Is a hand-built kitchen really worth it?

Hand-built, bespoke cabinetry to your exact specifications is a great option for many people. For lots of our customers a hand-built kitchen is a long held bucket list dream come true, and of course we hope everyone decides on hand-built for their new kitchen! But is a hand-built kitchen really worth it? We also know that for some, it is not the best option – and we believe it’s best to be honest about this from the start. So in this post, we run through 6 of the most common questions we ask prospective clients here at Back to Basics to find out whether a hand-built kitchen is really what they need.

First things first, are you working to a tight budget?

We aren’t going to pretend that a hand-built kitchen can compete on price with off-the-peg options. Off-the-peg kitchens are made using mass manufacturing techniques and materials that allow prices to be kept low through standardisation and sheer volume. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, of course, and if you’re on a tight budget then you’ll struggle to justify going for hand-built, especially if your kitchen space is also fairly standard. You can view our case studies to get a sense of how much a hand-build kitchen for your kind of space might cost – and it might be less than you think – especially when you consider that hand-built kitchens are made to last and it’s the kind of investment you make only once. We know that some of our earliest kitchens are still going strong, over 25 years after they were fitted!

What space will your kitchen be fitted in?

Do you have an old house, with odd-shaped rooms, sloping walls, ceilings and quirks? Or is your new kitchen going in a brand-new extension? The more irregular the space you want your kitchen to fit into, the more of a bespoke solution you’ll need. The beauty of bespoke, hand-built designs is that they can fit almost any space, utilising every corner of your room for functional storage and work areas. But if your room is builder-fresh or a standard-shaped room in a fairly modern house, it’s likely that you can find what you’re looking for from an off-the-peg manufacturer because you won’t need any odd-shaped cupboards and the standard units will fit your room perfectly fine.

Is your home somewhere you’re planning to stay a while?

This could impact on the level of investment you’ll be willing to make – if you know you’ll be moving on in a few years, buying hand-built doesn’t really make sense (although we have moved kitchens to new homes over the years too!). But if this is your forever home, then knowing you’ve chosen the kitchen you’ll see out your days with can be a simply wonderful feeling.

How important is individuality, flair and style to you?

Want a candy pink kitchen with racing green stripes? No problem! Fancy cabinet doors that open upwards instead of from the side? Wavy curved units and an island with a resin river running through it? Your wish is our command (and yes, we have built all of these over the years!) A hand-built kitchen can be as unique as you are, and if you’re looking for something a little bit different then going for a bespoke option is definitely worth it because they’re design-led as well as functional and 100% to your taste.

What are your cooking and entertaining needs?

Do you see yourself doing anything unusual in your kitchen? If not, then it’s likely you’ll only need the range of simple cupboards and drawers that an off-the-peg solution can provide. But if your cooking style means that you need special features in your cabinets, such as special height shelves to house equipment, or pull-down racks because you aren’t tall enough to reach wall units, a hand-built option is likely to be an excellent solution.

Finally, how motivated are you by traditional craft values?

Hand-built kitchens are just that – built by hand. At Back to Basics that literally means, one or two pairs of hands take rough sawn planks from a tree and plane, saw, sand, joint and finish every single item with precision and care, using techniques that have been passed down through generations of furniture makers for hundreds of years. If that sounds like your vibe, then you’ll definitely value having your kitchen hand-built.

If you think a hand-built kitchen could be for you, drop us a message to find out how we can help you!