I’ve been lurking for a long time while we plan our kitchen/living extension to our current Edwardian terrace. We have planning permission and are currently sourcing quotes from builders.
We had originally budgeted up to £100k for the whole thing - build and furnishings. That was before Covid. So far we’ve had two quotes come in (based on the building regs so I assume fairly accurate). One was £143k and the other one was £117k.
We desperately need a new kitchen so we are committed to going ahead. Aside from seeking more quotes, I’m looking for ways to reduce costs in other areas. So far I’ve come up with:
Replace Corian worktops with a cheaper alternative like Hi Macs (is this a really bad idea?)
Buy ex display and/or sale appliances, lighting, flooring (?)
Ex display Crittall-style external doors
Hold on to furnishings (table, chairs etc) that we were going to replace but still have some life in them.
We’re not handy so we can’t save money by doing any installation etc ourselves. Any and all ideas welcome!