What Happens at a Free Kitchen Design Survey?

"Free design survey" can sound like a sales appointment wearing a lanyard, so it is fair to ask what actually happens when you book one. Here is how an ABJ design visit runs, what you need to prepare, and what you walk away with, whether or not you go ahead.

People often apologise for not having sizes ready. You do not need them: measuring accurately is our job, and rough ideas are a better starting point than rough numbers. What helps most is knowing how the room frustrates you now: not enough worktop, nowhere for the recycling, a corner cupboard that eats saucepans. Saved photos from Instagram or Pinterest help too, even if they only show a feeling rather than a layout.

We measure the full room, not just the run of units: window and door positions, ceiling height, where the services enter, which walls are true and which are not. In older Peterborough homes the walls are rarely square, and knowing by how much is exactly what made-to-measure manufacture needs. If a wall is coming down or a doorway is moving, we talk through the sequencing there and then.

A kitchen quotation is only useful if it reflects how you actually live: who cooks, whether the room doubles as homework space, what appliances you would keep, and what the realistic budget is. As a guide, straightforward fitted kitchens can start from around £5,000, with larger projects rising with premium worktops, appliances and installation work. Being open about the number early means the design is built to it, rather than the disappointment arriving with the quote.

After the visit our designers prepare a photorealistic 3D design of your
fitted kitchen
, so you can see the layout, colours and lighting before anything is manufactured. Alongside it comes an itemised quotation: cabinets, doors and finishes, worktops, appliances, installation and any associated trades listed separately, so you can compare it fairly and see exactly what is included.

The survey, the design work and the quotation cost nothing, and there is no obligation at any point. If you go ahead, your kitchen is manufactured in our own Peterborough workshop and installed by our own team, with a 10-year manufacturer guarantee, and
0% finance
may be available subject to status. If you do not, you keep the ideas, and we part as neighbours: we have been making furniture in Peterborough for over 20 years and our reputation locally is worth more than a pushy afternoon.

You do not need to do anything technical before we arrive, but a few minutes of thought makes the visit more useful. Clear enough space for us to measure each wall from floor to ceiling, and make sure we can see the boiler, consumer unit, stopcock and any pipes or soil stacks that run through the room. If you have photos of kitchens you like, saved on your phone or a Pinterest board, have them to hand. They tell us far more about your taste than a written list.

Think about how the room is used day to day. Who cooks, how often, and how many people are at home at busy times? Do you need space for a family to eat, somewhere for children to do homework, or a place for a coffee machine that is not in the way?

Expect us to ask about storage first. What do you keep in the kitchen now, and what currently has nowhere to go? Tall larder units, deep pan drawers and corner solutions only work if they are designed around what you actually own.

We will also ask about appliances, including whether you want them integrated or freestanding and whether you are reusing any. We will ask about lighting, sockets and where you would like the sink and hob to sit, and whether any walls might move. None of this commits you to anything. It simply means the design reflects your home rather than a showroom template.

It helps to share a rough budget, even a wide range. Fitted kitchens can be specified in very different ways, and the same layout can vary considerably in price depending on door style, worktop material and appliances. Knowing your range lets us suggest where spending makes the biggest difference and where a simpler option works just as well. Finance may also be available, subject to status, if spreading the cost would help.

When you receive the 3D design, take your time with it. Walk through the room in your head as if you are cooking a meal: where you take food from the fridge, where you prepare it, where you cook and where you clear up. Check the door and drawer swings, the space in front of the oven and the walkway around any island. Small changes are easy at this stage and much harder once cabinets are made, so ask for as many revisions as you need.

If the kitchen is part of a bigger project, such as an extension or removing a wall, the survey can happen earlier than you might think. Share your architect drawings or builder plans and we can design the kitchen around them, so that windows, doors, drainage, sockets and lighting end up in the right places. It is far easier to move a socket on paper than once the plastering is done. We will then re-measure once the walls are up, because finished rooms are rarely exactly the size shown on a drawing.

Many people use the visit to plan more than one room. If you are also considering a utility, a boot room, fitted wardrobes or a media wall, mention it while we are there. Designing rooms together keeps door styles and colours consistent through the house, and it can make the installation more efficient when the work is booked together.

Is the survey really free? Yes. There is no charge for the visit, the measure, the 3D design or the itemised quotation.
How long does it take? It depends on the size of the room and how much we are designing, and we will give you an idea when we book the visit.
Do I have to decide on the day? No. You will receive the design and quotation to review in your own time.
Do you survey bedrooms and other rooms too? Yes. The same visit works for fitted wardrobes, bedrooms, media walls and storage.

We visit homes across Peterborough and roughly an 80-mile radius, including Stamford, Market Deeping, Huntingdon, Oundle, Ely and Cambridge. Call
01733 686767
or
book your free design survey
and we will confirm a time that suits.