A new kitchen for under £3,500

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I'm looking to replace my kitchen after a house fire (noone hurt- thank god)

The insurers will cover up to £3,500. This needs to include units (about 12), baseboards and trim, work surface and fitting. I don't need appliances.

My first and second choice (magnet) have been turned down as too expensive so I'm looking again.

Our kitchen has an awkward corner and I am terrible at imagining things in 3D so I'm having real difficulty using the design a kitchen app on the IKEA site. I'm worried about messing up and ordering the wrong things and having a kitchen that doesn't fit together in the end.

Is there anywhere I can go that will design and fir the kitchen for me that will be within my budget?

I like modern designs, with smooth doors.

Thanks :)

Look at Howdens and Benchmarx basic ranges with laminate worktop.

I think IKEA would be better valiue for money though and you should be able to get some interior fittings and even pan drawers in your budget - though you would need tof rind your own fitter dont use the IKEA service (too pricey). They do offer a design service for £100 which is part redeemed against the kitchen.

Go and look at Wickes apparently Magnet make some of their kitchens. Two friends have recently had kitchens from there and said the quality very good.

We've just had a new Magnet kitchen but didn't use one of their recommended fitting companies. We got a friend's recommendation on a local joiner who turned out to be brilliant and not VAT registered so saved us a few pennies.

Ah, thanks Pannacotta. I think I need the design service. Got into a huge tizz with the corner pieces.

Benchmarx is the trade arm of Wickes so prices will be lower than Wickes.

I have had a look at the units and thought they were pretty good.
Think they come assembled too, which saves on fitting costs but not 100% sure on that.

Could you go for freestanding ones. Ikea and Habitat do them?

This company do nice smooth doors Eco Kitchen, that company will tell you local suppliers. I also managed to find a recent price list price list

Howdens will design also and have computer programme that really helps you picture it all.
SIL got her kitchen from B+Q recently for under 2000. Haven't seen it fitted but they had some plans done.

B&Q kitchens actually aren't all that bad - the cooke and lewis are shoddy (style over substance - even falling apart in the showroom and silly things like swing up doors on high cupboards that are barely reachable closed, never mind open) but my parents have had their kitchens in the past few houses and they've lasted pretty well.

IKEA do a design service although don't know how good or bad it is.

Our kitchen was 12 units and including fridge and dishwasher we spent 2k at IKEA so should be doable at your budget with fitting.

£3500 is a really low replacement value for 12 units, what do you have for fitting the kitchen? If you could combine the costs, fitting ready made units will be cheaper and leave you more for the units.

we put a new kitchen in a rented house - Benchmarx were £500 cheaper than Howdens for much the same white kitchen -£1000 for 5 units plus £1000 fitting.

I'm another one who'd recommend IKEA. We bought 9 units, solid wood worktops and a hob for about £800, and a sink, dishwasher and oven from elsewhere for about £500. Then I got a gas fitter to install the hob, a plumber to install the sink/dishwasher and existing washing machine, and a joiner to fit the worktops, for about £350. DS1 and I built and fitted the units easily in under 2 days, but there are plenty of people about who will do them for you for a price that would still be well under £3k. :)