Kitchen Regrets
Discussion
vxsmithers said:
I remember painstakingly going through it in my mind, ordered the kitchen, then decided to put the kitchen in another room and have a completely different layout so had to make do. Considering that was the only thing that really went wrong, it wasn't so bad!
I suppose you can always swap a door round if you decide you just can't take it any more!Granite is an arse to keep clean. Don't ask me how I know this.
richatnort said:
Don't have those stupid pull out pan draws they are utterly useless and you can't fit anything on them so just get a normal corner cupboard.
I'd also say get a trades man for each bit of it so plumber, electrician, kitchen fitter & builder not someone who can do all of them.
I love my pan drawers as funnily enough I can fit all my pans in them! Agreed corner cupboards are not great, we have "magic" corners in ours which makes them a bit more usable but no the greatest. Also they originally speced L shaped corner wall units on our kitchen which I said a solid "no!" to and got the changed to diagonal ones.I'd also say get a trades man for each bit of it so plumber, electrician, kitchen fitter & builder not someone who can do all of them.
camshafted said:
Not a regret, but maybe advice.
If you're buying an oven from Currys, do go for the £2 per month added warranty.
Not only will they repair any issues you also get a free 'oven valet' once a year which brings it up looking like new. Oven cleaning is a chore and a professional clean normally costs £40+ so £24 per year for the warranty is a bargain.
Stuff that, get ovens with pyrolytic cleaning. Set oven to clean, leave for two hours while it goes into warp heating mode, wipe away ash, clean oven. Can clean whenever I like then and ours certainly need more than annually.If you're buying an oven from Currys, do go for the £2 per month added warranty.
Not only will they repair any issues you also get a free 'oven valet' once a year which brings it up looking like new. Oven cleaning is a chore and a professional clean normally costs £40+ so £24 per year for the warranty is a bargain.
Have drawers EVERYWHERE instead of cupboards: 1m or 1.2m wide work great - you can get at everything instead of peering into cupboards!
Magic corner cupboard can work very well for those corners we cannot get away from (but drawers everywhere else - did I mention them?!)
Quooker if you have lots of tea/pasta - our definite favourite luxury gadget of all time. & if kitchen is big enough, have the quooker over a separate sink (we have a salad washing tap there too over a smaller round sink).
Wine cooler - don't bother (unless you are a serious wine buff!). Looks nice, but sucks energy and we leave ours off except for parties.
Our splashback is 'slumped glass', we think it looks great
Don't squash wall cupboards up to cooker hoods unless it is a tiny kitchen: a bit of gap makes things look spacious.
Fisher/Paykel do a great 2-drawer dishwasher which we love
Someone said granite is a pain - I disagree, we *love* ours - a dark 'marbled' green (can't recall the name). We also have a thick wooden island which we think looks great too: bit of maintenance for the first couple of years, but other than that, easy to manage.
Second for smooth floor. Ours was both riven and badly installed, but it took us 8 years to build up the savings & willpower to correct it - so glad we did, go smooth & matt (shiny floors are a PITA)
Magic corner cupboard can work very well for those corners we cannot get away from (but drawers everywhere else - did I mention them?!)
Quooker if you have lots of tea/pasta - our definite favourite luxury gadget of all time. & if kitchen is big enough, have the quooker over a separate sink (we have a salad washing tap there too over a smaller round sink).
Wine cooler - don't bother (unless you are a serious wine buff!). Looks nice, but sucks energy and we leave ours off except for parties.
Our splashback is 'slumped glass', we think it looks great
Don't squash wall cupboards up to cooker hoods unless it is a tiny kitchen: a bit of gap makes things look spacious.
Fisher/Paykel do a great 2-drawer dishwasher which we love
Someone said granite is a pain - I disagree, we *love* ours - a dark 'marbled' green (can't recall the name). We also have a thick wooden island which we think looks great too: bit of maintenance for the first couple of years, but other than that, easy to manage.
Second for smooth floor. Ours was both riven and badly installed, but it took us 8 years to build up the savings & willpower to correct it - so glad we did, go smooth & matt (shiny floors are a PITA)
megaphone said:
Avoid integrated appliances, they are more expensive, there is less choice and when they go wrong they are a PITA.
Avoid real wood work tops, see the other thread on here.
Avoid bold, modern designs, it will look out of date in no time. Try not to make it look like a Frankfurt airport lounge.
The washing machine and dryer go in the utility, if you haven't got a utility -> council Avoid real wood work tops, see the other thread on here.
Avoid bold, modern designs, it will look out of date in no time. Try not to make it look like a Frankfurt airport lounge.
Then the only appliance you need integrated into your kitchen is the dishwasher, might cost a bit more but looks so much nicer hidden away behind a matching unit door.
Wood worktops agreed, sounds like way too much hassle, never regretted going for granite.
Eddie Strohacker said:
For the record yeronner, I didn't say granite is a pain, it's lovely. I did say it's an arse to keep clean & it is. A bottle of glass cleaner is de rigeur if like me, you have a nice chunk of Star galaxy.
Had star galaxy in my old place. No issues keeping it clean, as you say, spray glass cleaner and a paper towel brings it up like new.Have oak now. Never again.
Things I like about mine:-
As many 1.2m wide pot drawers as you can fit, hidden cutlery drawers at the top of each of these.
Underhung sink
Integrated dishwasher and microwave
Extract rather than circulate fan
Two ovens
Plenty of plug sockets
No overhead cupboards if you have enough other storage to give an airy, bigger feeling room
No seperate splash back behind just the cooker (Council) keep it consistent
Edit to add Sonos Connect Amp hidden away and celing speakers
As many 1.2m wide pot drawers as you can fit, hidden cutlery drawers at the top of each of these.
Underhung sink
Integrated dishwasher and microwave
Extract rather than circulate fan
Two ovens
Plenty of plug sockets
No overhead cupboards if you have enough other storage to give an airy, bigger feeling room
No seperate splash back behind just the cooker (Council) keep it consistent
Edit to add Sonos Connect Amp hidden away and celing speakers
Biggest regert is buying from a big kitchen company, can't remember the name, something like "When". Utter shysters. Seriously unbelievably bad. They tried to take me to court because I wouldn't pay until they finished the kitchen...it's taken 3 years to resolve. Bad fitting, bad finish, bad communication.
I implore you not to go anywhere near them...
I just saw a little bird in a tree, think it was a Wren.
I implore you not to go anywhere near them...
I just saw a little bird in a tree, think it was a Wren.
Trying to think what we'd do different if doing it again.
Stuff we love:
Granite worktops
Integrated dishwasher (buy a decent one if it's in any sort of open plan setting as the cheap ones are noisey).
Pan drawers.
Twin ovens: got one full sized, one compact microwave combi with a plate warmer under (we use it!)
Ovens with pyrolytic cleaning function.
Lighting - got under cabinet and plinth lights in addition to the ceiling GU10 spots. Recently swapped the GU10s for LED for a brighter whiter light. Can't have enough light.
1 & half bowl sink under mounted in the granite with drainer grooves in the granite.
Would do different:
More ovens! If money no object would have 2 x full sized and 2 x compact (maybe 1 micro combi, 1 steam) + plate warmer.
Induction hob. At the time I wanted gas so got a big (90cm) hob with the dual crown burner etc. It's excellent but a PITA to keep clean. I'd go for induction next time.
Boiling water tap - love the idea of these + no need for a kettle so one less bit of clutter on the worktops.
Can't think of much else. Would love it to be even bigger than it is but we were constrained by the footprint of the house / extension.
Stuff we love:
Granite worktops
Integrated dishwasher (buy a decent one if it's in any sort of open plan setting as the cheap ones are noisey).
Pan drawers.
Twin ovens: got one full sized, one compact microwave combi with a plate warmer under (we use it!)
Ovens with pyrolytic cleaning function.
Lighting - got under cabinet and plinth lights in addition to the ceiling GU10 spots. Recently swapped the GU10s for LED for a brighter whiter light. Can't have enough light.
1 & half bowl sink under mounted in the granite with drainer grooves in the granite.
Would do different:
More ovens! If money no object would have 2 x full sized and 2 x compact (maybe 1 micro combi, 1 steam) + plate warmer.
Induction hob. At the time I wanted gas so got a big (90cm) hob with the dual crown burner etc. It's excellent but a PITA to keep clean. I'd go for induction next time.
Boiling water tap - love the idea of these + no need for a kettle so one less bit of clutter on the worktops.
Can't think of much else. Would love it to be even bigger than it is but we were constrained by the footprint of the house / extension.
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Interesting re waste disposal/insinkerator...
We're on a septic tank and I'm not sure how good these are for them?
Apparently it's not a problem, but I'm on mains waste so didn't ask much about that. It just turns all scraps into a soup that gets rinsed away with water down the same hole as the kitchen sink.We're on a septic tank and I'm not sure how good these are for them?
C0ffin D0dger said:
Trying to think what we'd do different if doing it again.
Stuff we love:
1 & half bowl sink under mounted in the granite with drainer grooves in the granite.
I find the drain grooves on my worktop totally pointless. The worktop around the groves is completely flat so water just pools there anyway, the groves do nothing other than annoy me when I'm wiping down. I wouldn't have them again.Stuff we love:
1 & half bowl sink under mounted in the granite with drainer grooves in the granite.
S11Steve said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Interesting re waste disposal/insinkerator...
We're on a septic tank and I'm not sure how good these are for them?
Apparently it's not a problem, but I'm on mains waste so didn't ask much about that. It just turns all scraps into a soup that gets rinsed away with water down the same hole as the kitchen sink.We're on a septic tank and I'm not sure how good these are for them?
Kateg28 said:
richatnort said:
Don't have those stupid pull out pan draws they are utterly useless and you can't fit anything on them so just get a normal corner cupboard.
Do not follow this advice. Corner cupboards are for storing rubbish you never ever ever use. I cleaned mine out and found stuff I have never used since moving in 7 years ago. Corner cupboards are hateful things. I don't know a single person apart from this poster who likes them. Get properly designed quality drawers so you can see your pans properly. And have the lids stored elsewhere, not in the pan drawer, it just makes life difficult.Newbespoke kitchen going in 3 weeks time from independent kitchen designer.
Also, consider an Insinkerator or other waste disposal system, especially if you have kids. Bigger bins means they are emptied less often, and with the amount of wasted food from fussy eaters, the smells soon start. Waste disposal keeps the bins cleaner.
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I have an Insinkerator and it always stinks. It is horrendous.
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I have an Insinkerator and it always stinks. It is horrendous.
Waste disposal and TWO sinks. One for washing up and the other a small basin next to the kettle, for veg etc. PITA walking from one side of the kitchen to the other if your kettle is not next to a tap.
We're rejigging our existing kitchen over the next couple of months just to make it a more user friendly layout.
We're rejigging our existing kitchen over the next couple of months just to make it a more user friendly layout.
I have a pretty swish kitchen, fitted by previous owner so I had no call on it. Its good, but things I would change:
The nearly white porcelanosa tiles which would have been expensive and look nice are a PITA to keep clean, they show all the dirt.
I only have one large cuttlery draw(the wide type) 2 would have been better
I have a wine rack, given the cost of the kitchen I would have made that a wine chiller
All my appliances are integrated and I like it that way, I may regret saying this when they go wrong.
My expensive Neff induction hob sucks, Id have gas next time.
The nearly white porcelanosa tiles which would have been expensive and look nice are a PITA to keep clean, they show all the dirt.
I only have one large cuttlery draw(the wide type) 2 would have been better
I have a wine rack, given the cost of the kitchen I would have made that a wine chiller
All my appliances are integrated and I like it that way, I may regret saying this when they go wrong.
My expensive Neff induction hob sucks, Id have gas next time.
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