Hello everyone,
Until now, I’ve mostly followed the topics here quietly, but I thought I might ask for your experiences this time 🙂
We are building with Schwörerhaus, and our current task is to plan our kitchen so that we also get the layout for the utility connections. We thought we’d get three quotes, compare them, and then decide. But it’s not as easy as we thought.
So far, we have visited two kitchen showrooms. Both told us they only plan and sell the kitchen with the appliances included, and during the consultation, we could only specify which functions are important to us for the appliances.
After all the planning, we got to see a finished rendering on-site and were given a price. However, we were not allowed to take any pictures or printed plans of the final kitchen. Also, no exact model numbers or similar details about the appliances were provided. We were told the brand, but a supplier usually offers more than one appliance of a brand.
This all seems quite unprofessional to me. The advisors’ argument was each time that they put in the effort, and then I might take the plan and get it done somewhere else. In the end, I determined the layout, number of cabinets, etc., myself at both places—and naturally chose the same for each to compare.
But without the details, I can hardly compare. In the end, I don’t really know which appliances are included. If company 1 says it costs 25,000 EUR and company 2 says 15,000 EUR, I have no way of understanding what causes the difference. Both kitchens are roughly identical in layout and the number of cabinets, so it must be the appliances? It would be nice to have that listed so I could maybe choose cheaper appliances in one kitchen or more expensive ones in the other if something is “missing” or however.
What are your experiences here? Does anyone perhaps know a good kitchen studio in Berlin/Brandenburg where you can get everything listed clearly?
I’m a bit unsure right now... I wouldn’t want to pay such an amount “just like that” without knowing exactly what I am paying for in the end.
Thanks in advance for your insights.
Best regards,
ElaVogel
Until now, I’ve mostly followed the topics here quietly, but I thought I might ask for your experiences this time 🙂
We are building with Schwörerhaus, and our current task is to plan our kitchen so that we also get the layout for the utility connections. We thought we’d get three quotes, compare them, and then decide. But it’s not as easy as we thought.
So far, we have visited two kitchen showrooms. Both told us they only plan and sell the kitchen with the appliances included, and during the consultation, we could only specify which functions are important to us for the appliances.
After all the planning, we got to see a finished rendering on-site and were given a price. However, we were not allowed to take any pictures or printed plans of the final kitchen. Also, no exact model numbers or similar details about the appliances were provided. We were told the brand, but a supplier usually offers more than one appliance of a brand.
This all seems quite unprofessional to me. The advisors’ argument was each time that they put in the effort, and then I might take the plan and get it done somewhere else. In the end, I determined the layout, number of cabinets, etc., myself at both places—and naturally chose the same for each to compare.
But without the details, I can hardly compare. In the end, I don’t really know which appliances are included. If company 1 says it costs 25,000 EUR and company 2 says 15,000 EUR, I have no way of understanding what causes the difference. Both kitchens are roughly identical in layout and the number of cabinets, so it must be the appliances? It would be nice to have that listed so I could maybe choose cheaper appliances in one kitchen or more expensive ones in the other if something is “missing” or however.
What are your experiences here? Does anyone perhaps know a good kitchen studio in Berlin/Brandenburg where you can get everything listed clearly?
I’m a bit unsure right now... I wouldn’t want to pay such an amount “just like that” without knowing exactly what I am paying for in the end.
Thanks in advance for your insights.
Best regards,
ElaVogel
Benutzer123 schrieb:
What do you mean by secrecy? If the appliances are that important to you, research them in advance, write down the model names, and visit a showroom that offers the manufacturer. The consultant will be grateful if you make their job easier.It’s not just about the appliances. I often had to ask follow-up questions about which price range and which fronts are being used. What is planned inside the units? Drawers? Shelves? What cabinet height, and so on.
Benutzer12313 Jun 2022 20:11Ysop*** schrieb:
It's not just about the appliances. Sometimes I had to inquire further about which price category and which fronts were involved. What the interior planning looked like. Drawers? Shelves? What cabinet height, and so on. I believe that simply meets the general XXL customer’s expectations: white and matte. Done. I already knew in advance that Smartglas is PG4 and Resopal is PG3. I understood what grid patterns were and how many drawers and pull-outs I wanted in each cabinet. I would also recommend anyone who has the chance to do some research themselves. Salespeople can say a lot throughout the day, and no one knows your cooking habits better than yourself.
@Benutzer123 ... with that, you were among the maximum of about 10% of kitchen customers who really did thorough research beforehand.
To everyone else ... you wouldn’t believe how differently kitchens can be designed even in so-called standard rooms. I have been doing this as a hobby for almost 16 years, and many aspects in the execution come down to details that can quickly make a difference of several thousand euros ... such as the design of panels, countertops, and similar elements.
I think it would be very good if it became standard practice to charge a planning fee—let’s say between 200 and 400 euros—starting from the second consultation appointment, which would be credited upon commissioning. This would exempt typical standard kitchens, which are usually finalized at the first planning appointment.
To everyone else ... you wouldn’t believe how differently kitchens can be designed even in so-called standard rooms. I have been doing this as a hobby for almost 16 years, and many aspects in the execution come down to details that can quickly make a difference of several thousand euros ... such as the design of panels, countertops, and similar elements.
I think it would be very good if it became standard practice to charge a planning fee—let’s say between 200 and 400 euros—starting from the second consultation appointment, which would be credited upon commissioning. This would exempt typical standard kitchens, which are usually finalized at the first planning appointment.
ypg schrieb:
…
What if every kitchen designer had to be paid 240€ (about $260) for detailed planning (or 90€ (about $98) for rough planning) upfront, which would then be deducted from the final cost? I don’t think customers would accept that.Why not? That’s exactly how it works for us. We have the kitchen planned by an interior architect specialized in this area. If we order the kitchen through her, the planning fee is deducted. If not, we pay an agreed fixed charge. I find this fair and transparent, and I prefer it a thousand times over the secretive approach described above.
Benutzer123 schrieb:
and nobody knows their cooking habits better than themselves. That’s why I also expect some inquiry. Ultimately, it also concerns the working height, for example, who does what.
Ysop*** schrieb:
It’s not just about the appliances. Sometimes I had to ask further about the price range and what kind of fronts they actually are. What is planned inside. Drawers? Shelves? What cabinet height, etc., etc. Hmm, I actually find that quite unprofessional. But I remember that we also visited an XXL specialist studio like the one mentioned above: I said something about white and glossy and definitely the same grid, also without any offset in height, and after half an hour I asked what the offset was supposed to be. Apparently, it can’t be done differently… We stopped there because elsewhere our specifications had been planned exactly as we wanted. And there, the surfaces (Nolte), cabinets, and sink were specifically looked at in the showroom… Not the appliances, since nowadays, and even back in 2013, simple ovens have at least seven functions, which were enough for me. The previous year’s models weren’t important either. I looked up the appliance group online; he could have told me something I wouldn’t have understood otherwise.
Maybe in general it’s better to advise paying attention to whether the planner works and communicates _with_ you or goes off on their own.
I’ll quote a part from another thread here..
That’s how we did it as well, although we didn’t order the kitchen there. We paid a flat fee of 375€ (about $410) for the planning. However, I saved myself several hours of visits to other kitchen studios after the first two appointments already cost me 5 hours of my life without adding any value.
I would do it that way again today, unless I get an explicit recommendation that someone works particularly dedicated and transparently.
Yaso2.0 schrieb:
In my opinion, comparing kitchens is almost as impossible as comparing scope of work descriptions from different general contractors.
Since our electrician wanted the kitchen design and installation plans by March, and we hadn’t bought a kitchen yet, we decided to hire an independent kitchen planner. Together with him, we designed the kitchen exactly to suit our needs 100%. Based on our previous satisfaction, we chose Siemens Studioline appliances again.
The plan is finished, the electrician received the installation plan, and I sent this plan to 4 kitchen stores/salespeople. The appliance model numbers are also included.
One wrote back saying they couldn’t offer a Quooker, so the kitchen costs 17,531€ (about $19,000).
Another included all appliances and quoted 17,300€ (about $18,800).
The other two don’t have a contract with Siemens for Studioline appliances and quoted around 15,500€ (about $16,900) for the kitchen without oven and microwave.
It’s not possible to compare again, since none of them provided the exact names of the cabinet fronts.. And I thought I was perfectly equipped for the kitchen comparison.
filosof schrieb:
Why not? That’s exactly how it works for us. We have the kitchen planned by an interior designer specialized in kitchens. If we order the kitchen through her, the planning fee is deducted. Otherwise, we pay a previously agreed flat fee. I find that fair and transparent and prefer it a thousand times over the secretive approach described above.
That’s how we did it as well, although we didn’t order the kitchen there. We paid a flat fee of 375€ (about $410) for the planning. However, I saved myself several hours of visits to other kitchen studios after the first two appointments already cost me 5 hours of my life without adding any value.
I would do it that way again today, unless I get an explicit recommendation that someone works particularly dedicated and transparently.
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