[QUOTE="darsy"] generally, there aren't any.[/QUOTE] A-ha! Blaney begs to differ.
heh. I would be interested in finding a decent kitchen fitter/general builder in the mid-term. When we moved to our current house at the end of 2001, the one thing that needed doing immediately was the kitchen, but because we'd just moved house, with all the associated costs, and I was "between contracts" for 6 months immediately afterwards, there wasn't a lot of money kicking around to go into the kitchen. So, as soon as I got back into contracting, we bought a cheap kitchen from MFI, and had it fitted reasonably well, in pretty much the same configuration as the old kitchen, because of limitations of size/shape of the room. Now, 30 months on, it's become apparent that the kitchen really is just too small. I have three options, which I'm going to speak to valuers/builders about costs/impact on the value of the house. But either way, within the next 2-3 years we'll probably be getting another kitchen.
Well, as you've seen, my kitchen's a shonky old mess. I don't know whether a kitchen every really adds to the value of a property, but an old stinker like mine certainly takes away from it. MDF boxen is the cheapest route, but since I only have a small number of units that would need installing (2 double and one single base unit, built-in oven tower, and 2 double wall units) - the cost difference is compressed a bit. The fitters of MDF boxen all appear to be utter shitehawks, though - even if you're daft enough to shell out for Moben.
We had a Bosch one and it was pretty good and survived at least two years of nigh-on commercial use (it's, AFAIK, still going). Where we are now needs a slimline one and I've just not got round to it but when I do it'll probably be Bosch.
the problem with mine is that's tiny, especially compared to the other rooms in the house, which are mostly all a decent size. The reason for this, is that the room which is currently my dining room would have originally been the kitchen, and what is now my kitchen would have originally been a scullery. One option is to lose the dining room, and go back to the originally config. This is my 2nd least favoured option. My actual least favourite is to combine the two rooms into one very large kitchen/dining room - apparently these are "in" right now, but I'm not keen on doing anything that reduces the number of "reception" rooms. My preferred option is to extend the kitchen outwards, though at the expense of making an already small back garden even smaller. Angie's preferred option is to extend the kitchen only a small bit, and to move the walls that seperate the kitchen backwards into the dining room. I'll ask an expert. Moben. Moben are twats.
*ding* I have a electric fan oven+oven/grill and a gas hob. This is nearly ideal. Ideal would be electric fan oven, gas oven/grill, gas hob. Gas grills make the best toast in the fucking world.
simonk says... Agas are shite. Overpriced and cost a fortune to service. Fan ovens, gas hobs and a microwave.
