Kitchen Fitters in Maidstone

The shape of your kitchen in Maidstone often depends on when your house was built. In the Victorian and Edwardian terraces around the town centre, the kitchen is often a narrow room at the back of the house, with a dining room in front of it. Many owners open the two up or build into the side return. That usually means removing a load-bearing wall, which needs a structural engineer's calculations and building control approval. Maidstone Borough Council runs its own building control service. Sort that out before the kitchen is ordered. Uneven floors and walls that aren't square are normal in older houses, so ask how the fitter will level the units and scribe worktops to fit.

Post-war homes, such as many in Shepway and Park Wood, more often have a separate kitchen with a straight run of units, which suits a like-for-like refit or a new layout with an island or peninsula. In newer homes around Hermitage Lane and Sutton Road, the original kitchen is sometimes replaced within a few years. Check whether any appliances are still under warranty before they come out.

In flats, check your lease before you start. Many need the freeholder's or management company's consent for a new kitchen. Moving the sink can be limited by where the waste pipes can run, and deliveries, parking and lift bookings are worth planning too.

Maidstone's water is hard. South East Water, which supplies the town, says most of its water comes from underground chalk. Limescale marks show quickly on dark sinks, black taps and glossy worktops, so a filter tap or water softener may be worth adding while the plumbing is exposed.

A kitchen job usually involves more than one trade. Any work on a gas hob or cooker must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and new electrical circuits by a registered electrician who can certify them, so don't DIY either. Ask each fitter which parts they do themselves and who they bring in for the rest.

When comparing quotes, make sure they cover the same scope: fitting only or supplied and fitted, removal and disposal of the old kitchen, worktop templating, tiling, plastering and decorating. Reviews on Trade Pilot are tied to real, invoiced jobs, so you can see finished kitchens a fitter has actually been paid for.