Thank you for everyone's comments, had no idea this thread would prove so popular when I started it. We are plastering this week and we have finally bought most things for the kitchen. I did find some real 'finds' though if anyone is looking. Not sure where you are based, but regarding electrical goods we researched all our own and narrowed down our list, and once we had that we looked online for the best prices for each appliance. Instead of buying from lots of different places we took it to Bentalls, who not only matched, but also cost us less, and beat some online prices with a good 'deal' price they also then will hold on to them until you need them, but if anything goes wrong you have 'bentalls' rather than several online dealers to return items to. RDO Appliances also do this if there is one near you, but i'd advise you to research prices first. Another thing we found was inserts for the kitchens. Through our kitchen supplier these were expensive, bin inserts, pull out drawers, pull out larders, even the pop up sockets, sourced seperately through ebay and online we managed to save quite a lot of money by doing this, so our fitter will still have the right things on the day, but we are not getting the inserts from the supplier. What else..... erm kitchen worktop, unbelievably the exact same worktop, same material, same cut outs etc.. same sizes differed between suppliers by 3k! so do shop around for your quartz and granite.

Yes i think the back door would be a good idea. We thought about making the current window into a door as you’ve suggested, it’s a low ceiling but could just about get away with it as it’s a cottage. I think that’s our other option that you’ve suggested but was going to separate the utility room in two so that we’d could get a toilet in and a small part of the utility. However that means changing the window Into 2 smaller ones and a lot more work (we’re trying to keep the cost down as much as possible!)

I'd only ever helped my dad with traditional paste the paper wallpapering as a kid until two years ago when I tackled our downstairs loo by myself... I found using 'paste-the-wall' paper made it sooooo much easier to work with. I cut each piece as I went along; lining up the repeat at the very top of the wall and then following it down to where I needed to cut it from the roll. (There are probably FAR more efficient ways, but it worked for me!) Just bear in mind where you start your first drop and how that will impact on where your last one ends - although with a feature wall it probably doesn't matter so much. In my WC the paper is *completely* mismatched where I went around the room and finished the last drop - but that's above the top of the door so I reckon I got anyway with it ;-) Good luck with your room!

Hi Hu, I think the biggest thing to consider when getting a new kitchen is getting the layout right. A lot of the large retail companies/smaller franchises work on selling and operating at certain margins. They also work with limited set sizes, so although you can walk in, likely get an appointment on that day and walk out with a price and a couple of pictures - you will be put through a variety of corporate sales techniques and are more than likely going to walk out with a kitchen that doesn't work in the long run, as well as a heavily inflated price tag which no doubt will alter as and when you shop around with the other outlets. I am somewhat biased in saying this but equally our business wouldn't exist without the demand - your best option is to seek independent design and layout advice. We work with our clients, your needs and come up with layouts that work for you/your family. Not a one size fits all put into different spaces. We are able to offer you a more comprehensive layout and design experience where you get high quality renders, access to all elevations and most importantly labelled floor plans WITH measurements - something that the big companies don't give out until you've put down a hefty deposit and are a few weeks away from install. We are also on hand all the time...before, during and after should you fancy a chat, need a question answered or you would like to ask us some advice relating to anything from accessories, lighting, splashbacks etc. When you focus on the design and get that bit right you find the rest falls into place, we can suggest suppliers for you to use; anything from off the shelf kitchens from the big companies, to online based companies that we work closely with and even bespoke cabinet makers. We offer quote sourcing for you too if it makes the process much less stressful, taking the hassle of having to worry about quantities and plan checking. But most importantly, before you even begin to start the design process we offer a complimentary hour long zoom/phone call so you can be sure that we are the right people for you and we can discuss ideas before you commit to anything - and speaking of commitment we offer anything from design by the hour or set packages - so we are fully flexible and it's more about you and providing you with what you need than us. Have a browse of our website, we are completely honest and upfront about everything - no hidden costs, and pricing can be found on our website. There's a whole wealth of information on there but if anyone can help, it's us. All the best with your kitchen planning, I won't waffle on anymore than I have but if you would like a cuppa and a chat let us know. Charlie @The Kitchen Lady UK www.thekitchenladyuk.co.uk