My kitchen - pricing

[ProDave]

We have been holding a "review" and it is abundantly clear the pot is about to run dry again, something I will have to address in another thread in due course.

 

So we have now changed tack to what do we NEED just now and what can wait.

 

We don't want to compromise the ultimate finished kitchen, so in terms of units, we can only go with whatever discounts we can negotiate, there is no room to alter that unfortunately.

 

What we have decided, is the granite worktop will have to wait. We simply don't have the funds for it just now.  Instead we will fit a basic laminate worktop and a basic inset stainless steel sink.  Those will not be wasted, whatever we fit in the kitchen now, will ultimately end up as the worktop and sink for the utility room at some distant time in the future, when we will eventually get the granite worktop in the kitchen.

 

With that, the purchase of the boiling water tap will go for now, just a basic mixer tap that again will end up as the utility room tap.

 

We won't buy any sort of cooker hood just now, that will wait.

 

I have a gas hob that is not the one SWMBO wants, but has agreed that we can fit it, for now. That is going in a wooden worktop so when eventually we get the hob she wants there will be no problem enlarging the hole if needed.

 

I am going back to Howdens tomorrow having primed them with the fact we can't afford it, to see what savings or discount they have come up with.

 

So appliance wise,  we just have to source a matching pair of oven and microwave / combination oven at a sensible price. That is the next "forum challenge"

[newhome]

4 minutes ago, ProDave said:

So appliance wise,  we just have to source a matching pair of oven and microwave / combination oven at a sensible price. That is the next "forum challenge"

 

Budget, colour etc? More details needed. 

 

 

[Adrian Walker]

54 minutes ago, ProDave said:

We have been holding a "review" and it is abundantly clear the pot is about to run dry again, something I will have to address in another thread in due course.

 

So we have now changed tack to what do we NEED just now and what can wait.

 

We don't want to compromise the ultimate finished kitchen, so in terms of units, we can only go with whatever discounts we can negotiate, there is no room to alter that unfortunately.

 

What we have decided, is the granite worktop will have to wait. We simply don't have the funds for it just now.  Instead we will fit a basic laminate worktop and a basic inset stainless steel sink.  Those will not be wasted, whatever we fit in the kitchen now, will ultimately end up as the worktop and sink for the utility room at some distant time in the future, when we will eventually get the granite worktop in the kitchen.

 

With that, the purchase of the boiling water tap will go for now, just a basic mixer tap that again will end up as the utility room tap.

 

We won't buy any sort of cooker hood just now, that will wait.

 

I have a gas hob that is not the one SWMBO wants, but has agreed that we can fit it, for now. That is going in a wooden worktop so when eventually we get the hob she wants there will be no problem enlarging the hole if needed.

 

I am going back to Howdens tomorrow having primed them with the fact we can't afford it, to see what savings or discount they have come up with.

 

So appliance wise,  we just have to source a matching pair of oven and microwave / combination oven at a sensible price. That is the next "forum challenge"

 

If you have zero(ish) budget, then Howden's is not the place to go IMHO

Edited June 27, 2018 by Adrian Walker

[Declan52]

With such a tight budget can you not just put the combi microwave on the long finger and buy a cheap £40 job and put it in the hole where the real one will go when the bank balance is in a much healthier state. 

Just to get you moved in and comfortable you are already making sacrifices. You could use the money saved here to put towards the hob that the boss wants.

[ProDave]

2 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

With such a tight budget can you not just put the combi microwave on the long finger and buy a cheap £40 job and put it in the hole where the real one will go when the bank balance is in a much healthier state. 

Just to get you moved in and comfortable you are already making sacrifices. You could use the money saved here to put towards the hob that the boss wants.

The trouble is, as we have been finding looking, there is no such thing as a standard size combination oven, or even a standard size singe fan oven.  In order to buy the oven unit for the kitchen, we need to know the size of the appliances, and that really means buying them as there is no guarantee they will remain constant.

 

We don't want to compromise the quality, i.e a pretend built in microwave (free standing unit with a surround plate) is out of the question.

[Declan52]

Realistically how many times will you use the combi microwave?? 

I have a cheap one in the utility room and it's maybe used twice a week for beans or soup. Could you work it this way and put the money saved towards a better hob,oven, coffee machine.

 

[ProDave]

31 minutes ago, newhome said:

 

Budget, colour etc? More details needed. 

 

 

Budget £0 or as close to.

 

Style, well just about everything seems to be stainless steel and smoked glass. e.g Howdens offerings

 

Microwaves: https://www.howdens.com/appliance-collection/ovens/?p=OvenType:Integrated%20Microwave%20Ovens,|

 

Ordinaty Ovens https://www.howdens.com/appliance-collection/ovens/?p=OvenType:Single%20Electric,|

 

Obviously wants to be a matching pair. Don't want to go "too basic" as the main single oven does at least need to be a fan oven and have a timer.

[ProDave]

5 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

Realistically how many times will you use the combi microwave?? 

I have a cheap one in the utility room and it's maybe used twice a week for beans or soup. Could you work it this way and put the money saved towards a better hob,oven, coffee machine.

 

Microwave gets used daily. We just don't want a free standing one any more, and it must be a proper built in one.

[newhome]

7 minutes ago, ProDave said:

Budget £0 or as close to.

 

 

It'll likely be circa £500 for the pair unless you will look at gumtree and the like. 

[Declan52]

Is it just a microwave or does it need a grill??

 

[ProDave]

5 minutes ago, newhome said:

 

 

It'll likely be circa £500 for the pair unless you will look at gumtree and the like. 

That would be a big improvement on what Howdens are offering.

[ProDave]

2 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

Is it just a microwave or does it need a grill??

 

It only needs to be a microwave, but I have not yet found a proper built in microwave that does not have something else as well. As I say a pretend built in MW like this does not cut the mustard. https://ao.com/product/bmis3820-baumatic-microwave-stainless-steel-42229-50.aspx

[pdf27]

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

The trouble is, as we have been finding looking, there is no such thing as a standard size combination oven, or even a standard size singe fan oven.  In order to buy the oven unit for the kitchen, we need to know the size of the appliances, and that really means buying them as there is no guarantee they will remain constant.

 

We don't want to compromise the quality, i.e a pretend built in microwave (free standing unit with a surround plate) is out of the question.

Are you sure that the sizes aren't standard? Taking a look at say https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/st/single-ovens standard height single ovens are all 595 x 595 (sometimes rounded) for the cutout. What changes a bit is the depth of the oven, but if the one you end up getting is a bit shallower then since it will just sit at the front of the cabinet who cares?

Likewise for microwaves - going by https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/st/integrated-microwaves they're all 595 x 388mm or x450mm but of varying depth. They're pretty unlikely to change as there isn't any incentive to do so - and a lot of retrofits to lose.

Edited June 27, 2018 by pdf27

[ProDave]

Built in ovens seem more of a standard size, but then there are built in microwaves like this one, only 382mm tall https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/cooking/microwaves/hotpoint-mn-314-ix-h-built-in-microwave-with-grill-stainless-steel-10151127-pdt.html

[newhome]

The microwave criteria is what will prevent it from coming in much less than the Hotpoint from Currys combo noted above. The cheaper built in ones are like the type you have rejected with the fake panel, and the type you want seem to start mid 200s. 

 

http://www.appliancecity.co.uk/cooking/microwaves/hotpoint-mn314ixh-60cm-built-in-microwave-grill-for-wall-unit/

 

http://www.appliancecity.co.uk/cooking/built-in-ovens/built-in-single-ovens/hotpoint-sa2540hix-multifunction-hydro-clean-single-oven/

 

 

Edited June 27, 2018 by newhome

[AliG]

Ikea built in microwave £250

 

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/kitchen-products/appliances/microwave-ovens-microwave-combi-ovens/matälskare-microwave-oven-stainless-steel-colour-art-90368777/

 

Matching oven £200

 

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/kitchen-products/appliances/ovens/matälskare-forced-air-oven-stainless-steel-colour-art-10368781/

 

I have no idea of quality but they have a 5 year guarantee

 

 

 

[newhome]

11 minutes ago, AliG said:

I have no idea of quality but they have a 5 year guarantee

 

 

I believe that these are rebadged Whirlpool / Electrolux appliances. 

[billt]

Ikea appliances are made by Whirlpool who don't have the best reputation for quality.

 

We have 2 Bejublad ovens, a Bejublad microwave and a Bejublad hob (we wanted white appliances).

 

The main element in one of the ovens failed within about 18 months - not a complete disaster because you could use the other elements. The guarantee worked, apart from the difficulty of actually finding the right person to speak to!

 

The hob's brilliant - powerful and controllable with understandable controls. The ovens are OK, but the controls are not very comprehensible; poor ideograms and a bad instruction book.

 

The microwave is a textbook case in how to design a virtually unusable interface.

[ProDave]

Well the deal is done and kitchen ordered from Howdens. By removing the boiling water tap and the cooker hood as items that will wait, and a laminate worktop for now that will become the utility worktop later (when we eventually do get a stone worktop) and by some hard bargaining, the total price is down to about 60% of the original cost.

 

That includes the two Lamona ovens and  built in dishwasher.

 

It's now a "figure 5 kitchen"  rather than a "5 figure kitchen"

 

Should all be here next Wednesday.

[newhome]

Sounds like a good result. At least all the main bits will be there from the get go and you can add the vanity items later.