Designer Kitchens
You dream it...we will make it!
What will it cost?
The actual cost of the kitchen joinery is up to you...we work to your budget. If you are unsure about costs and how much to allow your designer will help you draw up a budget for the project (there is more detailed information about this in the following text). An average kitchen in todays market costs between $10,000.00 and $15,000.00 but kitchens range from as little as $5,000.00 up to $30,000.00 plus! A lot of people who are building new homes seem to be spending around the $20,000.00 bracket and opting for higher quality bench surfaces. Your project is important to us no matter how big, or small!
How long will it take?
This will partly depend on the workloads of the designer and the factory at the time. Generally a designer kitchen will take 2-3 weeks to work through the design process after an initial site measure (if an alteration) or meeting with the house plans (if a new house). The actual manufacturing time for the kitchen once the quote has been accepted is generally 4-6 weeks, but check with your designer as some times of the year we are booked several months ahead. If your joinery has been booked in by your Builder the design and colours need to be sorted out about 2 months before it is to be installed.
You will be given an approximate installation date once the final documents have been passed on to our production department by your designer, before this can happen final site measurements have to be checked, colours and appliance models confirmed.
What do I need to do?
Your first step is to phone or e-mail Barretts and make an appointment with your designer. We have 5 designers who specialise in different areas, so you may be asked a few questions initially about your project to make sure your enquiry is given to the right person.
Your designer will guide you with the specific details of the design process.
At your first meeting they will ask you about the style of kitchen you'd like and need general information about the appliances that you want to fit in. They don't need exact brands or model number at the initial planning stage but it is good to have thought about general things, like whether you want the oven to be a wall oven, under-bench oven or free-standing stove....or whether the refrigerator is to be a large ice-maker model or standard size.
It is good to look through magazines to get an idea of the style of kitchen you like, although it is unlikely that you will find an exact replica of your own kitchen, you will be able to spot details and ideas that can be incorporated. If you mark the pages and show them to your designer this will help them to get a feel for your taste and the look you are trying to achieve. Your designer will show you samples of different finishes and door styles that are available, and will guide your choices if you are unsure of anything.
The most important aspect of the design is the layout. The style of the kitchen and the colours are just cosmetic, a kitchen can look very smart but be totally impractical if the position of things are wrong and the work habits of the cook have not been incorporated in to the design.
Working out your budget?
The other factor to the design which is quite important for your designer to know is the budget they are working with as this will determine the materials that you can use and the extent of the joinery. When working out your budget you need to remember that the Joinery cost is only part of the allowance you need to make. A typical kitchen alteration also involves Plumbing, Electrical work, new appliances, decoration and some patching of walls, splashbacks or tiles, and usually replacement of flooring. Make sure that you inform your designer of what your overall budget is and also how much you want to allocate to each area as this has an effect on the design. People are often reluctant to disclose a budget, the perception being that the price will be inflated to match the budget figure...we won't do this, we promise. We don't want to waste our time designing a kitchen you can't afford and if we think your expectations are unrealistic we will tell you.
The layout of the kitchen has a big impact on the cost, as well as the size of the room, this is something to bear in mind, especially when planning a new house. Generally a kitchen with lots of angles (or curves) will be a lot more expensive than a simple "L" or "U" shape, the simplest most cost effective layout would be a galley kitchen.
Your designers job is to convert all this information in to a design that is stylish, practical and affordable.
What will Barretts do?
Your designer will work closely with you while designing your kitchen. You will be able to see images of how it will look using our 3D computer programme and samples of materials and colours in our showroom. Your designer will provide you with a written quote or estimate for the joinery. They will also assist and guide you with the choice of colours and handles...this is usually the final step before actually making the kitchen. If your project requires a Building Consent we can assist with the application and documentation, this will incur an additional charge which will vary according to the size of the project and documentation required by the Council.
We generally install our own designer joinery (unless your builder has been arranged to do this) and so generally quote for the joinery delivered to site and fitted by one of our specialist installers. Our custom made designer joinery is not manufactured as a kitset and so we do not recommend that you install it yourself unless you are a building professional as all of our benches and panels are made oversize to be scribed to the walls.
If you have chosen a Modular Kitchen you have the option of either installing it yourself or (to avoid risking an appearance on Televisions “DIY Disasters”) having one of our specialist installers fit it.
The extent of our involvement is up to you. If you have sub-contractors who you prefer to use we are happy work with them, or if you prefer, we can organise the whole project right through to the painting and flooring. We have a network of reliable tradesmen who will turn up when we need them and do what we ask.
