Cheapest and easiest way to get a new kitchen

[chikagirl]

I know this has probably been asked a thousand times on here, but I could really go with some advice.

I'm a ftb and I moved into a house with an ugly, old and broken kitchen, seems to be chip board and wrapped mdf doors.

I can salvage the sink and the built in oven as they seem in good nick and I'm happy for them not to end up in landfill. I've also got under counter fridge & freezer which are old but again in good enough condition to keep.

I'm new to the area & have no family or friends or partner here to help with any design decisions or practical help - there's no way I could do any of the DIY myself apart from painting either.

The house is a nice 1930s semi and I've managed to buy it because it's in a bit of a state, and sadly because of an inheritance, but I need to be careful with spending money - like most of us I guess!

I went to Wicks and they drew up a plan and costed everything up - it comes to about £5k & £3k fitting and I'm sure I could find better quality, but cheaper - but is that impossible if you haven't got any connection with trades?

£8k just on the kitchen seems very high - but maybe I'm wrong, I don't want to buy the cheapest stuff - I'd like wooden doors at least.

The main cost seems to be the fitting, how on earth do I find a good fitter in this climate if I want to try and buy a kitchen independently? I find dealing with trades people quite difficult, I'm a bit socially awkward and I also hate that they often seem to mess you around or have low standards - how do you find ones that are competitively priced, but reliable?

Any advice gratefully received!

Kitchen your best option is DIY Kitchens, they’re great and give you control over where the money is spent. You do NOT have to soend £8k.

Finding the fitter is the hard bit. Ours was recommended by a builder. Go on Facebook, join local groups and ask who people have used. Ask of anyone knows a builder who can suggest a fitter. You can also try checkatrade site but I hear mixed things. You want local gossip.

Are the cupboards alright? Can you just replace the doors?

STAY AWAY FROM WICKES!
I say this as someone who purchased my bathroom from them in my first flat. The quality of product is shoddy, the customer service is non existent and the prices are astronomical.

If you can't do the install yourself look for a local tiler and plumber. You'll save a fortune and they should be able to advise on designs /where to buy products that match what you want.

We have alot of ‘Can you recommend a…?’ On our local Facebook page. Maybe worth considering posting something?

Have you tried IKEA? Building the cupboards and drawers isn't difficult -have you ever built flat pack? You could do this bit then get someone to fit them and fix the worktop (normally you'll need to cut a hole for the sink).
Ask around locally for recommendations for trades people or small building companies.

you probably have a local nextdoor.com group where you can get recommendations for tradespeople.

IKEA is definitely good for budget cupboards etc and they now have freestanding ones so you don't need a fitter at all. only the sink & hob & oven would need formal fitting. the rest you just follow IKEAs instructions (or use their fitters).

I didn't realise IKEA had fitters! Even if you aren't near their stores? (my nearest one is about 60 miles away)

I can build flat-pack furniture, but to be honest my job is full on and I'm struggling to have the energy to do anything outside of work - so I can't imagine making a kitchen in my spare time.

It needs to be a sensible balance between saving money and just getting it done I think.

I'll try next door, in general I haven't found it very good so far for actual recommendations- more people just promoting themselves and their friends/family.

Would you say IKEA kitchens are better quality and price than DIY kitchens if you've only got a small kitchen?

you don’t mention how old the kitchen is but if the units are sound then I would consider using a heat gun to remove the wrap on the MDF and paint a colour that you like . New handles , sink and work top + tiles will save you a fortune and give a very updated look depending on the choices you make.

We got a new kitchen from Magnet about 8 months ago, installed by local guys.
I'd been begging for a new kitchen for 17 years and it was the only bit of the house we hadn't touched yet, and by then it was rotting and falling apart, not just a cosmetic thing.

The kitchen had all new appliances (the higher end) on 50% off, the more expensive fittings and a cabinet deal when you bought over 5. Came to just shy of 10k. They quoted £3k+ for installation, but getting someone local was half that (had to co ordinate and arrange electric, gas, unit fitters all separately). We had no contacts at all and could do nothing ourselves as disabled.

Really recommend the Magnet branch we used. The guy never tried to upsell, told us what was and wasn't worth it, had good ideas for my disabilities and fit everything we wanted in the smallest kitchen ever. My mum had a Magnet kitchen too, so that was a plus.

I'm sure you could get decent units like you want for a decent price. Looking round, no one could beat the offer Magnet had at the time,so maybe wait and see if they have a sale soon.

Use your Wickes plan to get a price from DIY. I've recently had one of their kitchen fitted and it's fantastic. Our fitter said its his favourite kitchen of all the ones he's fitted. He works for our builder, who is doing our renovations, so no connection to DIY.

Kitchen is knackered - over 20 years old and it's a cheap one, if I could save it and renovate it I would, but it's falling apart.

Hi OP, I really recommend Magnet, had a great experience with them on our first kitchen. A couple of times a year they do 50% off sales and those prices are really great.

The fitter is actually MASSIVELY important - got stung once by a dude with a good (but fake) My Builder profile and he absolutely butchered 4 or 5 units til we realised what was happening, cost us about £1000 to put right :(

A good fitter will do it beautifully and make a cheap kitchen look lovely. So do put the time in to find someone good - references ideally, and pictures of their work.

The other thing to try is FB marketplace - on ours I've seen people selling their old wooden kitchens for a small amount before getting their modern one put in. Again, with a good fitter you can make their plan work for what you need. Doors just need sanding down to be good as new.

Best of luck!

DIY definitely. We have used in our own house and also some rentals. Stylish and excellent quality

Yes we sold our wooden kitchen on gumtree so check that and FB marketplace for second hand. Then as others have said join local Facebook group and ask for recommended fitter. For worktops you can usually get offcuts cheaply if you go to the shop/ factory. Good luck! You can also usually get leftover tiles on marketplace where people have over ordered.

I usually never put wall cupboards up but use shelves which is cheaper too or buy old nice freestanding wall cupboard from fb

People always suggest DIY kitchens but not everyone lives in the North ☹️

We are about to get a new kitchen through DIY Kitchens. Ours is bigger than yours but initial costings on their planner, to include worktops and solid wood doors but not appliances, are coming in at almost £10k less than Magnet. And that’s with a 50% sale on Magnet cabinets and various other “discounts”. And they’re not even solid wood. We also looked at Howdens but you need a builder to buy through and the pricing isn’t transparent.

If you need to refresh the layout, it’s worth getting a couple of places to draw up plans - but I would go to DIY Kitchens. If you’re nowhere near their Yorkshire showroom, you can order sample doors online (currently free, so you only pay for postage) and their planner is quite user friendly. Just double check your measurements. And then check them again.😀

I had Wren and a independent fitter. Really happy with both. Think it cost around £7 k including everything. It's a tiny kitchen!

They deliver to the south!

you can do it all online/over the phone. You can get samples sent.
plenty of us in the South use them!

Maybe have a look at the Ikea ones including the fitting by Ikea to get an idea of price for the package

Wren kitchens look nice, their sales people are usually really nice. But ToddlerTea is an exception to the norm, their ability to send out the full order is lacking, quite often things are damaged & it can take months & months to get that sorted. I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

DIY are very helpful re the ordering process, you can get samples sent if you don't have time/ability to go to the showroom.

Definitely the best quality, they come ready built, which takes up a lot of space in the house/garage, but it saves on labour cost & they're solidly built- just check with your fitter if you need any not glued etc (if he needs to fit any awkward units.

the hardest part is getting a good fitter, but you'll need one for any kitchen. Don't use the fitters the other kitchen suppliers quote for even if you end up going that way.

if you want a good quality kitchen at a good price, go with DIY.

I live as far south as you can be. They stick it in a van and deliver it to you. What's the problem?

I just wouldn’t be confident enough with a few samples or with my measurements to do it all online or over the phone. To me and many other people I imagine, when you’re spending thousands it’s reassuring to get someone professional out to your property to check the measurements and confirm the plan will actually work (or not, we had to change something after they came out).
Fair enough it may work for some people but far easier if you live in the North so can visit the site etc

I'm looking at kitchens, DH will fit it as we are retired so have time, he fitted our MFI one previously and we will just use the old plan. We looked at Ikea and DIY kitchens and the only reason we will probably get DIY over Ikea is for the much larger amount of choice of colours.