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Should I go with option A or B please?! (kitchen related)

31 replies

Missnearlyvintage · 26/01/2019 21:22

Hi everyone,

Our 'it's only cosmetic, a lick of paint and it'll all be sorted out', house has turned into a bit more a project... The long and short of it is that the dream £9k - 12k new kitchen is off the cards.

However, our whole house will need work doing this year and this will result in redecoration and new flooring in the majority of areas including the kitchen diner.

The current fitted kitchen was put in in 1980. It's fake walnut wood coloured, and while I don't mind it, it is falling apart a bit and getting a bit tatty. The floor is currently bare concrete (with holes in it), and there is plaster missing from the walls at present, so I can't leave the whole room well alone and revisit it all at another time unfortunately. I'm concerned that the fitted kitchen will look awful once everything is else is sorted out and pristine.

If you were in this situation would you either:

A) Accept that the current kitchen is staying until we can save up for the dream kitchen, (approx 5-8 years I reckon, or until it properly breaks and we have to rethink our financial options), fit a cheap new floor and decorate.

Or

B) Buy a new budget style kitchen now (£3-£5k I reckon) so the whole house is sorted in one go, and spend a bit more on flooring etc. so it's en-keeping with the rest of the house, in the hope that this new kitchen will last a decade or so, and we'll be in a position to fit our dream kitchen then, when we'll probably redecorate some of the rest of the house again anyway...

Thanks in advance!

OP posts:
Pinnacular · 26/01/2019 21:24

B. Change it and enjoy it.

SpoonBlender · 26/01/2019 21:39

If you can afford B, go for it. A shite kitchen is shite, whereas a cheap-but-the-right-shape one is fine.

Freshsheets9 · 26/01/2019 21:52

Option B
Whilst you don’t relax in this area, you do spend a lot of time in the kitchen, it can be a heart of a home.
You should be able to get a reasonable kitchen, which will make the space a lot more enjoyable.

waterandlemonjuice · 26/01/2019 22:02

You can do a kitchen cheaply. Can you

Reuse the cupboard carcasses and just buy new doors?
Keep all existing appliances?
Look on ebay - people often get rid of old kitchens
Paint the walls = very cheap update
Get nice accessories

Think about the things that you really need and just replace or buy them

Magstermay · 27/01/2019 08:04

Actually I’d go for B. Normally I’d be in the A camp as I don’t like spending money for the sake of it BUT we were in a similar position and replacing the kitchen very cheaply (DH fitted it and used discount cupboards rather than full on ‘planning’ it out nicely) made a big difference to how it looked and felt. As it was so cheap we wouldn’t have minded ripping it out a few years later, but we’ve moved instead 😂

MerryMarigold · 27/01/2019 08:07

Cheaper kitchen now. It'll be fine.

HeronLanyon · 27/01/2019 08:09

B.

LegoMonkeys · 27/01/2019 08:13

Definitely B.

Missnearlyvintage · 27/01/2019 10:06

Thanks everyone! It’s really helpful to have other people’s opinions. DH has been nagging for a new kitchen for 4 years so his opinion is biased!
I thought I’d be fair to the current kitchen and post a photo so you can see the style. I think if it was pristine I wouldnt be thinking about option B, but there’s chips on the doors and carcasses, the drawer boxes are shot, as are the drawer fronts where they’ve been repeatedly glued back to the drawer boxes by the previous owner... the kick boards are shot, the space for the cooker is imperial so the cooker has 2cm + gaps either side of it... but from the photo it doesn’t look too bad?!

Should I go with option A or B please?! (kitchen related)
OP posts:
CottonSock · 27/01/2019 10:09

Option b.

shoofly · 27/01/2019 10:11

Actually to be fair, the picture looks worse than your initial post. Blush Honestly option B, new budget kitchen

Chewbecca · 27/01/2019 10:13

B

Luckingfovely · 27/01/2019 10:13

B

BrokenWing · 27/01/2019 10:14

Our cheap kitchen (b&q cooke & Lewis) looks tatty with scrapes and problems with most handles and hinges and is only 5 years old. The worktop desparetly needs replaced too. I personally wouldnt but cheap again and hold out until I could buy a better kitchen as I would see a cheap one as a waste of £5k+.

StatisticallyChallenged · 27/01/2019 10:37

Unless their prices have increased a lot that should be well within DIY kitchens price range. Ours is now 6 years old and still looks as good as new

Cailinnua · 27/01/2019 10:59

B

mum2015 · 27/01/2019 12:59

Go for B and be happy. If your DH is like mine you will be living with A forever 🙄

trickyex · 27/01/2019 13:03

Option B.
YOu might find that you can make an IKEA kitchen of that price look decent enough to be your long term option.
They get great reviews, have lots of good internal fittings and can be made to look custom (lots of info on-line).
Your current kitchen doesnt sound salvageable..

beanaseireann · 27/01/2019 15:59

Option B

muchprefersummer · 27/01/2019 16:39

Definitely option B.

bellsbuss · 27/01/2019 16:48

If you're going to save for a kitchen why not do it on interest free with one of the big kitchen companies. The money you would be putting away each month could pay for the monthly payment.

ineedtostopbeingsolazy · 27/01/2019 16:55

Definitely option B

greathat · 27/01/2019 17:06

B Ikea kitchens are really good quality...

Lindtnotlint · 27/01/2019 20:34

B. B. B.