How to cut kitchen costs

Gekko

Is anyone disrupting the kitchen business or giving consumers a way to cut out what must be some high profit margins being made by retailers?

My Ma is looking for a newly designed and installed kitchen but some of the pricing is ridiculous...

It’s just a bunch of wood/MDF cabinet units with some wooden doors on the front, a few worktops etc plus a few appliances then obviously

Any help appreciated!

Not sure if the sponsor Kitchen Wizard might be worth a look I acknowledge!

elperello

http://www.kitchensdirectbelgard.ie/kitchen/

I have seen some nice stuff from this place.

endacl

The major cost is removing the old units, and installation of the new, which is built into the quoted price.

As you say, the kitchen is just some mdf to be cut, shaped and fitted, doors and fittings to be installed, and appliances to be wired/plumbed in. Presuming you’re trained and competent, sure you could just do the work yourself?

One of the bigger expenses in the kitchen world is the qualified people delivering the product. They need to be paid.

Like anything else in the world of home improvements, you can get things done cheaper if you DIY them. For kitchens, you can effectively remove any labour costs by spending some time at it, and using an Ikea kitchen. This way you can remove the old kitchen and install the new one yourself.

You might find this would dramatically reduce the cost, although you will have to be somewhat handy/clued in, or at least have a decent internet connection to search 'how to' videos on Youtube.

Alternatively, you could speed the process up a tad by hiring one of those people in the papers/adverts etc. that assemble ikea furniture. Might not fit it for you, but assistance with the assembly would be handy.

Wesser

Try Ikea? Go to them.with a specific budget in mind...

Muahahaha

Is there much of a saving to be had if you dismantle & dispose the old kitchen yourself?

dodzy

Muahahaha wrote: »

Is there much of a saving to be had if you dismantle & dispose the old kitchen yourself?

You'd have to get a quote for the complete job, then ask them to re-quote without removal. Otherwise, you'll never know the true impact / cost-saving of your potential efforts. Huge savings to be made by DIYing. Obviously, it is for the individual to decide if the work is within their scope.

listermint

Ive just finished my own, The Kitchen was a second hand one from a Nama sale. Little use custom kitchen i picked up for a song.

Installed myself.

That includes removal of my own, knocking walls, new plumbing new electrical runs, new cabling to Island. Entire Kitchen Respray (self done) trimming cutting to size and modifiying where necessary. This includes in frame modifications and additions with routing to match finish.

Its not as simple as the OP thinks it is, Yes there is subtantial savings and i mean substantial but you have to
A- know what you are doing
B- have the time and tools to complete.

Without A and B then dont bother starting as you will need a competent tradesperson to come in and fix your mess (at your cost)


Kitchens are like anything else, Competent people cost money to install, That is what makes the kitchen look, well Professionally fitted.

I am very happy with my results, It looks exactly as i intended it to when i started and looks every bit 15K that the original guy who installed it charged when it went it the first house i took it out from. although as it was custom i was fixing some of their shoddy finish work. There was a good bit of head scratching lazyness that went on (celtic tiger finishing)

bladespin

listermint wrote: »

If just finished my own, The Kitchen was a second hand one from a Nama sale. Little use custom kitchen i picked up for a song.

Where did you find it for sale? Giving me ideas here lol.

listermint

bladespin wrote: »

Where did you find it for sale? Giving me ideas here lol.

Picked it up on Adverts about 18 months ago. Had it in storage until ready to fit it December just gone.

Savings are real. Very real. but be confident in working with Wood.Mines Oak in-Frame

elperello

Some very nice kitchens being taken out when houses change hands.
Often the guys putting in the new one will take them out carefully and fit them as a nixer.

Lumen

I guess a freestanding kitchen be easier to fit, but they seem even more expensive for a given level of quality.

keithdub

The cost of removing a kitchen is 100 euro and the price of a skip. If you are looking to save money go to Ikea or there are people selling ex desplay kitchens on dd. But you might need some extras.

listermint

Lumen wrote: »

I guess a freestanding kitchen be easier to fit, but they seem even more expensive for a given level of quality.

Freestanding kitchen ?

elperello

OP
Just another suggestion.
Take a good look at your mothers kitchen. The carcass or frame may be solid wood and well constructed. If it is she might be happy with new doors and worktops which would be a less costly option offering a good saving on fitting.

Lumen

listermint wrote: »

Freestanding kitchen ?

This kind of thing.

https://www.idealhome.co.uk/kitchen/kitchen-ideas/freestanding-kitchens-90175

listermint

Lumen wrote: »

This kind of thing.

https://www.idealhome.co.uk/kitchen/kitchen-ideas/freestanding-kitchens-90175

Had a look very few on that are what they say they are . Nearly every image has cabintry wall mounted above it and the unit below plumbed in. Sounds like sales ballax.

Usual nonsense to start a fad.

I slightly get the concept but it's not practical

Gekko

Thanks for the replies guys

My Ma wants a complete redesign but she might have to have it similar to the layout of the existing one. I’ve no issues with design fees or the labour costs

I guess after that the highest cost is the wooden doors etc which comes down to the type of wood used etc

We will rip out the old one ourselves and as you say the saving won’t be much there - perhaps a half day or day’s labour

We will have to do some comparisons between Ikea and other places suggested

She went to Cash and Carry Kitchens initially who said they’d send a guy out to take a look and help her design it but he never even bothered to turn up

budhabob

Gekko wrote: »

Thanks for the replies guys

My Ma wants a complete redesign but she might have to have it similar to the layout of the existing one. I’ve no issues with design fees or the labour costs

I guess after that the highest cost is the wooden doors etc which comes down to the type of wood used etc

We will rip out the old one ourselves and as you say the saving won’t be much there - perhaps a half day or day’s labour

We will have to do some comparisons between Ikea and other places suggested

She went to Cash and Carry Kitchens initially who said they’d send a guy out to take a look and help her design it but he never even bothered to turn up

To anyone looking at a new kitchen, my advice is go to ikea first! Not necessarily to buy a kitchen, but their design staff are helpful, listen to you and give good advice, but more importantly they give you a design at the end of it that you can log into and tweak, look at in 3D and alter to suit your needs. this then can be brought to other providers as a basis of something you want.

Very few if any providers will give you the design without you paying a deposit.

Sleepy

Honestly, we found Cash & Carry quite expensive when we got them to quote for us.

I'd second the vote for Ikea kitchens, installed them in the utility room myself and the quality is every bit as good as the higher end units we had installed in the kitchen.

There's lots of smaller kitchen companies around, most will beat the likes of Cash & Carry or Woodies (couldn't get over the quote I got there, over twice what we paid for a much higher spec).

itsthisyear

Sleepy wrote: »

Honestly, we found Cash & Carry quite expensive when we got them to quote for us.

I'd second the vote for Ikea kitchens, installed them in the utility room myself and the quality is every bit as good as the higher end units we had installed in the kitchen.

There's lots of smaller kitchen companies around, most will beat the likes of Cash & Carry or Woodies (couldn't get over the quote I got there, over twice what we paid for a much higher spec).

Who did you go with in the end?

lgk

listermint wrote: »

Had a look very few on that are what they say they are . Nearly every image has cabintry wall mounted above it and the unit below plumbed in. Sounds like sales ballax.

Well, in fairness, just about half the pictures do. All the pictures are exactly what they say they are, that page is just advice about how to go about achieving certain styles with free-standing cabinetry. So for example it includes an image of a kitchen with a wall mounted cabinet to highlight how a painted cabinet housing a Belfast sink can become a feature.

listermint wrote: »

Usual nonsense to start a fad.

I slightly get the concept but it's not practical

Nothing new about free-standing, they've been around for generations. They're very popular on the continent where rentals are usually unfurnished. The sink units generally come with fitted upstand and flexible connectors that are as simple to connect to the fixed plumbing as a washing machine. Anyone who wouldn't have confidence in their ability take on that task would never consider a DIY kitchen anyway.

Payton

elperello wrote: »

http://www.kitchensdirectbelgard.ie/kitchen/

I have seen some nice stuff from this place.

From a personal opinion stay clear. I've seen the end results and correspondence and its not good.

stiofan85

We had an IKEA kitchen put in last year. Design staff were great and helped us make the most of the space. Got a guy from Adverts to put it in for €500. I removed the old one and did the plumbing as it was just a case of connecting the taps and waste. Electrics involved connecting the hob and some plug in LED lights so I fitted them too. If you're not sure about those bits a handyman could do them for you or get a sparks in if it's more complex.

Replacement parts are easy to get too - picked up a door for a built in dishwasher after we moved the washing machine to the shed this summer.

Good luck

368100

stiofan85 wrote: »

We had an IKEA kitchen put in last year. Design staff were great and helped us make the most of the space. Got a guy from Adverts to put it in for €500. I removed the old one and did the plumbing as it was just a case of connecting the taps and waste. Electrics involved connecting the hob and some plug in LED lights so I fitted them too. If you're not sure about those bits a handyman could do them for you or get a sparks in if it's more complex.

Replacement parts are easy to get too - picked up a door for a built in dishwasher after we moved the washing machine to the shed this summer.

Good luck

Do you think the quality is comparable to a bespoke kitchen?

Bananaleaf

OP

I don't know what your mum is looking for exactly and I don't know where you are located, but we recently got our kitchen redone for a fantastic price and I couldn't recommend the company more - First Class Kitchens in Maynooth, Kildare.

When we moved into our house the kitchen that was there was fine, but the doors were very old, the pull-out drawers were hanging off the hinges (like a child had been standing in them) and there wasn't enough counter space.

They were the only company that we could find who were willing to take off all doors and leave the existing units there and just replace the doors. This saved us a fortune.

In addition they added an extra unit and a floating press for the microwave and the whole thing looks seamless. I have before and after photos I can share

They also do full units if you are ripping out old kitchen.

stiofan85

368100 wrote: »

Do you think the quality is comparable to a bespoke kitchen?

From a bespoke design perspective, yes - it's made to fit my kitchen and does so perfectly.

Materials are definitely not comparable. Are they good enough? Absolutely, just like anything from IKEA. Soft close hinges and so forth all give a nice touch.

I've a toddler so I'm not after a rolls royce kitchen. Once it looks good, does the job and won't fall apart I'm happy. My aul wan has a custom fitted kitchen which feels sturdier but it looks dated only after 5 years. With the IKEA kitchen, when it does look dated I can change out the doors or change the whole thing for a lot less.

To each their own I guess. IKEA IMO is a great way to cut the costs of a new kitchen.

Sleepy

itsthisyear wrote: »

Who did you go with in the end?

We went with Tierneys after some fairly hard haggling. Personally I'd have been happy to go with the IKEA Bodbyn line but there were a few details (tongue and groove end-panels) that Mrs Sleepy wanted which weren't available in the IKEA range (though of course, they became available a few months after we installed!).

368100 wrote: »

Do you think the quality is comparable to a bespoke kitchen?

Define "bespoke kitchen" tbh. Is it going to compare to a six figure, solid oak, in-frame doored custom built fitted kitchen built to spec? Of course not.

They are perfectly comparable to the flat-placks MDF units most "bespoke" kitchen companies use (including Tierneys).

The main difference you'd see cited is that the IKEA units don't have a large "service gap" at the back for pipework but tbh, it's a double-edged sword. The downside means you may have to take out a jigsaw and adjust the back of a few units to create space for pipe runs etc. The up-side is that you get deeper cabinets / drawers where you don't need a service gap.

There's a great tool on their website that let's you create a 3D plan of your kitchen which you can then open up in-store with their designers to get an "expert" view of your design:

https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/customer-service/planning-tools/kitchen-planner/

You can create printouts from this as well which I used to show other kitchen places to get an idea of what we wanted (it also showed a willingness to go down the IKEA route which, imho, helped in the haggling).

Idbatterim

Wonder would anywhere near the border do it , the weak sterling might mean worthwhile savings ...

Muahahaha

stiofan85 wrote: »

With the IKEA kitchen, when it does look dated I can change out the doors or change the whole thing for a lot less.

To each their own I guess. IKEA IMO is a great way to cut the costs of a new kitchen.

The ability to easily change the doors a few years down the line is definteily a plus for Ikea kitchens. They also give a 25 year guarantee on their kitchens which is re-assuring compared to using a small kitchen company who may not be in business throughout the life time of a fitted kitchen.

Sleepy

Most other kitchen suppliers use standard measurements on their cabinets so the ability to changing the doors on kitchen cabinets wouldn't be unique to IKEA tbh. It would be easier though as Ikea's long guarantees mean they tend to keep the same measurements for a *long* time.