Need a new kitchen? Think a Bunnings or IKEA kitchen is the easiest option. Think again! When it comes to kitchen renovation, there’s a lot more to consider than just the price and often, Bunnings and IKEA kitchens don’t work out to be the deal they seem.
If you’re weighing up whether to buy an IKEA kitchen or have one custom-made, here is everything you need to consider before you make your decision.
What is a Bunnings & IKEA Kitchen?
IKEA is the world’s largest furniture retailer, known for its budget-friendly flat-packs, and Bunnings is an Australia-wide hardware store. They both offer a kitchen range and an option to measure and design the kitchen yourself. IKEA Kitchens and Bunnings Kitchens can be budget-friendly and therefore lower quality.
How Is A Bunnings or IKEA Kitchen Ordered and Installed?
After selecting a style of cabinetry and measuring your space, you place an order and wait for your kitchen to be delivered, in, you guessed it, flat packs! While IKEA is confident “you’ll be able to assemble and install your new kitchen yourself”, anyone who’s tried to assemble a single piece of IKEA furniture knows this may not be as easy as it sounds, especially when you have a whole kitchen to assemble and install. While you can have an IKEA Kitchen assembled and installed by a professional, you may struggle to find a cabinet installer or proficient carpenter willing to do this for you.
The Pros of a Flat Packed Kitchen
- They can sometimes be cheaper than custom-made kitchens.
- Cabinetry is delivered quickly, so it’s a good solution if you have an investment property and want to update the kitchen between tenants, for example.
- There is a wide range of styles to choose from.
The Cons of a Flat Packed Kitchen
- They are flat-packed and come in multiple pieces and parts that all need to be identified and matched up then assembled, like the Cabinets, then the doors, the hinges and drawer runners, then the panels and then infills and kicks which can all be difficult to assemble and even trickier to install yourself.
- You will need lots of time and space to assemble and install the flat pack kitchen. Without lots of specific cabinet installation DIY or trade experience it can be confusing and big costly mistakes can happen.
- Flat pack kitchens are not a bespoke product, they will come in set sizes so expect to have to modify panels and infills and maybe even cabinets themselves or have ugly big gaps.
- The cabinet installation must be perfect, level and plumb, and considering most floors are uneven and out of level and most walls are out of square and not plumb you need to skill to modify what is needed to get it right. Mess the installation up then you will have serious issues trying to install benchtops, especially stone benchtops. Stone installers will not install your benchtops or warrant your stone benchtops if the cabinets are more than a millimeter or two out as they can crack under pressure on an unlevel perfectly flat surface.
- Flat pack kitchens are designed for the DIY market with a budget price and budget quality and often tend to look like they have been done by an unskilled handyman and this can reduce the value of your home if you’re not careful
- The software that lets you design your kitchen can be difficult to use for those without experience.
- The craftsmanship is not at the same level as a custom-designed kitchen.
The Difference of Custom Designs by Easy Living Kitchens
Easy Living Kitchens is a Brisbane-based custom kitchen designer and manufacturer. All of our cabinetry, countertops and splashback are made locally, and our kitchens are delivered fully assembled and ready to install. Our comprehensive and personalised service includes a free kitchen design consultation with a highly experienced and knowledgeable kitchen designer.
How is an Easy Living Kitchen Ordered and Installed?
Easy Living Kitchens provides custom-made solutions to fit your unique space and suit your specific requirements. We provide a comprehensive kitchen design and renovation service where our professional kitchen designers ensure the optimal functionality of your space and coordinate the project for you. At no cost, we will come to your home, talk through your requirements, discuss the types of finishes and materials you’d like to use, measure everything, and provide you with a detailed plan and fixed-price quote.
Easy Living Kitchens goes through everything with you step-by-step, from the big-ticket items to the smallest of details. We help you optimise your layout, take the time to understand your storage requirements, help you choose appliances from leading brands, and we make picking the right countertops and hardware easy by bringing the showroom to you.
The Pros of a Custom-Made Kitchen
- Custom-made kitchens are of a higher quality, they last longer and add more value to your home.
- A custom kitchen can be made in any style you desire.
- They are bespoke products made to fit perfectly in your space and to your requirements.
- You have access to all the quality brands and types of products and finishes to make your kitchen unique for your individual requirements and have that real wow factor kitchen that will stand the test of time.
- Easy Living Kitchens takes care of the design, measurements and project management of your kitchen renovation.
The Cons of a Custom-Made Kitchen
- As we manufacture each piece for your specific home, our kitchens can take longer to deliver than an off-the-shelf product (However, we do offer a 100% on-time delivery guarantee).
- As they are built to last, custom-made kitchens can be more expensive than flat-pack options.
Comparison: IKEA vs. Easy Living Kitchens
Let’s compare Bunnings and IKEA kitchens and custom-made Easy Living Kitchens by looking at some of the most important factors for homeowners.
- Durability and quality of materials: Both Bunnings and IKEA kitchens are made of medium-density fibreboard (MDF). Easy Living Kitchens makes our cabinets from highly moisture-resistant (HMR) particleboard and doors are made from moisture-resistant (MR) MDF, so you can expect them to be long-lasting and durable.
- Design flexibility and customisation: Easy Living Kitchens make each kitchen specifically for the space and its purpose, whereas Bunnings and IKEA kitchens are modular systems that may not suit everyone’s needs.
- Installation process: Easy Living Kitchens will coordinate the installation of your new kitchen for you, while IKEA directs customers to HiPages to find tradespeople to install its kitchens.
- Customer Support: Under our 100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee, Easy Living Kitchens promises your kitchen is built to the highest standards, or we’ll rectify it at no cost. IKEA will replace damaged items if you contact them online, over the phone or in person at one of their stores so you will still have to pick it up, assemble and install it all over again.
- Cost and value: Depending on the size and type of kitchen you are looking for, IKEA and Bunnings kitchens may but not always cost less than a custom-made kitchen from Easy Living Kitchens. However, you pay for quality with a custom-made solution. We recommend giving us a call to discuss your needs and budget before making any decisions.
Why Choose Easy Living Kitchens?
Kitchens are the most important room in a house and if done well, a kitchen renovation can add thousands of dollars to the value of your home. However, the success of a kitchen renovation comes down to the planning. It’s not just a matter of removing the old kitchen cabinets and putting new ones in their place. Kitchen renovations are complex and require careful consideration of the placement of your existing services, flooring and structural elements.
Easy Living Kitchens takes care of the planning and the measuring for you. We think of everything because it’s our passion, and we’ve created hundreds of kitchens for our many happy customers.
We locally manufacture all of our cabinetry, benchtops and splashback, and we offer a 10-year warranty on cabinets and a lifetime warranty on moving components. You can rest assured your new kitchen is built to last and if anything should happen to go wrong, our commitment to customer satisfaction means we’ll be there for you if you need us.
Tips for Choosing the Right Kitchen for Your Home
Choosing a kitchen is like choosing what to have for dinner when you don’t feel like cooking. You can buy fast food—it comes quickly and does the job. Or you can head out to a restaurant—you’re guaranteed a lovely meal and someone else does all the hard work for you.
If you’re looking for a budget option that does the job, an IKEA kitchen may meet your expectations. If you intend to live in your home for a long time and want a high-quality kitchen designed with aesthetics in mind and specifically for your needs, our custom-made kitchens are an easy choice.
Contact Easy Living Kitchens on 1300 650 681 for a free design consultation and start building your dream kitchen today.