Kitchens

We have decided that we are going to go with a traditional buttermilk colour look for the kitchen. The requirement of an island with a gas hob has been outstanding for a long time so the kitchen is to be designed around this.
The kitchen length EX the island is 8m, someone made a comment in a kitchen company that if we used all three side of the kitchen, which we could, that it would be the same size as Michael Ring...a local TD!

We visited three of the main kitchen culprits around and they came back with varying designs and costs. Prices ranged from 5599 to 14k euro for the kitchen units, these were with a Formica worktop and nothing special on the designs.
At least we had a kitchen design with and a rough estimate or ball park figure, a fair bit higher than I had expected but such is the joy of self-build!!

I then took up my usual internet search to see what I could come up with across the water. A sent off the kitchen layout and requirements to about 5 companies in the UK.
Again price difference arose and we came across a kitchen layout which we really liked. The cost included all the latest kitchen gadgets like larder, towel rails, bin on the kitchen door, baskets etc, also it included an Iroko worktop of which we really liked.

I also got an excellent price for the appliances, all Baumatic, when I got prices here for the same units they were about 20% dearer here!

One evening at home we came across a mag with a load of kitchen designers. I decided to take all the email address, roughly 30, and send off the spec with the kitchen and out requirements to see what would come back.
Some we gave up on straight away, as the starting price began at 20k plus so these were not in our bracket!

But there were a number who came back with excellent price and designs.

SO at the moment we have 2 designs, one comes in at 11k with all appliances with the kitchen and Iroko, the 2nd is 13k with the same spec, except they are all Baumatic appliances and the design is a slight bit nicer.
The decision will have to be made in the next 3 weeks.