Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 Mar 18, 2014 10:53 am Hi everyone so we recently decided to say goodbye to our old kitchen. We initially wanted to do some cosmetic work by changing the doors but no cabinet maker was keen on taking on the project. Now that we have had a few people come over for a quote I am a bit taken back by the prices. We were quoted between 6500-7500 for all laminate/vinyl excluding appliances. For stone benchtop 3500 on top ? Is there any decent benchtop option that doesnt cost so much? My kitchen gets some heavy usage so I want something that: wont stain wont scratch wont melt wont disintegrate with water (around the sink area) easy to clean For appliances I have been able to find good suppliers online (appliances online and ebay) for a fraction of the big shops but still I am looking at atleast $2000 + installation/delivery costs . And we still have the bathroom/toilet to do so our pockets are feeling a bit airy atm. Your advice would be most appreciated! Re: New kitchen - keeping the cost down 2Mar 18, 2014 10:56 am I would also like to add. It seems like a better option just to replace the benchtop every few years if it does get a battering rather than fork out so much for the stone-top. Your thoughts? Re: New kitchen - keeping the cost down 3Mar 18, 2014 12:12 pm Mimz I would also like to add. It seems like a better option just to replace the benchtop every few years if it does get a battering rather than fork out so much for the stone-top. Your thoughts? Totally disagree! Remember to replace a bench top you need a plumber and electrician to do a disconnect and reconnect. You might also damage the splash back replacing the bench top. Its not quick, cheap or easy to do!! Spend the money now and get stone. You wont regret it!!! What type of stone, colour and thickness did you have quoted?? These all play a roll in price! Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: New kitchen - keeping the cost down 4Mar 19, 2014 10:51 am The quotes didnt specify thickness. When my husband asked about price difference with thickness, the reply was it didnt change the price. Just asthetics (which was contrary to what I thought in the past) Can cost be cut by chosing a thicker slab? I am assuming the thinner we go, the more pricey they get? type: was caeserstone brand. again when asked if there were other engineered stone brands. the reply was no. Colours , most likely I would go for something light but nothing confirmed as yet. Re: New kitchen - keeping the cost down 5Mar 19, 2014 11:07 am Also at the risk of being flamed... are ikea kitchens yay or nay? I am yet to go to the showroom and have a feel of the cabinetry, but was wondering if anyone have firsthand experience with it? I have read thy are a pain to put together, but structrually similar to the med-end laminate kitchens. Re: New kitchen - keeping the cost down 6Mar 19, 2014 11:24 am Mimz The quotes didnt specify thickness. When my husband asked about price difference with thickness, the reply was it didnt change the price. Just asthetics (which was contrary to what I thought in the past) Can cost be cut by chosing a thicker slab? I am assuming the thinner we go, the more pricey they get? type: was caeserstone brand. again when asked if there were other engineered stone brands. the reply was no. Colours , most likely I would go for something light but nothing confirmed as yet. Most bench tops are either 20 or 40mm thick. 20mm tops are around $400 - $500 cheaper! Whoever told you they were the same price is totally wrong!! There are heaps of engineered stone brands. CaesarStone, Smartstone, Quantum Quartz and Silestone to name a few. If you are trying to save money look at the Smartstone 15/15/15 range. Its slightly cheaper but comes in wider slabs which allows for better optimization. Sounds like the kitchen company you are talking with at the minute are happy telling fibs. I wouldn't be using them. Look around and get a few more prices. Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: New kitchen - keeping the cost down 7Mar 19, 2014 1:15 pm I hear a lot of good things about IKEA Kitchens, used them ourselves for our laundry and it seems pretty decent for the price. They have a cool online tool that you can design your kitchen with and it gives you the price, check out the kitchens in the shop they have great displays too. We used masters kitchens, seems a bit better quality but was more expensive as well. If we were to do another budget kitchen would use IKEA for sure Also you can go direct to stone masons and have them install it for you will work out cheaper then getting it through a kitchen place (Get a bunch of quotes as it's all the same product if you go with a particular brand) Just need to make sure it's also a decent stone mason Our 1970's reno viewtopic.php?f=53&t=65931 Re: New kitchen - keeping the cost down 8Mar 19, 2014 2:15 pm How about a small kitchen company or cabinet maker?? It will be a lot cheaper than a large company and the quality will be a lot higher than above. Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: New kitchen - keeping the cost down 9Mar 19, 2014 5:20 pm I looked at ikea kitchens - the measurements were slightly different (shallower cupboards if I remember correctly, needing to be fitted with non-standard sized appliances etc) and while they look good in the showroom I realised they are still just flat pack and will have a set lifespan. I decided to go Bunnings flat pack - because at least it was standard sizes. This was for a farm house so no one cares too much about it (except me!) but over time the doors have changed colour slightly so don't match the drawers (quite a change over 4yrs) etc. Quality wise they seem ok for what we paid, it will last 10yrs or so... probably. I'd expect Ikea ones to last similarly. When we redid a bathroom and laundry we found that the small cabinet makers were actually quite reasonable, and now building a new house we're finding them MUCH cheaper to do some things than say Ikea. (Built in cupboards in the living room are cheaper than flat pack ikea) Worth talk to them. (If you are in Perth I'm happy to PM you the name of who we used for our bathroom) We are just doing laminate benchtops in the new house - there are some versions now that are more robust than general, but the general is much much more robust than the stuff that was around in the 80s... keep that in mind. Doing it yourself isn't easy - if you are very handy it might be ok but trust me (after having done one) a whole kitchen is not that easy - there's lots of tricks and tips (get the DVD and watch it from Bunnings on building them then decide if you are up for it), and you need quite an amazing array of tools too. Keep all that in mind. Might be cheaper to get someone to build it for you. Re: New kitchen - keeping the cost down 10Mar 19, 2014 9:01 pm Ikea is great if done correctly and they have a 25 year warranty. The runners are all made by Blum. Use a Torx head when assembling and it will all be good. Re: New kitchen - keeping the cost down 11Mar 26, 2014 11:42 am Ikea Kitchens are of good quality, however you really need to know what you are doing so you don't damage them while putting together. When you install the Kitchen it is not as easy as these places make out it to be. Unless you have experience in installing i would not go down the Ikea path can be costly mistake if you don't have the experience. There are many brands like Caesar Stone and are all same quality but some companies will only deal with 1 brand as they may have had displays done for free in their showroom so that is why they only deal with that company. Laminate benchtops are still very good as materials of both the timber and laminate has improved a lot over the years but they still will not handle heat and are more likely to scratch, but if you have a nice chopping board than they can be very cheap alternative. 20mm stone tops would be the cheapest and probably the best fit for the criteria above but if you read warranties for engineered stone they say they can not handle heat above 100 degrees, which means a saucepan generally can not be put down directly from cooktop. The damage will occur from rapid heating and rapid cooling of the stone. The stone still stains, scratches and marks but generally can be fixed easily. Re: New kitchen - keeping the cost down 12Mar 29, 2014 10:47 pm For your list of requirements that you put down initially, I immediately thought stainless steel is what you need. Have you considered it at all? Appreciate that Chippy. 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