25 Step Guide to Designing and Buying a Kitchen

A Professional Furniture Designers Guide

Step 9. First Kitchen Layout Blues

You have surveyed your own property or employed professional help. You have sweated on your kitchen plan on the kitchen table or waited in anticipation of good things to follow from your designer. What should you expect, at this part of the process?

One plan covers all ?

It is probably the hardest part of the design process, to have to focus on one kitchen design layout and commit to it. I believe that too much emphasis is put on providing a definitive kitchen design, that covers every wish from day one, by both the kitchen industry and customers. I always find it much better to have more than one scheme if the room demands it, and reduce back to one after considering the advantages and disadvantages of all options. It is easier to get progress when all options are on the table from day one. It is good to get alternative quotes and schemes as back up to any purchase, but it is unwise to dismiss a designer early if the scheme is not quite right. Good designers have off -days and can miss crucial details sometimes. It is better to provide as much feed-back as possible and ask for a revision on the points that have not been well covered. If your designer does not shape up at the second meeting then fine, asta la vista baby!

I don't get it !

I have sometimes sat infront of clients and presented a kitchen scheme to be told by one partner that she or he does not get it ! Mainly the problem is that the kitchen layout bares no relation to what they expected and are comfortable with. Once I have explained every reason for this radical deviation from the brief, they have often said that I was right to do it, and that it made more sense when they have had time to assess it. A lack of communication here, or not allowing a breathing space to contemplate, can miss an opportunity to raise the kitchen scheme above the ordinary, and it is easily done.

Is different good ?

I have had the situation quite often where my attempts to provide something interesting or radical are what cause the most problems, because the kitchen scheme is considered to be too different. It is always easier to regurgitate what I know other less motivated designers will produce, and take my chances sometimes, because it is easier to sell a kitchen scheme that is less contraversial, if my clients prefer to play safe. I still believe that the best schemes come out of a process of ripping up and re-shaping and sometimes starting again. It is important for you as the client to engage in this process, and expect to be tested on your resolve about areas that need more thought. If the answer is that you require a more conservative approach, then do not shoot the designer for trying to be interesting. Also do not assume that if this design is different from the rest that it must be suspect, especially if it works well on a practical level. I would suggest that this designer is a rareity and should be given careful consideration ! Especially if it is me !

Can I be objective with my own design

If you have produced your own scheme, and need to be objective about it, then good luck ! My wife and I are both designers, and we have very different ideas about what we like . I am motivated by very modern recently to the point of radical. My wife is more traditional and prefers clutter. We have survived each others tastes by ending up somewhere in the middle. Sometimes it is difficult to find that common ground, and one person wins the battle by not blinking first ! It is important that this common ground is found because it will always be an area of resentment by one partner if they are not happy, and if it is the one doing the cooking then beware !

Getting your quotes

It is easy to lose sight of what it costs to buy a good quality kitchen. If you are designing and buying it yourself, then I would say this is doubly so. It is relatively easy to get a plan and quotation from your local kitchen shop, from a very basic sketch, to see if you are on the right track. It should not be taken for granted that its cheaper buying your kitchen on the internet, or at the sheds. I have easily beaten them on price, when fitting of the kitchen, and supply of appliances is taken into account. If you have one company supplying, fitting and guaranteeing the project, then peace of mind always has a real value. In most areas there is a good cross section of small to medium size specialist kitchen retailers, who will always be my first port of call. All independent kitchen retailers are so keen to be competative at the moment.

Whos the fitter ?

Farming-out of the fitting to sub-contractors is another area to look at. With the sheds in particular, fitting it can vary from acceptable to absalutely appalling. The fitters on average only get half of the fitting money you pay to the retailer, they also have to deal with poor ordering and delays all the time. There is a big mismatch, between what you have paid, and the service that half of that money will buy. The money is not enough normally for the hassle, and the fitter will be off if there are too many problems.

Should I be flexible ?

It is important to get progress with all your quotes and not let anyone drag their feet, to be able to decide if the budget is realistic . It is also important to be sure if you think the designer is being unrealistic with budget to make sure you are comparing like for like. That means having an itemised quote at some stage, ideally at the first presentation, but probably at the second presentation if you let someone get that far ! It is very easy, if given a competative lump sum budget by a company or individual, for things to be missed and charged extra for later. Individual fitters in particular have a habit of trying this out when doing their own projects and conciously avoiding detailed paperwork to make extra profit at your expense. Another trick is to ask for cash at the end of the job, to gain extra money and leave you without a receipt unless you have your wits about you.

We need to get the costs down

Where is the best place to reduce the cost if the kitchen it is too much at first presentation? Go some where else? I would say this is too harsh unless the costs presented are outlandish. If your designer has compared like for like with other kitchen companies and they are all steep, then your budget is probably optimistic. Where do you go from here? It is always important to weigh up how much you want a particular door style in a particular finish. I would actively consider buying less kitchen furniture and keeping the quality high. it is unwise to buy cheaper appliances if it can be avoided. It is easier later to add to a kitchen you have set your heart on than compromising and having a kitchen full of what you like less. We all have to compromise sometimes, but a good quality kitchen will last 20 years and beyond ! So that extra £2000 is £100 per year, or the price of a new car tyre. it is a long while to regret not having what you want!

Another option is fitting cheaper worktops with a view to upgrading later to granite etc. Any money spent twice is regrettable, but laminate is particularly cheap, and granite expensive, so this will mean a good short term saving without too much loss later.

what is a good quote

A good quotation should itemise everything being sold to you in a clear manner, and state when a sum is an estimate. Furniture quite often is lumped together as one price. I am always in two minds over this. If I itemise a very detailed kitchen with lots of curved bits and it was apparent that these were another £4000, would it be wise to remove them because the client thinks they are expensive, even though they are the essence of the design. It is sometimes better not to dissect the quote and first decide if it is what you want. If the scheme is, then let the designer decide how to get down to where you want to be. I have had many a lively discussion, normally with the husband who wants to remove all the expensive bits, and leave his wife with nothing that makes her kitchen individual and interesting. When I have asked him if the quote is too high, quite often the answer has been no not really, but those leg details are £200 each, and there are 10 !

My conclusion is that the quote is either competative or not. If the quote is not then let the designer remedy the problem and propose the best way to keep the essence of the kitchen design whilst reducing his price. Don't get bogged down with furniture detail, unless the price is rediculous, or things have been missed. Bespoke kitchen furniture specifications are more complicated and do require more discussion early on to clarify the build quality. I will cover this later.

 

Contract conditions

It is always good at an early stage to discuss the contract and payment structure of a company before going too far. it can be disappointing to reach final drawing and quotation stage with no agreement to the companies terms. this is an area where I could rewrite every contract if I tried to keep every customer happy. It would be easy to get bogged down with a lot of detail here, I will cover this later, so I will try to keep it simple.

25% deposit ?

A reasonable contract will not expect you to part with more than 25% deposit unless you are having something unique built that cannot be sold on easily or returned if you default . An interim payment of 50% on delivery of goods is acceptable if 75% adds up to what you have recieved or less. 25% on completion is acceptable if it covers the installation costs or the replacement costs of another installation team if the company lets you down.

All up front ?

If a company demands all the money up front or much more than what you have recieved at any stage of the contract then this is unreasonable. it is also likewise unreasonable at any stage of the contract for you to hold back a disproportionate amount of money for any goods or services not recieved. If a light socket is loose at the end of the contract then deduct £100 not £1000 and so on. If you are happy with the job then pay your dues and take pride in parting with a clear conscience.

Delivery and installation dates

It is worth at an early stage discussing delivery and installation dates to prevent disappointment later. At this stage you should be in a position to decide whether it is worth waiting longer to get what you want.

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