How long have you spent dreaming about your new bespoke kitchen? How long have you spent lingering over lighting? Toying with taps?  Wondering about worktops? When the time comes to take your ideas and turn them into an actual living, breathing dream kitchen, it’s worth remembering that Rome wasn’t built in a day. However, your kitchen will last for much longer, and will add style, value and comfort to your home for perhaps a decade or more.
So rather than getting despondent about the disruption that comes with the transition from old to luxurious new, let’s get practical and positive. In the following blog we’ll show you how to plan ahead – and bring that magical moment when you sit down to your first family meal in the new kitchen all the closer.

Being prepared saves time – and reduces pain

Before you even consult a kitchen designer, you should take pictures and measurements of the space. Every kitchen is different, and no room is perfectly square, so take into account slopes, steps and recesses. Having this kind of information to hand will be invaluable in the initial stages of your kitchen redesign. And a good consultant can give you ideas of timings and costs for the work involved.

Now, are all your ingredients ready?

Have you firmed up your budget? Have you got your design fleshed out? If you feel those things need a little more seasoning, then don’t be afraid to go back to the mix. Has your taste in hobs changed? Are you having a countertop crisis? Don’t forget your dream kitchen will be there for a long time, so don’t be afraid to marinade your thoughts a little longer. It’s much easier to change your mind on a layout drawing rather than a finished kitchen.
And when you’re ready, our expert team at Anglia Factors will be there to take your hand and guide you through the exciting time of taking your dream and making it reality. We’ve brought many dream kitchens to life over the last 40 years, and know a thing or two about it.
Once the excitement of planning every last detail of your new kitchen has been finalised, from light fitting to fridge style, wall replacement to floor finish, it’s then time to get practical.
At this point, walls may have to be removed, extensions approved, and plumbing updated before you even catch a glimpse of anything approaching a kitchen. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. This makes the next question very important.

Can you manage?

Big question… are you going to project manage the new kitchen yourself? Most decent kitchen fitting companies will offer to do this for you, so take a look and see if it fits within your budget. If you decide to go with an Anglia Factors bespoke kitchen, we can guide you through this part. Even an informal free consultation at our Martlesham showroom can give you some guidance at this point.
If you go it alone, the temptation to jump right in and start doing things can end up causing problems later on. So take the time to create an effective, well researched and thought out schedule before you do anything. So when the electrician has finished rewiring, you’ve already ordered and had delivery of the materials you’ll need to construct your cabinets and countertops, for example. This will help you avoid creating extra work – and frustrating delays – further down the line.
Use our FREE kitchen planning pack
If you haven’t already, then download our FREE kitchen planning pack. It’s a great resource that will help you keep in mind exactly what you need from your kitchen, from style choices to practical considerations. There’s also a handy section where you can write down and compare quotes on every aspect of the project – invaluable for keeping your schedule on track and on budget.

Ordering bespoke

By it’s very nature, custom sized and hand built cabinetry takes time to create. So prioritise having any bespoke products ordered. And depending on where you source them from, it could take weeks, or months, for delivery.
At Anglia Factors, not only we do design and craft your bespoke kitchen to your exact specifications, we fit it to your precise dimensions, and can adjust fine measurements as construction demands. We take as much pride in fitting your cabinets as we do crafting them.

Plan for the unexpected

Hope for the best, but plan for the worse. There are several things you can’t predict, but may affect how smoothly you’re able to stick to your schedule, including:
·         Underlying problems revealed during removal of the old kitchen units, such as water damage or rot.
·         The great British weather – particularly if you’re removing walls and extending the kitchen.
·         Finishing up, final checks and cleaning up any alterations can take extra time.
Using a reputable company, such as Anglia Factors, means your bespoke fittings and counters will always arrive on time and to your exact specification. And our team are able to fit them precisely to your plans. But depending on who you use, your mileage may vary. If you source products that aren’t quite up to specification, or have been damaged in transit and need to be returned, this will hold the project up.
Always keep in mind that a schedule can slip or change based on several unforeseen factors, so be prepared to have a little wiggle room in there.

Recruiting tradespeople

Most bespoke kitchen redesigns require new electrics and plumbing to allow your new lighting, appliances and island to function. A reputable bespoke kitchen company will usually provide tradesmen. We have an in-house team at Anglia Factors, but if you’re self-managing the project, you need to do a little research. Our Free planning pack has a useful chart to help you with this.
You may need tilers, electricians and plumbers, for example. So ask a trusted friend for recommendations, and speak to several different tradespeople. Ideally, get three quotes for each job.
And make sure you’ve got them booked in with a clear understanding of what needs doing, and how long it will take. Otherwise, you risk losing days when you’re waiting for a plumber to finish up. Or even worse, you end up with work that doesn’t quite fit the needs of your kitchen.
Always ask if the work comes with guarantees. Be aware that extra fixes may need to be carried out after the fundamental rewiring and plumbing has been completed. Some details may have been forgotten, or don’t quite fit with the final plan. This means tradespeople may need to revisit the kitchen as it progresses.

Keep the momentum up

Now, take a breath. That was just the prep work. You’ve got to the point where you have a blank canvas in the shape of a kitchen. And now your dream can really start to take shape. If you’re on schedule, you’ll hopefully have your bespoke materials ready to be transformed into the finished article. But first…

Painting on a blank canvas

This is the best time to put an initial coat of paint on walls and ceiling. It’s so much easier to get it done now before your precious new countertops and flooring are laid out. No matter how well you protect them later, there’s always that one flick or splash of paint that gets through.
Now your bespoke kitchen materialises from the chaos
Fitting cabinetry is a fine art, and a reputable company should be able to provide qualified people to install your cabinets so they are secure, level and in exactly the right place according to your layout plans.
At Anglia Factors, our craftsmen use traditional materials, to your precise specification. And they take just as much pride in ensuring they’re fitted, to the millimetre, even making slight adjustments to adapt to any changes as the bespoke kitchen takes shape.
If you’re fitting the units yourself or having experts you’ve sourced do the work, this is the point where you learn how effective your plans are. Is your CAD design exact enough to stand up? If you’re in any doubt, recheck your measurements before you go any further.
And once the cabinets are in, then comes the taps, the lighting, and most importantly, those appliances. Suddenly the chaos will start to resemble your dream kitchen. Congratulations for getting this far, you’re nearly there!
At this point, it may be necessary to call in the plumber and electrician once again to install your appliances, and tweak the electrics to ensure everything is ready to go.

Don’t forget to schedule your first family meal

Most changes are scary, but remember, it’s all worth it. The moment the last tradesperson has left, your only task now is to make the kitchen your own, and enjoy it.
And don’t forget, Anglia Factors are the experts at creating bespoke kitchens. We’ll take your dream kitchen and help you build it into a real, workable space that really is the heart of your home.
Before you start, we’ll sit down with you and show you our extensive catalogue of fittings and styles, and even advise you on how to futureproof your bespoke kitchen, and avoid current fads. That way, you’ll feel as great about your kitchen in ten years’ time as you do now.
And we can schedule and oversee the work with as much care and attention as we spend on the quality of the materials. We’ve been doing it for 40 years, and we’re really great at bringing your dreams to life.

So call in at our Martlesham showroom for a FREE consultation and let’s get your dream kitchen scheduled.