Good Quality Flat Pack Kitchen Units Suitable for Boat Use.

[cuthound]

3 minutes ago, WotEver said:

Yeah, they were mentioned in post #3. They do look good. 

 

Teach me to re-read the the thread before I post.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, WotEver said:

Yeah, they were mentioned in post #3. They do look good. 

Must look as we need some new doors

 

[Stephen Jeavons]

On 04/10/2019 at 19:26, LadyG said:

, I understand Ikea units are flimsy, as one might expect.

We re-did Consort using IKEA including integrating the washer, fridge and freezer. We also reduced the leg height slightly so they slotted under the gunwale .

Not flimsy at all. It's all about taking your time and assembling according to their idiot guides (like all flat-packs) & securing them to each other and the back wall.

We're very happy with them 

 

[alan_fincher]

An update.

As suggested a local Wickes branch has given me a quote for all the units, worktops and accessories I think I need.

Not cheap though, even with a discount.  not sure what I was expecting, but whatever it was, the quote is more (!)

However I have failed to turn up anywhere else that seems able to supply the kind of thing we need, and just quote for "supply only".

 

Several places have said they only do "supply and fit".

Howdens will only supply to the trade.

 

I thought Homebase was going to provide an alternate quote, but having looked again, we now think they only supply pre-assembled, not flat pack, which is no use to us at all.  Frustratingly neither their website nor their brochure seems to indicate if it is all pre-asembled or not.  Does anybody know, please? (I know I can ask them, but someone might know now...)

[Tuscan]

Can you not get a tradesman to buy from Howdens on your behalf, that’s what a colleague did.

Edited October 11, 2019 by Tuscan

[WotEver]

10 hours ago, Tuscan said:

Can you not get a tradesman to buy from Howdens on your behalf, that’s what a colleague did.

And they supply flat pack too.

 

However, you have to be very careful with pricing; there are many stories on the web about Howdens prices being less than transparent. For example, one kitchen was quoted for £16,000, £40,000, and <£10,000, all for exactly the same kitchen. 
 

 

[WotEver]

10 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

neither their website nor their brochure seems to indicate if it is all pre-asembled or not.  Does anybody know, please?

According to this Which? report there is an option for flat pack, but I don’t know how old the report is (it appears to be undated). Is the current range still called Kit and Caboodle?

 

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/fitted-kitchens/article/best-kitchen-brands/homebase-kitchens

[alan_fincher]

5 hours ago, WotEver said:

........Is the current range still called Kit and Caboodle?

 

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/fitted-kitchens/article/best-kitchen-brands/homebase-kitchens

No evidence I can see of that branding either on the website r in a callogue.

Seems remarkable to me that neither mention whether it is pre assembled ir flat pack.

And in other news...

The chap at Wickes we spoke to yesterday who said we had to order with him by today if we wanted some additional discount was off sick when we rang them, and nobody else can access the potential order we were going to place (How hard can it be?).

[ditchcrawler]

2 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

No evidence I can see of that branding either on the website r in a callogue.

Seems remarkable to me that neither mention whether it is pre assembled ir flat pack.

And in other news...

The chap at Wickes we spoke to yesterday who said we had to order with him by today if we wanted some additional discount was off sick when we rang them, and nobody else can access the potential order we were going to place (How hard can it be?).

Sounds like Social Services of a Solicitor

[Rob-M]

18 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

An update.

As suggested a local Wickes branch has given me a quote for all the units, worktops and accessories I think I need.

Not cheap though, even with a discount.  not sure what I was expecting, but whatever it was, the quote is more (!)

However I have failed to turn up anywhere else that seems able to supply the kind of thing we need, and just quote for "supply only".

 

Several places have said they only do "supply and fit".

Howdens will only supply to the trade.

 

I thought Homebase was going to provide an alternate quote, but having looked again, we now think they only supply pre-assembled, not flat pack, which is no use to us at all.  Frustratingly neither their website nor their brochure seems to indicate if it is all pre-asembled or not.  Does anybody know, please? (I know I can ask them, but someone might know now...)

When Mrs-M gets home I'll let you know what Homebase do as that is where she works.

 

[Dav and Pen]

We used IKEA units and doors on the barge kitchen. I thought they were very strong units and the carcass midfield a bit thicker than the competitors. The work tops were made to measure by a company in Long Buckby

[Rob-M]

3 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

No evidence I can see of that branding either on the website r in a callogue.

Seems remarkable to me that neither mention whether it is pre assembled ir flat pack.

And in other news...

The chap at Wickes we spoke to yesterday who said we had to order with him by today if we wanted some additional discount was off sick when we rang them, and nobody else can access the potential order we were going to place (How hard can it be?).

Homebase definitely do flat pack but it would have a 28 day lead time for delivery.

 

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, Dav and Pen said:

We used IKEA units and doors on the barge kitchen. I thought they were very strong units and the carcass midfield a bit thicker than the competitors. The work tops were made to measure by a company in Long Buckby

I used the same IKEA oak doorfronts when I fitted our kitchen at home 10+ years ago. At the time I was impressed with the general quality and the thought that had gone into the design of the cabinets. But I understand they now have a different type of cabinet, so not sure how good it is now.

[ditchcrawler]

This thread has just cost me £100

[GUMPY]

9 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

This thread has just cost me £100

Was it a bet or did you buy something?

[ditchcrawler]

11 minutes ago, Loddon said:

Was it a bet or did you buy something?

some new doors

 

[alan_fincher]

40 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

Homebase definitely do flat pack but it would have a 28 day lead time for delivery.

Thanks - that lead time seems typical.

WE are probably going with Wickes, but Homebase remains a reserve option.

[alan_fincher]

2 hours ago, Dav and Pen said:

We used IKEA units and doors on the barge kitchen. I thought they were very strong units and the carcass midfield a bit thicker than the competitors. The work tops were made to measure by a company in Long Buckby

 

35 minutes ago, David Mack said:

I used the same IKEA oak doorfronts when I fitted our kitchen at home 10+ years ago. At the time I was impressed with the general quality and the thought that had gone into the design of the cabinets. But I understand they now have a different type of cabinet, so not sure how good it is now.

Yes, Ikea have been recommended to us.

However we have decided we probably want doors very much in the style of those you show, "Shaker" style, and almost certainly natural wood finish.  Because it's going to be through corridor in the middle of the boat, it will almost certainly take some abuse, and we don't think the painted finihes that most doors now are will be tough enough, even though we like the look.

 

The market seems to have moved away from oak, or other hardwoods in a natural finish,with few people offering it in the right sizes.

We couldn't find anything in the Ikea catalogue.  Neither Wickes nor Homebase have exactly what we would have preferred, but either can supply close enough.  I would have used B&Q based on previous good experiences of the Cooke & Lewis range, but even on their own web-site reviews of the cabinets in the GoodHome range (which replaced Cooke & Lewid and IT Kitchens) are quite appalling, so they have been ruled out.

[Hudds Lad]

we did our home kitchen about 8 years ago with Ikea units, good solid stuff. only problem being that the worktops we sourced elsewhere and then realised the Ikea stuff had a different depth so you don't get the same overhang.

 

recently went to look to price up for the new kitchen at my late mothers house and can confirm that their new units are nowhere near the same quality, and had the same problem with Wickes & B&Q.

 

thanks for suggestions in previous posts for other places to look ?

[alan_fincher]

In the end we went with Wickes.

One unexpected happening was that they quoted 3 to 4 weeks for delivery, but actually delivered in little over one week. (We thought we had time to be ready - we didn't!)

I've started to install some units, and my overall impression is that quality is fair, probably better than many, but certainly not particularly exceptional.

 

I'm genuinely surprised to find it Is almost 10 years since we refitted a kitchen on a previous boat.  For that we used Cooke and Lewis units from B&Q, but perhaps comparisons to something bought almost a decade ago are not that valid?  My impressions are that quality and solidity were similar, but maybe 10 year old B&Q had the slight edge over modern day Wickes.

I'll report back when more of it is built and installed, but can already say that trying to fit in an 83 year old ex-working boat hold is a bigger challenge than in a 15 year old leisure boat.  Absolutely nothing is close to flat or straight in Flamingo, to include not just the cabin linings, but very definitely the floors as well.  It will be a case of what "looks" most right, rather than relying on measuring, I think!

[Guest]

I'm going to be refitting my kitchen this year. Well, I'm going to find someone to refit it. I've been toying with the idea of getting some IKEA units but I feel like my kitchen is going to be so simple that I may just get a carpenter in and get them to design/build one.

 

Has anyone had a bespoke kitchen fitted? Any hint on costs? I pretty much want a couple of sets of drawers/shelves, a sink with some space underneath to put the fairy liquid and sponges etc. And a decent worktop.

 

Currently the kitchen is a bit of an L shape and I'm forever knocking stuff over and there's no room for more than one person. So it needs to go. It's a bit past its best anyway. I'm going to tear it apart, fit some new flooring (I can do that as I refitted my bedroom recently) but I'll leave the clever stuff to a decent carpenter. 

[Detling]

Ikea as mentioned make nice frames, they cram about 15% - 20% more useable space than others because they have lower plinth and shallower service space at the back. Everyone has gone against wood, ikea has the ash but it is not everyones taste, B and Q have an oak not too bad, all others are shades of white and grey, vinyl or paint with a mdf interior which have no place in a boat. If you look online there are people who will build doors in oak (or other wood) but at a price, you can get quite a few ikea replacement doors but none are the shaker oak, which is what I want for our kitchen, and my son has them but the company we bought those from is no longer trading unfortunately. 

[Tony Brooks]

11 hours ago, NB Caelmiri said:

I'm going to be refitting my kitchen this year. Well, I'm going to find someone to refit it. I've been toying with the idea of getting some IKEA units but I feel like my kitchen is going to be so simple that I may just get a carpenter in and get them to design/build one.

 

Has anyone had a bespoke kitchen fitted? Any hint on costs? I pretty much want a couple of sets of drawers/shelves, a sink with some space underneath to put the fairy liquid and sponges etc. And a decent worktop.

 

11 hours ago, NB Caelmiri said:

 

Currently the kitchen is a bit of an L shape and I'm forever knocking stuff over and there's no room for more than one person. So it needs to go. It's a bit past its best anyway. I'm going to tear it apart, fit some new flooring (I can do that as I refitted my bedroom recently) but I'll leave the clever stuff to a decent carpenter. 

 

Be aware that if you don't want a gap at the back of the worktop (or the need to buy a deeper one) or if you want to minimise the space taken up you may need to cut the sides of the unit to suit any angle on the under gunwale cabin lining. Not difficult but if the carcase relies upon a cupboard back for rigidity it involves extra work to fit it.

 

Personally I would not trust many kitchen fitters not to bodge that part because its can't be seen.

Edited June 17, 2020 by Tony Brooks

[Guest]

48 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

 

Be aware that if you don't want a gap at the back of the worktop (or the need to buy a deeper one) or if you want to minimise the space taken up you may need to cut the sides of the unit to suit any angle on the under gunwale cabin lining. Not difficult but if the carcase relies upon a cupboard back for rigidity it involves extra work to fit it.

 

Personally I would not trust many kitchen fitters not to bodge that part because its can't be seen.

Cheers Tony. I may try and source me a boat fitter to fit the kitchen rather than just a chippie who mainly works on land. I'll look around!

[WotEver]

7 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

Personally I would not trust many kitchen fitters not to bodge that part because its can't be seen.

You don't need the second half of that sentence, Tony