Kitchen Fitting

Tiny Kitchen in Cottage

Anonymous user 23 February 2024 - 2.49 PM

Hi We live in a very tiny 18th century one bedroom cottage and our kitchen is in need of updating/renewing as it is made from low-budget materials and is now really quite tired. We also have a lack of storage space/useable worktop space (as most of the worktop is being used to store things!) and we think it could be re-designed to utilise the space more. The approx. dimensions to give you an idea are 1.4m by 3.5m and the ceiling is only about 7ft high and there’s a staircase to account for in the corner…so it’s a challenge. We’ve had a John Lewis planner come in who has provided a design and a quote. The quote is for £6k all-in and includes supply of appliances (oven/hob/under-counter fridge) (£800), accessories (£400), worktop (£780), supply of kitchen (£1.5k) and fitment (£2.6k) including some work on re-siting a gas pipe. If I’m honest their quote was a lot steeper than we anticipated (£780 to supply a laminate chipboard worktop???) and the design isn’t anything radical on what we already have. If anything we will lose a bit of storage space. There were no clever storage solutions such as plinth drawers/roll-out shelves/things you see a lot in Ikea in the design at all. We don’t want to spend a huge amount as we may not be living here for more than a couple of years. Another option would be to simply refurbish what we already have (i.e. leave carcasses where they are, just renew cabinet doors, maybe the worktop and accessories). My questions are a) should we consult an independent planner/fitter- are there ones with a speciality for designing for smaller/efficient spaces? b) your opinions on whether the quote was about what you would expect bearing in mind the dimensions and work required or whether it’s well over the top! Just to give us a bit of context. Thanks very much for your help