Kitchen Fitters | Local Services | Classifieds.co.uk :

Whether you are chained to the kitchen sink washing dishes or happily cooking up a culinary masterpiece with a glass of wine in your hand, your kitchen needs to be inviting -- but it also needs to function properly as a working area. So, when you are installing your first kitchen in a new house or thinking about changing or updating your kitchen it is important that you put some time and effort into choosing a good kitchen fitter.

How do you find kitchen fitters?
A great place to start looking for a kitchen fitter is a classified ads website where professional kitchen fitters advertise their services, experience, qualifications and contact details. This will allow you to select a shortlist of possible kitchen fitters for you to choose from in your local area. Another good way to find a kitchen fitter is to ask friends and family to recommend someone that fitted a kitchen for them and did a good job.

What services do kitchen fitters provide
One of the most important factors contributing to the success of any kitchen is that the kitchen is planned properly. It is crucial that the best use is made of the space available and that you have adequate storage space as well as worktop space for preparing food and that all the appliances you require can be fitted in. Many good kitchen fitters will also provide a planning and design service and advise you on the best way to set out your kitchen -- in most cases based upon years of experience. They will often think of usability issues that may not have crossed your mind.

Find out if they can supply a 3 dimensional plan to give you a real feel as to how the finished kitchen will look. Also, some kitchen fitters will simply buy in readymade units while others will be able to make the units specifically to fit the space you have available. This can be an advantage if you have an unusually-shaped kitchen or an older property with which modern unit sizes may not be compatible. Clearly hand made units will come at a premium. Many good kitchen fitters will also be able to handle all the electrical, plumbing, painting and decorating work that is required to install a kitchen, either themselves or through the use of trusted subcontractors. It is far easier to deal with one firm for all the work rather than trying to coordinate separate plumbers, electricians and decorators. Finally, check that the fitters will remove and dispose of all your old kitchen units.

Take advice
A reputable and experienced kitchen fitter will have seen many more kitchens that you ever have and will know clever ways to organise the space available so it is worth taking their advice and listening to their suggestions.

Qualifications and experience
Ask to see some examples of kitchens previously designed and fitted by any company you are seriously considering employing and be very wary if they don't seem keen to show you examples of their work. Also, check if the fitters have experience of fitting the style of kitchen that you are planning and that they are willing to take on your job. There is no point hiring a firm of fitters that specialise in high specification commercial kitchens if you want a country farmhouse-style pine kitchen. Ask what qualifications and how many years experience they have and if they are a member of any professional body or organisation. Members of professional bodies such as the KBSA (Kitchen Bedroom Bathroom Specialists Association) should generally provide a high standard of service, reliability, time-keeping, safety, tidiness and value for money. Also, a reputable kitchen fitter will be confident enough of their services and materials to offer you a 10 year guarantee.

Safety and tidiness
There is nothing worse than coming home from a hard day at the office to find that the kitchen fitters have gone home and left your house in a complete mess and covered in sawdust. Check that the fitters have an approach designed to protect your house as much as possible from damage and dust. This will include keeping doors to the rest of the house closed and covering over wooden floors, carpets and furniture. Since the kitchen fitters will be working with the potentially lethal combination of electricity and water when installing a kitchen, make sure that they observe all possible safety precautions and that all gas installation work is handled by a CORGI registered fitter and all electrical work is by a suitably qualified electrician (this is now a legal requirement in the UK).

Working hours
Establish at the outset of the project what hours the fitters prefer to work. For example, you may not be happy with them starting hammering and banging in your kitchen early on a Saturday or Sunday morning. You may prefer that they have stopped working by the time you come home from work in the evening or you may expect them to work non-stop, 7 days a week to get the job finished as quickly as possible. So, make sure that neither you nor the fitters have unrealistic expectations regarding working hours.

Costs
Ask for a quote from a few different kitchen fitters so that you can compare prices. Make sure that the quote is free and find out exactly what services and materials are covered -- and what are not. Also ask for a project plan to be supplied to give you an idea as to how long it will take to get the kitchen fitted. If you are living in the house at the same time as the work is going on it is important to know when your cooker will be out of action or when the water supply will be cut off. Units that are made specifically for your kitchen will be more expensive than readymade units but this could be a very sensible investment. Do not simply choose the cheapest quote as you may regret it later when the door falls off a cupboard after a few months or a drawer refuses to close properly.

The kitchen is commonly the focus of a home and contributes significantly to its market valuation. If you are planning to sell within the life of the kitchen, consider carefully that pink polka dot door design: will it add or detract from your home's value? In all cases it is very important that you choose a reputable and reliable kitchen fitter to ensure that your kitchen ends up as an inviting, homely yet functional space and not an expensive disaster area.