Decisions, decisions....new kitchen

[wolf63]

I have now paid off my mortgage and now wish to do some improvements to my flat. I want to move the present kitchen to another room on the same floor. At this stage I don't really know if can be done. Do companies like MFI offer good value for money or would I be better veering towards local contractors? Any help would be appreciated. It is a lot of money to spend and it is a big step for woman-kind and all that.

[buildersmate]

Moving the kitchen can be done, it just costs. The main problem is moving the water feed and waste pipes. Also the electrics in the kitchen are special - thick cable to feed the cooker for example. So these services would have to be moved. As to whether MFI or similar are good value, I suggest you look at a few types of units and compare yourself. Most carcases are quite similar, the better quality ones are made of denser chipboard, the main unit cost is in the quality of the doors, hinges, drawer sliders. The cheaper manufacturers tend to offer fewer variations of width and style of unit. Other places to look are the DIY sheds (B+Q, Homebase, Wickes), the specialist kitchens places, John Lewis. The main variant in all of this is the quality of the fitter that does the job. Most of these fitters are self-employed - that includes MFI fitters. Suggest you seek personal recommendations.

[vehelpfulguy]

I do not know all the details of your flat but I would say DONT move the kitchen.

As buildersmate said, your current kitchen has feed for hot and cold water, waste pipes, gas or electricity for the cooker etc.

Moving all this will be very difficult, maybe not even possible.

I had my kitchen completely re-fitted a couple of years ago. EVERYTHING was taken out, the sink and cooker moved, and all new units.

It took about 7 weeks and was so much disruption.

If you are that unhappy with the current kitchen look to move house, and move up the housing market, rather than spending �20,000 on moving your kitchen (which you will not get back if you sell).

If you do go ahead, I would NOT buy MFI units. We bought ours from IKEA and they have been excellent.

Find a good local kitchen fitter and invite them round for a discussion and get a quote. Do not go for one of the big chains like MFI.

[Sparkles3]

I would say if you want it done, then get a recommended local builder (or two) to advise on how well feasible and expensive it would be to move the kitchen in your particular circumstances before worrying about which units to get!

We had our kitchen completely gutted and refitted by Moben Kitchens. It was more expensive than MFI units, but I feel sure they were better quality and they arranged a fitter to put it in - took one person 4 days to gut and replace the whole kitchen - including sink, cooker, hood (extraction 'pipe' had to be moved), dishwasher and about 12 units. There was a lot of disruption for a week or so, whilst we tiled and painted etc. but it wouldn't necessarily be 7 weeks or so.

[wolf63]

Thanks. I have decided to leave the kitchen where it is - the value of the flat does not merit spending too much on a kitchen.

The joy of being a "girl" is that we never seem to worry about the feasibility of such work. We know what we want and someone will do it for us!

I am going to knock down the wall between the spare bedroom and the living room to make a big room!

[wolf63]

A sledgehammer???

Non-structural??

I have a knife and a heavy ornament - all the tool kit the modern girl needs. Who needs screws when sticky tape works.

I will do all the planning and then "find me a man" - so to speak.

Before I do anything I will have to get a skip and get rid of about 20 years worth of crap. Then I will work out my finances and think long and hard about what I am doing.