Clearly you have to prioritise AC but you also want a kitchen you love. Because a showroom is less snazzy doesn’t mean they sell the same product for less. So your question is really about are you prepared to accept a lower quality product to save money?

If it were me and I needed to reduce the kitchen renovation cost I would try to have the higher quality brand so I would try the following: speak to your favourite kitchen designer- can the overall cost be reduced by reducing the number of cabinets (ie less cabinets but larger ones.) can the cost be reduced in other ways such as a different door choice or deleting end panels in favour of a coloured carcass side? Have you got carried away selecting pullouts that might not be necessary? Are there lesser known brands that could be substituted- for example is there a a worktop brand with less choices but a different price tag? Does the kitchen plan contain things that can be delivered in a different way- for instance are there integrated under cabinet lights that could be substituted for more cost effecting surface mounted lights? Have you inadvertently selected a high cost item that can be swapped for a more cost effective one?- for example at a previous house when choosing the kitchen I loved a particular handle which was an £800 upgrade from my second choice.
Given the first company has done so much work it seems a shame to buy a lesser spec kitchen elsewhere when they can likely change your current plan.

Thank you. I’ll have a good think.

Hi Marina, It can definitely be a tricky thing, especially as you've had a good experience with one company. The obvious would be to continue with this company, however clearly there are other reasons for you to look else where.

We don't have a showroom and therefore work hard to make sure our clients are very happy from beginning to end. We also probably have a far better choice than showrooms, which means we can help every style, design and budget.

I think showrooms tend to make things easier for a client walking in not know what they want and so tend to choose one of the displays. Of course all showrooms will have extra overhead costs of the showroom itself to the sales people.

I would definitely talk to the company with no showroom as it should save you money, though it's got to feel right as well and not just about the money. The product should be good, through to the fitting which is of course extremely important too.

Good luck.

Thank you very much.

Your very welcome

It is a general rule to get 3 quotes, but I think that’s more when you are unsure of the companies quoting. If you have used someone that good, then I would stick with them and just tweak your quote to try and bring it in line with the costs you were imagining. I agree the AC must be a priority with these current temperatures. In fact I am having it installed in the U.K. as I was very poorly last month with my asthma and I just couldn’t get my breath! I think using a company that you trust is worth its weight in gold.

Thank you.