Second Nature Kitchens

[kmini]

Hi

We are in the process of getting quotes on a new kitchen. Does anyone have any experience with the quality of these kitchens?

We hope in time that this will be a rental property so I want a kitchen with longevity, minimal maintenance & reasonably priced. As much as I would love to pay for a gorgeous top of the range kitchen, it just does not make financial sense to over capitalise on an investment property.

We have been quoted 14K for reasonably large kitchen - combination of base units, base + wall units & larder/oven/fridge units. Covers about 9 meters of wall space. This excludes applicances with the exception of an extractor. The tops are silasstone.

Any experiences very much appreciated.

We have had our SN kitchen since Easter. I still absolutely love it. It cleans beautifully, and still looks v good. We got one tiny chip following delivery of an appliance and I was worried it might 'peel' and get worse, but so far, so good.

Your price sounds high though. We have 4m of base and wall (inc pullout larder and spice cupboards), 3m with just base units, and an island which is 3 base units plus oversized top to create breakfast bar. Silestone tops. Units, tops, sink, extractor, fridge, dishwasher and fitting came in just under 9k.

We had a SN kitchen in the summer, it's a painted cream doors and I love it. I've bumped the units accidently with vaccum and other stuff etc and so far no damage. We are really pleased and looks high quality.

Thanks Partystress, I will need to work on my negotiations skills I think.

Great feedback to SarahSJP.

What are your carcasses made on. From what I understand, SN is just doors, & the carcasses our designer uses are MFC. Any experiences with this?

Our carcases are MFC (melamine faced chipboard) like 99% of kitchens, with Second Nature Broadoak doors. They were from DIY-kitchens but probably typical of rigid-built-solid-back carcases. Honestly you could probably park a car on them. They look really well built and there was a choice of about 15 wood finishes of which I adventurously chose light oak. Tandem drawers, Blum hinges all fine. It's a million miles from the white chipboard with sagging shelves and falling out hardboard back panels that used to be the best you could get. (well I think you can still get those from B&Q).

I think this sort of range would be good for a rental kitchen as they are solidly made, the drawers etc will take the punishment. You could save money by choosing a cheaper door style or maybe simplifying the design? Your quote does sound a bit high - does it include fitting or are the worktops a big item? Did you get an itemised breakdown?

Second Nature is a door supplier and most of their doors are vinyl wraps.

The quality of you kitchen is dependant on 3 factors-
Quality of carcases which in case of a SN kitchen is completely dependant on where the carcases are sourced from.
Fittings. As a minimum you want Blum, but if a kitchen with Grass fittings can be sourced, its a better product.
Doors. SN is mainly wraps which is not as durable as laminate or lacquered doors. However, SN wraps are better than a number of other suppliers.

You may want to get quotes for German kitchens for your kitchen. German kitchens are better quality and you will undoubtedly get a better product for similar money.

Hi thanks for all the feedback.

Kmdesign I'm a little confused by your vinyl wrap comments. I think the one we will opt for is part of their more traditional range, eden or milton. I presumed this was painted. Or is this not the case?

He means their more modern doors, eg gloss and others.
Their wood doors are of course veneer wood offered in natural oaks and some are offered spray painted.
The eden is a wood lay on door, Milton is a wood in-frame, they are nice doors but SN are on the more expensive side of door suppliers, eg you can get the same or better for less

Any wood or painted doors from SN are made from solid wood. Their wood doors are made from built up staves so you will often find grain and colour variation on a single piece of their timber doors. When painted, this isnt a problem but try and seek out a door/kitchen supplier where each piece of wood is singular and solid for more consistency.

Ultimately when something it made cheaply, its by making a compromise of some sort.

thank you everyone for your help!