How to choose a kitchen company in Buckinghamshire
Start with the kind of company you need. The county's kitchen trade splits four ways: showrooms that design, supply and fit a kitchen from one manufacturer; independent designers and cabinet makers who build bespoke furniture; fitters who install a kitchen you have bought from a retailer; and specialists who fit new worktops, replace doors or respray a kitchen that is otherwise sound. Each listing here shows which of these a business says it does, so you can rule companies in or out before you pick up the phone.
Read the grid on each listing
Every listing carries the same set of checks, from kitchen design and bespoke work to showrooms, guarantees and finance. A tick means the business says so on its own website. A cross means its website rules it out. Everything else is shown as no information yet, which is not a no. If the detail matters to you, ask.
Check who does the gas and the electrics
A new kitchen often means moving a cooker point, adding sockets or connecting a gas hob. By law, anyone working on gas must be on the Gas Safe Register. Ask to see the engineer's ID card, which lists the gas work they are qualified to do. Electrical work in a home comes under Part P of the Building Regulations. When the electrician is registered with a competent person scheme they certify their own work, and you do not need a separate building regulations application. Ask the company which named person will do each job and what certificates you will be given at the end.
Know when the council is involved
Refitting a kitchen with new units and fittings does not generally need building regulations approval, although drainage or electrical work within the refit may. A kitchen in a room that never had one is likely to need approval. Planning permission is not generally needed to fit a kitchen unless it is part of an extension. If your home is a listed building, speak to the planning authority before any work starts. Buckinghamshire Council covers most of the county, and Milton Keynes City Council covers Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell and Olney.
What to ask on the first call
Ask whether the company designs, supplies and fits, or only some of those. Ask who fits the kitchen: its own staff or subcontractors. Ask what the guarantee covers, for how long, and get it in writing. Ask what the quote includes: taking out the old kitchen, plastering, flooring, tiling, decorating and removing waste. Ask to see a recent job near you. Then get at least two written quotes for the same specification, so you are comparing like with like. This directory does not list prices, because a quote depends on the room and on what goes into it.