Kitchin Fitting

[rumpleforeskin]

Hi all,

I'm planning on having a kitchin installed in summer and have a few questions about cost and opinions on big name suppliers.

So

1. what is the usual pricing stratagy for kitchin fitters, do they charge per item fitted (eg cabinets) or by the hour?

2. my kitchin basically a long rectangle with a door at each end (6 cabinets both sides). would a fitter be able to finish this in a week (i work week on shift then a week off). work would be new cabinets, worktops and keeping the current appliances/sink/cooker in the same place. I could get the floor retiled at a later date, just so long as i have a functional kitchin after a week.

3. I could remove my current kitchin myself, would that represent any real money saving? considering then i would have the responsibility of disposing of the current kitchin.

4. companies like ikea/b&q ect often have sales but how do they compare to the prices of independant kitchin fitters, maybe i would be better buying from them but paying someone else to fit.

5. any of the big kitchin suppliers that are recommended, or more importantly recommended to avoid?

I plan on getting a few quotes and looking at materials/units at the end of the month so had a few questions

is there anything else I should be aware of when looking for quotes?

Thanks for your time
dave

 

[joe-90]

My opinion is:

Take out the old one yourself. Get a plasterer in to make the walls, nice smooth and square. Buy the kitchen yourself and get it delivered. Assemble all the flat packs yourself. Stand them where you want them. Then get a local guy in to fit them for you. You'll save thousands over rip-off kitchen companies. You can do the tiling and decorating yourself.

Great user name - any piccies?

 

[joinerjohn]

As Joe says, you can save money by removing your old kitchen yourself. However, make sure your new kitchen has been delivered, and your kitchen fitter is ready to start when the old one is out (plan ahead) Can you manage for a few days /week without your cooker/sink/washing machine?. Consider where these appliances are at the moment and would they be better moved elsewhere in the kitchen? (even moving things a couple of feet sideways can mean extra work moving water or gas pipework, but can lead to an easier to use kitchen)
Making up kitchen units is fairly easy, but some places supply ready assembled units.
From your description, I'd say a week to install your units should be no problem at all. Certainly by the end of the first or second day, you should have a workable sink and water.

 

[rumpleforeskin]

Thanks for the quick replys, what your saying certainly makes alot of sense.

Assembling the units and the tiling are within my ability, as is moving some water pipes (fitted my bathroom last year but it took me 12 days )

My concern is that to advance my career im taking an exam a month for nearly the next year so its chewing up alot of my free time in study, hence i was planning on getting a fitter in.

But for the cost saving Im sure i could find the time to tile and prebuild the cabinets.

oh and here is a picture of some shar pei puppys.... make of that what you will

 

[noseall]

Having someone else i.e. a kitchen company, fit your kitchen can be a wise move.

There are a lot of expensive items that can be easily damaged which the company will be responsible for.

Also be aware that things like dishwashers take up all the space at the back. This usually means installing a plug socket in the neighboring base unit etc.

Kitchen fitting is easy - once you have fitted 30 or so!

Plus the fitters will have plenty of spare stuff and are capable of things like butt and scribe jointing.

Also, other companies like granite work-top suppliers may only deal with people in the trade.

 

[Nige F]

My opinion is:

Great user name - any piccies?

Imagine a skinhead in a roll neck jumper

 

[Gasguru]

Don't touch Ikea kitchens with a bargepole unless...the walls are perfectly vertical AND the walls are at right angles. There's no service gap at the back and they're a nightmare to fit. And ditch the Ikea waste traps...they don't comply and are total carp....use McAlpine instead. And Ikea taps are poor quality too

 

[compheat]

Howdens timber do ready assembled kitchen packs, a lot of joiners I know use them, they will plan it for you as well

www.howdens.com/

 

[dreadnoughtheating]

The kitchen company I do the plumbing/heating/gas install work for seems to start at the £20k mark......

When at the end of the job, I look at the fit, the finish, the appliances, I can see why...

And, I still don't always get a cup of tea offered, when I suggest "your water will be off for a couple of hours, would you like to fill your kettle up?"

I guess you get what you pay for, Howdens cabinets are fine, get a specialist in to join the countertops. loose mitreing will always look carp.

DH

 

[joe-90]

It's still out of date in a couple of years. Waste of money.

 

[libby lou lou]

Do you walk around in the nude joe?.

 

[pred]

The kitchen company I do the plumbing/heating/gas install work for seems to start at the £20k mark......

When at the end of the job, I look at the fit, the finish, the appliances, I can see why...

And, I still don't always get a cup of tea offered, when I suggest "your water will be off for a couple of hours, would you like to fill your kettle up?"

I guess you get what you pay for, Howdens cabinets are fine, get a specialist in to join the countertops. loose mitreing will always look carp.

DH

My plasterer said to a lady the other day, alphabetically what comes after "S", and she was gullable enough to reply "T" yes thank you very much, it worked.

 

[joinerjohn]

When I worked on't local council, we were usually offered numerous , cups of tea during the working day. One lady however took the biscuit. The cups looked like they hadn't been washed ever since she'd bought them 15yrs ago (or perhaps longer,, they'd have made a good price on the antiques roadshow.) Both of us tipped the tea away when she wasn't looking, only for her to offer us a refill.

 

[wreckedit]

Both of us tipped the tea away when she wasn't looking, only for her to offer us a refill.

Yes, I've done that when fitting kitchens as a DIY'er and used the new sink which I've forgotten doesn't have a drain fitted.

Rfs... think about the electrics also because they need some thought so you get plenty of sockets/sw.fuses in the right place. Especially so if you have a tile back.

 

[Corgigrouch]

A good kitchen fitter will make a cheap kitchen look a million dollars, similarly a poor one will make an expensive kitchen look cheap and nasty... Naturally though it is us wonderful and handsome gas fitters, sparks, plasterers and tilers who make the kitchen work as good as it looks....