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DH & I are planning on renovating our kitchen. We went to Ikea yesterday and saw some kitchen ideas that we really liked. Using the kitchen planner online tool (so handy!) it looks like we could to the kitchen ourselves pretty cheaply. But we're not sure about Ikea's quality? It looks OK, but we don't know anyone who has an Ikea kitchen to ask! Apparently they have a 25 year guarantee which sounds good.
So if anyone has one, or knows someone who has one, I'd love to hear from you!
Ohh how exciting we did same thing yesterday!!!! We probably walked past each other!
I was chatting to someone at ABA the other week and they are getting an ikea kitchen done and I told DH, who first said no way are we getting ikea kitchen!! Then he saw them and has changed mind and told me maybe!!
SO now need to play around with online tool!!
Have fun
Really? I wonder if we were there at the same time LOL! They look so nice don't they?
We spoke to a staff member and she showed us how to use the kitchen planner tool, DH used it last night to come up with some ideas. It is so handy! We wrote down the styles and colours we liked while we were instore, then used them to help create the kitchen at home.
I hope they are good, because they are so reasonably priced :D. I also hope they are easy to assemble because DH wants to do as much of it himself as possible.
The kitchen in our house was newly renovated with an IKEA kitchen when we moved in. Not sure how much it cost, and apart from some slight peeling on one cabinet door, it's all fine!
As a person who used to work for a cabinetmaker though, I give the following warning - IKEA kitchens are based on one standard kitchen. You'll probably find you need to get benchtops cut down, or they won't be long enough, or your walls won't be dead straight, etc. I know the IKEA kitchens look fabulous and have a great price tag, but you need to really measure up your kitchen and work it out for yourself, and factor in the cost of getting a tradie to make the necessary changes. A lot of reputable cabinetmakers won't have anything to do with an IKEA kitchen, unless its ripping it out, because it just gets too fiddly to work with, and clients are shocked when they realise how much the kitchen is really gonna cost.
Hope that helps :)
Thanks Berenice, that's very good to know! I will let DH know. He wants to put it together himself, but I'm thinking using a cabinet maker might be more practical. I can't be without a kitchen for a long period and a cabinet maker would be able to build a new kitchen faster than my DH could! (Sorry to my my DH if you read this :redface:)
My husband is a cabinet maker so might be very one sided but. He has gone in LOTS i mean at least 1 a month and fix or replace entire kitchens, he said its great they are guranteed for 25 years but no one ever comes out to look inspect and make sure after its installed that everything is in place.. cupboards line up open and close etc.
Now DH wont touch them at all, he said by the time you fix something on one it wrecks something on the next panel. etc.. He said you are paying for what you get.. he said if you want it to last longer then 3 years.. dont bother, as it will cost you more in teh end then its worth.
Get a few cabinet maker companies to do some quotes for you and compare.. you dont need the fanciest door handles etc.. but at least they have proper fabric and material and can get you the same look as IKEA but something that will last.
Good luck
Thanks didispunk! I was afraid I might hear something like that. We will definitely get some quotes from cabinet makers too and work out which is the best option.
I agree go the custom built kitchen. We looked at an Ikea one when we renovated our last house, DH was in the building trade for awhile so he was reasonably capable of putting on in. In the end due to odd walls, needing half size cabinets on one side etc we went the custom kitchen path and it was fantastic. I think cost wise it was not much more expensive than Ikea was going to be. The check and measure guy was a legend, just 1mm out with the bench top and he had measured prior to us taking off the wall tiles, so pretty amazing. Check out showrooms now and then wait, there are some good times of year to be getting good deals on custom kitchens.
Hi Trish!
Lurking as usual and saw your thread and wanted to post to tell you that we recently renovated a house and have an Ikea kitchen and we LOVE it. We got custom made spotted gum timber benchtops which were $$ but that was what we wanted so prepared to pay the extra for them. If your DH isn't too sure about building etc. you can get a qualified person out to fit them properly for you because it is obviously important to have it all squared up right. My DH is a chippy so we didn't need to worry. The Ikea people are pretty helpful as well for pointing out things in your planner that you may not have noticed including saftey specs etc.
Having said that, we also had a quote from Yarra Valley Cabinet Makers (google ;)) in Kilsyth who were super helpful, friendlyand the price from them was very similar but it was a 6-8 week turnaround which we didn't have. PM me if you want some photos of what ours looks like! :) Hope some of that helps ~ good luck!
I have heard similar from more than one cabinet maker. They said they are a great option if you plan to renovate and sell within 2-3 years but for the long term, to look at something else.:
Thanks Astrid, I will definitely look into other avenues :)
Hi Tan! Thanks for your advice, it's great to hear from someone who has an Ikea kitchen :D. I'd love to see some pics! It must be so handy having a DH who is a chippy! Mine is an engineer and would measure it to perfection LOL. Thanks for the recommendation too, we will definitely give them a call.
Thanks Pandora :)
Thanks to Tan for the PMs :). I tried to PM you back just then and got a message your inbox was full. I'll try to resend it tomorrow :)
Hey Trish. We did our kitchen recently and went through Integrity Cabinets in Kilsyth (google they have a website!). We found them to be fantastic and quite reasonably priced. They were really efficient, always came on time and if was great to just have one contact person who then organised a plumber, electrician etc for us as well. They also did my aunt/uncles kitchen and my mum is planning on using them later this year too.
Oh and I can vouch for Tanstar's kitchen, it looks fantastic!!
Good luck, you are welcome to come over and see our kitchen. Might be a good excuse to catch up too!!! :D
Thanks for the recommendation sangie! I just rang them and have someone coming out next Wednesday :). I called Yarra Valley Cabinet Makers (thanks Tan ;)) yesterday and am still waiting to get a call back. I'll definitely check them out too though.
We definitely have to catch up soon sangie!!
We don't have an IKEA kitchen and I have heard mixed reports about them, one thing I do like about IKEA that they are reducing their use of toxic chemicals in their products. They don't use formaldehyde in their kitchen cabinets.
Formaldehyde off-gassing is a huge indoor air quality issue. It is a suspected carcinogen and has been linked to learning disorders in children. The biggest formaldehyde offender is particleboard and paints & finishes. It is currently used in thousands of products as an adhesive, bonding agent and solvent. In order to reduce emissions in the home specify a formaldehyde free MDF or plywood as well as low VOC paints & finishes. Unfortunately they can be a bit more expensive. If your budget does not allow for formaldehyde free MDF or plywood then the best ways to lower the level of formaldehyde in your home is to:
* Allow products to off-gas: Before bringing any formaldehyde-containing products into your home, allow them to off-gas outside the home. Leave the new products in your garage or ask the manufacturer to leave the product unsealed in the warehouse for a few days.
* Ventilate: By increasing ventilation you can lower the concentration of formaldehyde. This may be accomplished by opening windows or bringing in fresh air through a central ventilation system. Fans can be used to circulate the fresh air.
* Control the climate: Formaldehyde is water soluble and reacts to temperature changes. This means that as the temperature and humidity go up so does the amount of formaldehyde released from a product. By keeping the temperature and humidity low, you can decrease the amount of formaldehyde off-gassing into the air.
Trish :)
I have two friends who have Ikea kitchens, one put it to gethr themselves, one had a tradie do it for them (along with everything else). My MIL has had a 'proper' kitchen done, and you really can't tell whose is the ikea kitchen and whose isn't.....I can bet that MIL spent a lot more than my friends did though.
I think (personal opinion) that if you don't have loads of walls that things need to go up against (as in it's more of cupboards under benches etc....know what I mean) then it shouldn't be too bad with an ikea kitchen, but when following wonky walls, which are in everyones' house, that is when it starts getting more difficult.
I know if (WHEN :)) I get to renovate my house, I'd go for an ikea kitchen, and then spend the money on nicer bench tops and tiles ...... just to top it off!
Good luck with your decision....I must say I'm extremely jealous....I'd Luuuuuurve to renovate! x
we are just about to renovate our Kitchen and Bathroom, if you want a 'kit kitchen' there are lots of places you can go through other than just IKEA. If you google it, lots of people are doing it now.
We've had serval quotes and looked at heaps, have heard mixed stuff about IKEA and have also bought several items from them before only to get them home (we live 6hrs from nearest IKEA) to find stuff dented and scratched. I'd hate to open my new kitchen stuff up and find that.
We are now going through Bunnings! you can go online and look at what you want and plan it, they will then give you a quote. You can pay on the ph (great when you live remote) and don't have to pay balance til its ready for delivery (again they will deliever to us 4hrs away!!!) We can put it in ourselves, just getting benchtop made somewhere else. Our quote is appox $4500 for a new kitchen...not bad at all.
Just wanted top pop in again ;) and see how you were giong with the decision making Trish? Have you booked anyone?!
Also wanted to add that we didn't have one issue with scratches or anything like that with our kitchen, plus we also got a new bed, 3 wardrobes and they were all fine too, and if they weren't, as much of a pain as it is, we know we can take it back easily. Forgot to add in my original post that Ikea have a 25 year guarantee as well. :) Happy renovating!
Thanks everyone for your input :)
Erin - We'll have to check out Bunnings too, they sound very reasonably priced!
Tan - We still haven't locked in anything yet. We went to a place in Boronia who do flat pack kitchens too and they looked great. We also got a quote from a cabinet maker and were gobsmacked! The quote is is around triple the price of us DIY'ing it :o. We will get one more quote from my mum's friend who does kitchens and weigh it up from there. I think the cabinet maker was pretty unrealistic after talking to other friends who have had their kitchens done professionally. DH drives a company car and we think he saw us rocking up in an expensive car and thought we were loaded or something :rofl:. We are a single income family (apart from my very small business income) with three kids for goodness sakes! We need cheap LOL!
We are actually going away on a 6 week caravanning holiday in about 2 1/2 months time, so I think we'll wait until we get back now. It's too stressful to try and organise it all before we go.
Thanks again everyone :D
Have you looked at auction houses? I have seen large kitchens (with stone bench tops) go for around the $1200 mark at fowles auctions in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne (obviously depends on demand at the auction). I don't know what quality would be like and you would need to know your exact measurements but it might be worth considering if your budget is tight. You can also pick up new appliances if you need these as well. We got a rangehood that normally retails for $800 for $200 with nothing wrong with it.
I am watching you Trish do all the work for me, thank you. :rofl:
I need to get my kitchen done so am reading all these replies with interest. We will have to get someone in to do it as DH does not have the time so will have to factor that expense in.
... hey maybe Tinks might see this and pop in cause she lives in Melb and recently has done or is still renovating her kitchen and i've seen pics of it and it looks great :D
That's a great idea, thanks for the suggestion :D.:
Rivlas - We are currently considering getting a flat pack kitchen from Kitchens U Build in Boronia. We went there a few weeks ago with our kitchen dimensions, chose what style of kitchen we wanted and they emailed us a quote as well as a 3D diagram of what the kitchen would look like, we were very impressed! Their quote was very similar to an Ikea kitchen, but we liked that they are local and extremely helpful (so if we got stuck we could call them!). Apparently they can organise someone to install it for you for $1000 - I personally think it's money well spent, but I'm trying to convince DH right now haha! Oh, and apparently if you order a kitchen this month, they throw in $400 worth of accessories :D.
i really like the Ikea style, which shares a simple living attitude.
but to be frank, i don't think it has a high quality. :(