Best budget kitchen

[TiddleTaddleTat]

We're about to rip out a horrible greasy old B&Q kitchen from the house we've just bought.

The layout of the kitchen diner is problematic (see pic) - originally we planned to remove the wall between kitchen / diner but structural, cost and time issues have made that unlikely for the moment. So we are going ahead with keeping the wall - we are instructing the electrician for a rewire next week.

Given that we might tire of the layout and (hopefully!) be able to afford to replace the conservatory with an extension in 3-5 years, we are loathe to spend a lot on a fitted kitchen now. Realistically our budget is £1000 so I know we are right at the bottom end / used market for cabinets anyway.

How would you get a really budget kitchen together for this budget?

Travis Perkins, same range as wickes so can get bits from both

I may have used the word budget too many times... I don't want it to be horribly cheap, would prefer second hand

I wish Ikea still did their freestanding kitchen units - they were very reasonably priced, stylish and strong. They sell well on ebay!
I'd keep my eyes on facebook if I were you, people often sell their units when they refit and you might be able to get some real wood ones, paint them up if you fancy!

Mummy is right - Benchmarx is the kitchen arm of Travis Perkins and they also make Wickes kitchens. It’s trade so you’d need the fitter to but it for you.

I think £1000 is very low even for second hand I’m afraid. Ikea do some basic pine drawers and units you build yourself. We have some in our kitchen to expand the storage as we’re living with it until we extend and rip out the kitchen. Called IVAR.

@PaintBySticker yes, it's not much of a budget! But I'm trying to prioritise decent freestanding appliances (which will move as and when) and we have a great big solid oak table. So I thought all that's really left is a work surface and storage? Shelving is a good idea ... I've also been looking at Ikea varde and habitat Olivia but they seem to hold their value on eBay and nothing coming up nearby..

My gut feel is that a freestanding kitchen is better - it can be resold or moved. Any fitted kitchen is basically wasted if we change the layout in a few years.

How bad is the current kitchen? Greasy sounds cleanable. With such a low budget, I’d be tempted to leave it - I know it’s your new house but it makes no sense.

We kept our awful kitchen until the whole thing was removed with the extension.

@Iggly it's pretty bad. Doors are not quite hanging off but it's nearly at that stage. Maybe we could replace doors and worktop only. It's probably about 15 years old and I know it was B&Q - wonder if doors would be transferable?

You could fix up the doors and give the kitchen a good clean - then save the ££ for when the extension happens. It’ll make it even more satisfying (I love ours after our horrendous 15 year old tiny cramped kitchen)

Replace the doors and worktop and save the rest of the money from your kitchen budget for further down the line - spending a lot of money now would be a false economy.

B&Q kitchen doors
www.diy.com/departments/kitchen/kitchen-cabinets/cabinet-doors/DIY824280.cat

B&Q worktops
www.diy.com/departments/kitchen/kitchen-worktops/worktops/DIY824272.cat

I purchased my kitchen from travis Perkins myself, I think you can get it even cheaper going trade though. I'm really happy with mine from there.

Kitchens grow Arms and legs though, my kitchen revamp was going to be about £1500, but £8000 down the line we are about half way there. 🙈😂

@mummyhaschangedhername that's what I'm worried about! I have a budget set aside for a much needed new (2nd hand) car, but if we start dreaming about kitchens the car will be a distant memory...

@SolitudeIsHighlyOverrated do you know of any info about whether b&q door sizes / hinge placements etc have changed ?

We have just fitted units in a new utility extension and got them from Wickes. The doors are really good quality and although the carcasses are not as thick as some they went together well. We went through a cash back site too and got some money off. It’s the extras that add up though, like the plinths and end panels.

We did a sub £1000 makeover once for a small galley kitchen. It basically involved new sink and taps, new worktop, repainting walls, stripping and resealing floor tiles and painting cupboard doors. It was a good freshener for 3 or 4 years. You're not going to get much more for sub £1000 really.

Howdens?

@TiddleTaddleTat Their cupboard doors come in so many sizes we never had a problem replacing any. Most come in 150 mm, 300 mm, 400 mm, 500 mm and 600 mm. We used to own a rental property and would occasionally replace the doors if a tenant had been particularly heavy handed with them. Hinges usually come separately in B&Q but we were lucky enough to be able to re use the old ones so never had to buy any extra.

@SolitudeIsHighlyOverrated thanks, that's helpful. Will get down to B&Q and see if we can replace doors initially. Maybe we can cope with the laminate worktop if I resealed the manky bits... retired the splash backs with some colourful new tiles and got the horrible pipes boxed in ... should be doable

*retiled

A lot of the cost of a kitchen is the type of unit you have.

If you have basic cupboards (both base and wall) with no drawers and laminate counters you can do it very cheaply.
Look at handless designs, they may be slightly more expensive but are still cheaper when you factor in the cost of handles.
If you buy from somewhere like DIYkitchens - all the base cabinets can be freestanding as well as 'fitted' to the area. Wall units would always need fitting but can still be moved. (IKEA and Howdens are either hardboard or no backs) Their cabinets have solid backs so are easily movable.

@Hecateh I did have a look at DIY kitchens, how can the units be used freestanding? I know they're already constructed on delivery, but doesn't adding the worktop make them 'fitted'.
Sorry still getting my head around all the kitchen lingo

I would go for tarting up what’s there rather than spending ££ that would be more useful further down the line. You can have kitchens sprayed pretty cheaply and a new laminate worktop shouldn’t cost very much at all. I’m trying to manage an extension on a very tight budget and have my eye on this website which sometimes has good bargains www.theusedkitchencompany.com/product-category/kitchens-for-sale/page/5/

Also Facebook, eBay and Ikea

@TiddleTaddleTat
My base units are not fitted against the wall and the laminate just sits on top. It could be removed quite easily. The drainage and water connections would need to be unfastened and sink lifted off then the worktop and then the units can be moved. They could also be fixed but for me it wasn't necessary - even though I don't have any intention of moving them.

I also have some tall units that are fixed to the wall and one wall unit which obviously had to be fixed. But not the base. For ease I have drawers and pullouts (I'm getting older and wanted to future proof) and these added a lot more expense than the basic cabinets

I'd go with a simple white ikea kitchen, if the sizes work. They do some neat small sinks and are pretty good value with interior fittings.

Kitchen units are basically boxes on legs. You line them up, attach to the wall and each other and put a worktop on. You can remove the worktop again and rearrange your boxes or add some new ones. We've done this before. Truly freestanding kitchen units are hopeless in a small room.

@NotMeNoNo that was my first thought, and the carcasses and doors are cheap but it's the fitting of the worktop that's going to add cost. It's an unusual shaped room with some quirks that means fitting needs a pro (adding £££ and time).
I'll have a go cleaning it and get some door measurements to check about new doors from B&Q. I've ordered a dishwasher anyway which is making me feel a lot better about it...