Fitted kitchens: design, supply and fitting in Ireland

Some kitchen companies design, supply and fit everything. You deal with one business, which is responsible if units arrive damaged or the worktop does not fit. Others supply only, and you hire an independent fitter. That can cost less, but when a cabinet is missing or a measurement is wrong, the supplier and fitter may each point at the other. A third route is a fitter who works from your own design and orders, which suits people who have already planned the kitchen in detail.

Whichever route you choose, agree in writing who measures the room, who checks deliveries, who orders the worktop and when, and who deals with shortages. The final survey measurement should be taken by whoever is responsible for the fit.

Good kitchen design starts from how you cook and how many people use the room, not from a catalogue. The designer needs to know where the water supply, waste pipe, gas pipe and consumer unit are, where windows and doors fall, and whether walls can take wall units or tall housings. Moving the sink or the hob is possible but brings plumbing, drainage and extraction work with it.

Ask for a plan and elevations with dimensions, a list of all units and appliances, and the positions of sockets, switches and lighting. A kitchen makeover, replacing doors, handles and worktops on existing carcasses, is a cheaper option if the units are sound and the layout works.

Laminate and wooden worktops are usually cut and fitted on site. Stone and quartz worktops are templated after the base units are installed and level, then made and fitted later, which adds a gap of some days or weeks with no worktop. A replacement worktop on an existing kitchen needs the same care: the sink, hob and splashback all have to come off and go back.

Ask for a programme that shows when you will be without a working sink and cooker.

• the room size, or a sketch with doors, windows and radiators marked
• whether you want design, supply, fitting, or a combination
• what stays and what goes: units, appliances, flooring, tiles
• whether the sink, hob or boiler position changes
• gas or electric cooking, and any appliances you already own
• worktop material, if decided
• your budget range and when you would like to start

Whether the work needs planning permission depends on what is built and where. Many small works on a house are exempted development within set limits, but that exemption does not apply everywhere, for example to protected structures. Ask your county or city council's planning office before you commit if you are unsure.

Electrical work in homes is carried out by Registered Electrical Contractors, and gas work by Registered Gas Installers; ask to see the registration before work starts. Check whether the quote includes VAT, which Revenue charges at different rates depending on the goods and services involved.

Source: revenue.ie

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