Should You Buy a Low Cost Or Premium 

Kitchen in 2022?

Working From HomeIn today's world, the kitchen is one of the most used rooms in the home. Kitchens are used today as the main room for watching TV and reading the paper or coffee mornings and socialising with friends and family. Nowadays, more people are using their kitchen in other ways besides just cooking.  

However, in today's COVID world, more people are working from home than ever before, so if you do not have a spare room, the kitchen may be the room to work from as there is space and typically fewer distractions.  

So is it more critical to decide what type of kitchen you should buy: should you go for the cheap and cheerful kitchen? Or the better quality, though greater expense, kitchen?

Benefits of buying a Low-Cost Kitchen:

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One of the main benefits of buying a low-cost kitchen is the cost. A low-cost kitchen is easier to buy and set up. There will be a significant price decrease when purchasing this type of kitchen. This type of kitchen will be especially great for customers with a low budget who can't spend as much. 

This is because you can buy cheaper kitchens off the shelf at your local DIY stores, as they are usually ready-made and boxed up as flatpack units. This means that it is easier to both buy and quickly install this type of kitchen. Because of this, companies won't need to deliver these box-up flatpack units to you as you can collect them yourself, meaning you can save money and time. 

You can have your kitchen designed when buying from a high street store or DIY/Trade outlets. This process takes a few hours with the help of a designer, and you usually have more choices in styles and colours when buying products this way. These materials typically have a better quality than the box-up flatpack units. Delivery times when buying products this way is usually a few days to 4 weeks. This gives you time to plan. 

Disadvantages of Buying a Cheap Kitchen:

One reason you shouldn't buy a low-cost kitchen is due to the cheap materials that will most likely be used. Materials and components that make up each unit will also be cheaply made and, therefore, easier to break or fail, like hinges or back panels inside your carcase. If these materials break, you will have to pay more money to replace or fix them.

Low Cost

Another disadvantage is that the guarantee on these kitchen units is generally up to 2 years. This is significantly lower compared to the better quality kitchen, which usually guarantees up to 6+ years.

Note: be careful when looking at the guarantee. Some companies can exaggerate the guarantee by saying the kitchen units come with a 25-year warranty. However, they don't tell you this only applies to specific components, such as hinges. 

For example, the hinges may have a 25-year guarantee, but the doors may only have two years. Trying to claim a warranty after six years is almost impossible unless you have paperwork or a receipt saying how long the guarantee is for.

Cheap doorsA significant disadvantage with this type of kitchen is that there are usually fewer options for the low-cost mass-built kitchen. Product choice, sizes, colours, or accessories won't be as much variety. 

An additional problem with this type of kitchen is that cheaper materials and thinner products will be used. Because of this, these products may break over time. For example, the door for your kitchen may be 16mm instead of 18mm. 

(Some examples include: blown doors where the material comes away from the MDF door and doors that warp/bend over time due to the cheaper materials and thinner components being used.)

If you buy a low-cost kitchen, your kitchen may appear unflattering as time goes on since cheaper materials will be used. You will also find that large DIY/Trade outlets generally will have inexperienced designers as the companies want to keep the staff cost as low as possible. These designers are more focused on selling you a kitchen quickly rather than spending time designing your kitchen, which means your kitchen could look like everyone else who bought a kitchen from that company.

Benefits of a Premium Kitchen:

Universal Kitchen DoorsWhy should you buy a good quality kitchen? One reason is that, though it may be more expensive, the quality of the kitchen should be better and last much longer, compared to the low-cost option. 

This means you won't have to fix broken or failed components, which will save you more money over the long term. 

Buying a more expensive kitchen typically has a greater range of products. There is more variety when purchasing an expensive kitchen for product sizes, colours and accessories. 

When buying a premium kitchen, you will have other options like built-up carcasses and doors that are already handed and hinged to the carcase,  so this will help to speed your install time and make your fitter happier.

When buying premium products, they typically have better components made of better materials. For example, when purchasing a more expensive kitchen, there will be thicker carcasses, better hinges for your doors (with a hidden soft-close mechanism built within the hinge), thicker doors from 18mm to 22mm and a much better high-quality finish. The drawers and carcasses you buy may also be fully assembled and ready to be installed. Purchasing these products will have a much longer guarantee, which is 6+ years on most components such as doors, hinges, drawer boxes and carcases. 

A good quality kitchen should appear much more flattering in the long term, compared to the lower-cost kitchen, because this kitchen will have better materials and a higher quality finish. Due to the higher price, you should get branded components like Blum, Hettich, and Bartels, which will work better and will not break over time. The kitchen should stay elegant for many years.

Generally, more expensive kitchens are more detailed in design and planning as your designers have more experience. The planning and designing can take much longer, as designers will design your kitchen over days rather than hours. 

Disadvantages of a Premium Kitchen:

Paying For KitchenOne of the main disadvantages of this kitchen is that it is more expensive than the low-cost kitchen. Due to this, some customers may be unable to afford this type of kitchen. 

Another disadvantage is that the ordering and fitting time can be very long. This can vary from 4-12 weeks - and sometimes even longer. 

If you want an experienced kitchen fitter, the fitting cost may be even more expensive. Also, not all expensive kitchens are of good quality, so do your research before buying to ensure you're not getting an over-inflated price.

Conclusion:

Buying a low-cost kitchen will be best for customers who have a low budget or those who only have to buy a few kitchen units for their kitchen. Customers selling their houses may also want to buy a low-cost kitchen if they want their home sold more quickly. 

However, buying a low-cost kitchen would not be a good option for those who want a kitchen that should last for years. If you have a bigger budget, we recommend you go for the better quality kitchen, but make sure you research before committing to buy, whether you're looking at a low-cost or a more premium kitchen.

In conclusion, there is no right or wrong when choosing which kitchen you would like to buy. It depends on the consumers and what they want to achieve from their kitchen, whether it be a quick turnaround, better service or a more detailed planning service.

For more information on up-and-coming blogs regarding everything to do with kitchens and replacement kitchen cupboard doors, click on the link Universal Kitchen Doors.