How much should you pay for your new kitchen?

Kitchen Secret #17:
How much should you pay for your new kitchen?

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Kitchen Discussion Board

Secret 1: Why are there so many 'limited offers'?

Secret 2: Why you shouldn't pay any attention to a 'sale'

Secret 3: The Selling Cycle - The Kitchen Designer plan

Secret 4: What is a Kitchen
'Market Demonstration'?

Secret 5: Should you tell your designer your budget?

Secret 6: How much does a Kitchen Designer earn?

Secret 7: How should you prioritise your needs?

Secret 8: Why do Designers want a sale 'on the night'?

Secret 9: What do the price & quality have in common?

Secret 10: Your own made-to-measure kitchen… or is it???

Secret 11: Why will a Designer decline a request?

Secret 12: How does a Designer sell 'empty space'?

Secret 13: When is a 'corner base unit' not a 'corner base'?

Secret 14: Is there a difference between hiding & integrating?

Secret 15: When is an oven not an oven???

Secret 16: Is everything included in your kitchen price?

Secret 17: How much should you pay for your kitchen?

Secret 18: How can you find the 'bottom price'?

Secret 19: Don't get 'ripped off' by the finance package

Secret 20: How long should your kitchen last for?

Secret 21: What is the best kitchen guarantee available?

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Obviously everybody wants to spend as little as possible. Everybody also likes to get a bargain. That’s why tried and tested ways of offer on kitchens on sale still work.

However, most people have also heard of the phrase ‘buy cheap, buy dear’. This of course means that although you’re buying a lovely looking brand new kitchen, it might not last for long. You therefore need to find the fine line in-between investing enough so you receive a quality product and paying too much for something that isn’t worth it.

You need to make a sober, logical decision as to how much your proposed kitchen is actually worth. The only way to accomplish that is to break everything down into its individual component.

You need to consider how many cabinets are in the kitchen. You need to consider what kind of worktop is included in the kitchen.

You need to be aware of the value of the appliances that are included. Then you have to consider the kitchen fitting costs. In the UK, the cost for fitting a kitchen will generally fit inside the £800 to £2000 bracket.

Especially small or large exceptions to the rule will always of course occur, but generally these figures are a good ‘rule of thumb’.

Referring back to Kitchen Secret number 4, the information used by the kitchen designer does of course have to have some kind of factual base. For an average kitchen (say 4 base cupboards and four wall units in addition to appliances) the potential cost could vary by thousands. For such a kitchen, it’s possible to go down to a DIY store and purchased all your furniture for £1000, an oven, hob extractor and integrated dishwasher for £400 and then get somebody local to fit it all for you for around £600. This £2000 expenditure might be the ideal way to go about doing things if you’re going to be renting a flat out with the kitchen in it, living in the property for a short period of time, or selling the property soon.

To such people, this particular way of fitting a kitchen tends to be a means of accomplishing something else. To property developers, the only reason that they want to fit a new kitchen is to rent to property more easily, or sell it quicker and for a greater value. However, if you’re going to be staying in your property for a few years, then you need to spend more money on your kitchen. The kitchen for your own house isn’t just an investment though. It isn’t even mainly an investment. In this instance, without overstating it, it’s a significant part of your life for many years to come.

You will spend hours every week opening its doors and using its equipment. However, like your bed it’s traditionally undervalued in the impact that under-investment can have on it.

Do some research into the quality of the construction. Even basic laminated worktops can vary significantly in the method of production and materials involved. Some can quite easily handle a boiling hot pan being place on top of them. Some will turn a very strange colour and start to peel. Simply find out which manufacturer makes the worktops that the kitchen company is going to supply you with and do some research on them before you sign the contract. Decent laminated worktops will only add a couple of hundred pounds onto the cost of your kitchen, but will benefit you for many years to come.

Quality doors are a rip-off in many mid-market kitchen companies.

Many mid-market kitchen companies calculate a simple percentage of gross profit that they are targeted to achieve for each and every kitchen. This means that the more expensive the door, the more money that they’ll make from selling you the same carcass that they use for every kitchen. This isn’t fair – and you should know about it. Even with great quality doors and a good quality carcass, a single kitchen cupboard shouldn’t cost too much more than £200. Unfortunately, Kitchen Secrets can’t give you a definitive amount that you should spend as a maximum on your kitchen. But as long as you make yourself aware of the acceptable parameters for each part of the kitchen you won’t go too far wrong.