Property Ladder - kitchen supplier

[JoeJoe]

Watched the program tonight, and was wondering...

They claimed to have spent £1200 on their kitchen, which was of decent size, including appliances (which looked pretty expensive ones), and installation.

I buy 3-4 per year, and have a joiner friend that fits them for me for £400 each. I tend to buy mine from MFI/B&Q/etc middle-range, and with very good quality fitting they usually look pretty good. For similar kitchen to the ones I buy the sheds/MFI charge at least £1000 for fitting.

Even if I exclude the extra units that they had in their beautifully appointed (NOT) utility room, where can one find all this lot for that price?

[Grunff]

Yeeees...I thought I smelt a rat there too. The hob/oven/extractor were AEG. That's *at least* 150+300+300 = £750 for that lot - probably significantly more (an AEG chimney extractor is ~£500).

[chris French]

details of the suppliers for each project are on th website, though it doesn't seem to have this one (yet)

[Mike Mitchell]

That episode last night really got on my nerves, as everything that Sarah suggested was rejected out of hand, with a sneer even, by the two women. I don't know why SB bothers, as hardly anyone on any episode I've seen has heeded her advice at all. And while the finished article last night did look nice overall, the mistake with the placement of the kitchen was utterly stupid. I am convinced that the butch one just refused to back down for fear of losing face. Oh, and how convenient for her big toe to play up when the extent of the work required was realised! We do have doctors in this country. I just thought it was creating a big effect by 'working' with one foot in a bucket. The same with the loft. Even after the building inspector had warned them about the sorry state of the roof timbers, referring to the ones which had been cut away, what did they do? Get the odd-jobber to attach some very flimsy looking metal struts!

MM

[Mike Halmarack]

At 3 am this morning my wife asked me why the living expenses are not shown for these couples who drop everything else to do up the selected properties whilst appearing on TV. Is the program mainly intended as entertainment, information or heavily slanted advertising on behalf of needy housing market professionals? I suppose it could be seen as some or all of those.

[Mike Halmarack]

Big Bucks?

Seems to be the standard formula devised to provide just the right amount of tension and conflict for the average 'soap' viewer, or with this genre should that be Swarfega?

Well spotted!

A 'baddy' through and through.

True! And if you live long enough you'll get to meet one.

Yes, absurdly theatrical eh?

You'll win the "perfect viewer" prize Mike. :)

[IMM]

The amount of people who make little or lose is astounding. Doing up property to sell is a dodgy game and you have to know what you are doing and the market the house is in. Beany knows her stuff and if her guidelines are followed you will make money, or not lose. The most important point is know the market the house or flat is in and what will add value in that market.

[Bob]

A lot of the people I've seen on that show have only made money because house prices have risen while they've been doing it up. In some cases they'd have been better of doing nothing to it at all, leaving it unlet and just selling it a year later.

Bob

[R Taylor]

I'd have took the £15 pure profit that the solicitor offered and used it as a deposit on a finished house /then/ waited 12 months for the price to rise in line with the rest of the street.

but then I'm a sensible bloke and not a lesbitarian with an axe to grind :-)

RT

[JoeJoe]

Exactly what my wife said.

[Mike Halmarack]

Yes, sloth seems to beat plastering skill every time.

[IMM]

Near enough. A house done up sells quicker and does tend to get the top of the range in that area/house type.

Selling a house quickly, some may be on the market for over 6 months, can be an earner in itself.

[IMM]

How do you know house prices are going to rise? That is a "big" gamble. The cost in buying property: stamp duty, fees, etc, are never fully assessed. Many people look at the market values they bought and sold and then think they made a profit, when in fact they probably drew even.

One good thing about these progs is that it puts off amateur developers, by letting them know that making big bucks is not easy and at times virtually impossible.

[Mike Halmarack]

Just the opposite in my opinion but there's bound to be some differences of perception.

[IMM]

Beany does emphasis that many are not making a lot of money, if any. When you look at the time from looking for the property and finally selling and then you divide the profit into an hourly rate, you may be better off stocking shelves on the side at Tesco.

I knew one so-called highly paid manager who earned about the same as a bus driver who worked as much overtime as he could get. When they worked out how many hours per week they worked it was about the same. One was paid a salary and one for all the time he worked. These amateur developers tend to work long hours on their projects, so any profit is not as great as you think when the time is considered.

[Bob]

developers,

But those developers may not be able to get a job where they could make that money working normal hours.

I agree that salaries are a scam though - you get to be called "professional" but don't get paid for all the time you work. Quite remarkable how people just put up with it.

Bob

[John Laird]

Exactly the conclusion I came to while idly perusing the first series. Especially as, in a rising market, unimproved properties will still sell.

[Anyone know what the time lag is between filming and airing these sort of programmes ? Whenever I watch one of the relocation ones, I am bewildered by the prices which sometimes seem to be so low as to be unreal at times.]

[anthony james]

The prices quoted for kitchens in all of these property programmes just dont add up - it's just not possible to get kitchens of *any* quality and have them fitted for the prices they quote.

I've stopped getting annoyed about it.

[in2minds]

I hate to say it but "mine too"

LJ

[R Taylor]

hmm, 40k on the last property and c60 on this one ... seems quite simple, really !

'course, if I took into account every hour I worked then I'm sure that a/ I wouldn't do another one, ever, and b/ I was probably on