Buying Your Own Stainless-Steel Kitchen: Who Handles Installation?

If you already have a builder and want a particular cabinet specification, buying the kitchen separately is worth discussing with them. You will need someone to coordinate the supplier and local trades. Agree who that is while the order can still be changed.

Will your installer accept a separately supplied kitchen?

Ask before paying for production. Send the installer a preliminary layout and explain the proposed cabinet construction, worktop arrangement, assembly format and delivery scope. Confirm that their price and programme can cover a kitchen supplied by another company.

Before accepting a price to “fit the kitchen,” give the installer more than a picture. Ask which drawings and assembly instructions they need. Find out what equipment they expect to use and which parts they will not alter on site.

Homeowners raise this coordination question in discussions about outside cabinet suppliers. A separate supplier can work with a contractor, but another household’s arrangement does not establish your builder’s obligations or the cost of your project.

If the installer will not accept the package or nobody will own the coordination, resolve that before ordering. The right next step may be to appoint a suitable installer first or choose a more comprehensive local service.

Who signs off the measurements and drawings?

Name the person responsible for the site survey and final remeasurement. Their information should include finished wall dimensions, levels, corners, openings, service positions and access into the property. Mark dimensions that depend on unfinished work rather than presenting them as settled.

Give the cabinet supplier one controlled set of inputs: the measured plan, elevations, selected appliance details, sink and tap information, floor build-up and the proposed installation sequence. When a dimension changes, identify which drawing revision it replaces.

Before production, the homeowner and local installer should review the proposed package within their agreed roles. Include opening clearances, worktop joints, fillers, support details and service access. Signing a drawing because the colours look right leaves the important interfaces unchecked.

A factory trial assembly can help review the supplied parts, but it cannot reproduce every irregular wall, site level or later trade change. Our site-fit guide explains why those local inputs remain necessary.

What exactly is included in the installation price?

Ask for a written scope with inclusions, exclusions and assumptions. As an example of clear separation, IKEA’s US installation guide treats measurement and an itemised installation quote as defined steps, with scope, schedule and price. Its services and terms do not apply to Anray; the relevant lesson is to name the tasks.

• Removing the old kitchen and preparing the walls and floor.
• Receiving, unpacking, moving and storing the new parts.
• Assembling and fixing cabinets, levelling, fitting fronts and making final adjustments.
• Handling worktop sections, completing agreed joints and fitting the sink and tap.
• Connecting appliances, plumbing and electrical or gas services through appropriately qualified local trades.
• Fitting fillers, handles, end panels and plinths, then clearing packaging and recording outstanding work.

Do not assume every task belongs to the cabinet installer. Assign it to a named party and agree how changes will be priced and approved. This is a procurement checklist, not a statement of legal responsibility; the actual agreement and local requirements govern.

Who receives and checks the delivery?

Identify a recipient who can compare the delivered packages with the packing list, photograph their condition and report discrepancies through the agreed channel. Confirm unloading arrangements, access restrictions and where the cabinets and worktops will wait before installation.

Check whether the shipping date is an estimate before booking installation. Agree how bookings will change if delivery or site preparation moves, including any buffer the installer needs.

Also establish who records a problem, who assesses its cause and who authorises any alteration. If something does not fit, stop that part of the work and share the drawing revision, label and photographs before cutting or modifying it. The delivery inspection guide covers the receiving stage.

What does Anray supply, and what stays local?

Anray has its own stainless-steel cabinet factory in China. Factory visits and on-site audits can be arranged. The cabinet package, finishes, hardware, worktop details and delivery responsibilities are agreed for the individual order; a factory visit does not replace that specification.

Pre-shipment trial assembly can be offered subject to the agreed scope. Each panel and module has a numbered label. Those measures support identification and assembly, but they do not replace approved drawings, final site checks or competent installation.

Anray does not have a local installation team or local service partner. The customer arranges measurement, final local remeasurement and installation. If you need a turnkey local kitchen service, confirm that requirement before treating a supply-only quotation as comparable.

For a useful first review, send the kitchen plan, destination country, intended cabinet specification and the status of your local installer. If a builder is already appointed, include their questions about the proposed package.