New Kitchen - Kaboodle?

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alisam

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#319238 5-Apr-2025 06:19

Our kitchen is 35 years old and looking its age. The Kitchen (13.5 sq mt) / Family room area is 27 sq metres. There are a lot of drawers, cabinets, plus tall cabinets and an island on top of a cabinet.

My wife is thinking of a Kaboodle (Bunnings) Kitchen and for them to supply and recommend an installer.

I want to do due diligence first on Kaboodle and anybody else.

It's been a few years since Kaboodle was mentioned in Geekzone and one comment for Kaboodle was 'cheap and flimsy'.

Briefly looking in Bunnings Westgate (Auckland), the demonstration kitchen setups don't look to be cheap price wise and then there will be flooring, painting, new sink, mixer, some new appliances, new LED downlighting, blinds etc etc.

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#3360911 5-Apr-2025 08:04

I can't comment on Kaboodle, but we've just had five units built across the road from us, and the developer used Mitre 10 kitchens. He's developed multiple properties in the area and keeping them as rentals, so the quality must be alright.

For a modular kitchen done a few years ago, we used Peter Hay Kitchens and IIRC, they were priced similarly to what Bunnings had on offer. If you're willing to pay, you can also get custom made wooden cabinetry that'll last 50 years but not many places do that now.

SATTV

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#3360916 5-Apr-2025 08:45

Quite often, the flatpacks use chipboard and not MDF, you will want to check as chipboard does not last.

We did our kitchen 9 years ago https://www.kitchens2go.co.nz/ were amazing, good price, exactly what we wanted.

They are on Carr Road, Mt. Roskill.

I know enough to be dangerous

eracode

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#3360924 5-Apr-2025 10:00

SirHumphreyAppleby:

I can't comment on Kaboodle, but we've just had five units built across the road from us, and the developer used Mitre 10 kitchens. He's developed multiple properties in the area and (1) keeping them as rentals, so the (2) quality must be alright.

2 does not necessarily logically follow from 1. Although wanting longevity, the developer will be building to a budget and for others to live in - not to the standard that many people would want in their own home.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

alisam

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#3360926 5-Apr-2025 10:10

SirHumphreyAppleby:

I can't comment on Kaboodle, but we've just had five units built across the road from us, and the developer used Mitre 10 kitchens. He's developed multiple properties in the area and keeping them as rentals, so the quality must be alright.

Mitre10 is not an option. My wife's hairdresser slated them when they did their Kitchen,

Bung

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#3360927 5-Apr-2025 10:18

SATTV:

Quite often, the flatpacks use chipboard and not MDF, you will want to check as chipboard does not last.

MDF & chipboard both swell up if they absorb water.

Our kitchen must be around 15 years old by now. Around that time Peter Hay flat packs were changing to moisture resistant chip board that had a green tinge to it. I polyurethaned any raw edges that might have got wet as well and there's been no problem with any of the cabinets. I've had to replace a couple of hinges on corner cupboard doors and the soft closers on the drawers don't last long with the weight we put in them.

Edit checked receipts, not as old as I thought.

eracode

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#3360928 5-Apr-2025 10:23

I may be wrong but I think Kaboodle is based on selecting from their range of predetermined standard cabinets and so on - and fitting them into your space and dimensions. This may not always work well and could result in a suboptimal result.

A custom kitchen designer and manufacturer will provide cabinets that precisely fit your spaces. It will cost more but likely a better result.

It depends on budget and you'll get what you pay for.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

networkn

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#3360932 5-Apr-2025 10:28

eracode:

2 does not necessarily logically follow from 1. Although wanting longevity, the developer will be building to a budget and for others to live in - not to the standard that many people would want in their own home.

The most visceral way to demonstrate this to people, is that rental car companies don't build fleets of Audis, BMW's, Ferrarris and Porsches.

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SirHumphreyAppleby

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#3360937 5-Apr-2025 10:45

eracode:

2 does not necessarily logically follow from 1. Although wanting longevity, the developer will be building to a budget and for others to live in - not to the standard that many people would want in their own home.

In the interest of brevity, I didn't elaborate. The units have been finished to a high standard with manufactured stone benches. They are certainly a step up from typical rentals, but you also don't want to over-invest in something tenants may not take good care of. In terms of finish however, they are very professional looking and many people would be more than happy with that in their own homes. If he were developing to on-sell, then I'm sure cheaper, less serviceable options would have been selected.

My point is that box store kitchens can be used, possibly along with other products, to meet both longevity and aesthetic requirements. Would I use them in my own home? No, I'd use solid wood, but skip the manufactured stone as I don't consider it necessary, even as someone who cooks almost every day. A simple laminate bench is good enough.

richms

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#3360940 5-Apr-2025 11:09

Im waiting on ikea before doing my kitchen, till then its filing cabinets, a garage metal cabinet and the old cabinets with swelling benchtop on one side of it.

Richard rich.ms

Handle9

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#3360943 5-Apr-2025 11:37

richms:

Im waiting on ikea before doing my kitchen, till then its filing cabinets, a garage metal cabinet and the old cabinets with swelling benchtop on one side of it.

Ikea is worth waiting for. It will be very disruptive to the kitchen market in New Zealand. I put in an ikea kitchen 3 years ago and I’ve been very happy with it.

aw747

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#3360996 5-Apr-2025 17:12

We have used Cabjaks twice now
https://cabjaks.co.nz/

Comes preassembled, dropped off by furniture moving company.

Good solid cabinets and nice smooth drawers.

neb

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#3361051 5-Apr-2025 19:43

SATTV:

Quite often, the flatpacks use chipboard and not MDF, you will want to check as chipboard does not last.

Neither does MDF, even if it's advertised as HMR it'll eventually return to the dust from whence it came (or at least soggy mouldy gunk). For the new vanity here we went with one made from plywood/laminate, which is damn hard to find but it is out there.

mrdrifter

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#3361052 5-Apr-2025 19:48

I've used both uduit and kaboodle - both cabinets and drawer units for different projects. The cabinetry from uduit are better quality and finish with a thicker coating and better edge banding. The uduit tolerances are better along with the hinges and other fittings being better quality as well.

I did actually use the kaboodle blind corner system in the uduit cabinet as it was a much better price and easy to install. I'm helping plan another kitchen and will be starting with the uduit kit again.