New kitchen - where to start???

[TheresAnEyeInMeSoup]

Hi,

At some point, when funds and covid permits, I desperately want to update my kitchen. The thought of it overwhelms me. I have no idea where to start.

I'm looking to budget for around £5k. I have already purchased my worktops. I would need:

Old tiles ripped off and replacing.

New units - I have considered keeping the carcasses as they are in good nick and just replacing the doors. I like shaker style and cream ones would be my choice.

New flooring put in, but my floor isn't level. Would preferably like tiles but I've heard bamboo floors are great so I would consider this. Current flooring is laminate and has spots of water damage from getting wet from the sink or being mopped.

New extractor hood.

New sink and taps plus waste and fittings etc.

Some plastering doing around my kitchen window. Would probably need more doing once the old tiles are ripped off the wall.

Probably new sockets putting on the walls.

I am likely to keep my white goods and cooker - no plans to replace them yet (washing machine is new anyway).

Does this sound doable for my budget?
Have I missed anything??

Also, how long roughly does it take to refurb a kitchen and what do you do in the mean time whilst you can't access it? I have 2 kids so going without using my kitchen is my idea of hell!

I'm so overwhelmed by all of it, it's a massive undertaking. I am going to wait for normality to return before I do anything, I'm just trying to get a rough idea together.

Thanks in advance.

Oh forgot to add, I'll probably have to replace the old radiator in the kitchen and repaint the walls. The paint job I will do myself.

I need to do this too, really can’t save anything at all from the current kitchen. I assumed at least twice that amount but there are so many variables with appliances, flooring options etc. Looking forward to any replies. I am also completely overwhelmed but definitely can’t afford the sort of service where you tell them what you want and they sort everything out / sub contract everything for you I don’t think.

challenging for that budget...

suggestions:

• tile floors are cold and unforgiving if stuff gets dropped. Vinyl is neither of those things and easily moppable, the only thing to watch is that it doesn't get ripped when freestanding appliances are put in place. You need floor levelling compound and someone competent to do the job. A kitchen fitter is not that person.
• retiling is v. expensive. If you remove the old tiles you'll probably need replastering throughout. You then can't paint for some time, but that's fine if you'll be doing the painting. Consider just tiles as splashbacks - much cheaper than upstands.

• make sure sockets are placed where you want them and high enough above the worktop to meet regs. Our fitters also cocked this up.

• sink taps; Screwfix cheapies, ideally without aerators which are just devices to splash water about. If there is an aerator rip it out.

as for managing without; set up a 'camp kitchen' with fridge, freezer, microwave and a camping gas stove; get one of the flat types from Argos for about a tenner, they use butane cartridges which are cheap and last ages, and it's all fine to use indoors. Do a lot of batch cooking in advance and freeze ahead.

And yes, do not even think of doing this in lockdown. Best over summer and make sure it is finished by November at latest. So you are probably looking at 2022.

Keep your carcasses, will save you a fair wodge of your budget. There are numerous companies who will do new doors for you, or a local joiner should be able to make you paintable MDF shaker doors.

Ikea do a portable induction hob for £35 which will be easier by far than a gas stove. Slow cookers are your friend here too.

If you are redecorating, replacing floor/doors and doing some electrical work, without wholesale re-plumbing or installing new units, I don't see why it should take more than a month all in.

We are set for a kitchen replacement this year (hopefully!) and am dreading the disruption but it's always worth it.

2022 sounds like what I had in mind. The sockets will probably be the same position as the current ones.... just want more up to date ones, preferably with usb socket.

A month! That sounds like a long time to be kitchen-less

I will keep looking at flooring options. Bamboo could be a good choice. I have plenty of time to weigh this all up.

Thanks for your help and suggestions. Much appreciated

@murbblurb thanks for the screwfix shout out, I would never have thought of them for taps. They are cheaper than wickes.

A month?
When we had the kitchen in our old house replaced it took a week for installation of new units and worktops plus electrics (including new extractor hood) and plumbing. They left things at the end of each day so that we could still use microwave / oven to cook.

@catndogslife did you use local independent tradespeople? Having things left so can be used sounds perfect

Sockets are easy to change yourself if you are happy with the ones you have and just want a different style and to add usb sockets. Again look in screwfix.

A month seems like an over estimate, although it's always good to be prepared for it taking longer than expected. We're also due to have a kitchen renovation this year and have been told it will take 1 - 2 weeks to complete.

If you have a local facebook group for your area, it would be worth asking for recommendations and examples of previous work.

Yes the tradespeople who fitted out kitchen were very local, but our kitchen suppliers found them. Sadly that company has now gone out of business.

The sockets would be very easy to replace, I wouldn't mind doing that bit myself since I'll only be swapping the fascias. The wiring is easy enough.

This is a silly question but what order would you do things in? Worktops installed first before tiling and plastering? Flooring in last? I have literally no idea.

That is a challenge for that budget. One of our kitchens was £9k with a discount because my DS worked there. I had it ripped out and back in within 3 days. We had fish and chips one night and a friend invited us to dinner the next.

We used a local company who did everything, it may be more expensive but worth it as they organised the logistics of deliveries, the order that tradesmen needed to arrive (way more complicated than i realised) and was someone to contact with our small snag list at the end.

We got a wall removed to make kitchen and diner one room, new floors, all new counters and cupboards, new cooker, hob and extractor, more plug sockets, a breakfast bar and new windowsills, for 7.5k which i think was a pretty good price.

Work lasted about a week and a half

@scottishStottie - that price sounds incredible! That's a lot of work for 7.5k.

I will defo make lots of enquiries when the time comes. May try and increase my budget too just in case.