Have You Had A Kitchen Professionaly Fitted?

[Postdog]

Just a general query regarding the time it took from start to finish.

My other half bought a kitchen from a well known high street chain. I am not saying what she paid, but it was above 10 grand, and the kitchen is relatively small. For that, it is the lot - floor tiles, wall tiles, electrics, plumbing and of course units.

Two weeks ago (Monday) a fitter turned up. I had no reason to believe this, but I would have thought a team of two rather than one guy. Turns out this guy only works alone, and he estimated it would take a month. Then we thought he was joking, but now no.

Now to be fair, he knows his job and is skilled and conscientious, which we are happy obout obviously.

However the unexpected time involved has caused many problems and a great deal of expense in takeaway food because the kitchen is out of action for one reason or another..no water, no access to fridge, no working cooker etc.

Admittedly when he goes home these things have been connected, but apart from no working surfaces or space, by the time he does go home my partner does not feel like cooking...even something simple. Hence the takeaways, and also hence throwing food away because we cannot prepare it.

I am actually rather disgusted at this. All that money spent already and having to spend more, so once completed (not before in case he hides a fish) I am going to complain to the supplier and request some sort of compensation.

I don't know if I will have any luck, but as said I want to try and find what the "norm" is .

thank you.

[Psybbo]

7-10 days, complete refurb, ripping out old kitchen. One company supplying all the different skilled workers

[silliemillie]

It does sound quite a long time, I have quite a bigish kitchen (18 units & appliances) and got it fitted by a lone fitter in 10 days including tiles ect.

Hope that helps.

[boxtops]

Postdog - we have just had a new kitchen fitted, which involved taking out a wall and chimney breast, taking delivery of the kitchen units, plastering, tiling, fitting the new kitchen. The whole thing took three full weeks from start to finish, and there was no delays in anything, the guys were on the job every day. We had six men on site some days doing different tasks, so the single workman's estimate of a month is quite reasonable.

When you have a new kitchen, you expect to live off takeaways for a couple of weeks - your comment about being disgusted doesn't make sense to me, it's absolutely normal. The whole house is thrown into chaos when something like this is underway.

[boxtops]

PS - what does your contract with the supplier say, about how long it would take or how many men would be on site? My experience may be different because we had the work done by a local building firm - we ordered the kitchen from a local supplier - a chain, but not B&Q or similar - so the people who we bought the kitchen from weren't the people who fitted it.

[BlueToffee]

//and the kitchen is relatively small//

My son in law is a self employed kitchen fitter and he refitted our kitchen, approximately 5 x 4 metres, including dismantling the old one and refitting the new one on a little over there days.

That included liaising with the plumber and electrician, the tiler took one further day to do floor and walls.

By the way, he works alone and occasionally has to call on the services of A N Other to help him with the work tops.

I think you've been ripped off.

[boxtops]

It sounds as if postdog's chap is doing all the electrics, tiling and plumbing too, which adds to the time.

[BlueToffee]

But a month Boxtops?

[Postdog]

Homebase, and really nowt to do with me. The fitter was supplied through them. Some disruption was expected obviously but it has been 11 days and in many ways he has hardly made a dent.

[HansUrbancka]

I am sure that you will be pleased when everything is completed and, if as you say, the fitter 'knows his job and is skilled and conscientious' the final result should help to make you forget about all the upheavals to which you have been subjected.

It certainly is an expensive kitchen. Perhaps you made a mistake in allowing Homebase to arrange the fitting. It would have been cheaper, and perhaps a quicker time factor, if you had engaged a fitter of your choice.

Hans.