Nearly every time I post a picture of the kitchen I get asked where it is from, and when I post the extension, I get asked about cost. So I hope this post is useful and answers some questions.
I spent many hours over many years thinking about the kitchen - as an interior designer I see too many products and finishes and generally any design for any room will go through several iterations. The kitchen went through at least five! Even when we finally decided to do it, one or two things changed once the builders were on site.
Did you use an architect?
No - I did the drawings myself and used a building surveyor to check that they complied with Building Regulations. We did not need planning permission as the 'extension' is in fact a conservatory and fell under permitted development. But we did need to put in a more efficient boiler to compensate for the increased amount of glazing. The building inspector also recommended a structural engineer who provided calculations for the steel needed to support the side wall which was to be demolished. He inspected the work at various stages over the build period.
Where is the kitchen from?
The carcasses are from Howdens, the doors from Naked Doors and the work top for Marble and Granite in Liverpool. I drew the kitchen up in plan with the idea that I wanted mainly drawers rather than cupboards, and went along to Howdens to work out which carcasses we needed. This isn't something they really like doing but the woman in our branch was very helpful and gave me the sizes of the doors required. The advantage of Howden's units over say Ikea is that they come assembled. I then ordered the doors from Naked Kitchens based on the dimension Howdens gave me - the only bit I had to work out for myself was the oven unit and the corner posts - this could have been a problem if I wasn't able to draw everything up in Autocad and check the dimensions. The shelving units were made to my drawings by a joinery workshop I was working with at the time. I think they really set the kitchen off and am so pleased I persevered with that particular detail, although coordination was a nightmare! I'm also very pleased I chose to to with a solid surface worktop which was a recommendation from the builder. They won't come an measure until all the doors are on but they turn the whole thing around in days - I had to be pretty insistent that I didn't want any overhang mind. I am a bit fussy on that sort of detail!
How much did it cost?
Double what I originally budgeted! Partly because we went for quite expensive ovens (we wanted one as a grill but ended up getting one that is combined with a microwave which made it more expensive than the big oven - and I got seduced by the glide and hide door! So in summary:
- Carcasses - £2,352
- Doors & drawer fronts- £2,400
- Shelving - £480
- Worktop - £2,500
- Flooring (two rooms including fitting) - 3,300
- Conservatory - £5,195
- Building Work - £4.300
- Kitchen fitter - £760
- Painter - £480
- Building Regs - £420
- Engineer - £200
- Appliances - £2,450
- Electrics - £300
- New Boiler - £1,000
- Radiators - £475
There is no cost for the plumbing as my husband did it all, but reckon it would probably be the same as the electrics.
As I say the cost doubled through the project, some things like the flooring cost much more than we thought due to levels, and I had to replace the first door fitter as there a delay on the doors being delivered which meant the first went onto another job. The second had to undo some of the first one's work!
But all in all I am very pleased with it and the way we use the space has completely changed.
I'll share some drawings and visuals in a future post and another with before and site photos
