Once you have settled on a new kitchen, the next question is usually how to get it into the room. Some people already have a trusted fitter or a builder halfway through an extension who can take on the kitchen. Others want one company to handle the whole thing and a single number to call if anything goes wrong. As an independent kitchen supplier and installer serving Essex, we offer both routes, and we are asked to compare them almost every week, so here is an honest look at each.
In this guide
Supply Only Kitchens
With supply-only, we design your kitchen, produce the 3D layout and quotation, and deliver the cabinetry, worktops, and appliances to your door. Fitting is handled by whoever you appoint: an independent kitchen fitter, a builder already on site, or yourself if you have the skills and the patience.
It suits a particular kind of project. If your kitchen is part of a wider build with a contractor already managing trades, adding a second team can complicate the schedule rather than simplify it. If you have a fitter you have used before and trust, there is no reason to change. And if you are working to a tight budget, fitting is a real cost that supply only removes from our quote, though not from the project.
The trade-off is coordination. With supply only, you become the point of contact between the kitchen and the person fitting it. If a unit does not fit because a wall has drifted by 30mm, the conversation between the fitter and the supplier goes through you. Most of the time that is fine. Occasionally it is not.
Best for
- Projects where a builder or contractor is already managing the site
- Homeowners with a trusted independent fitter
- Confident DIY fitters with the time to do it properly
- Budgets where the fitting cost needs to sit elsewhere
Benefits of Supply Only Kitchens
- Lower quote from us, with fitting costed separately
- Full design service and 3D layout still included
- Flexibility to use a fitter already on site
- Made-to-order cabinetry, worktops and appliances delivered ready to install
- No waiting for our fitting schedule if yours is quicker
Supply & Installation Kitchens
Supply and installation is the complete project, handled by a single point of contact. We design it, we supply it, and our own fitting team installs it, with a dedicated project coordinator sequencing the electrician, plumber and any structural work around the kitchen fit. The person who designed your kitchen is the person you speak to if anything changes once the units are on site.
The practical advantage is that nothing gets lost in the transition from the drawing to the room. Our fitters work from the exact measurements and layout produced by the designer, so a decision made at the design stage is carried through to installation by the people who were part of it. When something unexpected turns up behind a wall, and in older Essex properties it often does, the fix is agreed between our team and you rather than negotiated between two companies who have never met.
For bespoke kitchens across Essex, from Chelmsford and Brentwood to Epping, Loughton and Woodford, the process is the same: a free home visit to measure and talk through how you use the room, a full 3D design at our Ongar showroom, and installation by our own team from first fix to final finish.
Best for
- Homeowners who want one point of contact throughout
- Older or period properties where surprises are likely
- Handleless and German kitchen systems with tight tolerances
- Anyone without a fitter already lined up
Benefits of Supply & Installation Kitchens
- One company responsible for the whole project
- Fitters working from the designer's own measurements and layout
- Dedicated project coordinator managing trades and schedule
- No hand-off between supplier and installer if something needs adjusting
- Installation by our own team, never a subcontractor
How to Decide
The honest answer is that supply only works well when you already have a trusted fitter and a project where they are the natural person to do it. If a builder is on site and the kitchen is one part of a larger job, adding our fitting team may add cost without adding value, and we will tell you so.
Supply and installation earns its place when the kitchen is the project, when the property is older and less predictable, or when you simply do not want to manage the relationship between a supplier and a fitter yourself. It also matters more on handleless German systems, where the tolerances are tight enough that a fitter unfamiliar with the range can produce a visibly inconsistent result.
Either way, the design service is free and identical. The easiest way to decide is with a free home visit, where we measure the room, talk through the project, and quote both options side by side so you can see the actual difference rather than guessing.
Book your free home design visit
Book a free home visit, or come and see us at the Ongar showroom.
FAQs
What is the difference between supply only and supply and installation?
Supply only means Kitchens by Guy designs and supplies the kitchen, and you appoint your own fitter to install it. Supply and installation means our own fitting team installs the kitchen as well, with a dedicated project coordinator managing the whole job from a single point of contact.
Is supply only cheaper than supply and installation?
Our quote is lower for supply only because fitting is not included, but the fitting still has to be paid for separately. Whether the project as a whole costs less depends entirely on what your own fitter charges. We quote both routes side by side after a free home visit so you can compare the real totals.
Do I still get the free design service with supply only?
Yes. The free home measuring visit, the 3D design and the itemised quote are identical whichever route you choose. The only difference is who fits the kitchen once it is made.
Can my builder fit a kitchen supplied by Kitchens by Guy?
Yes, and it is one of the most common reasons clients choose supply only. If a builder is already on site managing an extension or renovation, it is often simpler for them to fit the kitchen as part of the wider job. We supply made-to-order cabinetry, worktops and appliances ready for them to install.
Who installs the kitchen with supply and installation?
Our own kitchen installer team, never a subcontractor. They work from the exact measurements and layout your designer produced, and a dedicated project coordinator sequences the electrician, plumber and any structural work around the kitchen fit.
What happens if something does not fit during installation?
For supply and installation, our team resolves it directly with you on-site. With supply only, your fitter contacts us, and we work it out between the three of us. Both work, but the first is quicker because nothing has to be relayed.
Can I fit a kitchen myself if I buy supply only?
Yes. Plenty of confident DIY fitters do. The cabinetry arrives made to order and ready to install, and you still have the full 3D design and layout to work from. We would only suggest caution on handleless German systems, where tight tolerances make an inconsistent fit very visible.
Do you offer supply and installation across Essex?
Yes. We design, supply and fit kitchens across Essex, including Ongar, Chelmsford, Brentwood, Epping, Chigwell, Loughton and Buckhurst Hill, and into North East London, covering Woodford, Wanstead and Walthamstow. Every project starts with a free home visit.
Is there a kitchen showroom where I can see both options?
Yes. Our kitchen showroom at 38 High Street, Ongar, features full-size door samples, complete worktop slabs, and working AEG appliances. It is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, and Saturday, 10 am to 3pm, with free browsing, and a designer can talk through both routes with you there.
Can I switch from supply only to supply and installation later?
Usually, yes, provided our fitting schedule can accommodate it, and the kitchen has not already been fitted by someone else. It is worth deciding at the design stage if you can, because the quote and the delivery timing are planned around the route you choose.
