Kitchens - do you get what you pay for?

[DreamboatDaddy]

Hello all, first post! Some great advice on these forums.

We're planning a new kitchen. We've checked out a lot of the high street stores and were thinking of going Ikea to keep the price down - but spending money on decent work surfaces to create more of a quality feel.

Some of the threads I read on MN suggest that there's a big difference between different prices levels. But some posts (that come from people that sound like they know what they're talking about!) say that a few manufacturers supply all of the carcasses and also the doors and that therefore pretty much every kitchen is the same.

I've no idea what to believe!

So, given a house with a value of approx. 400K and wanting a really good quality kitchen but without paying the earth, should I go for an Ikea kitchen but spend money on the accessories? Should I go for a Schuller kitchen (a few threads have recommended pricemykitchen) or should I do something else entirely?

Any advice very much appreciated!

I think it partly depends on whether it is modern terrace, older semi, detached, cottage, tiny Victorian terrace or, in other words, what would you expect to see in this kitchen if you walked into the house? Does it need an IKEA kitchen that is good enough or is the house crying out for something more traditional? Look for sturdy hinges so the doors don't drop and a longer lasting finish. I don't particularly rate IKEA but if they have a kitchen you really like then go for it. If you want traditional, try Neptune. Half the battle is getting decent fitters. We had lovely guys from Cotteswood. They could not have been more helpful or exacting in their standards. This is going to cost more than IKEA though. Do get a good work surface. Granite if possible. It is indestructible and will look great all the time. It never needs any attention. Lastly look at all your local showrooms and you will get a feel for what is right in your house. If we all bought from IKEA we would all have pretty similar kitchens!

You definitely get what you pay for and an IKEA kitchen in a £400k house will do nothing more than devalue the house.

Besides, an investment in a decent kitchen will ensure you get a product that lasts a long time and stays looking good.

All the kitchens you get on the high street are essentially the same eg magnet and b&q - same quality but thousands more in magnet.
The difference is between the solid wood really expensive stuff and the rest of the high street.
It's worth spending out on v expensive if you don't want to change it ever

is this your 'forever home ' - or are you tidying it up to sell on - do you treat your things well ? or can members of your family really put things through their paces ?! do you want to do this once and live with it for years and years - or do you think you will fancy a change in five years ? do you get bored easily with one finish or design ?! If you could paint your kitchen doors would this quench any thirst for change? and as Milly said - what suits the house style ? I agree with Km too - but that said - I have seen an ikea kitchen go into a £1million home -if it's designed well and is well disguised, ie bespoke handles - custom worktops etc you wouldn't guess it was ikea !! that worked for them as they treat their stuff well, ie not heavy handed, and it suited their budget - as they had a lot of refurbs to do - do needed to stretch their budget further !
so in answer to your question - you can get more than you pay for, if you plan well, disguise things - then keep the details to your self if anyone asks !! or you can go and get a very expensive kitchen that will look exactly like what it is !!! depends on how much dosh you have spare !!!

an IKEA kitchen in a £400k house will do nothing more than devalue the house.

It depends where the house is. In London it's not that high end.

I'm in the same position as you and finding it all a bit daunting.

Been to look at all the Magnet, Howdens, Ikea etc and they all seem pretty similar - although different prices!

However, I did notice the difference in quality when I went to look at a German kitchen through a small independent kitchen supplier, and was amazed that the price was not much different to Howdens and in fact way cheaper than Magnet.

What is your budget?

Thanks for all of your replies - much appreciated!

To answer some of your questions. House is currently being completely refurbished and extended into a quite spacious 3-bed semi and the kitchen will be in an open plan kitchen/diner/living room. We want a contemporary look. We're in the North Herts area.

We plan to stay for at least 3-4 years as it is close to our son's primary school but from there we don't know. We do love the house but realistically we probably won't stay longer than 4-7 years. I definitely have one eye on future resale value but the focus on the short term is to make this a wonderful home. Alternatively we could retain the house and rent it out in the future.

I was originally planning a budget of about 7K including fitting and granite/quartz/corian work surfaces. But if I could get a much better end result I'd consider going up to 10-12K.

We are leaning towards light coloured work surfaces (I prefer white) with white, grey or brown units, or a combination of colours. We'll have a wooden floor.

Kitchen will be in a 2.8m x 4.4M section of the room. L-shaped with a 1.7M island/breakfast bar.

Please do keep your thoughts and recommendations coming!

I can't imagine how you'd be able to do a kitchen for £7k including fitting and granite/corian/quartz, unless you have all your appliances already. Have you had a look at www.diy-kitchens.com?