Giving birth to a new Kitchen

I seem to be breaking the frugal financial habits of a lifetime & have just put down a deposit on a new kitchen. Given what this house cost me and the fact that it's only 7 years old it is amazing to me that I need one. But, and it's a big but, I really don't like the current layout & the whole kitchen is really worn & tired. That's what no maintenance & 10 tenants do for you I suppose. So for the first time in my life I am going to have a good kitchen that I have helped design, which will meet my expectations as I age gracefully, (maybe).

What has been interesting is the process which I have gone through to get to the point of ordering. I looked at 3 companies - DIY Kitchens, (an on line company), Howdens, (a company which only sells through installers, so the price varies according to who does the job), and Wren a company which has high street showrooms.

By far the most work is necessary if you go with DIY Kitchens, but what they offer is a very high quality spec', many more options than the other two & an extremely competetive price. This link shows just how good they are compared to other companies.  http://www.diy-kitchens.com/about-diy-kitchens/price-and-quality-comparison/  Howdens offer wonderfully comprehensive brochures which give you a lot of choice & information. The drawback is, having had a designer out to measure I can't seem to get even a ball park figure for what the kitchen will cost, so how can I compare?

In the end, because of all the hassles I have had with the house - replacing the fuse box & downlights because they didn't comply with H&S, the central heating failing completely & replacing the boiler, a roof leak into the study in the dreadful recent weather conditions, being unable to lock the front door, acid leaking from the alarm battery & being unable to switch the alarm off, to name but a few of the more important ones...... I have gone with the easiest, but not cheapest option which is Wren.

You get what you pay for in this life by an large. The designer, Dan, was extremely good at his job & was backed up by excellent software & graphics which he knew inside out. The process, a site visit to measure up + 2 consultations in the excellent showroom, was enjoyable & constructive. What I wanted was of prime importance & was refined down to a really good design. The only real complaint I have is that I think Wren could provide a bit more information in the brochure, but that's because I like working from hard copy, rather than a screen. If the website was a bit more informative, showing the many in cabinet fittings options for example, it would help.

I'm really pleased that I have bought a British manufactured kitchen made by state of the art technology. We do seem to have caught up with the Germans in using infinitely flexible & precise technology to manufacture a good quality spec'. Can't wait to have it.