The decision to update or replace your kitchen is a big one. There are so many factors to consider when planning a new kitchen, from the layout to the style, to where to buy it from. And for many, the need to replace their kitchen isn’t an urgent one, so you can take your time weighing up the pros and cons before you commit.
We’ve made a list of the main pros and cons of buying a fitted kitchen to help you with your choice.
Fitted Kitchens: The Pros
A new fitted kitchen is an exciting prospect - you get to create your ideal environment but what are the key plus points to opting for a custom fitted kitchen?
Fall in love with your home again
A new kitchen can breathe life into your home. It’s often the hub of family life, and when you have a kitchen you enjoy being in, you tend to spend more time there. A newly fitted kitchen can inspire you to spend more time cooking at home, so you reduce the cost of eating out or takeaways!
A Smart Life When you design your own kitchen, you can include a whole host of mod cons that are designed to make your life easier. We have a few favourites at Living Dimensions, and they are;
Boiling Water Taps This will transform your kitchen habits! Rather than boiling a kettle, you can have boiling water on tap. It may sound like a pointless add-on, but the reality is that you save a significant amount of water and energy. Since you only use what you need, you reduce the amount of water you heat (how many of us boil the kettle, walk away and forget only to have to re-boil it again?). Trust us, this is a game-changer.
Smart Appliances Did you know that you can upgrade your appliances to smart ones? These hi-tech gadgets help to make cooking, cleaning and meal prep quicker and easier - something we can all appreciate. Our top smart appliance has to be the smart oven. You can control your oven remotely, so there’s no panic if you ever forget to turn it off!
Hidden Units If your kitchen is on the small side, you don’t have to compromise on worktop space. Clever expanding worktops and hidden units mean that you can extend your workspace as and when you need it.
Make The Most Of The Space It may be an obvious one, but a custom fitted kitchen allows you to make the most of the space that you have. At Living Dimensions, we help you to design your ideal layout so you can make your fitted kitchen suit your lifestyle. Whether you have a galley kitchen, small kitchen, or kitchen diner, we can create the perfect place to cook, eat and live.
Reliably Long-Lasting A custom fitted kitchen is made from quality materials - no shoddy chipboard here. We only use materials that will do your fitted kitchen justice, now and decades from now. You also have freedom of choice when it comes to the type of materials we use in your new kitchen; love the look of granite worktops? No problem. Prefer the warmth of wood? Got it.
Added Value
A kitchen that was designed to perfectly fit a home is a desirable feature for potential buyers. If you think you may sell your home in future, you can be sure that a custom fitted kitchen will be appealing - and when done right, even add value to your property.
The Cons:
It might surprise you to know that there are some drawbacks to having a kitchen fitted. And those drawbacks are:
Your Kitchen Is Out Of Commission
While we’re busy fitting your new custom kitchen, you won’t be able to cook. We do all we can to minimise this disruption, but it’s a good idea to have a plan for how you’ll feed your family during the project. Most people rely on the goodwill of friends and family, takeaways and slow cookers during the time that it takes to install your new kitchen.
DIY or DI-Cry?
If you plan to fit your own kitchen, be prepared to run into some problems. Even as experienced professionals, some projects throw curve balls at us. Thankfully, our expertise means that we often have the tools and know-how to come up with a quick solution, but if you’re relying on YouTube and your mate Danny who once fitted his own kitchen, you might end up on DIY SOS…
Chipped Chipboard Cheaper, off-the-shelf kitchens can seem like a saving, but the reduced quality of the materials means that the lifespan of your new kitchen is compromised. The most common issues we see with these types of kitchens are;
Peeling doors
Bubbled laminate
Gappy structure
Not to mention the reports of poor customer service that we hear about!
Buy Cheap, Pay Twice
It’s been our experience that rushed or cheap jobs often carry a different kind of cost. Sure, you may save a few quid but in the long run, you end up paying out again and again to fix issues. A kitchen that’s badly made or put together makes for a poor living experience, and those little niggles can become really annoying down the line. We have a saying at Living Dimensions, and that’s ‘Do it once, do it right’.
Want To Know More About Fitted Kitchens By Living Dimensions?
If you think a custom fitted kitchen is the right choice for your home, then we’d love to talk to you about your vision. Living Dimensions is a multi-skilled business with years of experience in transforming homes. If you’d like to see some of the kitchens we have installed for our clients, look at our gallery on the website.
We offer free consultation and quote, so if you would like to arrange this just get in touch.
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