Kitchens - money saving

[WelshMoth]

Two builders that I've spoken to in the past have said not to ever bother getting a kitchen with the larger companies (won't name them - don't want to slander anyone) as you will end up paying top prices for something that can be done a lot cheaper - getting carcasses made up in the factory, sourcing counter tops independently etc.

Has anyone done this type of kitchen build? I'm keen to plan for as much saving as possible without compromising on quality and I need as much advice as possible. Thanks!

We sold most of our old kitchen units on EBay. An older kitchen too. Think we got nearly £400.00.

Shop around with one plan. You Get the best prices that way as they know you are doing all the shops . DIY are just one online retailer, there are lots, google and search for others, unitsonline is another .

we have kept our fridge freezer and washing machine as they still work we did buy a new free standing cooker as the built in one that was here blew the electrics when I tried it and theres an electric hob at the moment that I hate I want worktops space not a hob in the middle

@isseywith4vampirecats I like that!! I just find the online tool so annoying as it won't let me place anything because of clearances for doors etc so they just jump around. Our space is seriously tiny though so it really is compromised. Wish I had the space in yours...

@snowspider Would love to see a pic!

@TiddleTaddleTat its not as big as it looks in the plans its 14 foot long and 11 foot wide 1947 house the room was originally tiny kitchen and adjoining downstairs bathroom we didn't put the doors in the plan measured the spaces either side of the doors and worked from there

@isseywith4vampirecats thanks, I'll see if I can do it without doors. I'd like to use diy kitchens as have heard such great things, but I'd need to find a fitter with a band of trades to sort the rest of the room. Just feels like such a slog....but will be worth it!

We did this and saved a fortune, got the kitchen from DIY kitchens, brass handles from heritage brass, acrylic worktops direct from the manufacturer, appliances from AO.com, we used a builder/kitchen fitting company to do the whole thing. We had a load bearing wall knocked down, chimney knocked down, doors bricked up and moved, the whole cost for absolutely everything including painting and flooring was £16k and it’s not a small kitchen.

We did

Think about zones for the kitchen

Obvious ones like cooking - need decent work surface cupboard and drawers for utensils and spices to hand when cooking

Think about easy access to plates etc so someone isn’t on top of you getting these

Kettle near the cups

If you have little kids watch the self close draws as they trap fingers

We have a diy kitchens kitchen and worktop Express worktops. In fact we are re oiling the tops today as it's so warm! I drew our kitchen out on squared paper and planned it all myself. We re used our fridge, dishwasher and hob but got a new oven and sink. But got the oven in a John Lewis sale and the glass sink from ebay for a fraction of what they were selling them in Wickes.
My husband fitted the whole thing. He's quite handy but not in that trade at all (he's a software engineer!) But it looks amazing and it makes me like it even more knowing how much we've saved. I know several people who have used wren and had nothing but trouble and my kitchen looks a whole lot better and cost a lot less!

We have a diy kitchens kitchen and worktop Express worktops. In fact we are re oiling the tops today as it's so warm! I drew our kitchen out on squared paper and planned it all myself. We re used our fridge, dishwasher and hob but got a new oven and sink. But got the oven in a John Lewis sale and the glass sink from ebay for a fraction of what they were selling them in Wickes.
My husband fitted the whole thing. He's quite handy but not in that trade at all (he's a software engineer!) But it looks amazing and it makes me like it even more knowing how much we've saved. I know several people who have used wren and had nothing but trouble and my kitchen looks a whole lot better and cost a lot less!

@elsiebear90 that's fabulous we have gone for the altino gloss in petrol blue with Carrera marble laminate worktops, don't know which tiles yet as we haven't been out to look for those yet

@TiddleTaddleTat weve had to go for different people doing different jobs, friend of my sons plastering, electrician we used for upstairs plugs and my ex son in law is a joiner so hes fitting the units, we are going to do the painting, tiling ourselves and get the Vynil floor suppliers to fit the flooring, costs so far are plasterer £500 fitting £800, electrician doing our lounge plugs at the same time (they are illegally in the skirting boards) £500 flooring around £300 , paint and tiles around £200

@Elsiebear90 Your kitchen looks incredible. Which units are those from DIY please?

@Smallgoon thank you, they’re the Clayton Painted range in Cobham blue, cost was just shy of £5000 excluding appliances, they’re lovely inside too as are an oak effect.

@Elsiebear90 Ahh, that's great. I'm planning on getting the Norton in cobham blue. I was thinking of going for a bespoke Hague Blue, but the Cobham Blue appears to be quite a similar match. Your kitchen looks great in any case.

@smallgoon

Yeah we wanted Hague blue and Cobham blue is a really good match for it!

We were quoted a minimum of 15k from wren for cabinets alone bought Ikea got independent kitchen fitter to fit it and total came to £6500 including appliances. Paid tiler £300 to tile kitchen.

This is such a helpful thread! Thanks to everyone for posting- beautiful pics too. I'm inspired!

We just used a local joinery he sorted - plumber, electrician, plasterer/tiler. Got kitchen units from Howdens they came out and did a plan. Appliances from boots. We paid for all the areas directly.

Our kitchen was taken back to bare brick and a new rsj put in. Cost less than £10k including everything.

Wouldn’t go near a big company.

Used DIY Kitchens. They quoted for everything but when I looked elsewhere for things like appliances DIY were still cheaper. We needed to source another tap as we misordered and the same tap bought direct on the Internet was £30 dearer than DIY.

Worth looking though in case things have changed but they are pretty good

Really glad I found this thread, we're just looking at starting our kitchen project so some great ideas here. Thanks everyone.

@Elsiebear90 your kitchen looks incredible!

What flooring have you got in your space?

With regards to knocking the wall down and chimney break removed, did you have to have structural engineer calculations for Building regs or did your builder just up-spec the beams to pass building regs?

The thing to double check with some online and instore shops is their addition of extras. End panels seem to be the ones that creep on without being noticed and but the time you find them all, in a neat stack all without packaging on site, two weeks after the fitters have gone, it's too late to send them back to get a refund. So double and triple check your orders. They are flipping expensive. ( have used ours as shelves so all wasn't lost but jolly expensive mistake to make and the fitters didn't fit them as they weren't on our plans, or item list, so we're added by the supplier not us)

@wehaveafloater I've noticed this red flag mentioned by several people. But how do you know if the panels are needed or not? I just assume that they are based on what the supplier is telling me.