What are the top five questions I should ask when buying a new kitchen?

 

Every project is different, but these five questions tell you most of what you need to know about the company you’re considering and whether they’re right for you.

 

  1. What is your design process, and do you charge for it?

Understand this from the start so there are no surprises: no unexpected costs, no stalls you didn’t see coming. It varies from company to company. Don’t be put off by a design fee. A company that charges isn’t automatically more expensive than one that doesn’t. Often it reflects the level of design work involved.

At Lima, we charge a design fee that’s credited back to you when your project proceeds. We tell you what it is before any work begins.

  1. What services do you offer?

Listen to how they answer. Do they explain their whole service, or hold detail back? Do they offer one fixed approach, or adapt to what you need? Do they ask what you’re looking for before telling you what they do? The answer tells you how they’ll communicate for the length of your project.

  1. How flexible are your products and services?

This reveals how the company actually works. Are they fitting you into stock products with fixed solutions, or do they customise? If they offer bespoke, ask where the limits are, and whether everything in your design is bespoke or only part of it. If you have your own builder, ask how they’ll work alongside them. Will they manage that relationship or do you? What do they need from you and your team to do their best work?

At Lima, we’re happy to work alongside your own builder, and we’ll tell you exactly what we need from them and when.

  1. What happens after I pay my deposit?

One question, several answers worth having. How much can you still change, in design and in products? Is the deposit non-refundable, and from what point? Where are the terms written down, and are they given to you in writing rather than explained in passing? Ask what happens before your order goes to the manufacturer, who becomes your point of contact, and whether you can meet them first. And ask who runs the project day to day and how they’ll keep you updated. You want all of this in front of you before you commit, not after.

At Lima, our full terms sit at the foot of every email we send, so you always have them to hand.

  1. What are your payment terms?

This varies. Some companies ask for materials and installation in full up front. Others stage payments, or hold a portion back until completion. There’s no right or wrong. What matters is understanding the terms before you start and sticking to them. Every business relies on these terms being met, and changing them mid-project can cause problems, because their whole model is built around them.

Bonus question worth asking: Who is actually designing my kitchen, and what are they accountable to?

 

Everyone selling you a kitchen needs the order, us included. That’s not something to be wary of; it’s how any design business keeps its people in work. What matters is what sits alongside that. Ask whether the person designing your kitchen is a qualified, registered designer, because registration means they’re accountable to professional standards, not only to the sale. Good design and a signed order aren’t in conflict. You just want to know both are in the room.

Lima is the only BIID-registered kitchen design practice in Milton Keynes.