Fitted kitchens: design, supply and fitting in Malta

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 a development permit from the Planning Authority depends on what is built and where; in apartment blocks, the rules of the condominium also apply. Ask before you commit, and let the business tell you which documents it needs from you.

Electrical installation work is carried out by licensed electricians; ask to see the licence and the certificate for the finished installation. Maltese businesses are registered with the Malta Business Registry, so ask for the company registration and VAT numbers, and check whether the quote includes VAT.

Source: mbr.mt

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