New Kitchen expensive or really basic. New baby on the way in 8 weeks.

[46philh]

We have had an house extension done just have a kitchen left to do. arrival date is 22th sept for our first child.

We can either get a really cheap basic kitchen done now and then replace it in a couple of years.

Or wait until next spring and have an expensive dream kitchen all fitted. Would this be risky with a young child around risk drawing on it etc.

What do you think.....

Next spring you'll be weaning .... This is messy! I weaned my dd using a steamer and microwave in our cream carpeted dining room as our kitchen fitting ran over horribly. We all survived but I wouldn't move out of a kitchen again to a carpeted room with a baby investigating finger foods.....

Although I doubt very much that a child will draw on a kitchen, it's mostly bedroom walls in my experience. A new kitchen, cheap or expensive, won't be trashed by a little person.

Do everything before baby arrives. You won't have energy to design/think/fit/shop a kitchen after Sept, (most likely, unless you have help)

Get an ikea kitchen pronto. You'll love it so much that you won't bother upgrading for 8-10 years. You could just upgrade the worktop, taps and appliances to nice things when you have the energy.

we're having kitchen diner extension built but reusing existing units until ds is older. he's a door slammer, basher, general breaker of anything possible just to see how it works (breaks)
I wouldn't go for anything new until you find out what your baby is like. this is all a revelation to me too, as dd never even bothered to open a cupboard door!

I would look on ebay for varde freestanding units by ikea. I love that kitchen but I don't think they do it anymore? But you can usually find stuff on ebay and gumtree

I'm due any day. We never had enough time to get our kitchen don't before the due date. I'm holding out for my dream kitchen next year. I've spent all my maternity leave baby sitting builders. All the work has taken double the estimated time. With 8 weeks to go it is possible the baby will arrive before you are finished anyway.

I would get as much done as possible, but make sure you have time to relax without lots of men and mess around the house in the month before your due date.

If you wait until next spring do you have some sort of kitchen until then or are you eating take away?

My dd was born late October and we chose our kitchen in the new year sales, she was in a sling, dead easy. Might be worth waiting for the sales if you can get a quick installation. Having said that, I still love ikea kitchens.

Thanks for all the comments :)

We have still got a the oven / hob a a couple of cupboard from still in the old kitchen but most has gone with the new part being built.

Thought about all the above comments and want time with baby rather than thinking about kitchen design and fitting etc. We have spent the last 3 months trying to sort the rest of the house out recovering from major extension work.

We have decided to just get a some really basic cheap units and worktop from howdens and I will put them in the new kitchen extension part for now. Then maybe next summer get the proper kitchen or wait a bit longer.

Promised the wife we will get a dishwasher now though rather than wait.

If the issue is time and money, an Ikea kitchen could easily be fitted before your baby arrives and they offer interest free credit.

I think you've made the right decision. We've done exactly the same, though. We toyed with the idea of buying decent (but used) units from eBay - but it wan't worth the hassle.

We took the view that, despite having a newborn (just a month old now) that we didn't want to compromise on the kitchen having endured a pretty tough roud up until that point. We've scored some other wins elsewhere in the house still no hall flooring but will not be tackling the kitchen until the budget allows us to get what we want.

Have a look at howdens ...you have to go through a builder but they are reasonably cheap, good quality, easy to fit as in carcass form. Also they trade on the fact they have everything in stock ...so no crazy waiting times...they also have loads of warehouses so there should be one near you.
Crack on now...you do not want a newbie in kitchen chaos! Also impending baby should kick any builders butt into action!

I would go for the basic, cheap and quick kitchen.

And don't replace it for about 5 years!
My twins are six now and my kitchen door have taken an eye watering battering.
What is it with kids and their need to swing on door, pull handles down, put all their weight on draws.
Not to mention the amount of food that will be thrown at them, and the chance of them stickering them, drawing on them or bashing toys into them.
Enjoy the children being young and adventurous with an Ok budget kitchen then replace it when they are older.