Flatpak kitchens

Im going to renovate my kitchen. Been to bunnings and they have the Flatpak brand. im not sure whether 2 use them or not... r they of good quality or not? if ne1 has had them installed or knoe of any other good brands i could use plz let me know. its taking me ages to find something i like.

IMO, I wouldn't run to Bunnings 1st. Take a look at alternative suppliers to see if you can get a better deal ?
Don't know where you are located but take a look at these online companies, as a jumping off point :

http://www.flatpackitchens.com.au/

http://www.smartpackkit.com.au/

http://www.cabinetsondemand.com.au/

http://www.kitset.com.au/

http://www.kitcheninabox.com.au/

as i am one of the companies mentioned i feel that i can add input to your question ,you first have to look at your project to decide what type of flat pack kitchen you need to buy ,by that i mean will standard cabinets fit or do you need to get custom built cabinets made and flat packed for you ,will you need tops as well ,most of the imported flat pack kitchens are only available in set sizes and finishes these may suit and then again you may want something a bit different for your project ,most of the australian manufacturers will cut down cabinets for you ,some charge most dont ,with flat pack kitchens by their very nature transport isnt a big issue ,i can get a flat packed kitchen from here (queensland ) to melbourne for about $300 and 2 large kitchens to mt isa for $500 so transport is not an issue , have a look at my site or even email sales@kitcheninabox.com.au or fax me a plan on 07 54609378 and i will give you a quote

I'm interested in this topic too. Thinking of getting a new kitchen, and realize that they cost .... So decided to go with flatpack and luckly my huby is a handy man . Does someone know if you can change your underneath benchtop cabinets into drawers? I mean we want to keep the layout and benchtop. But we want drawers instead of the old dirty cabinets. If we take the doors off and want to install some drawers that fit in the current cabinets. Will a flatpack company do this? Or am I better go with a reface cabinets company, will they do this?

email me with what you are wanting and i will see if i can help

I had the same question a few months ago.

I got this answer:



Since then i have priced up most of the kit kitchens available as well as a custom one made up at cost + transport and the bunnings one is still cheaper. I like the fact that if something goes wrong, I can speak to a Manager face to face, instead of email etc. We are definatley going with the bunnings ones.

Since then i have priced up most of the kit kitchens available as well as a custom one made up at cost + transport and the bunnings one is still cheaper. I like the fact that if something goes wrong, I can speak to a Manager face to face, instead of email etc. We are definatley going with the bunnings ones.[/quote]

its good that you are anticipating things going wrong

I put together a lot of flat pack furniture every week & it does not matter how good the company is, bolts get left out, threads are missing, things are broken from transit. You are generally very lucky if something isn't missing or broken.

We went to bunnings to pick up some metal and hubby saw a kitchen they had on display - he priced it up with what he'd quote, custom made, and there was hardly any difference - IMO (probably biased I admit because of the quality and workmanship I see in hubby's jobs compared to others), its worth paying that little bit more for something designed to suit you and your space I think the problem is that a lot of people go to these big places ike Impala etc without thinking about the smaller people

When I rip out my kitchen and redo it Bam, you're first on my list.

I'm serious. I hate my kitchen.

Whhhhyyyy? I cant remember seeing pics of your kitchen But surely you dont *hate* it Your house in general is beautiful!

Rachel85, wat did you end up doing? are u going with flat packs?

I've had a look at the Bunnings range and frankly, I am very disappointed. I have built a couple of kitchens using flatpack systems in the UK before returning home to Oz and the quality, range and price leaves a lot to be desired!

I've looked in a few different Bunnings stores and if the quality of assembly is a guide, they need to sack their installation team!

My own carpentry skills are pretty good so my current thinking is to build my own frames, drawers, etc, then use their doors, drawer fronts and maybe a couple of end panels. Haven't priced it up yet but I know I'll have a quality result and probably a lot cheaper! I'm fortunate that I have a lot of time so that won't be a problem.

Since my posts I have priced up a mitre 10 kitchen. For the same fit out is was all cheaper except for the laminate benchtop, but it wasn't exactly the same. Will have to see what the quality is like.

We made some built-in cabinets out of this stuff. Used a 12mm top so it didn't have that "kitchen look". Anyway - the quality was pretty good. No complaints at all.
The only issue with off-the-shelf cabinets is the size. You are locked in to their sizes which can be a nuisance.

We've done 1 kitchen with Bunnings (for a rental) came up well, but little anchor things that were supposed to screw in the hinges popped out on a few which meant doors came loose. Superglued them in and were fine. Benchtops getting anywhere near right are tricky, need a super flat wall and leveled floors.

Did an IKEA Island bench and quality was great, still going strong. High Gloss white with metal inner draws, very well built. They have some great kitchen stuff and our next reno we'll probably try a whole kitchen.

In Melbourne, Graysonline do full 2pac paint kitchens with stone benchtops all pre-built (just need a truck/trailer). If you know your sizing these tend to go for $1500 to $2500 from memory. Would save putting in the 1,000's of screws but need to make really sure of your measurements.

I agree with you Bam.
I know I can provide a custom kitchen for similar money as flatpacks. It will all depend on how much the client is going to do themselves, but for the typical client who can't or doesn't want to do anything themselves, then a custom kitchen is going to be similar price with better components and a larger range of choice.
Plus being able to talk to the person who will make and install your kitchen is certainly going to help make sure you get what you want.