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bernie-woman
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7824
Location: shropshire
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Sarah D
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584
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 Posted: Tue Nov 29, 05 9:02 am Post subject: |
 
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Why not do what we do? Avoid the fitted kitchen route all together. Spend the money on some nice wooden furniture - dresser, sideboard, cupboard, table, etc and use them. You can get some really nice furniture secondhand/refurbished, whatever, for a good price. This way you are more likely to know what it is amde of too, avoiding hardwoods, unsustainable, etc.
Then, when you move, you pick it all up and take it with you. Also has the advantage of not spending thousands on a newish kitchen that may well be ripped out by the new buyers of your house, and you are not lining the pockets of the mutil nationals.
It really is the way to go. |
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jema
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon
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| Posted: Tue Nov 29, 05 9:20 am Post subject: |
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I hate anything involving a sales rep, you did not buy from him, the person who does therefore has to pay enough commission to justify that unsuccessful sales attempt and maybe half a dozen others 
It can't be value for money, and small firm preference or not, we have to live in the real world where our money is tight.
I have tended to go round the B&Q's MFIs etc, and have looked for how robust the units actually are in terms of thickness of the chipboard etc.
I have fitted myself, but I did once find a local carpenter who fitted the worksurfaces with the nice professional joins quite reasonably.
I know it pays to really shop around. I played real hardball with B&Q on one kitchen, they had a half price sale and mistakenly had 2 10% of schemes running, with the small print failing to block both being used at once  they protested a lot, but could not stop me getting my 10% off 10% off, I recall them peevishly pointing out that this was not 20% off  |
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jema
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon
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| Posted: Tue Nov 29, 05 9:22 am Post subject: |
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| Sarah D wrote: |
Why not do what we do? Avoid the fitted kitchen route all together. Spend the money on some nice wooden furniture - dresser, sideboard, cupboard, table, etc and use them. You can get some really nice furniture secondhand/refurbished, whatever, for a good price. This way you are more likely to know what it is amde of too, avoiding hardwoods, unsustainable, etc.
Then, when you move, you pick it all up and take it with you. Also has the advantage of not spending thousands on a newish kitchen that may well be ripped out by the new buyers of your house, and you are not lining the pockets of the mutil nationals.
It really is the way to go. |
I think that one depends on kitchen size. I have a dresser, and would in general prefer that route. But modern kitchens are pretty much designed for fitted units, and if you are planning to sell any time in the next few years not having one will be disasterous for selling. |
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marigold
Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 12458
Location: West Sussex
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Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
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bernie-woman
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7824
Location: shropshire
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jema
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon
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Jonnyboy
Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.
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bernie-woman
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7824
Location: shropshire
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Jonnyboy
Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.
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gil
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415
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| Posted: Tue Nov 29, 05 11:20 am Post subject: |
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A service it might be worth using the big chains (MFI, B&Q, etc) for is their (free) kitchen layout planning stage. especially the ones that do both flat plans and 3-D computer mock-ups. As long as you can walk away at the end under no obligation, or say you need to go and think about it.
Useful if you don't know what you want your new kitchen layout to be like, or if the existing kitchen is very dated. Or if your potential layout is severely constrained by the building's structure (windows, doors, walls).
Ikea is rumoured to have reasonable, cheap carcassing (they use the same basic framework for all designs), and they will sell it separately. The other possibility, if you have regular-sized units, is to just buy new doors, drawers, end panels (the bits that show). Again, Ikea will sell separately.
'Dated' kitchens and bathrooms ? All the previous comments about estate agents and buyers' expectations (even if they're going to rip it out immediately) ring so true. FFS, as long as it all still works... Ephemeral fashion and this season's 'style' for houses, which are where you live long-term.
Having said that, I wish I did not have a pink bathroom suite and tiles, but can't justify replacing on purely aesthetic grounds, as it does the job fine. |
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Sarah D
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584
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| Posted: Tue Nov 29, 05 12:43 pm Post subject: |
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I got the responses I expected to my post 
This is the way I look at it.
We are very careful with our money, and make a little go a long way; to that end, we look at things with a view to the long term - we gather up bits as we go along, etc. This way there is no huge single expense all at once , whether for a kitchen, bathroom, whatever.
Any kitchen is capable of being furnished with freestanding furniture. Why have a wall full of cupboards which are quite often only half used, or full of stuff you don't actually need, etc. Find out exactly what you do need and get the amount of cupboard/storage space you actually need, instead of paying for un-needed storage space. Stuff expands to fit the space available. A good exercise in downshifting and simplifying your kitchen, especially where space is limited.
My main are of concern is this obsession with fitting your kitchen, building an extension, making an ensuite, converting your loft, fitting a whirlpool bath - whatever- with a view to selling your property some years down the line. We look at our house as our house - we live in it in the here and now, so we have what WE want. I cannot live my life thinking about what someone who may or may not buy our house may want some years ahead. We may never move again. We may move next month. We just don't know. Therefore, we live for the moment, in a house that suits us, right down to the purple hallway, because that is what we want now. If it's what we want for now and it makes us happy, then it gets done.
As for the fitted kitchen - everyone, with no exceptions so far, has come into this house and our last one and said "Oh I wish I had a kitchen like this/unfitted ktichen/it's lovely not to have to look at banks of cupboard doors, etc" or similar. We do live in the real world and realise that a lot of folks want fitted kitchens, double glazing and central heating. These are not for us, though, in our house, now. If someone buys it in the future and wants to install them and a 17ft jacuzzi bath, then that's their perogative. We won't be doing it for them, we're too busy living in our house as we like it for us.
I suppose what I'm saying is that we prefer to live in the here and now to suit ourselves.
I suppose if we ever did sell, then ours would be described as "individual" or "full of character" or somesuch
We have lived here just over 8 years now, and the kitchen is being done now; the advantage of having someone do it for you is that it is done quickly. 8 years is a long time to wait for a kitchen....... I have found for me, personally, though, that taking it at such a slow pace (only got Sundays to work on it), I have been able to change my mind a zillion times about things, quite often to the detriment of my OH patience and belief. If we'd done it 7 years ago, I would have been ready to change it by now, but he wouldn't
These are jusmy thoughts, and I don't really expect anyone to agree with me, but thought I'd post it anyway.
Maybe I really am the odd one out............... |
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ele
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 814
Location: Derby
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Sarah D
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584
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. Not very ecologically sound, but cheap (a friend fitted it) and would be serviceable for many more years, though I suspect the new owners will rip it out.
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