About new kitchen

[Silverstripe]

Currently having some work done on our house, knocking through to our integrated garage to create a kitchen / diner. The original plan was to reuse the existing kitchen cupboards and doors (totally plain white, matte wood) but half of these fell apart when removed from the walls and couldn’t be salvaged.

We spoke to the joiners who indicated they could get new units and doors which would match the old ones. We very clearly explained that we ultimately wanted to paint them, so they couldn’t be gloss. The joiners acknowledged this and specifically wrote ‘satin or matte’ on their shopping list.

We’ve just been to the house to check progress. The cupboards are in, and every door is the glossiest gloss you could ever imagine. They are hideous, I doubt they could be painted (perhaps with a good sanding and industrial quantities of primer but I’m not sure), and they absolutely don’t match the existing cupboards which aren’t being replaced.

WIBU to insist that the joiners remove the doors and end panels and replace them with what we actually asked for, at their own cost? At no point did they get in touch to ask if we were happy with gloss after all, and we couldn’t have been clearer in the initial conversation we had with them. They’re running over time and I suspect they couldn’t get the doors we wanted and so just chose what was in stock, but I don’t think it’s right that they did this without consulting us.

And to add insult to injury the gloss doors are much more expensive than the matte and satin ones!

So do I have a leg to stand on insisting that they rectify this issue at their own cost?

Hopeful bump 😬

Tell them it’s not what you asked for. Reiterate what the terms were. State you won’t pay til it’s rectified.

If it’s in writing refer them to that and get them to rectify the problem

I hope your initial request is in writing.

have you read the packaging description to see how the doors are described?

The initial instruction isn’t in writing - we had an in-person conversation with them and they wrote on their shopping list that they had to be matte or silk, not gloss (I have a photograph of that list). I also have photographs of the packaging the doors and units came in which states that they’re white gloss.

Oh ffs why did they have to go and do that! The frustration of this kind of stuff is so annoying. I would insist they change them, it’s totally unacceptable. Though is it possible to get the doors you need/want?

Have you spoken to them about it? They should definitely rectify it for you but you need to speak to them straight away.

I suspect that might be the issue - they’ve gone for what was available (there seem to be general shortages of building / renovation supplies at the moment!) rather than looking around for the right thing. I just wished they called to check first because we would definitely have preferred to delay the completion of the kitchen for the sake of having the right units rather than go for the exact ones we specified we didn’t want 😩

@Racoonworld we texted our builder last night (he’s the one we actually have a contract with, the joiners are his subbies) to explain the problem and ask for a call today. I expect the actual issue is nothing to do with him but since he’s the one with the contract with them he’ll have to sort it in the first instance.

Part of me feels like I’m making a fuss but then it seems so absurd to spend so much money and end up with a Frankenstein kitchen where half the units don’t match...

I mean this in the nicest possible way but it might have better better to choose the doors already in the colour you wanted. Painting doors is a nightmare!

You’re not making a fuss, if you went to a restaurant and ordered steak and got chicken you would complain and send it back, this is no different. They can’t just randomly buy stuff into your house!

Not buy, put!

I mean this in the nicest possible way but it might have better better to choose the doors already in the colour you wanted.

With hindsight, this would have been very sensible we decided to paint ourselves because we knew we would have to paint the old ones anyway and the colour I want isn’t a very common kitchen door colour, but I’m now thinking I would have happily sacrificed the specific colour for doors that more or less match. Although I wouldn’t have thought plain white doors would have been hard to find either!

If any of you ever consider substantial home renovations 1) during a pandemic and 2) when you’re 8 months pregnant, heed my advice and don’t...

You are not "making a fuss".
If any builder ever makes you feel that way just ask 2 questions
Would they do that in their own home?
How long do you have to live with the outcome?

I have done renovations in both those situations and your joiners could have bought and fitted the carcasses and then put the doors on later when suitable ones were available. Generally all doors from each manufacturer will fit all that manufacturers carcasses. The doors also go on last after so they could have fitted the carcasses and the work tops and just waited for the doors. Im fact they could have left the doors for you to fit as it’s really easy to put doors on.
Hope you get it sorted.

I’ve learnt never to let builders buy things for you, even small things. Ours picked up a new radiator and light switch for our extension and they are different to all the rest in our house. It drives me mad! Why not just buy the same style?!

@Itllbeaninterestingchristmas that’s what I thought - it would have been no hardship to live without doors for a while until we could get the ones we wanted, and I wouldn’t have minded fitting them ourselves. I don’t understand why they didn’t just call us instead of ploughing ahead with the one option we had specifically stated we didn’t want.

@TheChineseChicken wise words! I’m regretting it so much, because everything else (worktops, sink, taps, lights) we bought ourselves but for some reason we just accepted it when the joiners said the easiest thing was for them to just pick them up.

Have the doors been fitted or are they still in the boxes?
If they are still in boxes they can go back

You are not making a fuss. If they couldn't get what you asked for they should have informed you
They can't just install anything

They have been fitted, unfortunately, but I’m inclined to think they will still need to resolve this at their own expense because of how clear our instructions were.

It is not making a fuss! You’re not being demanding to ask for what you want in your home that you’re paying for!

Thank you all for reassuring me!

Definitely raise it with them - they’ve made a unilateral decision about a key part of your house without even checking first that you hadn’t changed your mind. Their decision, their responsibility to rectify it.