Dream Kitchen on a Budget: Part 2

Last week we shared some 'big picture ' tips for keeping costs down when planning your kitchen project. Here are five more 'nitty gritty detail' ideas to help you save some extra pennies:

1) Keep it simple. If you go all out with in-frame cabinetry in your kitchen, think about using less expensive lay-on Shaker doors in the utility. Sometimes it's possible to re-use cabinetry from your original kitchen in the utility, then have it repainted, or paint it yourselves to save some money.

2) Choose what you want to splurge on to give your kitchen the WOW! factor. It might be a beautifully patterned piece of granite for the island, it might be a 'heart of the home' rangecooker, it might be a state-of-the-art extractor hob. but whatever it is, keep the rest simple. Be aware that features like bi-fold doors on cabinetry, skirting plinth, under-cornice and curved cabinetry come at additional cost.

3) Have a look at websites like www.appliancedepot.co.uk which offer graded and ex-display appliances that have never been used. The appliances usually come with a 12 month manufacturers' guarantee which can be extended. Most of these appliances have minor cosmetic blemishes to the side and once the appliances are installed, the marks won't be visible. The added bonus of using sites like these is that everything is in stock or readily available!

4) Quartz and granite worktops are very popular for good reason and are definitely worth exploring despite the price tag. Ask your kitchen designer to liaise with their supplier. The supplier may have bulk stock that they can release at a lower cost, or offcuts that can be used on a kitchen island or in a utility.

5) Internal mechanisms in your cabinetry like larder pullouts, internal drawers, carousels and magic corners do wonders for the functionality of your kitchen but they can be pricey. In my view they are worth the money because they make the contents of the kitchen cabinets so much more accessible, but if your budget is super-tight and full-on cooking and baking isn't your thing, you may want to minimise the wirework.

We hope this post has given you some food for thought. Being a mobile business means that we keep our overheads low and pass those savings onto you. We like to think we are design savvy and can swing the design to suit your budget. Give us a call to chat about your upcoming kitchen project.