New kitchen price shock

My husband did ours recently. All the units came from IKEA. We already had tiles. The flooring from Wickes I think. He put a new (false) ceiling in. Took him a while but all told, it cost around 2,500. Looks great.
If there is anything that needs doing here, he’ll have a go, and he’s not too bad at it to be fair. Over the years, we have saved a lot of money by doing stuff ourselves.
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Urmstongran

Goodness, how we’ve moved on! ?

Those are all the rage again.

Don’t laugh but have a look in B&Q. I got a fabulous kitchen for my MIL’s house and it’s a fraction of the price of kitchen companies !

I have a Blanco deep sink undermount in cream - had it 8 years. Hardly could tell that it is not new - I Bar Keepers Friend it about every 3rd week.

We updated last year. Quoted £23k by a national company for a sage green shaker style kitchen. Worried about colour dating so asked for a quote for shaker style in ivory came in at £10k less! Worth querying quote - salesman informed us they could only respond to direct requests and not advise. Needless to say, didn't go with that company.

Ours cost about £8000 four years ago. I regret choosing gloss handless cabinets. Always wiping down finger marks (there's only me and my husband) and the 'handless' grooves are always needing cleaning too.
We didn't have quartz worktops, top brand appliances or water heater though.

Sharp intake of breath! Have now decided that my kitchen isn’t outdated, it’s ‘shabby chic’.

When you think of the costs of the new things and the work - and disposing of the old things - sorry but it's quite a fair price. Supplying a quartz worktop with all the expert cutting and fitting is alone is a costly thing. We have Silestone - much better than the wood it replaced, also splashed out on induction hob - would never go back. It depends what is important to you. Hope you really enjoy it when it is 'all over'.

Mine was a Bowden and cost £7000 but didn’t include the fitting builder did that or appliances. However did buy appliances from Howdens with builders account. Saved quite a bit

Hi I have just had a new kitchen. Got a franke boiler tap. Have to admit I hardly use it. But agree it is an expensive item nowadays, but I do love mine is must say. Had quartz top too. Always said I would never have an island. However I love my island and wouldn’t be without it now. So useful. Enjoy yours.

Joseanne

I went to the kitchen showroom yesterday to finalise the design along with the total costing. Apparently the prices are going up by 10% on June 1st so I literally have 3 days to decide. Normally I wouldn't believe all that salesman's patter, but with the way prices are increasing on everything else, I am not surprised. I have already pushed the initial quote up a few thousand by choosing a different colour and thicker worktops, so it seems never ending.

Ignore this high pressure selling, there are literally dozens of places to buy high quality kitchens. My excellent builder tells me he always uses Howdens for his clients furniture and quartz workshops can be bought separately. It's pretty certain that it would be cheaper for you use a local builder and also to buy your own appliances online too.
It depends on whether you want to pay a very hefty premium for having it all organised for you.
If you have friends who can recommend good local builders I'd say it's worth getting a quote from them, using the plan you want.

It is a lot of money to pay for a kitchen, often an ex display is cheaper and source the add-ons separate. We bought an ex-display from a kitchen place that is now closed and got everything included. I sourced an AGA Rangemaster separate, the hood/extractor separate, Laura Ashley wall & floor tiles discounted in a sale and put it all together for the workmen we saved thousands. I quite enjoyed a bit of haggling on prices and shopping around. The kitchen was one of the main selling points of that particular house a few years later.

Would be nice to see a photo of your updated kitchen?

If you get a kitchen you really want which will last for years then its is worth it. The Quooker system sounds magic. Its new to me. Google says - in your kitchen you always have instant 100°C boiling water alongside regular hot and cold. Add a Quooker CUBE and you will also have filtered chilled and sparkling water – all from the same tap.

Have what you want and enjoy it.

If you're staying in the house long term go for it, if selling soon you won't recover the money. I'd love a quooker tap but am in council house..

That seemed a lot when I first read it but my son, who's an electrician, pointed out to me the number of tradespeople needed for a full project. I thought it would be a couple of people who could do it all .... nope, it will take qualified people to do the gas and electrics, a plasterer, plumber, fitters and tilers. Admittedly plastering, fitting and tiling could be done by an experienced person but not the gas and electricity, so that has to be factored in. He said the quote was about right. No new kitchen for me!

My kitchen, installed 10 years ago, cost almost double your quote. I have high gloss cupboards and Neff appliances, all appliances have been fine except for dishwasher which didn't last long. Fingermarks on cupboard doors are easily removed with a soft damp cloth and a rub with a dry one, don't listen to the nay sayers. Every person that comes into my house compliments me on the kitchen.

I went to Dream Doors local showroom and saw a white kitchen sink to die for. Non-scratch will take even bleach to clean it. For me, the minor problem was the price- £1600 without taps or labour. Unfortunately it will be staying there.

I've had many premium brand kitchen appliances over the years, but honestly I'd say consider appliances other than Neff. I've just put two John Lewis ovens in my new kitchen, they're a Which Best Buy and really the best I've ever had: pyrolitic cleaning, meat temperature probe, very similar in looks to all the big brands and a relatively inexpensive 5 year insurance available.
Two of my children had Magnet kitchens 15 years ago and they cost almost as much as yours then, with the installation costs.

I’d advise against high gloss units as they show every fingermark, although obviously up to you.
You have gone for very expensive items. Seems an insane amount of money to me.

My Daughter has just bought a house for £29,500

'Three days to decide or the price goes up'...hmmm, to me this sounds like pressure sales tactics.
If you didn't buy, what's the worst that would happen?

I've also recently been astonished at new fitted kitchen prices, but also at the add-ons and how everything creps ever upwards. it strikes me a lot like wedding planning!

A lot of how you go forward if you decide to show the current company the door, lies in decisions like, have you given them any cash yet / if so can you get it back? If no money has slid their way, then you are in a powerful position and I would not be surprised if giving them the elbow didn't result in a sudden cutting of price.

It also depends on whether you can either employ local joiners, or use your own skills, to replace decent but cheaper cabinets from (say) B&Q (other kitchen unit sellers are available!).

I'm doing the latter and have decided that as we are staying put for the foreseeable, I can get it as we want it, but then again, we have never lived 'photo-shoot' lives. lean and convenient will suit fine, and if I get fed up with it then I'll repaint the cabinets.

I guess whoever buys the house one day will put their own kitchen in. But for £23k I could do a massive amount of other interesting things!

I have a large kitchen and I am in the process of deciding the colour scheme for my new kitchen doors. The shell will remain, it will be kitchen doors and drawers that will be replaced. That alone will be close to £4K and it is not including the tiles. Not all the tiles need to be replaced, my kitchen is being rewired.

Optomistic1 that does sound a lot of money. We had a new kitchen in late 2016 from Wren kitchens for exactly the price you’ve said. We had granite worktops and a tiled floor laid and it’s a fairly large kitchen. How things have gone up in price!

I went to the kitchen showroom yesterday to finalise the design along with the total costing. Apparently the prices are going up by 10% on June 1st so I literally have 3 days to decide. Normally I wouldn't believe all that salesman's patter, but with the way prices are increasing on everything else, I am not surprised. I have already pushed the initial quote up a few thousand by choosing a different colour and thicker worktops, so it seems never ending.