Pros and cons of adapting your dream kitchen yourself

With the rise of flat kitchen online sales, more and more people are taking on the task of planning, buying and assembling their own kitchens, so I decided to take a look at some of the pros and cons of starting a DIY kitchen project.

Pro’s

COST – First of all, the main reason to undertake a project like a kitchen refit is to keep costs down. With companies offering ‘no interest’ or ‘buy now, pay later’ options to encourage buyers to do everything they need in one purchase, it is very attractive to prospective kitchen installers to create the perfect kitchen on paper and eliminate the expensive margins of the store. Costs are also kept to a minimum as the need for experienced kitchen installers is reduced as you plan to do the work yourself.

WAIT TIME – Ordering directly from a supplier often means lead times are much, much shorter than they would be if you were shopping from a local kitchen store or installers, as flat-pack boxes are often stocked in warehouses. and can be sent by courier in a matter of hours. . In contrast, in my experience, specialty kitchen companies supplying you with kitchens can take 6-16 weeks for delivery and installation times are dependent on scheduling with other customers.

Cons

WEATHER – Kitchen overhaul can take 2-3 days and 2-3 weeks to complete. This usually means taking time off from work to do homework, which often takes a lot longer than you think – I’ve heard many cases of people taking a week off work to do a kitchen, only to keep doing it for months. later, since they can only do the rest in the evenings and on weekends.

QUALITY – As in any industry, there are experts in their field and people who think they are experts. Most of the time, the experts have years of experience and therefore know many tricks to get the perfect edge on a corner unit or a smooth joint on a countertop. Seasoned home DIYers can be great at flat pack furniture, but the complex nature of kitchen cabinets, measuring sink holes, lining up kitchen hinges on doors, and the like is a whole different ball game. and often results in something that is far from perfect. end up.

KNOWLEDGE – There are many parts to kitchen equipment, and even the most useful kitchen vendors will only be able to give you a few tips. It’s often very easy to choose cabinet doors and countertops with the desired finish, but what about things like how heavy the drawers are going to support? If it is a cutlery drawer, then it is not too heavy, but if it is a pot and pan drawer, it is the drawer runners are you going to take the weight?

My conclusion

A full kitchen is a big expense, often on par with a purchase like a car, so for that reason, would you ever buy a flat-pack kit to build your family’s car? I guess not, so why risk this investment by taking shortcuts? Always use professional kitchen fitters – they have accumulated experience and are often so efficient that the cost of your time is not always as much as you think.