Kitchen Phase 3 : Selecting Appliances

The kitchen came with a free dishwasher, oven, extractor and hob. We upgraded the hob to a ceramic touch control, but the other items had no value if the salesperson deleted them. Hence we took them on the basis that they could be replaced later if we weren’t happy. I’m actually really glad that we did this as choosing white goods is actually quite a challenge – there is little information on the internet. I was quickly heading for paralysis by analysis!

When selecting the washing machine, we wanted a high end make and the quietest machine possible, since we have an open plan kitchen and lounge. The best washing machines are widely believed to be those by Miele. However their integrated machine costs over £1000, more than twice as much as other high end machines. We narrowed our search down to Liebherr and Miele, again the same company. However they didn’t make a machine in the height we wanted. The Bosch and Siemens offerings in stainless steel were not as attractive, so we went for a mid range Bosch with a silver finish door.

Kitchen Phase 2 : the Surveyor

Richard our detailed surveyor turned up a couple of days later. He re-measured the kitchen to ensure the plan would work. There were no problems at this stage, however I took some time to study the plan and suggested a few changes. These added additional storage where previously filler panels had been used to reduce cost. This is one to watch out for, the salesman is keen to sell so wants to get a low price for you. In the end the changes added a lot of space for a fairly small cost, a good result.

New Kitchen!

Since we moved into our riverside flat last year, we’ve been meaning to renovate. The 80s original décor if functional, but doesn’t really give that satisfaction vibe we all seek from our homes. Hence we decided some weeks ago to get a new kitchen. There were several phases to this gargantuan project.

Exactly as you might expect the first task is to look at several kitchen companies and get a feel for their products and prices. We looked at Kitchens Direct, Wickes, B&Q, Screwfix, MFI and several expensive showrooms (located just north of Oxford Street). We quickly came to the conclusion that there was little difference in all the kitchens as all featured MDF carcases and most had laminate doors. Similarly prices didn’t vary that significantly between quotes.

We decided on the Kitchens Direct offering. Ironically it was the first quote we received and by far the nicest kitchen, featuring real birch doors, coloured pear effect laminate carcases and soft close on all doors and drawers. We agreed a couple of things to reduce the cost. Firstly we would remove the existing wall tiles prior to fit and second we took the finance package. Finance gave us a 10% discount against the full price. Of course the interest rate is silly, but the redemption penalty for settling in full is 1.65%. Hence we received an 8.35% discount and some useful credit history.

It's worth noting that Kitehens Direct and Moben are owned by the same parent company. Only Moben has showrooms where you can view a completed install. As always, don't be fooled by the 'sale must end' hype. There was a gap of a couple of months between order and delivery and the price hardly changed!