You have completed your revised plan, or focussed on the companies you require revised plans from, and have asked them back. How do you make a choice? Is it a good design layout and expensive, or mediocre design layout and good price ? Is it a recommended company or unknown? The simple answer is to communicate your reservations and see what the good designer from the recommended company can do to revise the design or price to achieve what you want. You will be surprised how often a simple question like "Is there something we can do to get the price to a more realistic level ?"can get you what you want! I prefer direct communication over guesswork everytime. It is always at the discression of a companies designer to know what their limits are, and tell you if you are going too far! If it is not possible to find common ground, then its an unfortunate area of controversy if you take the good design to a cheaper company, because quite often the essence of the design can be lost if they do not get the point of the design. Some of my best designs whilst working for a company have been supplied and fitted by someone else, often with inferior furniture and inferior appliances. Sometimes clients have explained why, and thanked me for my design services, but mostly they have avoided me, especially if the company I worked for didn't charge for the design!
It is necessary at this stage to take your scheme further and eliminate the alternatives. It is useful to borrow sample doors, worktops and tiles etc, and stand with them in your kitchen. The longer you can keep them the better your resolve wil be. It is easier to get a feel for your scheme if you combine this with getting your scheme visualised ( preferably by me!).
If you are confident about the look then it is necessary to make sure you have allocated enough space around the sink area and cooker for off- loading. It is also important that all of your storage requirements are catered for, by looking at your existing layout and adding up their capacity (after getting rid of items you dont need). A common mistake is to put too many free-standing items in a small kitchen, leaving gaps and infills, so it is better to consider integrated appliances for some items if the budget will stretch. It is difficult to advise you of all the design methods I use, but I will be adding some layout ideas soon to help. I still think it is cost effective, whatever you are spending, to take your revised layout to a good designer to get their opinion.
I would expect at this stage that your designer will have a well-formed plan for whatever options you have discussed. He should also have a good opinion about which scheme is best visually and practically. Any visuals should give a clear coloured photo-realistic explanation of what is going on. I often need to go away and totally revise the scheme if the elements to the design are altered too much. If you are unsure and need more time to think at this stage this is fine, a trashed scheme is quite normal. Many companies will not let you take the design away though, so you will be in a little difficulty to remember where everything is, aswell as how it looks, which is why it is easier to pay a fee and take the design, or use my service and cut out the guesswork.
If your company is using a quote system like Easyquote then they should be able to provide a revised quote with most things itemised quickly, and an indication of what deal they are prepared to do. If you are getting other quotes then it is important to make sure the company is on the right track before too much time and money is wasted. If 'short term offers' are on the table, then it is important to make sure they are genuine, by looking on the internet for comparisons. It is unusual for a company to refuse a sale after an offer has finished, if you decide to buy from them! It is only the sheds that are rigid and un-cooperative in this respect. Most small companies use this tactic to get out-standing customers to order, so there is normally a little flexibility in their game!
If you have had your revised quote, then it is important that your appliances are the best you can afford from the un-badged companies like Neff, Aeg, Bosch and Siemens, etc. These companies are quite competative with each other in the built-in department, and unless there is a preferance, then I find Neff the most popular for design quality and service back -up. More expensive makes like Miele and Gaggenau cost more money but can solve some design problems, like Gaggenau's down draft extractors, and Miele's fridges with ice makers. It is your option to decide whether more money is justified, but I have never been disappointed by either company, if you expect quality and long service. The only area I would consider mixing makes, is with extractors ,because most companies have a limited choice. Elica has some interesting options, covered in my appliance section.
