You will start out on your project with a budget for your kitchen and you’ll have great plans ahead.

However! – often you will have to compromise on that budget!!!  Complications arise, changes are made – and one of the last things going into your home will be the kitchen!

So – the budget gets eroded.

We expect this – we see it all the time! – and we prefer to meet clients and go through their budget and their kitchen with them to ensure that they get the best quality they can for their budget.

Where to save and where not to save!!!???

First of all – the dream is a little bit dented or totally shattered – so you’ve got to dust yourself off and compromise – be flexible, discuss the options and you can still get an amazing kitchen!!!

Where not to save:

• Carcassing – is the bones for your kitchen. Don’t go cheap and don’t go for home-made.  Go for 18mm carcassing with a machined-on edging.  We’ve seen 12mm carcassing sagging and warping and we’ve seen edging falling off the carcasses of some kitchens.
• If you are hoping to put pots or pans or plates and bowls – heavy items – into your big drawers then you can’t go for a cheapy drawer.  Cheapy drawers or low load-bearing drawers will sag and fail in time.  The industry leaders in drawers are Blum or Grass.  However – they do cheaper drawers too.  So – ask your kitchen man exactly what he uses – what make and what load the drawer runners support.    Don’t get fooled or put off by talk of soft-closing drawers – even cheap drawers are soft-closing nowadays.  The important facts to get are brand and load-bearing capacity.
• Hinges – again – don’t get distracted by talk of soft-closing – cheaper hinges have them. The market leaders for hinges are Blum & Grass.  Touch and feel and again – ask for more information from your kitchen specialist.

If your budget is tight how do you save money?

Option 1: Get a cheaper door with granite/quartz – in our opinion this is total false economy.  Your doors could peel or fail and then you will have to replace them.  Replacing doors isn’t a huge issue – but what about your visible gables and cornice/pelmet?  You could end up with beautiful stone on a collapsing, peeling and failing kitchen.

Option 2: Get a good quality door and a laminate worktop – we consider this a much better option!  You can replace a worktop if needs be in a few years – and if you’re careful with your laminate top it can last 15 years plus!

Pointers to consider when looking for your kitchen:

• Get the best quality door possible.  Ideally either solid or semi-solid – and capable of re-painting in 10 years if you want to re-vamp!
• Get the best quality drawers, hinges, carcass possible.
• Take out your extras if the budget is tight!  Would you prefer a better, longer lasting kitchen or a solid oak pantry press?  Be logical about your decisions and weigh up your options.
• Go for high quality taps, sinks, handles – every manufacturer has mid-range and high-end – ask your specialist!
• Go for laminate versus a stone worktop – but bear in mind that there are cheap and nasty laminates and better specification ones.  Be guided by your expert.
• Eliminate curves, curved doors, quadrants, butchers blocks etc – these are trimmings – but generally expensive ones.  Ask your expert.
• Discuss with your kitchen specialist – decide the new budget and we can usually work around it – or we can tell you if we can’t!
• Ask the kitchen specialist for special offers, discontinuations, ex display etc…

You must trust your kitchen specialist and work together.

• One of the most important things to tell you is that you must TRUST the kitchen expert.
• The expert should know how to design a kitchen effectively.
• Your specialist should be up to date with trends and products.
• Your kitchen specialist should have options for you and information to consider.
• If you don’t believe that you have the correct kitchen specialist – or you don’t think they know what they’re talking about – then find a kitchen expert that knows their profession and has experience in the field.

Do you want to talk to us about your kitchen?  Call us now on 059 9176873