Bespoke Kitchens in Harwich

Handmade bespoke kitchens for homes across North-East Essex

Call 07581 090957 Free Online Quote

Kitchens Built to Last

Kitchens by Chris Jones Joinery & Carpentry, priced £10,000 – £40,000. Designed, built in the workshop, and installed by Chris personally across Harwich and NE Essex.

A kitchen is the room you spend the most time in, so it needs to be beautiful and hard-working. We design and build bespoke kitchens for homes across Harwich, Manningtree, Colchester and the surrounding villages. Every kitchen starts with a site measure and a proper conversation about how you cook, entertain, and store things - nothing about the layout is copy-pasted from a showroom.

The cabinetry is made in our workshop, not bought in flat-pack. That gives us control over every detail: dovetailed drawer boxes, adjustable inners for pans and utensils, integrated waste and recycling, deep pan drawers where you want them, and pull-outs sized to the appliances you're actually buying. Doors are shaker, slab, or in-frame depending on the look you want.

Finishing is done in our own spray booth. The colour you pick - whether it's a soft off-white, a moody green, a two-tone scheme, or something bolder - is applied in even coats and cured properly, so the paint is durable enough for a busy family kitchen and won't chip on the door edges after a year.

Installation is coordinated end-to-end. We work with your electrician, plumber, and worktop fabricator so the trades hit the site in the right order and nothing gets held up. You get one point of contact, a clear schedule, and a finished kitchen that's cleaned down, aligned, and ready to cook in.

PRICE GUIDE £10,000 – £40,000
Includes Design, cabinetry & install
Timeline 8-14 weeks typical
BOOKING By appointment
Home survey £60, deducted from quote
Coverage Harwich & NE Essex

Our Work

Bespoke shaker kitchen with orange splashback and induction hob
Handmade kitchen with cream shaker doors and dark stone worktop
In-frame bespoke kitchen with dovetailed drawer boxes
Bespoke kitchen island with breakfast-bar overhang, made by Chris Jones Joinery
Sprayed slab-door kitchen in a deep colour with contrasting handles
Bespoke kitchen tall units with pull-out larder storage
Two-tone bespoke kitchen with handleless upper cabinets
Kitchen alcove cabinetry with open shelving and downlights
Bespoke kitchen worktop close-up showing solid oak edge detail
Made-to-measure kitchen larder cupboard with internal drawer runners

Frequently Asked Questions

Kitchens Questions

What areas do you cover?

We're based in Harwich and cover across North-East Essex: Manningtree, Colchester, Dedham, Brantham, Lawford, Ramsey, Wix, Thorpe-le-Soken, Kirby-le-Soken, and the surrounding villages. If you're not sure whether you're in range, call us on 07581 090957 and we'll let you know.

How long have you been trading?

Chris has been a joiner for over 20 years , a three-year apprenticeship, five years with the same firm, then Chris Jones Joinery in 2014. As the business grew, he formed Chris Jones Joinery and Carpentry Limited in 2022. He personally designs, builds, and installs every project , you deal with the same person from first visit to final touch-up.

Are you insured?

Yes. We hold full public liability insurance and can send the certificate to you before the job starts if you'd like a copy. We're also VAT-registered and a full member of the Guild of Master Craftsmen (No. 127103), the independent trade-standards body.

What are your working hours?

The workshop and site work runs Monday to Friday 09:00 – 17:00, and Saturday mornings 09:00 – 13:00. We're closed on Sundays. If you need to reach us outside those hours, WhatsApp is usually the quickest.

Do you offer free quotes or home surveys?

Yes. Every project starts with a free written estimate from your photos and info: the more detail you send, the more accurate the estimate. If you want a formal quote based on a proper measure-up, that is a £60 home survey (home visit, accurate measurements, formal quote), and it is deducted from the final bill if you proceed. Detailed drawings are included free on projects over £10,000. On smaller projects, drawings are £40 and are also deducted from the bill. Either way you know exactly what the job costs before any timber is cut.

What payment terms do you use?

Most jobs are split: a 30% deposit to secure the workshop slot and cover materials, a payment on delivery to site, and the balance on completion. We accept bank transfer, card, and cash. Everything is written into the quote so there are no surprises.

How long does a bespoke wardrobe take from order to installed?

From measure to installation is typically four to six weeks. Two weeks of that is design and manufacturing in the workshop; installation itself is usually one to two days depending on the size of the run.

Do you fit the wardrobes yourself?

Yes. Chris designs, builds, and installs every job personally. You'll have one person accountable from the first site visit to the final touch-up, not a supply-only firm handing the fitting to a subcontractor.

Can we design our own layout, or do you help?

Both. Some customers arrive with sketches; most want us to help. We measure the room, listen to how you'll use the storage, and come back with drawings and a fixed quote before any timber is cut.

What warranty comes with your cabinetry?

We warranty our carpentry work for two years against manufacturing defects. Hinges and runners carry their own manufacturer warranty (usually five years for the quality brands we specify).

Do you take a deposit?

Yes. A 30% deposit secures the workshop slot and covers materials, with the balance split between delivery-to-site and completion. Payment schedule is on the quote so there are no surprises.

What's included in the price?

The quote covers design, all cabinetry made in the workshop, spray finishing, delivery, and installation. Worktops, appliances, taps, and sinks are separate items you can either supply or ask us to source, so pricing is transparent.

How long does a kitchen take to fit?

Installation is typically one to two weeks on site depending on the size, plus any electrical and plumbing changes. Design and workshop build runs before that and takes another six to ten weeks.

Do you handle the electrics and plumbing?

We coordinate the trades - we have qualified electricians and plumbers we work with regularly, and they slot into the schedule at the right point. You get one job to manage, not five.

Can we keep our existing worktop or appliances?

Yes, if they fit the new layout. We plan the cabinetry around what you want to keep. If you want to change any of it, we can quote for the new pieces too.

Do you do smaller kitchen refurbishments?

Yes. If the existing kitchen layout works but the doors, drawers, and worktops are tired, we can re-front the units, replace the worktop, and re-spray for a fraction of the cost of a full replacement.

What do internal doors cost, and what's included?

Painted doors start at £200 and oak doors at £300. That covers a standard-size door supplied and hung with three hinges, a latch, and standard handles on an existing lined frame. Finishing is quoted separately, because a painted door still needs painting and an oak door needs oiling. We take door jobs with a minimum of four doors, so it suits a whole floor or full house rather than a single door. Oversize doors, glazed doors, new frames, and architraves are quoted separately.

Can you match doors in an older house?

Yes. Older houses rarely have anything standard about them. We measure the openings, order or make oversize/undersize doors to fit, and adjust the frames if the openings are out of square.

Do you finish the doors before hanging or after?

We spray-finish in the workshop wherever the job allows, which gives a far better finish than on-site painting. If the doors have to be finished in place (for example, in an occupied house we can't take away), we mask up carefully and use a good hand-brushed acrylic.

What handles and locks do you use?

Included ironmongery is a solid, quality standard set. If you want a specific look - Corston, Croft, From The Anvil, black, chrome, brushed brass - bring us the reference and we'll source it and add the cost to the quote.

Can you do fire doors?

Yes. Fire doors need to be hung to the manufacturer's specification with certified hinges, intumescent strips, and the correct gap tolerances. We install them properly so they'll do their job if they ever need to.

What paint do you use?

A durable PU (polyurethane) paint system, colour-matched to any brand you like - Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, Fired Earth, or a trade reference. PU is far more hard-wearing than the emulsion and eggshell most decorators use on cabinetry.

Can you refinish my existing kitchen?

Yes. If the carcases are sound and the layout still works, re-spraying doors, drawer fronts, and end panels is a fraction of the cost of a full replacement and lifts the whole room. We collect, strip, prep, spray, and re-hang.

How long does spraying take?

A small run of doors is around a week; a full kitchen refresh is one to two weeks in the workshop. That includes drying time between coats and proper cure time before we deliver them back.

Do you spray on site or take everything away?

Where possible we take pieces to the workshop - the spray booth gives a far cleaner, more consistent finish than any on-site setup. Site spraying is possible for larger fitted work but takes longer to mask and protect.

Will the finish chip?

Not under normal use. PU paint is genuinely durable - that's why it's used on cabinetry and joinery. You'd have to hit it with something hard to chip it, and any small mark can be touched in.