Hi Elissa, Sorry I forgot to mention. If you 'project manage" yourself, you will save money. E.g. organise plumber, electrician and other trades yourself it can also save money.

Thank you KA for your reply. I will look into sourcing the stone ourselves, that's something I hadn't considered!

We installed Ikea in 3 different houses, and found they hold up really well. One we did 20 years ago is still being used by the people who bought our house. My latest kitchen is being made by a local cabinet maker [starts this week], as I can't get to Ikea these days. Fingers crossed he turns out O.K.

Looked at what Bunnings are offering, and the quality seems very poor. BTW, I got 3 quotes and 1 was twice as high as the other 2. I chose the middle quote, and the fact he is local. I have hired a plumber who has worked well for me in the past, as well as the electrician [those quotes varied by a huge margin too], so my kitchen man can't put his markup on top. It helps to know in advance what these 2 trades will cost, as then you'll know exactly how much your overall reno will cost.

Hi Elissa, I just wanted to say my brother used Bunnings flat pack ( we don't have Ikea in Tassie) in shaker style and installed himself and it looks good. I have built about 6 times and renovated once and just started another reno (yesterday pulling up tiles in laundry, wc and bathroom). The 2 pac I have found lasts longer and looks better as well. The cabinetmaker I am using for my kitchen is the one who built it 14 years ago. He is going to use the carcases where possible and replace the doors with white shaker drawers! I had another quote but decided to stick with the one I knew. Always have the biggest pantry you can get and lots of pot drawers. That's the mistake I made 14 years ago. And never have a corner pantry! Good luck. A

Anne I could not agree more..... we have 27 drawers in our kitchen in which everything is stashed except for dinner and glassware. Scrabbling around in the back of some gloomy cupboard on my knees is not for me! And don't get me started on poxy corner pantries..... ugh.

Generally, you get what you pay for. It also depends upon what you're happy to work with and live with, with the flat pack options vs fully customised options. Depends on the detail resolution sought and how much flexibility you have with getting the module sizes working within the space. With good design you can always work with a modular product, but in some cases arguably it's better to pursue a customised option for best result. IKEA with customised stone tops can be a great hybrid result, particular with simple cleanliness set-ups......I've done/had experience with the full spectrum - from IKEA, Bunnings, custom cabinetry high & low end and also good old DIY Mitre 10....you can judge/assess the value or appropriateness for all options/outcomes - it's important to understand and clarify costs. Generally, it will cost what it will cost and the more you pay the greater quality and flexibility you'll get, and of course if you want to minimise all risk then you pay a professional to manufacture and install. Not right or wrong, or better or worse stuff, rather working out what is the most appropriate option/approach for your specific budget in context with your own capacities/time etc...

About to do my second kitchen remodel in 3 years (different homes) and I really swear by using a local specialist kitchen builder. I believe Ikea and Bunnings are very good with their products, they are basically the same as an independent supplier makes, the issue is the restrictions with them, if you have a fixed space for things you can end up with dead areas. I would not recommend Good Guys after a seriously bad experience I had with them. With a local builder I can have everything made to my specifications exactly especially with a pantry, where I can have fully adjustable shelving the depth I want to be able to freely access everything. There is nothing wrong with a corner pantry, provided you have proper access.

I am told now though that many businesses are advertising as making their own kitchens while using cheap Chinese flatpacks so you don't get the quality you expect, nor do you necessarily get the versatility. Good kitchen makers have their own showrooms and workshops to see first hand they are genuine.

Shop around for prices, they do vary hugely, and most of the smaller firms do leave you to organise your own trades which saves them time and you money. I have found the smaller local businesses are more mindful of client's budgets too and will suggest ways you can save money. They will usually have regular trades they work with and so far I've found these trades are fair with their quotes too. I do prefer to choose them though because them knowing the kitchen maker, they will fully co-operate with times when it comes to doing their work so there are no holdups.

One issue that was raised in my latest quotes is the stone benchtops and the weight of them. If you are having anything large you may need a crane which is more cost. I would also assume if something is heavy enough to need a crane, then unless you are on a slab you would need to look at your foundations to ensure they can carry the weight.

Good luck - keep focussed on the fact this is YOUR kitchen in YOUR home, YOU are paying for it and it is all about YOU. Don't let anyone sidetrack you from that.

Our previous kitchen reno was done with Freedom. Really happy with the results, quality and appearance. Plus they install it for you, we moved house 10 years after doing the kitchen and it was still in top condition.

In our current house we have installed a Bunnings kitchen. Thermo wrapped shaker style doors and drawers and reconstituted stone bench tops. Looks nice, but we have already replaced 1 set of door hinges after only 12 months; and we purchased the more expensive hinges. So I'm not sure how well it will last compared to the Freedom kitchen.

I think it all depends on your budget as to what you choose, when researching flat packs though I did come across information that said ikea cabinets are a different height to most other cabinets, which means if you want to replace doors at a later stage you can only use ikea ones. Also thought I read that ikea cabinets don't have a back on them; which is probably ok if your walls are straight.

One other piece of advise, Bunnings flat packs are not easy to install, and their instructions are woeful. If you go with Bunnings I would efinatly use one of their recommended installers. We did our own installation, it was a nightmare, ended up with a cabinet maker coming to level it all out.

Hay so ive done both. Renovated my two bed, Good guys kitchen cost me $16k and i was dissapointed with the quality of the install but nobody else was selling the product they had and i love the finished result so i feel was worth the spend. I then built an extension and needed laundry, butlers pantry, studio kitchen, wardrobes, utility cupboard, bathroom cabinets. I got a quote for $33k from a cabinet company and decided to go ikea instead. Ive sourced the wardrobes second hand to save money but im really pleased with ikeas products. Ive spent about $10k a lot of sweat equity. We hired a cabinet maker to install the kitchen/pantry/laundry but i built all the cabinets prior to them coming to site to fit. They cost me $1k and was worth every penny as what they did in a day would have taken me three weekends. Ikea also have 10 year warrenty. Get on pintrest as you can really think outside the box for slight tweeks that make it look high end. Good luck x

I went through that last year. And, whatever you end up using, the Ikea kitchen planner is a great help in working through choices, layout etc. I can recommend IKEA cupboards, which I got in two colours (antique white and a light ash) - and their installation is even cheaper if you put the cupboards together yourself (even doing the frames for a carpenter is well worth it). The drawers and drawers inside drawers are excellent. I also had to use Kaboodle from Bunnings, as I wanted a corner pantry - it's a system that's also worth considering - my pantry is well made and goes well with the other cupboards. I didn't use IKea for benchtops and splashbacks, as my carpenter had a supplier from whom he could stuff wholesale, which cut costs as well. Twelve months on, I'm still very happy with the kitchen, the quality of cupboards etc.

And for Anne - I first designed a corner pantry in a kitchen over 30 years ago and was rapt in it - it worked excellently. I also designed one for my current (recently installed) kitchen - it is large, I can step inside and see everything, it is well set out and is accessible (which the one we removed wasn't). It takes up little floor space for the volume of storage and opens to a large half island benchtop, where I can do all my baking. Don't regret it for a moment.

PS I'm still sorting the small laundry. I needed a cupboard but none of the flatpacks would fit so had to get one custom made - three times the cost of the flat pack cupboards in the kitchen for a similar sized unit.

Rundle - if you want to fill the space between the cupboard top and the ceiling have a plasterer come in and build a bulkhead to fill the gap. That is the way most are done as the cornice prevents cupboards going all the way to the ceiling anyway. A new cornice would be added to give the cupboards a full built in look.

I'm looking to replace my kitchen and according to professional installers Bunnings has gone down in quality, I had used them on a house for sale looked OK, avoid vinyl wrap as it only lasts 10 years, had it replaced twice at 9 years. Most recommend IKEA cabinets only 2 problems their corner units seem small, sizes are not standard Australian they work in 40-60-80cm where's others work on 40-45-60-90cm and pantry's are only 40-80cm. Deal breaker if you want 90cm.

I love IKEA Kitchens they offer 25 year guarantee easy to install etc. plus cost wise good on a budget & wallet

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