worktops

[saveasteading]

We are still putting the structure up, but discussing kitchen supply and especially worktops.

It might seem premature but it affects ducting and of course budget.

The units will probably come from the Howden/ Ikea range of suppliers.

 

Does anyone have advice on worktops, especially island ones? Everything is currently rectangular.

It is not going to be oak, because of what water and heat does to it.

Resin and all sorts of resin that include stone are favourite ...  until we see the cost.

 

From preliminary costing and discussion  it seems that the unit suppliers don't do resin worktops but sublet it.

 

 

 

[Mr Punter]

Make sure the worktops cab, if needed, be made deep enough to be able to route waste pipes etc behind appliances.  Quartz are popular and work very well, but pricey.

 

Ikea units are now a total pain to fit as they do not have a recessed back and there is only 80mm under them.  I have used DIY Kitchens and found them OK for price v quality.

[Tom]

We've got Dekton worktops including for an island, and they are fantastic. The initial quotes were eye watering but we shopped around and got it down from £6k+ to just over £2k - and this was for essentially two kitchens and large island. 

[saveasteading]

We qualify as 'Trade', if that adds any suppliers to the list.

Howden say Trade only but I doubt they enforce it too strictly.

 

I had dismissed 'DIY Kitchens' but now see they are manufacturers too, and have big showrooms. Worth a long trip perhaps.

Dekton does look interesting.

7 minutes ago, Tom said:

we shopped around and got it down

You mean you gave them a target and they knocked 2/3 off the price?

[torre]

42 minutes ago, Mr Punter said:

DIY Kitchens

We visited their showrooms a while back, they have loads of kitchens on display and (as a bonus) offer free hot and soft drinks.

 

Their online planner is better than most too.

 

Howdens had no problem with us opening an account as self builders, Magnet let us open a trade account too

[saveasteading]

Over the years (business and home)  we have cycled through Magnet, Benchmarx, Howdens as the quality / pricing has changed.

 

I've also looked at worktops in Spain. Although they have vast amounts of marble, that isn't what sells at diy stores. But they do have lots of resin/stone worktops which are rather good value but too big for the car!

 

 

Am I right that we would get the VAT back on appliances if bought with the units and built-in?

[Mr Punter]

3 hours ago, saveasteading said:

Am I right that we would get the VAT back on appliances if bought with the units and built-in?

 

No.  VAT is payable and not reclaimable on appliances.

[saveasteading]

51 minutes ago, Mr Punter said:

VAT is payable and not reclaimable on appliances

Hmmm.

Thinks.

No that would be wrong of me so of course I will discard the thought.

[Nickfromwales]

1 hour ago, Mr Punter said:

 

No.  VAT is payable and not reclaimable on appliances.

Cooker and extractor etc are vat reclaims or as they’re part of the functionality of a habitable dwelling.

 

Built in oven is, extractor is, job isn’t. 

Buy a down-draught hob so extraction and hob in one unit and that will be accepted afaik. 
 

Get your VAT advice in check independently (for the whole project) well in advance is my 2 cents.

 

@saveasteading Here’s another helpful Welsh fella for you!!

 

https://www.vat431.co.uk
 

Tell him I said to look after you  

[Tom]

19 hours ago, saveasteading said:

You mean you gave them a target and they knocked 2/3 off the price?

Got a few quotes, including from an on-line national supplier, the latter seemed to get bored with all the re-qotes/questions i was firing his way and came back with something ridiculously cheap. I then took that to our local, preferred supplier who had a price match guarantee - they agreed to it, and the rest is history as they say. Just goes to show how much of a margin there is in these things though, so worth pushing and pushing some more.

[saveasteading]

2 hours ago, Tom said:

all the re-qotes/questions i was firing his way 

I looked at the Dekton website. Loads of info and I had no idea there were so many options of manufacturers and products.  No prices though so it's difficult to know where to start.

 

Diy Kitchens Direct oth have a virtual walk through of their 60 displays, and immediate costings incl resin stone worktops and most appliances.

Very impressive and I respect the openness. Anybody know if that comes down in negotiation? 5% ot so of a lot would be worth having.

 

The  cost is a good third less than we've had as a 'Starting Price' elsewhere.They were more interested in "what is your budget" and didn't understand that freezer doors can't sit against  a wall. So much for expertise.

 

The only issue so far with DIYKD is their modelling tool only seems to accept rectangles.

 

@Tom I'm nowhere near you. do i search for "worktop suppliers".

 

 

[Tom]

53 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

 

@Tom I'm nowhere near you. do i search for "worktop suppliers".

 

Just Google dekton worktops and you get lots of suppliers popping up. If you do some on-line quotes you soon get the salesmen coming out of the woodwork, then play hardball 👍

[saveasteading]

I have simply googled 'kitchen worktops stone resin' and found a specialist 10 miles away. They even quote a guide cost of £450 to £900/m2 (not fitted) and have an online quote service.

AI has very cleverly found the same one and 2 others.

 

It seems they can supply sinks in the same material. Why not? It's a goo made into a shape.

 

The number of slab manufacturers remains boggling and I don't see any reason to not use the cheapest which appears to be Silestone.

 

[Tom]

You're right there are lots if stone resin manufacturers, they're all probably much the same. Dekton is a very different material though 

[saveasteading]

44 minutes ago, Tom said:

Dekton is a very different material though 

In what respects? Better, worse?

[BadgerBodger]

I think dekton is what I’d normally call a solid grade laminate - the kind you see toilet cubicles and IPS (integrated panel systems, the things you see behind toilets in commercial buildings) in public buildings which you have high thoroughfare/risk of damage. 
 

solid grade as opposed to high pressure laminate which is essentially melamine cited chipboard or MDF. 
 

One of the most obvious differences is that there isn’t any stone/quartz and its a „printed” surface meaning the pattern isn’t continuous through the product - cut edges will be collared the same as the core material which may be black, grey, white etc. 
 

but because it has no natural material within, it is allegedly more resilient to damage by heat, chemical etc BUT in my view whilst that’s great in some settings, because the pattern is only on the top, any deep gouges or physical damage the impact is more obvious because it exposed the core which is patternless

 

 

[saveasteading]

So it is a panel rather than a slab that can be routed etc.

Eg a profiled or cut edge would lose tha pattern?

 A panel for a builder rather than needing stone mason skills?

So cheaper?

[Tetrarch]

Allocating your precious resources on the horizontal surfaces is (IMO) the way to go

 

Your island will absolutely be the focus of your new kitchen. It is what you see and what you notice, it will become your social centre, your prep. area and the focus of your kitchen. I would suggest that the surfaces are more important than the cupboards to some extent

 

You definitely should actually go and see the products themselves. Our kitchen supplier got us in to see the supplier of the slabs in their raw polished full-slab form. After a decision was made we managed to negotiate with the quartz finisher/installer to get the splashback in the same material at a discount and one waterfall edge thrown in for free from the initial quote

 

I've since been back to the quartz installer to get window sills made up. 

 

Regards

 

Tet

[BadgerBodger]

32 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

So it is a panel rather than a slab that can be routed etc.

Eg a profiled or cut edge would lose tha pattern?

 A panel for a builder rather than needing stone mason skills?

So cheaper?

Sort of, more carpentry/joinery expertise than general builder but that’s the case for most worktop installs. You still have to be extremely precise to make sure it looks good. Pattern matching joints or book matching larger countertops to give the appearance of continuity.
 

While I’ve been looking at it your chosen supplier comes out, templates the kitchen and then it appears to come to site pre cut. The installers will then piece in what is sent.
 

All of them require finesse as it’s an immediately obvious feature that you experience day in, day out  

[Nestor]

Up for an adventure?

Homemade worktops, utility, kitchen and island.

Biggest issues were moving from garage to kitchen.

More compliments from visitors about the worktops than the rest of the house.

Cost was 10% (excluding my time) of the quotes received.

It was an enjoyable part of the build.

[-rick-]

55 minutes ago, Nestor said:

Homemade worktops, utility, kitchen and island.

 

Looks good. I do like the idea of concrete in a build, though I'm more hesistant on the idea of kitchen surfaces. Looks a fair bit different from the other concrete worktops I've seen people make. A few questions if you don't mind!

 

Did you colour it?

Specifically choose agregate?

Did you grind/polish?

Do you have issues with staining?

Concerns about dirt build up in the texture/keeping it clean?