Kitchen Planning
So you are planning on having a new fitted kitchen installed in your home. Excitement is building and you feel you are ready now to take the first steps into deciding the style of kitchen that you want and setting dates for when the kitchen should be installed. It should all go so swimmingly smooth for you that you have not thought about the things that need to be considered, although they may not seem to be part of the overall project.
Take a couple of minutes to read this post and it might just save you a lot of stress when you finally decide to go ahead with your new fitted kitchen.
So what we are going to do in this post is to outline 10 simple things that you should consider when you decide you want a new kitchen.
1. Budget
This is probably the most important part of your kitchen planning. Your budget for your new fitted kitchen should be broken down into 4 different elements because these jobs entail more than just kitchen cabinets, kitchen doors and kitchen worktops.
Break your kitchen project down to:
Kitchen Cabinetry, Doors, Worktops, Handles, Sink and Taps
Kitchen Appliances
Kitchen Installation
Other Works - Electrical, Plumbing, Tiling, Plastering, Removal of Old Kitchen, Removal of all Rubbish.
These four elements are four things that are so commonly connected when it comes to having a new kitchen installed that they cannot be ignored.
2. Kitchen Cabinetry
A budget to buy a decent entry level kitchen in Dublin, Ireland these days would be somewhere in the region of around €4,500 - €5,500 depending on the quality of the kitchen materials you require. This will include for about 14 Kitchen Cabinets, Kitchen Doors, Soft Closing Hinges, Soft Closing Drawers (1 Set of 3), a laminated counter top and some T-Bar Handles. And if you are getting a good deal you might get a stainless steel sink and single lever mixer tap.
3. Kitchen Installation
At this point in time kitchen fitters are thin on the ground. And good kitchen fitters are even thinner. Demand for their services are high. And if there is one thing I would like to point out to you is this - "A badly installed kitchen will never be right, not matter what" so be sure that you find a good kitchen fitter.
The charges can be anywhere from €700 up to €1200 to install a kitchen. That is for the installation of the kitchen into a prepared blank canvas space. A kitchen of this size should take about 2 days. If there are delays due to poor preparation, delays in disconnections, parts of old kitchen still in place then you can expect to pay more . So be warned, have it all ready and all the necessary materials on site so that the job can be done quickly and efficiently.
4. Kitchen Appliances
If you require kitchen appliances then this is another expense. So lets say you require a full compliment of kitchen appliances from a reasonable brand. We will use Belling as our model for this exercise. So here is the list of kitchen appliances you might want and the estimated cost:
American Fridge Freezer - €900
Double Electric Oven - €600
5 Ring Ceramic Induction Hob - €450
60cm Integrated Dishwasher - €400
60cm Integrated Wasing Machine - €500
Integrated Microwave Oven - €299.00
Extractor Fan Curved Glass and Stainless Steel Chimney Type - €249.99
Based on the fact that our imaginary customer for a new fitted kitchen wants all the above the cost is going to be somewhere around €3600 for kitchen appliances.
Remember YOU MUST register the kitchen appliances for the warranty, this nowadays is generally done online via a computer or your phone. And another note always ask for the number for the service department just in case you need to get any of the appliances tended to in the first 12 months that you have them.
Kitchen Appliances approx. cost €3600
5. Quartz Kitchen Worktops
You also might want to upgrade from a laminated counter top to a nice quartz countertop. Well nowadays quartz is quite affordable for most people and from personal experience I would highly recommend it, if your budget stretches that far. Easy to clean and take care of. You can also add in lovely quartz extras like upstands, backsplash behind your hob and a lovely window sill to finish the job off nicely.
An entry level group 1 Mason Quartz counter top will set you back about €300 per linear metre, 1 metre long, 600mm deep with a pencil edge, drainer flutes, cut out for hob and cut out for sink. Now for those who do not understand LINEAR this means a metre in one straight line. So even if your kitchen is an L-SHAPE just measure the two lengths of counter you need and put them together. This will give you the full meterage. So now we need to add in the difference between laminated counter tops and quartz counter tops. Well lets say we have 6 metres of kitchen worktop surface. In laminate you will need 2 X 3600mm X 600mm lengths. This could cost you around €390.00 + vat.
If you go for a Group 1 Crystal White Quartz Counter top supplied and fitted the cost to you would be around €1800 + vat. So the difference between Laminated counter tops and Quartz will be around €1400.
You could also budget for a backsplash for around €450.00 and a Window Sill for around €250.00 in quartz. So in goes our estimate for quartz counter tops, without the window sill and the back splash.
Quartz Counter Tops Extra Cost: €1400
6. Removal of Old Kitchen and Decor
The removal of the old kitchen, wall tiles and flooring preparation will need to be considered. This could mean levelling the floor for the new floor to go on. For instance if you are considering putting down floor tiles on a floor that is raised and is joist and floor boards, then this floor has to be prepped so that the new tiles can be laid and prevented from cracking or lifting after a period fo time.
This could take an experienced man a full day to have this area prepped. You may also have to repair the walls where you have taken off wall tiles. This may need serious repair in some cases where you need to replace damaged plaster boards or you might have to bond and skim the wall for the future wall covering.
This is a discussion that should be had with your people who are removing the old kitchen. Who Would that be? Well it could be your kitchen installer if he agrees or somebody else. You need to figure this one out before you start.
You would need to put a figure of around €1800 in for labour and materials.
Kitchen Removal and Prep of Area €1800
7. Electrical Works
The electrician can be employed and he will look after a lot of things for your new kitchen install. Firstly he will disconnect any old appliances before the old kitchen is removed. It is then that he can first fix for all new electrical appliances that are being installed. He can also discuss with you any new socket points or switches that you might require in your kitchen along with any lighting that you might require in or under cabinetry.
These should all be teased out with your electrician and get an approximate cost before he starts.
Remember your electrician will be making two visits to your home. The first visit will be at the start of the project when the old kitchen is being removed to disconnect old kitchen appliances and make the cabling safe, and at the same time he can first fix for any new electrics you need before the new kitchen is installed. His second trip will be to second fix all new electrics and to connect up any appliances that may have to be connected and not simply plugged in. Also be sure to use a Registered Electrician. ( You can find lots of them here on the RECI website)
Get your quotations from 2 or 3 electricians. And remember to get recommendations from previous clients. This can reduce the stress levels for you and your family.
The cost of your electrician (depending on the volume of work and the quality of the materials requested) is an estimate of €1400 - this would allow for 2 days labour and about €600 for materials. And remember our costings are only guide lines. All jobs are different and every customer requires different levels of service.
Electrical Works €1400
8. Plumbing
We always recommend to use registered trades people. But when it comes to Gas it is imperative that you use an RGII registered gas installer. You can find a list of them here on their website, click here.
If you are cooking with gas then you need to be certified by you RGII gas installer after the works are completed. This will be the first thing a hob or gas cooker manufacturer will ask for when you ring up for service.
Make sure that you get your CERT from the plumber before he leaves. An RGII gas installer is licenced to carry out gas hob and gas oven installations as well as gas heating systems. A good RGII certified plumber will tell you if you need certain elements brought up to todays regulations.
It might seem like more money but it is advisable to get whatever needs doing when he is there, you might even have your gas boiler services. In the long term it will save you money. After all you are paying him for his time. The RGII plumber can also look after your water plumbing for the sink, tap, dishwasher and integrated washing machine if necessary.
So what will this cost? Well again he will have to make two visits like the Electrician before him and his costs may not be as high but I would budget for somewhere between €500 and €750. This would include your certificate payment at the end of the works.
Plumbing Costs €750.00
9. Tiling
If you are planning to have tiles fitted to your floor space and to the back splash of your kitchen then you need to budget for the following:
Floor Tiles
Wall Tiles
Floor Tile Adhesive
Wall Tile Adhesive
Floor Tile Grout
Wall Tile Grouts
Tile Trims Floor and Wall
Professional Tilers Labour
This can be a difficult one to estimate as all houses are different but I am going to just go with the Tilers labout time and the adhesives, grouts and tile trims. For floor tiles (a standard ceramic tile 450mm x 450mm) a tiler will charge in or around €35 per square yard. A backsplash big or small should be budgeted at €250 to €350.
Adhesives for the floor at around €30 a bag. Adhesive for wall tiling about €25 euro per bag. Grouts and trims around €200. So for a standard 3 bed house with a standard kitchen space of around 16 square yards, a backspalsh of about 4 square yards you will need to be budgeting for around €900 for labour and materials will come in somewhere around €400.
Tiling price will be determined by what you pick. But again you should allow around €750 for floor and wall tiles. So your cost for the tiling of floor and wall (providing there is no preparation invovled) is about €1650.
Floor and wall tiling: €1650
10. Rubbish Removal
Finally you have the rubbish removal. A standard skip these days costs in the region of €350.00 for a standard size skip.
Skip: €350.00
11. Conclusion
When added up all the different elements of this kitchen installation including all the extra works and new appliances comes to about €16,000 + vat.
You now have the knowledge to plan your budget for your new kitchen.
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Brendan Barry Carpentry is affiliated with the National Guild of Master Craftsmen, boasting more than 20 years of carpentry experience and specialization in kitchen design.
Reach out to us for high-end kitchen designs and carpentry services at affordable rates.
Email: bbarrycandj@gmail.com
Phone: 087 345 2295
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