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how clean/dirty a state should the appliances, or worktops, or new fixtures and fittings be left in?
Is it normal for everything to look spangly and new, or should one expect some dust, bits of plaster and dirty finger marks?
Asking for a friend.
Ask your friend what they specified😊
A "builder's clean" was specified on a school kitchen refit, which basically meant dustpan and brush.
The kitchen staff spent two days getting it into a state where they dared cook
Thats what i would expect unless it was a high end kitchen.
Either way o would be cleaning the kitche thoroughly to i'd rather not pay them to to spend a day doing it.
I guess many of us only buy a kitchen when we buy a house so we've come to expect it to be very clean?
I expect any builders to give it a cursory once over.
It'd be different if I'd paid a substantial sum for a fitted kitchen, in which case I'd expect it to be left in showroom condition.
If I had paid someone for a new kitchen, I would expect that customer service and skills extend to cleaning up after themselves and presenting a lovely finished kitchen to the customer, ready for the bill to be paid.
If they left a brand new kitchen looking like a shit tip then my primary concern wouldn't be needing to push a mop around, it would be what other corners they'd cut during the install.
You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, but yeah, they really should clean up well.
It's just down to individual craftspeople I suppose. I wouldn't dream of leaving a brand new fit in a state.
Did they finish on a Friday afternoon?
More importantly, does the kitchen have a cutlery hanger?
Mines just nearing completion and I ve been cleaning as it progresses. Fitters are good at fitting, I wouldn't pay fitters rates to clean, just get a decent hoover and lots of cloths. Inside drawers, under cabinets, I even hoovered out the sockets as they were full of plaster.
Dust is constantly settling so allow a few days.
Probably just coming up to this myself and tbh if I'm paying a pro to install a kitchen I don't want to pay the same rate for him to clean the surfaces, I can do that for free. But equally I can totally see that it could feel like a lack of care, and obviously a messy site can sometimes allow for things to be overlooked.
I'd expect it to be clean personally. I'd expect the cost of the job to include leaving it clean but maybe my expectations are too high.
Installing appliances is part of my job. Medical stuff rather than domestic but I always clean up after myself. The rest of the room might be a right state but my machine and anything I've touched will always be clean. I don't get paid to clean stuff. I just can't imagine leaving a brand new thing looking dirty after I've commissioned it.
If they've left it filthy, I'd say they have no pride in what they do. If they'd tried to clean it but done a bad job and you felt the need to cleanup after then fair enough. Different standards and all that but to not even bother trying is poor. As said above, I'd be wary if what else they couldn't be bothered to do during the install.
One aspect worth noting if you have had plastering and such, the dust will hang and settle for ages, wipe it clean then go back and more dust appears. Workers are there to fit stuff, not necessary clean down a kitchen, level of cleanliness will vary between people of course!
I think a lot depends on the context. You describe the people doing it as "builders" - are these professional kitchen fitters, or are these brickies who have agreed to fit a kitchen for you in your new extension? Is the expectation that they are fitting the kitchen, or is the whole room (ie, decorating, tiling etc) supposed to be being "finished" by them?
If these are professional kitchen fitters - I would be expecting it to be "move-in-ready" (albeit accepting that dust will settle etc) with cupboards hovered out etc. The price for this is already included in what you are paying - if they haven't done it, then they haven't finished. See also: removing rubbish, putting the door back on the hinges, removing protective films and labels etc. Not doing the last 2% of a job is absolute madness from a business perspective - as evidenced by the existence of this thread.
If these are builders fitting your kitchen, and the tiler's coming in next week (for example) then I would be a bit more pragmatic, and accept that I'll probably do it myself. But the price you are paying will reflect.
Anyone competent can fit a kitchen to within 80%. It's that last 20% thats difficult to deliver - thats what you are paying the pros for.
Probably just coming up to this myself and tbh if I'm paying a pro to install a kitchen I don't want to pay the same rate for him to clean the surfaces, I can do that for free.
Sweet, can you do mine next? I can't seem to get the kids to do it.
More seriously...when our house was rebuilt we were surprised that there was no cleaning allowed for. The place was tidy but I hadn't really thought about whether the windows would be cleaned etc. The stone worktops were fitted after the cabinetry of course, so there was dust from the cutting in all the kitchen cupboards and pretty much everywhere else, too.
The tilers were the worst - I think because they'd done a lazy quote to the builder without reviewing the tiles we'd bought and then realised they'd underquoted. We had to get them back to tidy up where the bathrooms where the grout was a mess.
Anyway, I'd accept that a bit of cleaning would be needed, but nothing to put in a rubbish bag.
I would expect them to remove any obvious dirt, wood shavings etc, half drunk cups of tea and skid marks in the toilet
I would expect it to be swept out and wiped down. i would expect to have to clean properly before use
Yep
I’d say it needs to be clean enough to allow the customer to properly inspect the components to ensure they work and are not damaged in any way.
This wouldn’t necessarily be ready to prepare food in and I’d want to take care of that anyway.
I absolutely wouldn’t expect anyone to scrub it to within a an inch of its life before use (the friend will do that😄). However I would expect the ‘new appliances not to be smeared with dirty finger marks, bits of plaster and more dirt than a bit of dust.
When one walks into the showroom and sees the beautiful finished photos and the show kitchens, they are spangly clean.
Good to hear about the experiences of others
The work people are kitchen fitters and very hard working.
She had a utility built last year and the new sink, loo and radiator was left in good showroom condition. But of course she scrubbed them anyway after builders had left.
I think the last time we had a kitchen fitted it was left rubbish free and superficially clean. But, once the silicone had dried and the dust had settled we gave it a proper clean.
As above, I'd not expect them to leave it a mess, but I would expect to have to clean it.
So I fitted my kitchen a couple of months ago. No major work other than extending some LVT flooring, bit of plumbing and moving a socket and switch. But we just tidied as we went along as it made things easier. When we'd finished it was all dust free and looked presentable. Think Mrs Jeffl may have given it an extra cheeky clean. Before we started using it though.
Only thing I would say is that we did all the cutting outside to reduce sawdust inside.
Dust is constantly settling so allow a few days.
This. Unless you want to pay for the fitters to come back then steel yourself for cleaning duties.
Personally, after a tradie has finished I expect them to clean up any mess they've made and leave the room in an acceptable state. However, I fully expect to give it a proper clean before I use / furnish it.
Had a kitchen fitted to new extension a month ago and it was absolutely spotless but wouldn't expect anything less from the company (DeVol) as they are great, if a touch pricey.