hello i recently purchased an apartment near estepona ,it requires a new kitchen ,can anyone recommend a reputable and reasonably priced kitchen fitter/supplier. thank you,mick

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Rosemary

Kitchens are a touchy thing, no matter where you are.

You have a choice. If you have any diy skills at all, they are pretty easy to install by yourself, as long as you know how to measure, use a screwdriver, and order the right stuff.

If not, then your only other choice is to have someone do it all for you. In that case, you will always pay a hefty premium for the kitchen you want. A lovely kitchen costing €3000 in parts will likely cost €8000 to have installed. The better the kitchen, the higher the deficit.

I've found the big cheap outfits like Leroy Merlin to be a far better value than the small, artistic outfits. They use largely the same stuff, but the small outfits generally use better façades like doors and drawers (at 10x the price). The difference is that the big cheap outfits do it day after day, all day long , for years, while the small outfits get 3 - 5 jobs per month, which makes them a little less experienced, yet exponentially more expensive.

But I suppose it's not unlike cheese. Many people are happy to pay €7 for a chunk of cathedral city, yet the imported English cheddar sold at mercadona is every bit as good for €3. It's a choice of whatever makes you happy.

Head up to the industrial estate (2 roads down from the ITV station). Speak to Curro at Maderas Ravira, Carpinterias en Estepona, San Pedro, Marbella, Málaga (he speaks English if you struggle with Spanish). They will only supply you with the kitchen but I am sure he can recommend you a decent local fitter.

Ikea kitchens are very good

We got one last year. Cost around 4k with about 1k in labour. Ikea fit it for you

Yes, I agree, IKEA kitchens are good. They also have a range of freestanding units that don't require building-in. Had this style in my house in Germany. Very practical. And extensible / rearrangeable. Like these:



Of course, for some, suggesting IKEA makes anything worth buying is as blasphemous as suggesting having lunch at McDonalds.

Still, good value.. And not ugly.

Not hard to see why from searches on google to the effect of "Ikea Nazis"
"ikea forced labour"...and never but never touch their chocolate almond cake

Which company isn't guilty of "forced labour"? I've been told that many companies force their employees to be at work at 8:00 and refuse to let them leave until 16:00 or 17:00. Inhuman.

I reckon the best solution is to not buy anything from anyone. That'll teach 'em.

After a friend bought a free standing kitchen from Ikea I was impressed enough to visit them.
Unfortunately the quality of the fitted units on display ( Seville & Malaga ) was appalling both in material quality and installation, so I shopped elsewhere for units I fitted myself.

Our Ikea kitchen has been in for 2 years now and we are very impressed. No problems or wear whatsoever

You are right about the displays in their stores though, they often look grubby and badly put together

Often in Ikea the top of the range stuff is the only one worth having (and is still half the price of any custom designed kitchen)

I kitted out my office from Ikea too and very happy. Good quality and more pleasing aesthetically than normal office furniture

Ikea don't fit kitchens they subcontract it to a local carpinteria. You can get a good one who takes pride in their work or a poor one who doesn't give a damn,

A friend in our village got the latter. It took them three days to fit and then many phone calls to Ikea to resolve the problems - the sink poured water into the lower unit as the plumbing wasn't done correctly, it rained and water came in through where they had cut the hole for the hood over the cooker. They didn't cut a hole to drop the hob into, no they cut the worktop in half and then a U shape out of one sawn edge leaving a horrible join.

It was all corrected eventually, once Ikea sent a surveyor to check the quality of the work, but it is the inconvenience while it happens. If you are good at DIY best buy from Ikea and fit it yourself.