Kitchen Installation -Budgeting & Cost

A large chunk of your kitchen renovation will need to be set aside for installation fees. Here are some useful tips on how to budget for your kitchen fitting and reduce your costs:

 

Entire re-fit or partial replacement?

Before contacting a fitter for a consultation make a list of the tasks that need to be completed. For example, are you planning on simply changing the doors on your cabinets and retaining the carcasses to save on costs? Or do you need an entire re-fit that includes removal of old units, installation of appliances, tiling, plastering and decorating?

 

Quotes

Gather at least three quotes from a selection of tradesmen so you can compare prices on all of the tasks on your list. It may be worthwhile to split the jobs and hire one tradesman to fit the units and another to tile the floor and install splashbacks if it works out cheaper. You don’t have to stick to a single fitter but it can make life easier to have one person in charge of the entire project who can see it out from start to finish.

 

Choose a reputable professional

If you’d like to hand the entire project onto one company make sure they are qualified to complete all jobs including plumbing, electrical work and light installation. Choose professional fitters who are certified to carry out the work so you don’t end up having to re-do shoddy work carried out by a rogue tradesman and shell out more cash than you first intended.

 

Do some of the work yourself

If you’ve got some experience of home renovation, you can save money by doing some of the work yourself, like tiling or painting. Bear it in mind that you may need to fork out for tools and equipment where as a proper fitter will include all of that in their quote. Always get a registered fitter to install appliances like ovens and gas cookers to stay on the safe side.

 

Finally, always work within your budget but set aside a cash buffer for emergencies that you can call on if needed.

UK Kitchen Buying Habits

A survey of *100 independent kitchen retailers recently conducted by KBB Review highlighted some interesting findings regarding our kitchen buying habits including who wears the trousers when it comes to making financial and design decisions and what we really know about how much a kitchen costs.

Decision Making

There is a definite male/female split when it comes to making the all-important kitchen budget and design decisions with men taking the lead on financial decisions whilst women usually have more say with the design.  Do you agree? Let us know at enquiries@kitchen-compare.com.

“When couples are choosing a new kitchen, who is usually the dominant decision maker when it comes to financial choices?”  

6% Woman

55% Man

38% Joint

“When couples are choosing a new kitchen, who is usually the dominant decision maker when it comes to making design choices?”

52% Woman

3% Man

43% Joint

Discounting

Did you know that 4/5 of kitchen retailers frequently use discounting to secure a sale and a quarter discount ‘all the time’?

“How often do you discount kitchens to secure a sale?”

22% All the time

60% Sometimes

15% Hardly ever

6%   Never

Cost

There is no doubt that a kitchen is a major investment purchase but how many of us really have a good idea of what our new kitchen is going to cost when we start researching and planning?

Surprisingly there is a 50-50 split between those that do know and those that don’t know which means that worryingly half of consumers really underestimate how much that dream kitchen is going to cost.

“How knowledgeable are customers on the potential cost of kitchen products?”

3% Very knowledgeable and well researched

46% Realistic ball-park figure

2% Over estimate it

43% Under-estimate it
One key element which is often forgotten about and not included in the price of a kitchen is the installation. Figures below show that 2/3 of consumers are less clued up when it comes down to the actual cost of installing their kitchen.

“How knowledgeable are customers on the potential cost of kitchen installation?”

0% Very knowledgeable

30% Realistic ball park figure

3% Over estimate it

38% Under-estimate it

28% No idea

 

Is this your experience when researching and buying a new kitchen? What do you think? Let us know your views at enquiries@kitchen-compare.com.

*Results taken from the KBB Review Kitchen Retailers Survey 2012. For more information visit their website.