ££)

I suspect if you choose a cheaper range, with handles you can make a chunky saving on the £23k - whether that will be the kitchen you want though is a different question.

Doozergirl

Buying a kitchen is a bit like buying a car.  Even different cars from the same manufacturer vary hugely in cost, as well as different brands having very different price points.  It's impossible to say whether your price is okay - John Lewis obviously think it is.  Whilst they're not known for ripping people off, they're also 'knowingly undersold' these days.  Can you but the same kitchen for less elsewhere?  The answer is going to be yes.  

The only way you're going to know is by shopping around.  

I know that a dry kitchen fit can and should easily cost less than £5,000 but I don't know what is included in yours and I wouldn't expect JL to be the cheapest at all.  

Ditto the work surface, you can and will probably find the same cheaper online, but you're removing it from a package.  

Breaking up the different elements is a way to save money but you're walking into JL and that means you're expecting a fully 'done for you' service.  

bengalknights

Have you tried quotes from Wren ,B&Q or  Bencmarx?

Doozergirl

bengalknights said:

Have you tried quotes from Wren ,B&Q or  Bencmarx?

That's comparing apples with oranges.  Wren and B&Q are at the bottom of the quality scale.  Benchmarx is a bit better, but Howdens is a bit better again. 

You're better off asking an independent kitchen showroom if you want something comparable in quality, especially carcass upgrades.  

FreeBear

Doozergirl said: I know that a dry kitchen fit can and should easily cost less than £5,000 but I don't know what is included in yours and I wouldn't expect JL to be the cheapest at all.

My kitchen (very similar size to the OP) cost under £1.5K including appliances. But I used B&Q flatpack units (Cooke & Lewis) and did all the work myself. Did have a design done by Magnet which I rejected out of hand (how many units can we squeeze in)... With a long narrow kitchen, getting rid of wall units makes the space feel much larger. The downside is a lack of storage so there needs to be a shift in lifestyle.

If I were to pay someone to design & install, I'd certainly be looking at a local independent.

Emmia

FreeBear said:

Doozergirl said: I know that a dry kitchen fit can and should easily cost less than £5,000 but I don't know what is included in yours and I wouldn't expect JL to be the cheapest at all.

My kitchen (very similar size to the OP) cost under £1.5K including appliances. But I used B&Q flatpack units (Cooke & Lewis) and did all the work myself. Did have a design done by Magnet which I rejected out of hand (how many units can we squeeze in)... With a long narrow kitchen, getting rid of wall units makes the space feel much larger. The downside is a lack of storage so there needs to be a shift in lifestyle.

If I were to pay someone to design & install, I'd certainly be looking at a local independent.

I'd presume you have the skills / time to do this though. The OP presumably doesn't, and I didn't/don't. 

We went with John Lewis as we wanted an all in one solution, accepting there is a cost to this - we also had a quote from Magnet, but that was about £15k.

We're doing our shower room next, and I expect it will most likely be an all in one arrangement again, as we have zero tiling and plumbing skills.

bengalknights

Doozergirl said:

bengalknights said:

Have you tried quotes from Wren ,B&Q or  Bencmarx?

That's comparing apples with oranges.  Wren and B&Q are at the bottom of the quality scale.  Benchmarx is a bit better, but Howdens is a bit better again. 

You're better off asking an independent kitchen showroom if you want something comparable in quality, especially carcass upgrades.  

Yep or even better just go and look for any Mereway retailers and do a like for like.

esksbanker

TeamMCS said:

Interesting thanks Emmia. I'll have to do some more digging through the quote and see what fat can be cut, and see if JL would be prepared to negotiate 

I'll save you the trouble of asking, they will not negotiate with anyone. I will be correct in saying that after XX years employment with JLP.

TeamMCS

esksbanker said:

TeamMCS said:

Interesting thanks Emmia. I'll have to do some more digging through the quote and see what fat can be cut, and see if JL would be prepared to negotiate 

I'll save you the trouble of asking, they will not negotiate with anyone. I will be correct in saying that after 45 years employment with JLP.

I assumed as much. I suppose if the business model is to take the pain out of the purchase, that means no haggling, etc