Tips for keeping kitchen extension project costs down

[Hypercatalectic]

We’re starting on a project to knock our dining room and kitchen together, and extending out about 1.5m to one side (think Victorian terrace with a side return)
The costs for this are obviously going to be high, but are there any tips for keeping them down as much as possible - by planning better, sourcing appliances, splitting the project up between the trades rather than going with one company… that kind of thing?

I spent a lot of time searching for the right floor tiles for my kitchen. It is very easy to spend silly money. I was looking a completely normal tiles at £150/sq.m.
I finally found some beautiful grey marbled tiles at about £12/sq.m.

Also remember to keep the boxes because you should be allowed to return any whole boxes you don't use, for a refund.

I found a builder, plumber, joiner and electrician who worked together regularly as a team but invoiced separately to avoid registering for VAT. They would pull together a shopping list of goods at the wholesalers, but I'd call & pay, so I got the trade discount but the costs didn't go through their books.

Following for tips!

Only advice I have is to do anything that you can do, yourselves. The main one that is most obvious is decorating. Yes it's a pain in the arse but you can spend several thousands on something that you could do for free. A good decorator will usually be able to achieve a better finish but if you're painting freshly plastered smooth walls then it's really not that tricky, you just need to do it carefully.

You could select cheaper options in terms of appliances, same goes for tiles, flooring and other finishing touches like taps, handles etc. The little extras add up a lot. Or see what you can possibly defer for a while - e.g. can you make do with current dining table and wait a few months before you upgrade. If needs must this principle can also be applied to bigger things such as downstairs loo or utility - get the builders to do first fix but then wait a while before fitting it all out properly, if you are really struggling to be able to afford everything at once.

It's easy to get sucked into spending a lot of money. Keep an eye on every bit of the project as a slightly higher cost in some areas soon adds up.

Where we cut back:

Estimate included an allowance of £35 per sq metre for tiles (wall and floor). We quickly realised it was very easy to spend a lot more than this on tiles but avoided doing so. Look for local tile shops rather than high end kitchen/bathroom places.

Be clear what you want from your kitchen. It doesn't make sense to fit a high end kitchen in a small semi. Go somewhere that has differentiated kitchen lines and compare them in store eg Magnet and Howdens both had low, mid-point and higher point kitchens.

Think about the kitchen design and how it might add to the price. Straight runs of units are cheaper than corners. Drawers are more expensive than cupboards (but drawers can be a lot more useful!). Any kind of storage solution, internal drawers and the like, tends to add to the cost.

You can cut costs by paying for materials yourself however we found this came with disadvantages eg having to collect yourself, or be in for delivery, and it was our responsibility to check for any damage and follow up with the supplier. It actually saved money having the builder do it. Same with having the builder manage the project. We paid extra for this but he coordinated the trades and they all worked around each other which ultimately saved time (and therefore our money).

Look out for sales. It was cheaper to buy our kitchen in the sale and pay for storage for three months than pay full price.

Use as many of your existing possessions as you can. Eg dining table, appliances. You can always buy a new appliance in the future and slot it in than paying for them all brand new.

Thanks, there are some very interesting tips here - I had no idea about tiles, the difference in cost is significant! We may be going for a wooden floor, but almost certainly applicable to that as well.

Drawers v cupboards is interesting - I love the trend for big, deep drawer with internal drawers, not sure I’ll be able to resist…

Retaining current furniture and appliances as much as possible is a good one too, although the overwhelming desire is to have everything brand new and shiny!

Have you looked at DIY Kitchens for the cabinets? (Actual company not part of B&Q )

Yes, Pan drawers are more expensive, but I don't know anybody that regrets the slightly extra spend on those!!

We did go for the pan drawers in the end, plus a larder unit with pull out drawers. Both of which are fantastic.

However we resisted the temptation to have more drawers than that. And didn't add units to one wall which the builder was suggesting. We didn't need it for storage or worktop space.

Worktops can also add significantly to the price. We went for laminate having been put off granite in a previous house.

Oh gosh, larder / pantry cupboards - I really REALLY want one of those! Expensive taste, obviously

Yes, we are planning to go to one of the DIY Kitchens showrooms, I know a few people who have gone with them.

Get recommendation for a local fitter who might have trade-only options for cabinets. We saved about half doing this and kitchen is just as nice as one from Howdens or wherever. Same for windows/doors. Look out for trade only places and ask them to do you a deal.

Look at ex display kitchens. If you have the time you can buy most things you’ll need on eBay, Vinted, FB marketplace. I’ve bought everything-door handles, sockets, light fittings, insulation… have my eye on ovens, dishwashers etc for when we are ready. Have a shopping list and stick to it

We used DIY kitchens. The quality really is amazing. It was tricky because you have to measure and design yourself but be have a lovely kitchen that we’re proud of because of that !

We have the pan drawers, solid oak worktops, double butler sink, we went country style and I still love it 5 years later !

We reused our kitchen cupboards, and only bought new worktops, sink, tap, end panels and pelmets. We repainted the cupboards and chose a new colour. Spend on decent flooring, cupboards can be changed later.

Basically we did very similar work to your plan. We knocked the dining room into the kitchen and had a 4x4m extension added so the room is now L shaped.

We saved one 100% on our kitchen wall tiles! ( We don’t have any).

We have a large coloured glass panel covering the height and width of the area above the hob and up to the extractor cupboard, and all the rest of the walls over the worktops have an upstand, (same material as the worktop) and we have painted walls.
I was skeptical, thinking the walls would get too splashed & we would have to tile the area between later, so it would be a deferred cost (ie useful for budget) - but to my delight two-&-a-half years later still not needed! The upstands are enough to protect the walls. Other friends have done the same.
Go to a separate supplier for your worktop/island top. We found one five miles away with so much more choice of material and cheaper price points.

Online some developers say also find a seperate specialist supplier for handles etc as the same cost saving will apply. We missed this trick, but do look into it - while you have your research list anyway.
We did go for deep drawers for pans, crockery and even a small one for laundry products - my back & joints thank me every day!
We do have a corner walk in larder, not a super posh/expensive one, but for once in my life, I can reach everything!

We saved by changing wish list, not having (crittall-type doors) to the dining area, and left it open plan , and by not integrating washing machine/ dishwasher/American style fridge freezer… The utility machines are tucked out of sight on the far side of the kitchen & the free standing fridge freezer is attractive enough not to be an issue,

Good Luck!

Ex display and second hand kitchens are good if you’ve got a good fitter. Our fitter also rejigged things so we managed to get a couple of units refunded. Also end boards and things make sure you don’t end up with more than you need.

Following with interest as we are currently planning to knock through our kitchen and diner and need to put in a new kitchen.

Costs are higher than I was expecting so we are looking at where we can save money / do things at a later date.

I am looking at cost of appliances and seeing if I can source them cheaper (we can reuse our oven but the rest has to be replaced).

We’ve decided against a hot water tap as these are really expensive with high ongoing costs. I know people love them but we couldn’t justify the cost.

Everything has options. Extensions though are very expensive!

looking at whether you can do certain things yourself eg painting is an obvious saving then shopping wisely, even salvage/second hand. Don’t replace appliances unless broken either, i slotted in my existing laundry equipment etc.

Look for alternatives where you can as others have said. I kept my washing machine and tumble dryer because that saved almost £1k and they were perfectly good. I wanted an Amtico floor but we used a locally produced alternative and it's honestly been great and saved lots of money.

Definitely decorate yourselves. I would also say to keep it as structurally simple as possible. And to really think about whether each thing is needed, eg we were going to put a pocket door on the entrance to the utility but decided to do away with the door altogether as, due to pets, it would be open 90% of the time. That decision saved about £1.5k.

Conversely, you may decide to get other things done at the same time as it will be cheaper while you have trades in - so that will save you money in the longer term.