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Hi everyone,
I’d really like to pick your knowledgeable brains if I may!
Im currently refitting my kitchen, and am going for all-new appliances as our old ones are either ancient hand-me-downs that came with the house, or are on their last legs.I really know very little about appliances. I have been reading online and have heard good things about Bosch, but after reading some threads on here I see that they are part of the same group as Neff, which I have heard less favourable reports on. Suffice to say I am now very confused, and would like any advice you can offer!
Upright Fridge/Freezer
– I would like an upright freestanding fridge freezer, with a 50/50 or 60/40 split as we do use quite a bit of freezer space. I really like the retro-style ones, like those offered by Gorenje or Baumatic, but don’t know whether these are worth the aesthetics – are they any good as brands?
– I was wanting frost free, but hav been advised here tha that might not be as good an idea as I thought. Whats your take on frost free? Convenient, or not worth it?
– I dont know what else to take into consideration really. I have accounted for 600mm for the width of the unit, which I take it is standard.
– If it cannot be coloured retro style (cream) then stainless steel look.
– Budget is up to £1000.Integrated Slimline Dishwasher
– There are only 2 of us, so I don’t want a regular size dishwasher. Number of place settings after 2 isnt important. I have never had one before, so know nothing about what features to look for!
– Would be used once daily.
– Any idea of brand? I was thinking of Bosch SRV43MO3GB, but would appreciate any alternatives if you think there are better options within budget.
– No colour preference as integrated.
– Budget is up to £500.
Integrated Washer/Dryer
– Again, just 2 of us. Our currrent washer has a load limit of 6kg so would prefer not to go too much lower. We wouldnt use the dryer too frequently so load limit for drying isnt so important. Would appreciate 1400RPM.
We used to have a washer dryer a few years ago, and rarely used the drying option. However it was always usedful to have in winter if we couldnt get the clothes dry inside.
– Are washer dryers a good idea? Are there any massive issues with using/maintaining these?
– Any idea of brand? I was thinking of Bosch WKD28350GB, but would appreciate any alternatives if you think there are better options within budget.
– No colour preference as integrated.
– Budget is up to £1000 at an absolute push, but would prefer to go cheaper on this!Cooker / Hob
– I would like an electric induction or ceramic hob.
– Oven to be double & built under the counter. I currently have a double in-column oven, and use both the grill in the top oven and the lower oven simultaneously quite often.
– Our current oven and hob takes forever to heat up – oven can take 20 minutes to get to the right temperature. Ive assumed this isnt normal. Any improvement would be appreciated!
– I was looking at Belling BI70FSTA, and then just any old matching hob, but I imagine there must be a better alternative as no-one seems to have much to say about Belling here! 🙂
– Must be stainless steel on oven. I also like the steel/chrome accents on hobs, but this isnt essential.
– Budget is up to £500 or so for oven (but can go up to maybe £800) and to £400 for hob.I have listed the absolute maximum for our budget, so if you have any secondary recommenadations that are slighly cheaper I would appreciate it! If you just want to recommend a particular manufacturer for all products, thats fine too. I really dont know what decision to make on these things.
I would appreciate any direct advice at all; as I really know very little, I do find myself a bit bewildered by some posts and articles! Sorry!
Re: Any advice for my Kitchen Refit?
Hi
No retro fridge freezer made by Gorenje will give you the freezer split you are looking for. With a £1000 budget I would head straight for Liebherr range which are regarded to be the best by both the trade and public. Frost free refigeration is known to be less reliable, but Liebherr again is more reliable than anything else out there. Leave the Baumatic well alone, poor quality product and the back up isn`t great either.
On the dishwasher I would go for a 12 place as you will get a better deal, slimline integrated are low volume sellers which keeps the price high. If you are two you could choose a 12 place with a half load option, if you entertain you may just be glad of the extra space later on . Bosch and the sister brand Neff would be my port of call.
When it comes to washer dryers the reliability and efficient job in either built in or freestanding is poor to say the least. The only machines that come close to doing what they say they will are the Miele machines. Just be prepared to spend an arm and a couple of legs though 😉 do you really need a waher dryer? As you say you rarely use the dryer function, I would recommend a seperate washer, you could always add a tumble dryer to say a garage or utilty area or even a small 3kg compact machine which could be stored in a cupboard a brought out as and when required.
Double built under oven again low volume sellers, much better deals to be had on double built ins. If it has to built under I would agian look at Bosch, Neff or Gorenje of which some models come with a five year warranty for around the £600 mark.If you are mounting the hob above the oven there will not be the space to set an induction hob onto the worktop due to these hobs requiring extra ventilation due to the cooling fans increasing the depth of hob. You could install a ceramic one though. Lots of choice out there framed or frameless, touch control or knobs.
Loads of info here in our buying guide on washer driers, refrigeration, what`s in a name and other stuff. Enough to keep you going for a while 😉
HTH 🙂
Don
Re: Any advice for my Kitchen Refit?
Thank you so much Don, I really appreciate it. Im pretty clueless when it comes to appliances. In the past we’ve just bought whatever was cheapest to get the job done, as we were renting; now that I actually have my own kitchen I really want some bits that will last a while! I didnt know that about the induction hob, thank you.
Is there a specific place on the site that tells me what I should look for in an appliance, in terms of programmes or features or whatever?
Re: Any advice for my Kitchen Refit?
depends on the size of your kitchen, as to what depth of worktop that can be allowed in the design, but i know a fair few customers are now having the maximum depth of worktop possible to allow them to put freestanding washers behind a cupboard door, as if it was integrated. this will save you almost £400 for a 1400 bosch b/i w/d vs f/s w/d
also if you go for a f/d w/d but set behind a cupboard door that would allow you to go for a miele at a viable price. just make sure you get a minimum of 5yr warranty!
would agree with don about going 60w over 45w, cheaper, uses barely any more water/electricity, and far more choice.
as for the oven you will prolly have to go gorenje because the cheapest bosch/neff b/u dbl with a grill in each oven is approx 800ish, and more for higher spec models…
if it was me and the above was viable
£1000 w/d: (budget extra £300)
WT2780 miele (f/s) £1200-1300£1000 f/f: (save £100)
RK60359O – cream or black 70/30 retro fridge + 5yr p&l warranty£500-800 oven:
BDU2135AX gorenje w/ 2x grills £750ish
HBN43B250B bosch cheapest w/ 2x grills £950ish
BU82SS hotpoint comes in at budget of about £500 if you can get a graded one, £650 for perfect… has nice halogen top grill tho.
£400 hob
VLC80TCSS vitralux 80cm hob. if you have the width they are very good value…PS u might well get a better deal taking a list like this to an independant asking for a boxed/delivered price for the lot.
Re: Any advice for my Kitchen Refit?
Thank you, that was really helpful too!
gandh1 wrote:depends on the size of your kitchen, as to what depth of worktop that can be allowed in the design, but i know a fair few customers are now having the maximum depth of worktop possible to allow them to put freestanding washers behind a cupboard door, as if it was integrated. this will save you almost £400 for a 1400 bosch b/i w/d vs f/s w/d
See, this was my original idea – I suggested it to the first kitchen planner that I saw and was told bluntly that it was not possible and was made to feel like an idiot. Is there anything special I should take into consideration when planning this? How much space should I take into account for pipework? Im assuming that the carcasses will just sit forward from the wall in this scenario, but not being experienced in kitchen fitting (this will be my other half’s area) is there some other way to achieve this? This would be a possible option for me as our kitchen layout will be galley, but the room is quite wide.
Re: Any advice for my Kitchen Refit?
Johelian wrote:was told bluntly that it was not possible and was made to feel like an idiot
it will probably be more because theyre supplier does not supply freestanding appliances!
thing is anything is possible. likelyhood is the planned plumbers will be expected to do a basic job cos it will be for the cheapest price, and therefore they will only expect to supply a twin spike on the sink pipe for the w/m and d/w. therefore depthy shouldnt be an issue unless the main waste passes behind where your planned washer is going…
in which case, that isnt a problem unless its a long way away from your kitchen planners intended position.
although i would get 2nd opinions now they have said that about accomodating a f/s appliance, if you were happy to i would ask us to double check all there intended suggestions of positioning appliances because we have come across so many poorly thought out instals, i think leeb has come across many as an electrolux engineer, and at the end of the day, who is the client? you or the kitchen planner… just os it saves the kitchen planner a few quid to do a few things doesnt mean they are passing that onto you, normally its called “added value”
Ps the new belling ovens are a bit naff. really didnt like the build quality when i saw them at a trade show in march 😛
Re: Any advice for my Kitchen Refit?
I’ll go over it with our current kitchen planer (we have swapped over suppliers for the kitchen – I really didnt like the attitude of the person that “helped” us at the first supplier, so just took all of the details of the plan to a different company. Didnt bother mentioning about the f/s appliances behind matching doors as I was shot down previously) and see what he says. We’re keeping the plumbed appliances in the same position (with the addition of the dishwasher under a portion of the sink, which was previously cupboard space) so hopefully there will not be too many issues. In fact the layout is very similar, just all new carcasses as the old ones are falling apart (I think they are older than me) and appliances, so I think it will work ok. I will however post up the layout as you suggest once I get back to my own PC so you can look for anything I have missed!
I ahev dropped the Belling based on the forums advice, and am now looking strongly at a Neff. I think I explained badly before, I will only use the top oven for grilling. The model I have chosen has catalytic liners on the back of the unit only; do you think its worth forking out another £150 or so for full lining? In my older ovens it was mainly the glass that seemed to get really grubby.
Re: Any advice for my Kitchen Refit?
not really. catalyti liners should be changed after a dfew years anway as they are designed to absorb and burn off grease, but eventually they get oversaturated. a bit of mr muscle on hi-gloss enamel surfaces once an month is just as good and far cheaper…
Re: Any advice for my Kitchen Refit?
ANother question if I may – I was recommended today to go for Siemens washing appliances (d/w & w/m) rather than Bosch. Any feedback on this? 🙂
Re: Any advice for my Kitchen Refit?
Hi
Siemens are part of the same group as Bosch. Machines are an upgrade of Bosch in build, noise, energy efficiency, programme options and most come with a five year parts and labour warranty as well. Expect to pay a higher price though 😉
HTH 🙂
Don
Re: Any advice for my Kitchen Refit?
Thank you for that Don! 🙂
From what you said in my other thread – Im reconsidering the Miele appliances due to the high parts & servicing costs. I take it then that Siemens are cheaper to repair?
Re: Any advice for my Kitchen Refit?
They are indeed and info is easier to get hold of 😉
I`m not trying to throw a spanner in the works but….. have you seen the ISE10 1600 spin AAA rated with a full 10-year warranty it is slightly more expensive than the Miele granted. But they are well built, good quality machines which have a full ten year warranty, with local service back up and spares which are a fraction of the Miele`s.
Lots of info on ISE appliances and the ethos behind them can be found here I have installed quite a few ISE 10`s over the last couple of years and customers have been very impresed with them.
HTH 🙂Don
Re: Any advice for my Kitchen Refit?
Don I did see that, and liked the look of it…however (indecisive and flaky me!) I am now leaning back towards integrated appliances. The problem I have is that the kitchen is very small, and if the appliances are visible theres basically going to end up being a white side of the room, so I really want to get everything hidden, and after reading up on it it sounds like integrating freestanding apps is going to be too much hassle.
A quick question (another one!) – the kitchen supplier told me that the appliances arent actually “fixed” inside the cabinets (though they sometimes suggest fixing the d/w in place), they just sit in a gap with a plinth running along the bottom and a door fitted to the front, so it does sound like they would be easy to remove and service. I know that the concern with integrated appliances (other than the elevated price and less choice of models) is that they are hard to remove and maintain. Is this the “normal” way to fit integrated appliances? Im really torn between the hassle of building freestanding appliances under the counter, and just buying expensive integrated ones!
Re: Any advice for my Kitchen Refit?
Basically yes that is how it goes.
To get the best out of any integrated appliance they do need to be installed correctly according to the manufacturers specification observing the all important issue of adequate ventilation.
Don 🙂Re: Any advice for my Kitchen Refit?
Have you thought of Fagor or De Dietrich appliances, some might disagree with me on here, but good quality and a lot of them come with 5 year warranty and also have Pryro self cleaning ovens
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