full design service - frequently asked questions

full design service - frequently asked questions

1. I'm Confused ... What Services Do You Offer and How Much Do They Cost?
   Sorry about the confusion. This web site and our services are continually being developed, so sometimes things aren't as clear as they should be.
   
   The services currently offered (August 2008) are:
   
   i. Basic Planning Service
   Discussion of your needs by e-mail, telephone or letter. Advice on your new kitchen and preparation of a computer generated plan, elevations and perspectives. This will include a numbered plan, a list of units/appliances and some recommendations as to the sort of units/make of kitchen to consider.
   
   The measurements and wish list are all provided by you ... and the results are sent to you by e-mail or post. Majjie remains sitting comfortably at her desk (or even gets someone else to put the plan onto the computer) ... hence the cost is only £150.
   
   You can then take your plan to a number of suitable suppliers and get quotes - knowing that it's the best plan for your room and that it wasn't tailored to sell you any particular range of units. It's also well worth asking for a discount for providing your own plan.
   
   ii. The Full Kitchen Design Service
   This involves a design survey visit - from Majjie - to your home, where she can ply you with questions. She will also give you advice, show you pictures, measure any walls that are in position (or take measurements from your plans), be a nosey parker round the rest of your house (no, honestly - it often helps - to get a sense of your style and colour choices!) and drink your coffee.
   
   An initial preliminary visit is free, if you are within an hour or so's drive from Nottingham. You can pick Majjie's brains and see if you would like further services.
   
   If you live further afield then I'm afraid you need to commit yourself to paying the full basic fee - and the initial visit is also the design survey visit - but do have a good look round the galleries here and Majjie's blog, to see if she's the designer for you.
   
   The basic fee is £250 and you get a plan and one or more perspective drawings (CAD drawings and/or hand drawn sketches, as appropriate), a specification list and, if required, recommendations as to where to buy the kitchen. These will be sent to you by e-mail or post. Further alterations (of any extent) can be made to the plan - once - within the original price (so you can ask for a complete re-think, if you like). If you don't want to take things any further - then this is the full extent of your commitment. You can approach kitchen suppliers yourself.
   
   Further alterations to the plan (over and above the one free change) are individually costed. A second home visit to discuss the plan (before or after any alterations) costs £150.
   
   Consulting with any kitchen supplier, about the plan and specification, will cost extra but this may be a cost that the supplier is willing to cover, depending on the style and complexity of the kitchen. Certainly if you use one of our recommended bespoke suppliers, they will pay this fee ... and the original design fee is usually deducted from the cost of the kitchen too. Consultation usually involves at least one further home visit by both Majjie and the supplier. Alternatively a meeting in the supplier's showroom may be arranged.
   
   iii. Help with Designing Your Own Kitchen
   If you like to treat your home improvements as a project, or if you have plenty of time to spare, or if you just like to investigate all the possibilities before you make a decision about such a big purchase (or all three!) ... then Majjie's Kitchen Design Guide is for you.
   
   It covers everything you need to know (and possibly a lot more!) about designing and buying a kitchen, including types of units, appliances and worktops; accessories such as tiles and flooring; basics of kitchen planning and more detailed advice on good kitchen design ... as well as comparisons of kitchen suppliers (including the big DIY stores).
   
   It will cost you just £25 to download it and that also gives you unlimited acccess to Majjie's e-mail helpline - for more personalised advice (short of us actually doing the plan, of course!). If you go on to use one of our other services the cost of the guide will be deducted.
   
   
2. Do You Carry Out Home Visits All Over the Country?
   Yes, but most of our work is carried out in central areas (London, home counties, Midlands and up to Manchester/Leeds).
   
   If you are a long way from Nottingham (more than three hours driving time), then I'm afraid Majjie will need some extra travelling expenses.
   
   Please contact us to discuss this further.
   
   
3. What Price Will I Have to Pay for the Kitchen You Design?
   Well that really is a "how long is a piece of string question"!
   
   Majjie has designed kitchens using IKEA or Wickes units which cost less than £5,000, all in. (I'm afraid the multiples won't deduct our fees though!)
   
   On the other hand, a recently designed bespoke kitchen, with inset framed unit doors, in solid timber, fitted onto birch ply carcasses, came to more than £30,000 just for the units without any worktops or appliances or fitting.
   
   If your project is a large kitchen with, say a central island and granite worktops, then a realistic budget is £15,000 - £30,000. Our suppliers aim to provide value for money - but they can't work miracles!
   
   The important thing is to get value for money - and to make informed choices as to what you're willing to pay for - that's where we can help.
   
   
4. Does this include appliances?
   No, not usually, although some kitchen companies do provide good value appliances. It is often better to shop around for these - there are a number of appliance warehouses around the country (and internet suppliers) which get lower prices from the appliance manufacturers by buying in bulk.
   
   
5. Do you take responsibility for the supply and fitting of the kitchen?
   No you sign a contract with the kitchen company, fitter or other supplier in the usual way. We are just helping you to choose suitable suppliers and get a design based on your wants and needs and not on what a particular company wants to sell you.
   
   
6. Does the whole kitchen come from the same supplier?
   Often yes, although, for some projects, it may make sense to use separate suppliers for granite or timber worktops and for appliances (see above).
   
   
7. Do we have to use your recommended kitchen supplier?
   No, not at all, we are quite happy to discuss the plans with another kitchen company of your choice, if that helps.
   
   For bespoke kitchens, liaison with the supplier may incur a fee, depending on how much work is involved.
   
   
8. What if we don't like the design you come up with?
   Hopefully, this won't happen because we take great care to listen to your wishes. Sometimes it can, though, especially if you ask us to come up with a different and imaginative idea. In that case, we will amend the plan once (with as many changes as you require), at no extra cost.
   Further amendments will cost extra.
   
   
9. Are you completely independent, choosing from all the kitchen companies there are?
   Yes, we're independent, but we tend to use kitchen suppliers that we know which is, inevitably, a fairly small number. They do represent a wide sector of the market, though, including companies which have more than one outlet and work nationally, kitchen manufacturers, small businesses which buy national kitchen brands and a number of individual cabinet makers. There are pros and cons to each, which we discuss with you before making a recommendation.
   If you don't live in the Midlands, we can also investigate your local suppliers.
   
   
10. Do You Have Professional Indemnity and Public Liability Insurance?
    Yes, indeed we do:
    
    View our policy details here.