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Original poster

Kitchen extension - what to spend money on

40 replies

weepingwillow22 · 09/05/2020 07:19

We are having an open plan kitchen/dining room/family room extension built at the moment and deciding on what to priortise our budget on.

I was wondering what people feel are things they are really pleased that they splurged on vs. things they wish they had not bothered with.

We are considering things such as wine fridges, hot water taps, self venting induction hobs but do not have the budget for everything. Also what about furniture for the open plan dining/family area?

Are there any other hints and tips people have for things that have worked really well such are lughting ideas or ideas to avoid when planning an open plan kitchen/dining room?

OP posts:
Original poster
weepingwillow22 · 09/05/2020 07:19

*lighting

OP posts:
HugeAckmansWife · 09/05/2020 07:28

Difficult to answer because it depends on your lifestyle, age of kids etc. Id say get the best quality appliances you can afford. On a more practical note, have a really long chat with your builder about how they intend to do things. Mine totally fucked up the floor for instance and without ripping out the whole whole thing its not fixable. He also put the stopcock behind the dishwasher instead of accessible under the sink. Ask him what order things will be done in and what you need to supply. A tiler turned up expecting me to supply the adhesive and spacers - that would have been OK but I hadn't been told to get them, just the tiles. Think about cupboard and worktop height if you're especially tall or short.

DustyD2 · 09/05/2020 07:59

A really nice worktop as it will be the centrepiece (assuming you are having an island). Lighting that is good for the evening when you have people round (miss those days!). Wine fridge so main fridge stays free of bottles.

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Home improvement
rose69 · 09/05/2020 08:01

By not using Wrens kitchens. They were a nightmare

DustyD2 · 09/05/2020 08:01

Plug sockets with USB ports are v handy

Hadenoughfornow · 09/05/2020 08:03

I was going to get all the fancy storage solutions, until I saw how much they cost!!

I would say good quality units and worktops.

Thats where most of our money went.

Hadenoughfornow · 09/05/2020 08:04

Oh yeah and we did get the USB sockets

DustyD2 · 09/05/2020 08:05

Not really appliances but big drawers rather than cupboards in lower units. We put too many cupboards on our island and wish we had more practical drawers instead. And a bin drawer that has separate sections for recycling and waste!

Movinghouse2015 · 09/05/2020 08:09

I'd definitely say best appliances you can afford. I have downsized from a lovely extended kitchen, to current home due to divorce.

My plan is to extend the kitchen in the future, so recently purchased a cheap oven to get me through the next couple of years. It's been a mistake, it's really is rubbish!! I will appreciate my kitchen more than ever once I get it done!

wowfudge · 09/05/2020 08:17

I can't tell you what to prioritise, but I narrowed down appliances to makes and models and shopped around. I used Which and Good Housekeeping reviews. You can make significant savings. I chose a quiet dishwasher because the kitchen and dining room are open plan. Don't scrimp in a way that compromises your choices - in the scheme of things it can be better to stretch things a bit than have something you like, but don't love, and spend years regretting your choice. You can save money by decorating yourselves - our builder lent us a scaffold so we could safely paint a vaulted ceiling.

Titsywoo · 09/05/2020 08:25

Most money for us was worktops and appliances. Kitchen units were from DIY kitchens so very cheap but great quality and still like new 5 years later. Worktop is quartz and we have a large islsnd so that was about 3k. Our flooring wasn't expensive but i spent a long time ordered samples and testing them (dropping things on them and dragging chairs legs over them to make sure they didnt scratch!) - its lasted really well. Get a good tap - our first one was bad quality and ended up very wobbly.

Titsywoo · 09/05/2020 08:27

Personally i think a wine fridge is a waste of money but that depends on how much wine you have i guess!

Original poster
weepingwillow22 · 09/05/2020 08:29

Thanks all. What do people think about boiling water taps? Are they worth the money?

OP posts:
working5to9 · 09/05/2020 08:38

Work out what is a really integral bit of the kitchen which can't be changed and what can be changed or upgraded a couple of years down the line and focus on the first.
We had a drawer in the original design which I wobbled on and almost replaced with a cupboard which would have saved me £90. It's low down and has the roasting dishes and things in it. 7 yrs later, I open that drawer at least every other day (more now we're home) and am grateful each time that the supplier persuaded me to go with the drawer.
We went for bifold doors on a couple of cupboards. They themselves were expensive and bumped up the cost of the whole kitchen as it really limited our range of suppliers but they gave us the best design option and I still love them.
We had a couple of down lights fitted under cupboards which we never need as we don't need mood lighting in the kitchen, perhaps because we have a dining room so any meals in the kitchen are functional ones. Perhaps if it was a kitchen diner and we'd spend time chatting with friends at the dining table bit of an evening, the down lights might get more use.
I slightly regret not getting a hot water tap. I do wish we'd got some sockets with USB ports.

HugeAckmansWife · 09/05/2020 08:41

I wouldn't bother personally.. How long dies it take to boil a kettle? But if you want less clutter on your worktops I suppose they might appeal. I agree on good worktops.. Mine were solid oak from worktops direct and I always recommend AO for appliances..brilliant service. I ordered the wrong size oven and they swapped it and refunded the difference in price in 24hrs.

Toilenstripes · 09/05/2020 08:44

We love our boiling water tap. No more kettle taking up space on the countertop. The only thing we didn’t realise is that it has its own boiler under the sink which takes up almost half the cupboard.

Landlubber2019 · 09/05/2020 08:47

What do people think about boiling water taps?

We don't have one but I really wanted one, but I have kids still at home. Not young kids but we were warned against having one as too easy to get the boiling water in error.

NotPennysBoat · 09/05/2020 08:47

I would never have opted for a hot water tap because I thought they were a waste of money. However we inherited one in our new house and I LOVE it! We use it dozens of times a day - not just for making tea! For filling pans, pre-heating coffee cups for the coffee machine (I like my coffee extra hot). I can't imagine having to wait for a kettle to boil now. I'd replace it in a heartbeat.

Nanalisa60 · 09/05/2020 08:48

Good flooring, granite worktop!! Glass back splash,
I bought my kitchen units from Howdens then slashed out on the worktops.

StarcourtMall · 09/05/2020 08:49

I love my bin drawer! I also am pleased we paid more for the worktop and lighting.

sorryiasked · 09/05/2020 08:56

Work out what cupboard space you need. We opted for a walk in larder/pantry which meant that we only needed the under worktop cupboards and one small wall cupboard. Having clear walls has made such a difference to the sense of space.
On the negative - I wish we'd put another window in, not for light but just for outlook.

Original poster
weepingwillow22 · 09/05/2020 09:01

What sort of lighting to people find works best? E.g pendants over island, leds, under wall units, led strips around island, floor or ceiling and in what combination?

OP posts:
Twospaniels · 09/05/2020 09:12

We got an Insinkerator hot water tap and love it. We use it all the time. The boiler in the cupboard below is not that big and takes up about a 7” square of space at the back.
We have the bins in a pull out cupboard/drawer. There are two in there so one for general rubbish and the other for recycling.
Under cabinet and baseboard lighting. It comes on a flexible strip and looks great.
We used Wren kitchens and although since using them I’ve read a lot of negative stuff about them, I have to say we had no problems and if asked to recommend on our experience then would not hesitate to.

feelingcrook · 09/05/2020 09:12

Bosch appliances !

What's your total budget (being nosy) as am trying to decide between extending and building kitchen/diner or moving- but can't get any quotes at the moment!

I need to go on that BBC2 show 'Your Home Made Perfect' and let that bonkers Irish guy design me something with loads of built in seating and a bath in the kitchen! 🤣

BruceAndNosh · 09/05/2020 09:13

Zone your lighting.
We have a long thin kitchen dinner sitting room.
Zone 1 kitchen
Zone 2 extra lighting over island in kitchen and over dining table.
Zone 3 sitting area.
All dimmable LEDS
Plus under counter lighting