i'm going to be buying a kitchen from wickes/homebase/b&q. my place is
a 2 bed flat and i may let it out in the future so i'm looking to have
easily replacable appliances. i already have a white waching machine
and white fridge.

im wondering whether to get a freestanding cooker and just leave the
space in my kitchen design for it. or whether to buy one that will fit
in with units and allow the worktop to continue around the hob. also
whether to match up with my white appliances or go for stainless
steel. same with the sink. any tips?

also if im going to get a freestanding cooker then should i shop
around or just buy from the kitchen diy shop, do they charge much more?

On Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:08:19 -0800 (PST), benpost
wrote:

i'm going to be buying a kitchen from wickes/homebase/b&q. my place is
a 2 bed flat and i may let it out in the future so i'm looking to have
easily replacable appliances. i already have a white waching machine
and white fridge.

im wondering whether to get a freestanding cooker and just leave the
space in my kitchen design for it. or whether to buy one that will fit
in with units and allow the worktop to continue around the hob. also
whether to match up with my white appliances or go for stainless
steel. same with the sink. any tips?

also if im going to get a freestanding cooker then should i shop
around or just buy from the kitchen diy shop, do they charge much more?


If you're having tenants you will want something quick to replace.
That'll be the freestanding one.
And shop around.
--
http://www.freedeliveryuk.co.uk

mogga wrote:
On Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:08:19 -0800 (PST), benpost
wrote:

i'm going to be buying a kitchen from wickes/homebase/b&q. my place is
a 2 bed flat and i may let it out in the future so i'm looking to have
easily replacable appliances. i already have a white waching machine
and white fridge.

im wondering whether to get a freestanding cooker and just leave the
space in my kitchen design for it. or whether to buy one that will fit
in with units and allow the worktop to continue around the hob. also
whether to match up with my white appliances or go for stainless
steel. same with the sink. any tips?

also if im going to get a freestanding cooker then should i shop
around or just buy from the kitchen diy shop, do they charge much more?


If you're having tenants you will want something quick to replace.
That'll be the freestanding one.

Not necessarily... any letting agent will tell you that built-in
appliances are far trendier and hence, all other things being equal, a
property is more marketable with them fitted.

Depends what target market you're aiming at of course.

BTW how often do you need to replace a cooker? Admittedly changing a
hob can be awkward, given different worktop cut-out sizes, but swapping
one built-in oven for another is really no harder than swapping a
free-standing cooker (in fact easier, as it can be lifted by one person!)

David

On Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:13:31 GMT, Lobster
wrote:

mogga wrote:
On Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:08:19 -0800 (PST), benpost
wrote:

i'm going to be buying a kitchen from wickes/homebase/b&q. my place is
a 2 bed flat and i may let it out in the future so i'm looking to have
easily replacable appliances. i already have a white waching machine
and white fridge.

im wondering whether to get a freestanding cooker and just leave the
space in my kitchen design for it. or whether to buy one that will fit
in with units and allow the worktop to continue around the hob. also
whether to match up with my white appliances or go for stainless
steel. same with the sink. any tips?

also if im going to get a freestanding cooker then should i shop
around or just buy from the kitchen diy shop, do they charge much more?


If you're having tenants you will want something quick to replace.
That'll be the freestanding one.

Not necessarily... any letting agent will tell you that built-in
appliances are far trendier and hence, all other things being equal, a
property is more marketable with them fitted.

Depends what target market you're aiming at of course.

BTW how often do you need to replace a cooker? Admittedly changing a
hob can be awkward, given different worktop cut-out sizes, but swapping
one built-in oven for another is really no harder than swapping a
free-standing cooker (in fact easier, as it can be lifted by one person!)

David


Depends on how the tenants treat it.

--
http://www.freedeliveryuk.co.uk

In message , Lobster
writes
mogga wrote:
On Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:08:19 -0800 (PST), benpost
wrote:

i'm going to be buying a kitchen from wickes/homebase/b&q. my place

a 2 bed flat and i may let it out in the future so i'm looking to have
easily replacable appliances. i already have a white waching machine
and white fridge.

im wondering whether to get a freestanding cooker and just leave the
space in my kitchen design for it. or whether to buy one that will fit
in with units and allow the worktop to continue around the hob. also
whether to match up with my white appliances or go for stainless
steel. same with the sink. any tips?

also if im going to get a freestanding cooker then should i shop
around or just buy from the kitchen diy shop, do they charge much more?
If you're having tenants you will want something quick to replace.
That'll be the freestanding one.

Not necessarily... any letting agent will tell you that built-in
appliances are far trendier and hence, all other things being equal, a
property is more marketable with them fitted.

Built in ones are less easy to nick ...

--
geoff

decided to get a built in one as i really like the look of the hob
with worktop around.
are diy shops reasonable for appliances? or can i buy a lot cheaper
elsewhere?
just wondering whether to get the diy shop kitchen designer to quote
for appliances or just units/accessories.

benpost wrote:
decided to get a built in one as i really like the look of the hob
with worktop around.
are diy shops reasonable for appliances? or can i buy a lot cheaper
elsewhere?
just wondering whether to get the diy shop kitchen designer to quote
for appliances or just units/accessories.

Definitely shop around online.

Curiously Dixon's is often one of the best value around.

David

thanks will check them out.

just a quickie i don't know a lot about brand names for kitchen
appliances, can anyone give me a rough guide?

i don't mind paying a bit more for a well known make that will last
longer & work better.

such as a car i'd rather own a vw or audi than a ford or vauxhall...

benpost coughed up some electrons that declared:

just a quickie i don't know a lot about brand names for kitchen
appliances, can anyone give me a rough guide?

i don't mind paying a bit more for a well known make that will last
longer & work better.

such as a car i'd rather own a vw or audi than a ford or vauxhall...

For large appliances (dryers, washing machines etc), Miele or top-end Bosch
in that order (middle and low end Bosch machines are IIRC made in Spain and
are not in the same league; Logixx, if they still market with that subbrand
are the high end, Classix is crap and Excell is middle).

I have 3 Miele appliances (Washing machine, bottom end, miles better than
top end of most other makes, a Revolution IV cylinder hoover which is the
first domestic cylinder hoover that I've used that I believe is actually
capable of anything good; and a fridge which does actually seem to stay
cold enough without freezing to make food last a good couple of days longer
than my old no-name fridge). Miele "just work" for what thay are designed
to do. They cost a packet, but allegedly last a long time. I've have to
take 5 on that one before I can personally vouch.

I also have a Bosch tumble dryer that is basically sound and still just
works, after 7 years and the dishwasher is easy to DIY service (not a
fault, but somehow (cough) powder got into the rinse aid tank so I had to
strip and clean it).

Basically, buy German...

My old Vax hoover was middling as a domestic hoover but will take almost any
abuse as a lightweight "builders" hoover, eg garage and DIY duties.
Personally I've found it better for that than the Henries and friends, but
to be fair, I only ever used beaten up old Henries at work, so it's not a
fair comparision.

Can't complain about my old Hotpoint freezer. Simple, quiet, works, 12 years
old.

IMO don't touch Hoover (crap tumble dryer, got a refund, bought the Bosch),
White Knight, Electrolux, Ariston (parts are bloody expensive).

Cannon (sp?) make basic but solid gas cookers IME, Panasonic combo-microwave
reliable and consistent (but opinions vary), NEFF make some pretty fancy
ovens and hobs, but I don't like their "basic" built in oven, though the
electric hob is OK.

That's all I have from personal experience.

Cheers

Tim

The message

from benpost contains these words:

just a quickie i don't know a lot about brand names for kitchen
appliances, can anyone give me a rough guide?

i don't mind paying a bit more for a well known make that will last
longer & work better.

such as a car i'd rather own a vw or audi than a ford or vauxhall...

I'd certainly second the "You won't go wrong with a Miele appliance"
recomendation.

Not so confident about Bosch.

AEG are usually trouble-free but expensive.

Some Panasonic things are great but their recent vacuum cleaners are
very suspect.

Siemens ar a mixed bag.

Appin wrote:
The message

from benpost contains these words:

just a quickie i don't know a lot about brand names for kitchen
appliances, can anyone give me a rough guide?

i don't mind paying a bit more for a well known make that will last
longer & work better.

such as a car i'd rather own a vw or audi than a ford or vauxhall...

I'd certainly second the "You won't go wrong with a Miele appliance"
recomendation.

Not so confident about Bosch.

AEG are usually trouble-free but expensive.

Some Panasonic things are great but their recent vacuum cleaners are
very suspect.

Siemens ar a mixed bag.
IIRC there are - as with many car parts - only tow or three actual
maunufacturers out there* - the rest is just badge engineering.

You wont go WRONG with Miele.

The rest? its plain luck as far as I can tell. I hvae old model hoover
stuff that has outlasted several more modern hoover machines..

Basically all modern kit is built down to a price: things are made of
flimsy plastic, not metal, and the expectation is the unit will be
junked every 5-10 years when a new kitchen/refurb happens. Miele seems
to be the exception.



* when it comes to things like clutches, gearboxes, fuel injection
systems and the like