Am I stupid to order a kitchen for a house we haven’t completed on?

[starsandstuff]

DH is 100% “yes you are a clown for thinking this”. But, like everyone else, we got caught out by the property market boom. After being outbid on FOURTEEN houses including one sale agreed that fell through, we finally are sale agreed with a hopeful completion date of mid/end Feb. We’ve been living with my Mum since last June. My husband is desperate to get back into our own space, but after all this time when I move in Thats it - I do not want any packing boxes within 100 miles of me for a very long time.

The house is fine, further out than we wanted but nice enough, but I really want a new kitchen. It’s not my taste but apart from that they’ve big appliances like a range and an American fridge that will be going with them, so when they go it’ll be half empty anyway. So - DH thinks: move in the second we get the keys and figure it out later. I think: get everything possible done before we move in so I can just relax and enjoy it after what will be by that stage nearly a year of living out of boxes and suitcases. The lead in time is so long for everything eg May to get a sofa (we’re in Belfast, thanks very much Brexit) that I feel we need to order a kitchen like next week to get it fitted in March. He thinks that’s crazy when we’re not completed although everything has been straightforward so far and it’s just a standard 60s semi that has been renovated in the last 5 years.

So, should I wait or just cross my fingers and go for it? Similar stories and their outcomes welcome please.

@BoredZelda

The lead in time is so long for everything eg May to get a sofa (we’re in Belfast, thanks very much Brexit)

This isn’t a brexit issue. This is a long running supply chain problem mainly due to covid.

Ha ha ha- of course wits a Brexit issue.

You are in serious denial if you can't admit that!

Where in Belfast are you moving to? Are you going to a different part of the city

Ha ha ha- of course wits a Brexit issue.

You are in serious denial if you can't admit that!

I think we can guess which way @BoredZelda voted.

Ha ha ha- of course wits a Brexit issue.

You are in serious denial if you can't admit that!

I think we can guess which way @BoredZelda voted.

"Ha ha ha". Of course it isn't.

You clearly can't guess how I voted. I'm happy to point out Brexit problems where they exist.

But part of my job over the past year in my industry has been to research the supply chain problems. Most of which come from outwith the EU.

With a kitchen the problem is with the shortage of timber supplies. A massive increase in demand in the domestic and commercial market coincided with a shutdown in the industry, starting with Canada, which means the US timber market began to look towards Scandinavia for supply. This increased costs by over 40% and seriously impacted on supply to our market.

Add to that the problem of the container stuck in the Suez Canal delaying the supply of small metal products like screws and ironmongery. These delays are still a problem and are exacerbated by the lack of shipping containers, the cost of which has quadrupled in the past 6 months.

Any last leg supply issues cause by Brexit are minor in comparison to the wider problems.

@BoredZelda

The lead in time is so long for everything eg May to get a sofa (we’re in Belfast, thanks very much Brexit)

This isn’t a brexit issue. This is a long running supply chain problem mainly due to covid.

Brexit is exacerbating the issue.

Definitely wait, for all the reasons above re the risk of losing money or sale falls thru etc.

But also... we bought a fixer upper and did a lot before we moved in. We couldn't afford to do the kitchen then so had to wait 3 years to save up. And I'm really glad we did because those years actually living in the space made a big difference to planning the kitchen!

They are unlikely to let you order something for a property you don't own. I bought the house I'd rented for years. Until o actually bought it, I could t even get a quote for a new front door. And it might fall through at the last minute. Just happened to a friend. All set to complete on 4th of jan and Delmar took house off the market

No just use howdens, took about 72 hours to get it delivered

I work in furniture retail and what boredzelda said tallies perfectly with what we are experiencing... European suppliers are telling is they can't get the raw materials and shipping from the far east has been a shit show. I would take all the lead times with a large pinch of salt anyway to be honest

Lead times, started on a new bathroom in August bath sat in the hallway until the end of November, the shower parts still haven't arrived so it's bath only.

Not the builders, plumber fault the individual items are just not available

Just wait!!!
Live there for a bit first to get a feel for it. Your opinions might change once you get in there and in the grand scheme of things a few months wait is nothing

When we bought our house earlier in the year we planned to do an extension to make a big kitchen diner as it's currently two small rooms that were fitted and decorated in the 80s. Cost of building work has risen so sharply that after paying for architect plans we've realised we have to put off the build for a couple of YEARS, so trust me, I get your impatience and frustration. But 1000% don't do a thing until the keys are in your hands and you've lived in the space a bit so you can see what works for you.

as everyone else says, I wouldn't. You could measure up and get plans drawn up, but you don't need to proceed with it until you have completed. I work for an estate agent sometimes and I have seen too many sales fall apart at the last minute to advise anyone to order anything before at least exchanging.

Years ago I ordered furniture for a house which then didn't exchange, so will never make that mistake again. Luckily the company let us change it for smaller/different items, but we could have been stuck with a huge sofa that wouldn't fit the house that we did end up in.

Well I think there is a difference to ordering a kitchen before exchange and ordering one in-between exchange and completion once you have secured the property and measured up. I plan on doing the latter - I know exactly what I want and I don’t want to add months onto the waiting time for it to arrive and work to begin on it.

However, I would only do it if I knew exactly what I wanted and after exchange. I also am also lucky to be buying a house where neither I nor the seller are in chains so there really is very little risk indeed of the sale falling through after we have exchanged contracts

Don't be ridiculous, even if the house sale goes through as planned there's no way you'll be able to plan a kitchen without living in it.

You are completely effing bonkers.

Yes v. Stupid

No, just no.

There’s tempting fate and then there’s this.

Just wait, anything could happen

Nope, we ordered new sofas and beds before completion. It's went tits up and the sofas had to be refunded and our beds are on back order to deliver to our new home whenever that may be, it has been a pita I absolutely wouldn't do it again.

It would be really stupid to do this before you have exchanged contracts.

More doable after exchange, with a completion date set.

'Sale agreed' is a million miles from 'exchanged' - don't do it. Also I see you are living with your mum, must be harder for your DH to be living with his MIL and I totally understand his philosophy of just getting into the new place asap whatever state its in!!