Midland Heart and contractor Lovell are celebrating providing 1,000 tenants with brand new kitchens in their homes. The major milestone is part of the housing association’s £multi-million programme of refurbishment across its general needs housing stock.
Tenants get to select kitchen units, worktops and handle sets with a tile choice and flooring from a range of finishes and colours. Electrical wiring into the kitchen is renewed to ensure it meets regulations and the makeover includes a full paint redecoration of the room.
Alison Archer, Contracts Manager at Midland Heart, said: “Involving each tenant in the design and layout of their new kitchen and giving them choices is an important element of the refurbishment programme. Our designers Rixonway and Lovell work with each tenant to ensure they are happy with their selections and then provide them with a 3D image of their new kitchen.”
She added: “The replacement of kitchens and bathrooms in our properties is a rolling programme of work amounting to £5 million in 2018/19 alone.
“This significant investment shows the importance we place on improving our existing housing stock and consequently the quality of our customers’ lives.”
Brian Dudley of Handsworth, Birmingham received the 1000th kitchen. He said: “I’m so pleased with my new kitchen. It was great to be involved in the planning and have a choice of units and colours. It means everyone’s kitchen in the flats is different.
“The workmen did a magic job,” said Brian, “whilst I made them cups of tea to keep them going! Nothing was too much effort and they showed me a great deal of respect. Every day the supervisor visited and checked on progress and answered all my queries.”
Midland Heart has been working successfully with Lovell since 2015 to replace and upgrade kitchens and bathrooms across its portfolio, whilst a customer panel selected the range of finishes and colours prior to the start of the contract.
Added Alison: “Our latest customer feedback shows that those who received a Lovell-installed kitchen were 100% satisfied overall with the quality and workmanship, which is a fantastic achievement not only for us and our partner Lovell but also for our customers.”
In a questionnaire following installation, Mr Dudley gave his new kitchen top marks and the replacement service an overall 10 out of 10.
