My bloody kitchen...one disaster upon another...

[kitchenemergency]

Very briefly my kitchen is being replaced as part of an insurance claim.

It has taken a very very long time and I basically threw my toys massively out the pram to insist it was finished by Xmas. I've been without a kitchen for many months and the replacement only got the go ahead a few weeks ago.

My previous kitchen was chosen by me and I loved it. This one I already have reservations about...I've attached a couple of photos...

I need to know if im being unreasonable in being unhappy.

My main issues are the difference in height between the larder cupboard and other wall units (in my original kitchen they were the same height)

The brown cupboards. I thought they'd be covered by the outer/ door but the shelves are brown. Nothing else in kitchen is.

I also used to have inset lights in my glass cupboards...these don't.

I just feel it looks cheap. My old kitchen only came from a big DIY chain but looked expensive.

Am I being over critical?

I'm pretty sure howdens do lights.
Why the hell wouldn't they?! Most people have lights in their kitchen cabinets, it's not an extravagance.

He sounds truly awful.

The good thing is - lights can be retrofitted.

So if howdens won't do them for you, duck them and get your contractor to sort you out with some decent quality properly integrated kitchen lights.

I think they do a few types of cornice and pelmer, but they probably stick the most common type willing is a simple square with pencil rounded edges.

If you want something a bit more decorative the contractors will have to do that for you.

Once again, a simple enough job if the contractors know carpentry which they should if they are fitting kitchens

Howdens do do lights, they're lit in the photo Springmachine put up from their website

Howdens do lights,however, they're extortionate, I bought some from screwfix for around a quarter of the price at Howdens and my kitchen fitter fitted them, I have nothing but good dealings with Howdens though, I would definitely get Back in touch with your insurance and insist that they furnish you with a complete itemised bill of products and that they get that cupboard changed, after all, even if it's Howdens fault the ultimate responsibility for sorting it is your insurer.

I think the issue here is the fitter, I can't see any reason why the units couldn't have been installed to match the height of the tall unit. That's what Wickes did for me. They just made the smaller units higher up.

I think this happens with insurance claims, years ago we claimed for a bath, and the guy put a very small, sort of disabled access thing in, instead of a normal bath, which meant all the tiles now didn't meet the edge of the bath, by a long way and, he then argued with me like a right fucker when j got back from work. that it was the only option, his job was to replace the bath and it wasn his problem I now had six inches of untilled wall above the bath,

I complained and the insurance company sent a mediator round, who found in my favour, the original workman wasn't paid and a new one was put in to replace the bath he installed.

The issue was the contractor, and I suspect that's the case here. They don't get paid a lot for it, so do it quick and fast and shoddy.

The Howdens guy is a dick but the contractors aren't great despite being a lot better than the other 2 contractors. I had to beg the insurers to find a 3rd contractor as originally they claimed they only had 2. I'm in London. Not the back of beyond.

Tonight's drama I've come home and my integrated dishwasher is a good inch in front of the adjoining cupboard. As though I'm going to say of course that's fine. Wtf?

The cupboards are still not the right height. The unit over the fridge is now basically resting on the fridge which I don't think is right either. Having done a bit of measuring I think my wall units were higher originally which would make sense.

The main problem I can see is there is absolutely no oversight anywhere. There's no loss adjuster, I'm dealing with 5 different organisations (the contractors, Howdens, storage company, others) myself. The insurers have no clue whats going on and except for quibbling that I couldn't possibly have a new sink basically won't get involved. Everything is for me to sort out.

I know the lights thing is stupid but that's what I'm up against. The fitter says to me that he didn't know about the lights- is that my job to tell him? I already have a full time job which I'm taking the piss with because every day now I'm late in because I have to go over stuff with the fitter, because I'm the only one checking anything!

Bluntness that bath scenario sounds like the sort of stuff I'm getting here. It's like well you've got a replacement don't moan...And how dare you point out that it's inadequate?!!

Unfortunately time is not on my side. I have 5 working days to get the kitchen done. My original kitchen was fitted from scratch in less than that but given we're 5 days in already and less than halfway through its a bit of a worry. I've also got kitchen parts filling 3 rooms of my house so I can't clean, tidy or put up any Christmas decorations. And I've still got to get my actual kitchen contents back from storage in the next 5 days too...

Even massive kitchens can be fitted in 2 weeks with decent fitters
These sound like cowboys

I think possibly the contractor should be managing it and he's not. It sounds like a shoddy installation.

So for example I have an integrated fridge freezer which has a cupboard above it, so the kitchen fitters said to me, do you want the rest of the wall units installed higher to Match the height. Your dishwasher should be plumb and if you had lights before you should have lights again.

Thr bath is the only time I have ever had something done on insurance, and the second guy did say it's because they don't pay much.

If you can stomach it I'd ask him to stop work and say you want a mediator in, because the wall units need to be reinstalled higher, the dishwasher needs to be plumb, you want lights like you had before and the oak carcass needs to be changed to a white one. Because if he completes the job it could be a nightmare getting it redone. Although to be fair mine was a few days later, but it was just a bath.

And beware he may be very rude. My guy not only argued with me On the way out he charmingly said to my husband "I don't know how the fuck you're married to her, most obnoxious bitch I've ever met". Although he was sore as the mediator had just found in my favour and he wasn't getting paid for installing the odd little bath.

My husband, the most laid back guy ever, just responded with "it's a dirty job mate but someone's got to do it".🤣

Sorry but that brown interior looks awful. Have they just made a simple mistake and been supplied with the wrong one?

The Howdens guy is adamant brown is how the glass cupboards come. He's going to do me a favour and give me a white cupboard and glass shelves....even though that's just what I had originally!

My DP will be here on Monday...he doesn't live with me but is as pissed off with it as I am. Sexist though it is, I feel the fitters will take him more seriously than me (especially as he is a big burly bloke and looks quite intimidating).

I'll post some photos of current kitchen state. The cooker and sink at least has to be finished by Friday. I need to be able to cook in here over Xmas.

Attached is photo showing the lower cupboard...but it's still not the same height as the others!

Also the dishwasher...And the cooker which they can't fit the drawer below so it's having to go above. Because who doesn't want an oven at ankle height?

I have just had the twesksbury fitted. And also have the oak insides but you cannot see them as I have no glass cabinets.
What size wall units have you got. It looks to me as though you have the smaller ones. I ordered the taller ones to match the height of the fridge unit.
My pelmets are not on yet so please excuse the rubbish photo taken in the garage.

The pelmet

Why are your bottom cabinets white and the top ones brown

According to Howdens it's standard for the glass cupboards to be brown carcass but all others white. Makes no fucking sense to me but that's what he says. So all the carcasses except glass ones are white.

I didn't get a choice of cupboards. I have to have what I've got because they say that's what I had previously and they're only 'allowed' to give me what I had. Even though this is inferior in so many ways!

As I suspected the pelmet is a lot narrower than what I had.

Your previous wall units must have been taller. If you had the shorter ones and moved them up the bottom of them would have been too high. I am 5’8 and need a step to get to the top of the cupboards. I would argue the case for the taller units. It make no sense. Does your fitter have any relationship with Howdens. I think this is the key. Everything including the price depends on the relationship and spending pattern the fitter has with them. We had a few bits missing and a knackered unit but it was rectified imeadiatly.

That oven is ridiculous op. I'd be fuming! Who are your insurance company?

The dishwasher and oven would be the last straw for me OP.

There’s no point having an integrated dishwasher if it’s not flush to the other units, surely? The would drive me mad.

Oh the building contractors and Howdens all seem pretty pally...but none of them will listen to me.

My insurers are a very very well known brand. I can't say who because I actually work for them albeit not in home claims and I'm employed by an intermediary. But you will have heard of them.

I think the basic problem is they can't match the original kitchen with anything in the current range.

To me this means they need to fit a new kitchen so it all matches...

I don’t want to add flame to this but when I looked at the first lot of pictures they are the same design as ones B&Q do as an off the shelf cheapy kitchen.

I know Howdens are better quality and I know the kitchen you have but it was one thing that put me off when I was shopping for my own kitchen.

If they are saying everything will be ok I would want that in writing with an assurance that if you are not happy they will rip it out and start again.

I have worked with builders who if they are working for you for too long they seem to believe the property is theirs and put what they want into it rather than adhering to what you actually want

I would fire off emails titled FORMAL complaint to CEO of insurers and Howdens and anyone else inbetween.
Tell them all who else you are complaining too. Demand a response within 24/48 hours.
Keep your complaint concise. Use bullet points of the issues.
I think the insurers should be doing more tbh to ensure you get a decent replacement. A big part of thisnproblwmis Lack of communication between the different companies you are dealing with.
That cooker is a definate no no for me and the dishwasher looks shit!! How can an integral dishwasher stick out? Is that the wrong
measurements or shoddy plumbing work behind it?
I can sympathise. I had a cowboy do my kitchen last year. My fridge housing unit had same issues as yours and it bugs me.everybdaybi go in there. The issue was reduced by installingbectra tall wall units instead of standard height ones.

I think before you complain you need to decide what you want realistically to happen. Is it more important you can cook for Christmas or get the issues resolved fully and maybe have work extended into the next year.