Hello!
We are in the semi destroyed kitchen state at the moment, trying to coordinate different tradespeople to do the various jobs. Quite stressful!
We will be using DIY kitchens to get the units & worktops. No problem at all to get appliances elsewhere/keep existing ones. We are getting a freestanding range from Currys, and keeping our American fridge freezer and freestanding dishwasher. Appliances are generally standard sizes, and if you aren't integrating them, dead easy to just slot into appropriate size gaps.
For us, flooring is going down at the end. We have a hung floor and the gas/water pipes are under it so the floor can't go down until they are all routed correctly etc. Ours is a laminate wood effect floor so we will run it just under the plinths and to the walls, and then fit skirting on top.
Yes you can get worktops replaced further down the line, obv not a quick job as you will probably need the sink/hob out in order to do so, and if you have tiled your splashbacks then you risk damage to those when getting the worktop out. If you think you might want to do this, personally I would get upstand instead of tiles to make it simpler.
If you are getting someone in to design & fit your kitchen let them do the measurements! If there's a mistake you don't want it to be your fault. Lots of companies do free no obligation visits and design, make use of these to give you ideas. We did and are now going to order from DIY kitchens and fit ourselves. Just need professionals for electrics, plastering, gas and fitting patio doors. DH is perfectly competent for plumbing and carpentry and I am head painter.
Cost cutting - just keep shopping around. We started with looking at Wickes. Quickly found that for eg solid wood worktops, sinks, taps can be bought cheaper through online stores. DIY kitchens will cost us about £2k for units. Wickes quoted us £3.5k and that was at 50% off + 10%. The DIY units we've chosen are higher quality than the Wickes range (lacquered MDF vs vinyl wrap)
We had one quote of £2k for putting in patio doors and the second company quoted £1.1k so huge difference. Always get a second quote!
Check the quotes from kitchen firms, there was loads of stuff added on to our Wickes quote (in addition to the 3.5k) that we hadn't asked for and didn't necessarily want - drawer divider sets, bin systems etc. You can always go back and buy these things later if you decide you want them, but don't let them sneak a few hundred pounds onto your bill without checking every item and seeing if you actually want them - and if you do, are there are cheaper alternatives eg Ikea/freestanding/online?
