Feeling out of my depth with planning new kitchen

[destinasia]

Obviously not looking to start right now, but hopefully by the end of the year (or January sales if they still exist??).

Complete refit needed, including new boiler, flooring, plastering, lighting and appliances. Approx 16 cabinets. As small a budget as possible, but do want to pay for certain nice things like wooden worktops and pretty tiles. All the appliances do actually need replacing, except the washing machine but I want that to be integrated this time.

I just don't know where to start. You can't seem to get prices online, as obviously they want you in their showroom for the hard sell. But I don't want to spend days visiting multiple showrooms and I hate that aspect of buying anything!

With needing all the different jobs doing, is it easier/cheaper to go to a specialist place and having their team do it all; or is it better to just go to somewhere like Homebase and then source local tradesmen for each part - but then how does it all fit together without dragging on for months?

Currently have a B&Q kitchen done by builders before we moved in. What places have people found to be most reasonable, as well as hard wearing?

Following with interest… We are also in the same position, we need to do a complete re-build, if that's the right wordof the kitchen. It will need various plastering, totally new electrics, new floor… As well as all of the kitchen stuff. It's somehow feels like a massive mountain to climb! On the plus side I think we know roughly how we want it laid out, but we are having the same dilemma as you about how to break the work up. Look forward to hearing from other people who have been there and done that!

Yes I've measured everything and drawn up my own designs to the mm 😂

I just don't know what to do next.

Have a look at DIY Kitchens, they have an online planner and you will be able to see prices.

Following as need to the same on a smallish budget. Should i employ builder plasterer plumber electrian and kitchen fitter all seperately? I have no idea how to project manage or best order to get each trade in

Really simple, go here - planner.diy-kitchens.com/

Create the room and start placing things. Once you're used to it you can start over with whichever line you like, pick colours etc. Play with it for a few days, try to imagine using the room and make some changes. Price accumulates as you add things but will definitely be lower than high street.
Also get yourself in to see a kitchen designer and see what they come up with, you can always incorporate it into your own design.

We just had ours completely rebuilt – after the floor flooded and the ceiling gave out at the same time. It was almost worth the horror to be able to completely rethink it – if you're having it fully redone it's a good opportunity to move plumbing and electrics and totally redesign. We moved it from an L shape with room for a tiny table to a double-sided galley with a proper dining space at the end.

We saved on the kitchen by going Ikea, including appliances; affordable but nice solid worktop from Worktop Express, and splurged on tiles. Did the painting ourselves to save costs (still working on that part...) and sourced all the extra bits ourselves – back door and furniture, kitchen door and sliding door hardware, flooring, extras like hooks and shelves. Don't forget to budget for boring stuff like skirting, primer, paint, etc, it all adds up.

Design-wise the Ikea planner is glitchy but brilliant and provides full elevations and drawings for the builder, plus if you use their standard-width 600mm or 800mm cabinets you can use the plans to price up other DIY units like Units Online, DIY Kitchens, B&Q etc.

Oh and don't forget lighting! Undercounter, in-drawer, dimmable spots, pendants for ambience, etc.

I did the DIY Kitchens planner and can relate to feeling overwhelmed.

However - some things plan themselves. In my kitchen the washing machine and dishwasher could only go in one place. I wanted the sink by the window. This left only one sensible place for the cooker. Then I crammed in as many units as physically possible.

Turned out that was the plan.

If you are on a budget then do you really need all the lighting? I have spots but nothing else, it is fine. I've tiled everywhere rather than upstands - this was the look I wanted but I understand it's cheaper too.

If you want wooden worktops look at Worktop Express but don't do what I did and then change your mind and pick the top of the range worktop

My fitter sorted everything - plumber, plasterer, electrician, joiner, floorer the lot.

Im not having any dramatic lighting, just spots. Currently one old fashioned pendant for a very large room.

So you brought the kitchen yourself then employed a kitchen fitter yourself who did all the planning? That sounds like a good middle ground.

I did the planning on DIY Kitchens planner - then fitter went over the list the planner came up with, crossed some items off, added carcass material it hadn't put on, changed bits I'd got wrong.

Equally I chose the Karndean flooring I wanted - then he bought at trade prices rather than me going through a flooring shop.

Am sure you could totally source everything yourself and do it cheaper but then I would really have been overwhelmed. Apart from lockdown happening after 80% of the work was done, I've been really happy.

I did mine a couple of years ago. We got our units from DIY kitchens.
First thing I did was decide things that I definitely wanted, ie a dishwashed which we didn't have before and stuff that would be nice but could strike off the list if they were out of budget. Then work out what didn't work in the old kitchen like we only had one long stretch of work top and the rest was bits so when 2 of us were in the kitchen at the same time we got in each others way. Some places will do deals on appliances if you are getting a few. We got a good deal on our ovens by using one of those chat windows online and asking.
We ripped out the old kitchen ourselves to save some money buy fitter sorted, plasterer and floor fitter. Dh did electrics (he is qualified!)
I used ikea planner and homebase had one at the time too but DIY didn't back then.

I know you don't want to go the kitchen showrooms, but the advantage is that you will get ideas you hadn't thought of. We picked three and discussed with them ideas. We started with a list of essentials - e.g. two ovens, microwave, fridge, freezer, wine fridge, boiling water tap, large hob, pan drawers. etc. etc. They drew up some plans and we took what we liked out of them and drew up our own. We looked at the various ranges each sold, to come up with what we preferred. Was a bit time consuming but by the time the finished design and produce was installed it matched our requirements exactly. We moved a door, moved plugs etc. One good idea was to allocate a cupboard for all of the appliance isolators so everything is in one place. We also did away with tiled splashbacks and went for glass - no grout to get dirty! Also investigate the downsides of wooden worktops and the maintenance so you know what you're letting yourself in for! Our budget went over what we had originally planned but we won't need to replace it.

We had a kitchen extension but we were left with a plastered empty room as agreed with the builder. So my advice, mentally sort out a temporary kitchen somewhere in your house. This is your first step. We used a portable 2 ring Andrew James induction hob plus the slow cooker. Set it up on a table. We used disposable plates so no washing up issues and it was for a very short time so I didn't feel too bad about it all.

We painted it all whilst it was completely empty which is far easier to do than work around wall cabinets. We did an Ikea kitchen (units only) but that was 7 years ago. These days I would use DIY kitchens. We hired a kitchen fitter. Flooring was arranged through the shop we bought it from, kitchen fitter came back to fit the plinths.

Think, worktop prep space and drawers or in our case it looks like a cupboard but the door is attached to an internal drawer at the bottom and then there are hidden drawers inside in every cupboard. So muh easier than reaching across. Think about sockets, not just above the units but where everything will plug into ie dishwasher and fridge freezer.

I feel the same way you do, I want to see a price, I don't want to arse around haggling about the price. This is why we chose Ikea. There is a property chap who compares all the different uk companies. I'll pop it below. He uses DIY kitchens and interestingly he also locates all the fused switches inside the bottom of a kitchen cupboard rather than have them on display on the walls! Genius.

My plugs are currently inside a cupboard so I'm assuming this can be replicated. I've got wooden worktops now and I love them - they're probably the only thing in the kitchen that isn't trashed!
I've pretty much decided what I want in terms of doors, colours, taps, sink, handles and I've drawn it all out.
I'm guessing if I take this into a kitchen place, they will give me quotes and ideas from this? It just feels so painful and long winded. (If only I could just throw the pictures at someone and come home one day to it done, with no one asking me to make decisions in the meantime 😂.)

Some else recommended a firm called One Plan, owner called Karen
(controversial name at moment but hey ho .

Then a few other posters mentioned her as good.

I haven't used but she may be worth chatting to?

What I would say is it really pays to spend time upfront planning. We re-did our kitchen last year...think I got about 3 firms to do really good plans...ie not just popping into magnet on a Saturday morning. What makes a great kitchen isn't the units themselves, but whether the layout is good and it has all you need....choosing the colour and style and make of cupboards should be the last thing on your mind....

Good luck!

Another DIY kitchens fan.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that their units and doors are available in multiple sizes. There are units from 100mm to 1200mm in 50mm increments so it is easy for it to be almost bespoke but without bespoke prices.

There is also a huge showroom with lots of kitchens on display and an area showing all the different fittings etc. Obviously different at the moment but if you go by train they will even pick you up from and drop you back to the local train station. There are helpful staff around but no pushy salespeople.

It's in the corner between M1 and M62 east close to Pontefract if you are not too far away

I’ve just been looking to replace a kitchen, the designers at the big diy stores (Wickes, B&Q etc) gave me an email address to send my plan to and they will design and price it and email it back.

We had our new kitchen installed a year ago and though I can't recommend local fitters these tips might be useful:
Don't pick anything high gloss unless you like the look of fingerprints.
Plan to store everyday items like crockery at eye level to save constant bending (but I'm in my 60s).
Have as many pull-out storage baskets as you can - the corner ones in particular are excellent.
We have 3 levels of lighting from soft glow to brilliant.
Choose a self-clean oven.
Choose a frost-free fridge freezer
We used coloured mosaic tiles as cooker splashback - no streaks.
Think about how much upkeep a particular worktop will need - do you want to be oiling, etc?
This was probably our 4th brand new kitchen and we learnt from our previous choices!
Oh, we used a local kitchen fitter who organised electrician, plasterer etc - we paid him in installments and he sorted them out. If there had been any problems he would have dealt with them. Good luck all of you!

I always link this for kitchen planning. here

Over the years Ive found the worst thing in kitchens to be inaccessible little cupboards (use drawers or pull outs) and no proper workspace next to the hob. Often designers cram the sink and hob at one end and then a long clear run of worktop the other side of the sink where its no use.

Sorry if this has already been mentioned but there is an epic MN ‘kitchen lessons learned thread’ full of advice which I read and used.

The advice about being able to unload the dishwasher in like 2 steps was so useful. Spend time getting the layout right first - this is way more important than the ‘fun’ bit of colours etc!

@Noname1234567890 that sounds just what I need. Thank you. Did you find their emails on the websites?

I love my wooden worktops. I've maintained them for nearly 20 years and it's the only part of the kitchen not currently completely trashed.

It's not so much the planning I'm struggling with, they might have better ideas of course, but I am quite clear on what I want. I just don't know how to actually buy one 🙈

We did our kitchen 3 years ago now. We'd lived here a long time by that point and knew what did and didn't work for us. So for example we had a small gallery kitchen, no room for a dishwasher or separate freezer, very few work tops.

I knew I wanted a pull out larder, big drawers and a dishwasher. We had to knock down a wall to do it but I had a picture in my minds eyes of how It would look. We got Howden's in and talked them thru what I wanted and then spent 3 hours tweaking their plans to get it just right.

The beauty of that was that you could properly see on the plans what the kitchen would look like, the colours everything. The only thing I didn't get that I wanted was a sink and a half , there just wasn't enough room.

I thought it was very reasonably priced, our builder installed the kitchen and I still love it now. It has properly become the heart of our home. Having lived with the old kitchen for so long definitely made it massively easier deciding what we needed for the new one. Storage was absolutely the key for us.

I didn't realise you could go to Howdens etc and then still use your own builder ... assume this is cheaper?

go and get CAD design by kitchen companies. takes a while but it really helped me when planning our bathroom and i will be doing the same for our kitchen. you don't need to buy anything (don't, organise it all yourself and save ££££) just pick their brains.

@destinasia, I was looking in the showrooms while picking up paint and they offered their services but I guess if you contact the store they can give you an email address