Aga wobble - need reassurance (or not!)

[lexie01]

I am going through the process of planning a new kitchen and have always really wanted an aga. After much arm bending (and arguments) DH has finally (very reluctantly) agreed to have one. The problem is now that the argument has been won I have started to have my doubts....

We have a really cold kitchen in the winter (qurry tiles - freezing!) and I thought an aga would bring some lovely warmth to the room. However there is not enough space for a additional hob/cooker and I am worried abut the heat in the summer. I know this sounds silly but I have forgotten how warm the kitchen gets (or not) in the hot weather but i have to place my order within the next 2 weeks to fit in with the kitchen timescales so I cannot wait until the summer to make my decision.

I am also not a huge cook. I cook very 'normal' food most of the time - the odd stew, a roast about once a week, cottage pies etc - alongside fish fingers and sausage & mash. Everyone who posts on MN with an aga seem to be real 'foodies'.

I guess what I am trying to say is am I going to regret spending £8000 on an aga which will be too hot in the summer and hard to use the rest of the time or will be it be the best decision I have ever made????

[nowwearefour]

i must admit i love mine for 9 months of the year but i do need to turn it off in the summer or i'd be sweltering. is your kitchen in a sunny part of the house or in a cooler part? the cooking is easy, dont worry about that. stews etc easier certainly. the not in summer thing is something to think of more i would say.

[EldonAve]

I would hesitate if you have no room for alternative cooking in the summer

[BariatricObama]

big waste of money. buy a lovely range cooker. why do you want one?

[Krugerellie]

Depends how big your kitchen is. I never turn mine off, even in the sweltering heat (of which we get very few days). Throw open the doors and windows on hot days - the other 9 months of the year will more than make up for it. I am not a 'foodie' and I only have the Aga - don't even have a microwave. On the odd occasion it has gone out (in very high winds) we eat out

[BariatricObama]

honestly £8000 adn then the running costs, for what?

[cahu]

Had an Aga - pre-divorce. Really loved it and had no alternative hob/oven either. First couple of years I turned it off in June and used a two ring camping thing from Argos and the mocrowave as I found the heat unbearable..... but I think I just got used to it or maybe the Summers were not as hot. A lot of money though........

[BariatricObama]

a camping stove!!!!!!!! just get a real cooker

[midnightexpress]

If you don't like cooking and it might be a pain in the summer, it seems like an awful lot of money to spend for what? A status symbol Something that looks nice?

[agasarecool]

Emmm i love agas but have raymond the rayburn myself. He is used everyday, although I do have an ordinary cooker as well.

As to the heat issue, I live in an old stone built house and the kitchen is in the coldest part so its not an issue.

He came with the house so I didn't choose him IYSWIM. You could look at the Sandyford range, or the Marshall - the marshall is gorgeous imo and you can even get a condensing version if you need to to run hot water/heating as well??

[agasarecool]

Meant to say, you can turn the sandyford and marshalls on and off as you need them, and they head up really fast. Your woman sophie whatsername (not dahl, the other one) had one in her tv prog a few years ago ... grigson, that's her

[lexie01]

I know midnightexpress - i do worry that I may be spending a lot of money for the 'look' rather than the practability. I may have been reading too many period home mags..

The flip side is that I have an oldish house (Edwardian) - there is a perfect chimney opening for it, we have an original pine cupboard next to it and a clothes dryer over where the aga would be. It all seems sooo perfect for an aga.

In answer to the questions about summer the living room and kitchen are an 'L' shape with the kitchen being the long side of the L. All the windows are on the side and so we get quite a bit of sun first thing in the morning and then not much - certainly from lunch time onwards. Your comments do worry me though about the warmer months

[lexie01]

Thanks agasarecool (love the name!)) I have seen pictures of the marshall cooker but didn't know they could be more flexible than an aga. Will investigate further....

[joster]

Why an Aga not a Rayburn???

Rayburns are now fully controllable and just as cosy and cook in exactly the same way as an Aga (waits for flack from diehard Aga fans....). Agas are gorgeous, but we recently changed the "always on" old variety for a brand spanking new Rayburn and it's wonderful controllability and it is absolutely fantastic and much more economical because it is only on when you need it or want it. Go on, have a look, then you just turn it on when you need it and don't overheat for 3 months of the year but you can leave it on tick-over in the winter to get the warmth you want for your kitchen.....

Ahh, the joys

[kju]

Hi lexie01, we have a very sunny kitchen and have our Aga on all summer but we have the AIMS timing system so it is not chugging out heat all day - we can time it for when we need it on full blast and even then it is not too bad.

This was something that I was really concerned about before getting ours as we have no room for alternative cooking.

We have even got rid of the microwave!

[kju]

I meant to add that the AIMS system really cuts the running costs down - I think there are figures on the Aga website somewhere.

[swanriver]

Lexie - if you don't plan to spend hours pottering in kitchen, then maybe the Aga is not for you. On the other hand my mum is not a cook at all, and loves hers. She has a freezing kitchen though.
There are other ways of getting warmth into a room, colours, radiators, textures.
I think you should reconsider, you sound v. doubtful, and with the hob issue, and your dh not having being brought up with Aga (am I right?) it is a lot of money to spend, including running costs. Think how much youcould blow on heating for that!

[HumphreyCobbler]

In your place I would get a Rayburn. Much more controllable.

Having said that, I LOVE our aga, it heats the kitchen, I dry all my washing above it, it heats the water too. But I do have room for an electric cooker too.

[lexie01]

I have looked at Rayburns but I had heard the odd comment that they aren't as reliable as an aga (??). No idea if this is true.

The aga we were looking to buy did have AIMS so we would be able to time it to go into slumber mode etc. KJU - can you still boil a kettle when it is in slumber mode? Does it also make a big difference to the heat it gives out when in slumber?

[kju]

There is no heat really given out in slumber mode, it is amazing how fast it cools down. Boiling a kettle would take a long time though on slumber especially if it had been in slumber for a while.

We have it on low most of the day (summer and winter) and only use slumber at night (which is still ok for overnight porridge cooking ).

Low is fine to boil kettle, make toast, heat stuff up etc. It doesn't give out too much heat at all.

[landrover]

We have had an aga for 7 years, it is the BEST thing. All our washing hangs above it overnight and is dry by the morning. Because it is always on, no waiting for the oven to heat up. It is Soooo cosy in the winter, all you gloves, coats etc dry when yuo come in.
I am certainly not a cooker but i have never for one moment worried about having an extra hob, there is absolutley no need, you very soon get used to cooking on one. Aga also do free cooking nights which are deffo reccommended!
It is really the best thing about our house. You also never need to cleen an oven ever again, you just brush it out occasionally. It is FAB

[landrover]

Oh i forgot to say we leave it on all year round, no bloody hot weather in uk!!!

[lexie01]

Thanks Landrover - TBH not ever having to clean a cooker again is one of the BIG plus's!! Can I ask if you have a really big drafty farmhouse type kitchen?

[bobdog]

Lexie, did you look at the Heritage range cookers?

[swanriver]

Lexie, I think in view of your hot/cold issues, you are better off with a Heritage. I think I mentioned my dsis has one, and it is just like an Aga in size/shape, just not as expensive to run (because it has a timer), and makes her freezing kitchen lovely and warm. Oh and much cheaper to buy.
If you have a flue, there should be no problem with installing one.

[swanriver]

The only other thing you can do is quickly find a friend who actually has an Aga, and take your dh round to lunch there so he feels the vibe. If he still doesn't see the point you may have to concede gracefully rather than spend the rest of your life apologising for it. You can still have a lovely kitchen without an Aga - it may be that you are unhappy with existing kitchen and see the Aga as the source of all happiness. The happiness will come from light airy cosy well planned kitchen - and the Aga is definitely NOT the only thing which will make your kitchen feel that way whatever the sales pitch and the romantic pictures.