Anyone getting a new kitchen fitted at the moment?

[Howmanysleepsnow]

I feel like I need a support thread! This is waaaay more stressful than expected. We were told to expect a week: units out Monday, floor down Tuesday, radiator moved Wednesday morning and electrics done that afternoon, units in Thursday and Friday. The radiator took all of Wednesday and Thursday. The joiner quit as the units were being delivered on Thursday. New one couldn’t start until Friday. One week in and all we have is a floor, a radiator and some wires hanging out of walls.
We’ve stupidly packed away everything except cups and kettle, and are living off prepackaged food and takeaway. I’m craving vegetables! There’s stuff stored in all but one room, which is ridiculously cramped, especially because dh is reeeaaaalllly stressed by all of it!
Can anyone see a light at the end of the tunnel?

@chasingsquirrels

Thank you. Lots of good info!

I originally wanted Sage, but then glued white, now very Matt charcoal...🙄

Your sage does look lovely though...

I live 3-4 hours from the showroom. I’ve made 3 trips there so far 🙄🙄🙄

Where did you order your worktops & handles from? I’m considering Utopia for the (laminate worktop - I might be renting it out next year, so not putting in quartz/sole stone etc. Or wood from an Online.

Haven’t really looked at handles yet (no
Pint until I decide on the cabinets)

I hope the rest goes to plan for you 🌷

Worktop & upstands (a wood laminate that I've matched as closely as I can to the flooring I'm having - followed through from the same I've had down in the hall for years) from Worktop Express, best price I found for what I wanted, good delivery and overall impressed with that purchase.

Handles from Morehandles, again vest price for one that I liked. I didn't order handles with the kitchen as I didn't know what I wanted and planned to add them on later and didn't get round to it.

Hope yours all goes well when you take the plunge, mines been quite a few months in the planning.

One wall of base cabinets are in, plus the full length cabinets on the other wall (all minus doors and worktops). Waiting for a replacement door now because they sent the wrong size. Fitter thinks ovens should be in tonight though!

We would like a new kitchen. Current one is about 30 years old and on its last legs.
I've heard so many horror stories about kitchens taking much longer than expected . My dad's took 3 months!! It was a John Lewis kitchen and wouldn't have been cheap, looks great but was incredibly stressful for them.
Based on this I'm trying not to replace our kitchen , rather renovate for now. In a few years we want to do an extension and use the current kitchen as a utility. Avoiding ever being without a kitchen.
Sorry I know that's not helpful. Lots of luck on your kitchen journey.

We've just had ours done. It took a month and it's tiny. It was a sheer living hell. I work from home and all I got all day was "can you pop down and have a look at..." every sodding micro decision.
Downstairs is all open plan, so we ended up with the small sofa, a fridge randomly moving around according to what was going on and, once that went, four days of takeaways and sandwiches.

I would never ever do it again. I nearly had a breakdown last week when the joiner came to lay the new floor and it all started again. DH and I didn't speak for two days and on Friday I left the house when the joiner arrived and told DH I wasn't coming back until he texted me the all clear, even if that meant a hotel for the weekend.

Tbh, the hell of having it done spoils the whole thing for me and I feel it wasn't worth it.

Yes, completely agree! I’m never getting any more work done on the house! Someone actually knocked on the door yesterday in the midst of chaos to ask if I wanted to get the bathroom done or driveway paved. Erm, that’s a definite no, in no uncertain terms...
On the positive side I now have a fridge. Oven should be in tomorrow. No idea when the sink and dishwasher will be in though, or the hob.

@Chasingsquirrels. It’s going to be amazing when it’s finished! Thanks for the info. Worktop Express were on my list, so good to know they’re good!

Mine has been ‘in the planning’ for a very long time (were talking years, not months 😖not all my fault (gas meter issues for 2 years) , but largely!)

@Howmanysleepsnow

That’s how I was after doing the bathroom. Partly why it’s taken so long to do the kitchen.

I may lamp the next person who says ‘oh how lovely/ exciting’. It’s very far from lovely & exciting. 🙄(I know they mean well, but I’m SO over it)

IME always allow at least double the time the fitter says it will take...e.g. if he says two weeks, expect four! So much scope for things to go wrong, parts delayed or wrong, or unexpected problems to show up when having a kitchen fitted.

Sink and dishwasher are in (minus taps). Island is in place. Ovens are in (minus wiring: electrician tomorrow). Just need wall units now, then doors and kickboards. Worktop and hob Monday, tiling Tuesday. It’s starting to look like a kitchen, but still a while until it’ll function as one!

@Chasingsquirrels how is yours going? Please post post pictures when it’s in!

2nd fix trades this week.
Fjtter came on Monday and cut bits out for the taps and sink, did upstands and cornice & pellets.
Pllumber came Monday afternoon and did the sink and some utility bits.
Electrician came yesterday and did 2nd fix.
Plumber has been again today and finished utility room.
Fitter is back on Friday and should get the dishwasher and fridge in and start on the utility. Oh and handles 🙂 as they should be delivered tomorrow.

I went to Wren (again) today I have NO intention of using them, I just hoped something would sing out to me, but it didn’t Lots of lovely looking kitchens, but nothing that made me think ‘that’s the one’. I’m flip flopping all over the place. The only thing I know I DONT WANT is a dark gloss or a ‘traditional’ (deep) shaker

It’s too much money to spend on ‘its ok’

Picture of my larder cupboard. I had a socket put in the back of it as planned to store the bread maker on the worktop level shelf and use it in there. Wasn't sure where microwave was going, and having put the shelf above the bread maker at a level to allow the lid to be fully opened I realised that was exactly the right height for the microwave. Need to keep the door open when using, but that's not a problem. Happy with that (nothing in any of the other cupboards yet).

@Chasingsquirrels

Fab idea for a gadget cupboard ... that micro looks a bit on the high side though ? Unless you are very tall? The middle of the appliance shouldn't be higher than your shoulder ( according to our independent designer OnePlan). This is to keep you safe. So you don't burn yourself .

Hmm, not home atm so not sure how it compares to my shoulder, but have used it a few times and it feels "right". Will check it later!

Well, I haven't got a kitchen yet but I've got a load on units sitting there waiting to be fitted from monday...

@Chasingsquirrels

Oh to have an appliance cupboard! Lucky thing! I’m too short to even mount a microwave beneath the top cupboards 🤣

@WhereDoesThisToiletGo

You’re miles ahead of me then, I hope your installation goes to plan!

I have an oven! And a microwave! No more takeaway!
The kitchen is finally starting to look like a kitchen. All units are in. We have lights. And a floor. Tomorrow sees doors, kickboard and plinth. Monday is the work surface and hob. By Tuesday night it will hopefully be tiled and decorated. That’d be 16 days rather than the 5 we were told, but at least the end is in sight.

@howmanysleepsnow

Woo hoo!

So what time Wed night should we all come over?

No?!

Photos as a second best then!

I'm still waiting for Tiler. 10 months. Kitchen took about 5 weeks before Christmas last year. Bespoke and all the tradesmen were contracted by the company everyone except the tiler! He is excellent and brother of a friend. The tiles are hand made so I really want a good, experienced tiler or I would have done them myself. I did them last time but we need the bathroom done too and that is much trickier. I had white units and a sage stove and worktop.It will be worth it in the end I love mine.

@Bowerbird5 bit sounds lovely! Any chance of a photo or two, be nice to see it, even without the tiles! Any idea when he might be coming? After 10 months I think a little pressure to complete inside a year realky wouldn’t be terrible!

We just removed our sink and cooker yesterday having removed most of the rest of the kitchen over the last 6 weeks.

plumbing and half electrics done yesterday.

Plan is for the flooring to be taken up, underfloor heating and retiled over the next 10 days/2 weeks starting on Monday (DH taking the children to his mum's over half term). Then units going in the week after that followed by worktops a week/10 days later.

Hopefully it will just be the next couple of weeks while the floor gets done that will be the worst. I'm vaguely hopeful we can get the new cooker installed before the floor is completely finished to minimise issues with food but if not we have a double ring and grill gas camping cooker to limp by with.

We do have a very friendly electrician and plumber who are absolute legends so fingers crossed we'll be ok.

So, only half the doors and the kickboard done... he’s coming back tomorrow and Sunday to finish. Fingers crossed he’s done by Monday so the worktop can go in!

@Raaraaboonah what floor are you getting? Our floor was the quick part, but it’s just tile