Kitchen dilemma. Will I won’t I ?

As far as I can see, the longer I live the more time I spend indoors and that makes my surroundings more important to me. I'm with paddyann here, do what ever makes you feel comfortable. This figure of 30k a kitchen is a bit extreme, some people may spend that much but some of us have much smaller budgets. I spent 5K 23 years ago on my present kitchen, fitted all carcasses etc myself and it was lovely but it is now totally impratical. High shelves that I can no longer reach and cupboards that I can't get to the back of. So I have a budget of 10k now to completely change it. But then my son is a kitchen fitter and my OH does plumbing and electrical work. So I'm confident it will be achieved and worth doing.

But then my son is a kitchen fitter
Oh, how did you manage that!! Wonderful planning 😁

DS's friend is too but booked up for months.

If I were to tell my husband that I am going to spend £15k to £30k on a new kitchen, he will have the shock of his life and I will have to call the ambulance to take him to the hospital!

Luckily our 20+ year kitchen units in light beech colour don’t look too bad to me but the kitchen walls desperately need a new coat of paint.

I try not to touch our existing savings but try to save every month and when I saved enough then spend it on the house.

Instead of having a new kitchen, maybe just change the doors, worktop and hob?

Callistemon21

If paddyann's old kitchens are passed on and recycled then fair enough.

No-one would want our old, solid wood kitchen so it would probably go into a skip and landfill ☹

Our solid wood kitchen was snapped up on freecycle. It was listed for maybe 3 days.

It had the horrible curved detailing someone else doesn't like (upthread). The kitchen was 40 years old.

Oh, sounds like ours NotSpaghetti!

Could you simply paint the cabinet doors and change the handles? Did it with ours and looks great. Could also change the works tops and sink if you want to later. I'd be very concerned using half my savings. No one know what is round the corner and you might regret using so much.

What are you saving for?

I confess I was surprised Callistemon21 but the couple who collected were pretty excited!

Missiseff

What are you saving for?

I can't speak for the OP, but many people like to have money set aside for a 'rainy day', or as an 'emergency fund', rather than saving 'for' something in particular.

That's the point of the thread, really - how far to reduce that buffer in favour of getting something that will improve life in the here and now.

Much depends on the amounts in question, of course. Spending half of a buffer of a million pounds would still leave you with more than adequate savings, but if you are starting with £5k and reducing that to £2.5k then it's a different question.

BTW - my "new" kitchen (13 units) was £3,500 and £1,600 to fit. It was pre-pandemic but not a lot...

I kept all the electricity and pipes nearly in the same place to keep costs down as we were having walls removed and lots of plastering and tiles etc, new downstairs WC etc.
It looks terrific and is no longer someone else's choice. Obviously not such high quality as previously had oak and this isn't.

Also, I'm another who loves your cupboards, Norah!

Go with the flow
NO NO NO!

Who would you be doing it for?? How many people go into the kitchen? Do you really care what other people think??
Maybe a bit of cosmetic work - but forget the surgery!!

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202309/medium-91164-20230415-183822.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202309/medium-20403-20230415-183822.jpg

If you are thinking of new worktops which are an upheaval to take out and any ttiles above breaking. I used sticky back plastic for mine at a cost of £40 and everyone remarked how realistic my workbench looked.

You say your savings are going down so why not look into keeping the units and just replacing the doors? Must be a lot cheaper and would still stop it looking 'tired'. Personally I would be wary of reducing savings by half but then I'm a worrier.

Even if you vizualise selling your home at some future date, a new kitchen will not make it easier to sell, or the expensive of it be recouped in the price you get for the house.

You sound as if you would rather have the money safely in the bank than use it on a new kitchen.

If I am right about this, there is no point in spending your money on something you would rather not do and having the enormous upheaval installing a new kitchen is into the bargain.

If it bothers you that the kitchen looks a little well-used, repainting the cabinet doors might be enough to make it look nice again, and cannot possibly cost the same as a new kitchen. If your children are so eager to see a new kitchen, ask them to come and help paint the walls and woodwork.

Doodledog

Also, I'm another who loves your cupboards, Norah!

Thank you.

You believe you have carved bits which are difficult to keep clean -- move in with us, help oil cabinets/cupboards here!

Have you considered having your carved bits filled with paint accepting wood putty, sanded, painted? GD had that accomplished, you'd never know they weren't always solid (not carved wood) and white.

If you’re happy with your kitchen then don’t bother changing it.

We had our doors and worktops replaced by a great company with great workmen. A fraction the price of a complete refurb!

I'm 84 and wish I'd replaced my units 10 years ago and would say - Go for it! but don't go all expensive over the units.
There are plenty of economic kitchens available such as B&Q which are perfectly acceptable and will 'see you out' - whoever moves into your house after your time will replace the kitchen anyway.
I read that the first thing new house owners do is rip out the kitchen and bathroom and replace them.

Norah

Doodledog

Also, I'm another who loves your cupboards, Norah!

Thank you.

You believe you have carved bits which are difficult to keep clean -- move in with us, help oil cabinets/cupboards here!

Have you considered having your carved bits filled with paint accepting wood putty, sanded, painted? GD had that accomplished, you'd never know they weren't always solid (not carved wood) and white.

Thanks, but no thanks - I avoid housework where possible, and never ever seek it out .

There would be no point in getting the cupboards 'filled in' as I also have configuration issues, and don't see the point in making cosmetic changes until they are sorted out.

I'm sure you could find a new piece with deep drawers which could slot in instead of an existing unit? Or you could take out unit at the end of a run and replace it with new drawers so that the size didn't matter so much. So many companies sell these units now. Replacing the worktop is relatively simple too, if it needs doing.
A local carpenter could do these jobs for you at relatively little cost compared with a whole kitchen refit.
I'm not sure what your doors are like, but I agree with others that a coat of paint in a colour you like could make it all look better - and would make any new drawers tie in with the rest. Even glossy plastic doors can be painted if you use the correct undercoat.
You don't need your kitchen to look like something out of Homes and Gardens!

ExDancer

I'm 84 and wish I'd replaced my units 10 years ago and would say - Go for it! but don't go all expensive over the units.
There are plenty of economic kitchens available such as B&Q which are perfectly acceptable and will 'see you out' - whoever moves into your house after your time will replace the kitchen anyway.
I read that the first thing new house owners do is rip out the kitchen and bathroom and replace them.

Take care where you go for a quote, B&Q were relatively expensive when we were looking a few years ago. Most builders recommend Howdens or Magnet Trade. IKEA kitchens are inexpensive but I think that the sizes would be very different to your existing kitchen.

Anyway. None of this helps the OP, does it?

I know we can't come up with a formula for working out how much it is sensible to spend as a percentage of one's savings as there are too many variables (including whether people think that kitchen are worth spending on), but I think it is a valid question in general terms. What sorts of things should we (in an ideal world) put aside money for?

Care has been mentioned, but there are arguments for spending money, rather than saving it where that is concerned. What's the point in scrimping on making your house comfortable when it will be taken off you to pay for care anyway? Health is something else that could end up being free only for those with no (or few) savings, so it could be counterproductive to save for future rises in prescription charges or fees to see a GP. Boilers? Roof repairs? What sorts of things do people see as the sort of possible future emergencies that we should prepare for with savings, even if they stop us from doing things we can enjoy now?

We all have different financial circumstances, so I am not asking for people to outline their bank balances or health insurance provisions, or to tell us about the cost of their expensive home improvements grin. The question is hypothetical and much more general, but an interesting one, nevertheless, I think.

I wouldn’t recommend a kitchen remodel either. Could you replace a window with a bigger one to let in more sunlight? Change “tired” curtains or paint your kitchen set or treat yourself to something new? Is it cramped with an extra standalone cupboard that you could do away with? Repaint walls and/or paint the trim a refreshing color? Replace the handles? You are only 73 and can make sprucing up a fun project.

My kitchen is over 30 years old and I can see its faults. Worktops and cupboards were built for my height but in the last few years I have shrunk which means I need DH to get herbs and spices down. I’ve never liked kitchen dining but now there’s only DH and me we use the breakfast table all the time. I’ve always maintained that if I stood inthe middle I should be able to reach everything and that helps the more immobile me.