Kitchen Renovation recommendations? (another reno thread)

Give M&M Kitchens in Queanbeyan a call. They give a free design and quote, and out of the 4 quotes we received, they were the second cheapest (beat the most expensive quote by close to $5k!). Only complaint was their plasterer wasn’t up to scratch, however on the flip side their tiler was great! I would also shop around yourself for appliances. You’ll save yourself a fortune.

I would highly recommend going with Paco from Crown Kitchens.
I have had 2 kitchens designed and installed with him.
One in my old house and they have just finished the second one in my new house.
I could not be happier with the quality of work and design of the kitchen.
They also made all the vanities for my bathrooms, they built a custom entertainment unit for me and also did all cupboards and bench tops in the laundry for me.

One good thing is it is Paco and his son who come out and measure up the kitchen, give you lots of original design ideas I never thought of to keep things practical while maximising space(at no extra cost)and they are also the ones to make and install the kitchens.

I have had quotes in the past from other companies like benchmark, contemporary kitchens and the kitchen company but they were not as competitively priced as crown kitchens and also did not offer the kind of service a design ideas Paco gave me. They just came out and measured out my ideas while not really giving me many other options.

I highly recommend them and as per my posts in other threads of this nature around 8 of my friends and colleagues have gone with them after getting a quote from them.

If and when i move to a different house and it needs a new kitchen i will definately be going back to them.

You can contact Paco on 0431 061 742 or visit their showroom at 30 Hincksman street Queanbeyan.

Wow thanks for all the advice! :)) Great info Deezagood thanks
Im getting the Kitchen Company to come over next weekend to do the measure/design/quote thing so fingers crossed there. Seems they have had some happy customers on this forum but it looks looks like I need to call Benchmarc and a couple of other at a minimum

Thanks again

Talk to Peter and Lee from truelinekitchens.com.au

They used to work for a big name company then decided to go out on their own. I’d recommend a quote.

Holden Caulfield said :

Benchmarc.

+1

We used About Kitchens in Queanbeyan last year for our kitchen reno. Very happy with the service and the finished product.

The design was excellent, unlike some they listened to what we wanted, and also added some good suggestions of their own. Price was very competitive as well.

Thumbs up for the Kitchen Company. Had mine done 8yrs ago, excellent service and price and it still works and looks as well today as it did then.

We used Contemporary Kitchens at Hume and found their work very good and price reasonable

The Kitchen Company (Jen was our designer) designed and custom-made our very complicated kitchen with its weird angles and strange spaces. They don’t charge you for the design or quote either. It was about $10,000 cheaper than the nearest quote (we got four) and they were really good at discussing ways to reduce the cost (laminate instead of stone benches, tiles instead of glass splashback etc…). The quality perhaps is not ‘gold standard’ but I sure can’t tell the difference and most of my renovating friends have also gone with the KC based on the quality of our end product. We ended up opting for the more expensive finishes (stone, glass etc…) because the Kitchen Company were so much more affordable in other respects. You can also save a packet if you buy your own appliances, shop around and drive a hard bargain. I literally went from the Good Guys to Hardley Normal and Bing Lee and then back around again to get the best price possible. Ended up going with Harvey’s and got a free cutlery set as the only thing they could do to beat the Good Guy’s best price. Saved about $1000.00 from the first quote provided.

Other tips; take home your cupboard samples, place them in your kitchen area and view them in difference lights – day and night etc… as colours can look really different once in your home and at different times of day. The colour we loved in the showroom looked like pale banana once we had it in our house – blech. Also – take home stone bench samples especially if you like light colours) and test them with various ‘stainers’ like tumeric or curry paste, beetroot, red wine – leave the stains overnight and then see if they wipe cleanly away the next morning. For appliances – join Choice magazine/website as a member and read the reviews of your appliance products – invaluable advice about value for money and product quality. We ended up with different brands for different purposes based on the Choice reviews. Make sure you have chosen your appliances (and their sizings) before you have your kitchen measured for the final quote, as they will need these details and it may dictate your end design. Avoid anything trendy that may date your kitchen (such as built in wine racks!)- go with neutral colours for benches and cupboards and get creative with your splashback colours) as this can easily be taken down and resprayed if you get sick of the colour in a few years.

Have fun!!!

(Three post nutbag…)

Above, when I say the stock is old at the Winnings warehouse sale, I should clarify. The sale items are generally new stock, but the model lines have most likely just been replaced. Some stock is ex-display, but the majority is still in boxes and never been used.

For appliances, if you don’t mind not buying local, check out Winning Appliances in Sydney. They do free delivery to Canberra and are usually better priced than the Appliance Gallery.

Winnings also has a killer warehouse sale every year around Easter if my memory serves. You save big, big money. Although, the stock is generally old, you do get full warranty and savings in the range of 30-70% for most major brands. Miele will still only knock off about 15%.

We saved about 50% on a whole range of Bosch kitchen appliances earlier this year at the Winnings warehouse sale.

Another option is E&S trading. They’re based in Vic, but might be worth a look as their online prices are often very good too. Not sure what their delivery prices are like, though.

Benchmarc.

Kitchen Link are well worth seeking a quote from. I’d suggest making an appointment to visit the showroom though – the range of finishes, handles, etc is staggering and your choices can add (or remove) thousands from the cost.

We just did something similar.

The number of companies which do actual custom kitchens seem to be small. People like Kitchen Connection and Knebel are basically selling flatpack modular units that they install for you. As a result, you end up with bulkheads filling gaps between walls and cupboards, and are limited to things they have on the menu.

In the end we went with a joiner who custom made everything. It was cheaper, we ended up with a nicer product, and we’re very happy with the outcome.

Its like anything else. Get a few quotes and ask a lot of questions.

They’re not the cheapest, but if quality is what you’re after, Douglas Joinery at Hume. And while a little more exxy (although not always) than say Hardly Normal, Mundane, etc., I can highly recommend the Appliance Gallery at Fyshwick (opp Bags To Go, and they’re priced so low). All their appliances are still going strong 10years after we installed, and can’t see them flagging any time soon.

We used a small operator at Fyshwick – Kitchens Idrect i think was their name. Great service, got what we wanted and at a great price. They did really quality work and worked within our budget and also the space we had. he’s a good guy who consults all the way from start to finish. Highly recommend him. The bigger operations like the Kitchen Company are good but you pay for it. They were just way out of our price range.