new kitchen?

[red vtec]

We are doing an extension, anyone got advice on the difference between B&Q, Wickes, homebase or Howdens. Looked at Wren but just look like they are tarted up equivalents of the others. read Ikea are odd size as they don't have a gap for services at he rear. 

Asking on here as most of you are quite pratical.

 

[Bibs]

@pete will make you one, he's very good!

[red vtec]

Just now, Bibs said:

@pete will make you one, he's very good!

might be a touch to rich for me!

[DDubya]

I’ve spent more time getting quotes, consultations and continuous emails from all of the suppliers that you mention. We are going through the same excessive for our holiday let. Thoughts:

B&Q - limited range but some good finance options, if that’s required. Lower end carcasses.

Wickes- We have a close friend who contracts and could do the fitting, but unless you go for the higher ranges, they’re all a bit meh!  Have gone off them, because they say 50% off this, 20% off that, but will never tell you the list price, and also a bit too much pressure selling. We know they work on commission.

Howdens- You’ll need a trade fitter for supply only price. Carcasses a bit crap and mass produced.

In the end, looks like we will go for Kettle and Co. great range, good quality, and great design consultants on line. I can recommend if you like. At the mo, they only have two outlets in South West, but will travel. Www.kettleco.co.uk 

Danny 

[Dan E]

I know the MD of Krieder kitchens top quality German kitchens and obvs a bit more expensive the the ones you have mentioned but not by as much as you would think. He is designing our one at the moment. Happy to do the introduction. 

[Dan E]

@red vtec not sure how much you know about kitchens but generally they build the carcasses and buy the doors in, which is why you see the same kitchens on most websites. Matt at Krieder is a lovely bloke and you are looking at maybe 30% tops over say B&Q and these are all German kitchens and amazing quality  

At worse I have a Howdens account which you’re more than welcome to use 

[eclat22]

Hi, I've used diykitchens.com a few times, and had customers who have purchased them for me to fit. I like the quality of them, I find them better than Magnet, Howdens,Benchmark etc all of whom I have accounts with. They were cheaper than the usual suspects and come with the feet bosses fixed ready to just push the adjustable part on and also come with the doors fitted so you don't end up with holes all over the cupboard that aren't used. The carcasses can be selected in many colours. The website takes a bit of getting used to and you have to design the kitchen layout yourself. On the couple of occasions that there has been missing parts or damage this has been rectified promptly.

Have a look at them and have a look at their reviews online.

Hope this helps

 

 

[robington]

We did a big project last year involving taking out walls and fitting a new kitchen to make an open plan area. We went with Wren and can't recommend them highly enough. They did a cad design and the designer there came up with a layout  we hadn't thought about before which was great.  When it came to speccing the appliances etc we didnt feel like they were upselling and when it came to deleveries etc everything happened as promised with zero hiccups and this was at the time of lockdown V1. 

[march]

We are having a kitchen fitted at the moment (plastering, doors and windows at the moment). We settled on Howdens but wont be able to show you the results for a couple of weeks. The Howden's first designer was pretty rubbish but she soon disappeared off the scene and the new one was pretty good (having said that, we new what we wanted) so I guess the design side of things is a bit of pot luck with them - and yes you need a trade account with them / builder. Their sales are overpromised and under delivered in my opinion, although they did knock quite a lot more off when threatened to abandon the project citing the sale promises we were originally given. A friend has used Wren and said the products are good but their fitters are known for being rubbish (she didn't use them).

Here's some of Howden's renderings, it will be interesting to see how well the results match up.

[jep]

I use Howden quite a lot for our rental stock. They seem to hold up well. For the money, quality is good. We use to use Magnet but service slipped away so we moved to Howden. 

If you need a lot of guidance, Howden may not suit, they lean more towards trade - you have to have an account. 

Justin 

 

 

[Barrykearley]

Wren.... seriously I’ve never ever heard of them delivering a complete kitchen when they should. Ever.

[robington]

3 minutes ago, Barrykearley said:

Wren.... seriously I’ve never ever heard of them delivering a complete kitchen when they should. Ever.

Maybe I the first then😊

[C8RKH]

Kitchens can be a rip off. Essentially unless you're going bespoke at crazy money (and not always great) you're basically buying coated chipboard carcasses either flat pack or pre built but basically the same thing when buying from major sources in uk 

The main difference is the doors which can be MDF, coated chipboard or solid wood. Surprisingly the difference in price is not huge.

Once the carcass is built competently and correctly it should last the life of the house.

Likewise, if hinges, drawer runners etc are all quality and fitted properly. Should last years 

We had and MFI kitchen fitted 18 years ago. Under cupboard lights, larder units, 2 built in fridges etc. Never had a single problem in all that time. The secret is the fitters! People new to the house think the kitchen is new!!!

Worktops are now iffy, so we're replacing with granite or slate. Not cheap but once done the kitchen will look superb. Like brand new!

We have a large utility. I bought B&Q units and doors. Me and the wife built them and installed them. I then created my own custom tiled worktops. 10 years no issue and it was about £900 all in including sink, taps etc and no issues at all. Designed it myself with pencil, graph paper and ruler lol.

Don't get suckered in to thinking you have to spend thousands and thousands. But do focus on getting the best local fitters you can.

Good luck.

 

[steve930]

Another vote for diykitchens. Com.    Used them loads of times,  good quality carcasses, fittings and the doors & trim are made by pws - which is one of the best out there

 

[eclat22]

Have to agree with C8RKH re fitters, you really need a good fitter, they make all the difference. I've always done my own as it's part of my trade, with regards worktops and appliances, I tend to shop around away from the company's that supply the cabinets. The likes of Magnet Howdens etc sub out the worktops and add their bit, I use a local company Marble and Granite in Luton for quartz etc they were cheaper and I was very impressed with the fitter they use. I've now used them on various occasions 

[Colin P]

Good to know about diykitchens. Been looking at them but no idea of quality. I’ve fitted quite a few kitchens in my time, Always plan them on paper and price up myself. But been finding it difficult to access the price lists. Wickes used to be supplied by Howdens, but I can’t access Howdens as I’m not trade. First few houses I found that MFI schreiber were good, but latterly the hygena kitchens actually overtook them for quality. Wren doors are essentially painted MDF which puts me off, again they won’t give you a price list and insist on planning it for you.  Wickes also won’t give me a price list and insist on planning. Thing is that when they plan the kitchens they like to use the more specialised and hence expensive units. I once halved the cost of a planned kitchen by reworking it without any loss of practicality or appearance.  

[pete]

3 hours ago, red vtec said:

might be a touch to rich for me!

Pm me 🐱

[Spanky3]

We've just done this.  Off the shelf wickes, b&q etc are 18mm cabinets, hardboard backs and iron on edging plus generic hardware. I have wickes off the shelf in my utility room and they are garbage.

Move up to Howdens, Wickes custom, diykitches you get 18mm plus abs edging and 8mm MDF backs, choice of cabinet colour and decent branded hardware (e.g. Blum drawers and hinges, kessebohmer wire work).

Howdens have dodgy pricing - fake RRP then a big but variable discount for the account holder.  Builders love  Howdens as they give the purchaser two invoices, one at RRP and the other at the real price (often less than half) so builders can pocket a hefty markup.

We ended up going with with tradesavekitchens as prices were the same as diykitchens but spec was better, e.g. 18mm backs and little extras like glass sides included on deep drawers.  Worktops were bought separately from a place near gatwick who were very good.

Edited January 24, 2021 by Spanky3
changed quality to spec

[C8RKH]

Wickes, Howdens, Wren, even Magnet etc - you get stung twice these days. Once through inflated prices through the chosen spec (as per @Colin P's comment) and secondly through the pricing (dodgy RRP/ no list price catalogues / Invoices re "RRP" v reality as above).

It's worse than buying furniture with never ending / recurring must buy today as offer ends tomorrow sales.

As shown above, you can get great specs at reasonable prices by shopping around. Get your decent reputable fitter. And you'll probably get a better kitchen for half the price of Wren, Magnet etc.

Guess it is like anything these days, don't just buy on price (that applies both ways, don't assume a higher price = better quality) but research your purchase.

Work colleague chose Wren last summer. He nearly "cracked" under the stress as a result! Whilst it was all sorted in the end it was painful for him. Really painful. 

[Chillidoggy]

My mate went to Howden to be told it was trade only. When he said no problem I’ll go to Wickes for my kitchen, guess what? He had a trade account all of a sudden. Money talks.

[910Esprit]

One difference at the budget end of the market is the levelling mechanisms for the carcasses.  With the cheapest, nastiest, just using wedges, before moving on to variable quality adjustable legs.   Another big difference used to be the quality of the drawer sides and bases.   When comparing products, examine everything carefully apart from the doors/facias!

[C8RKH]

1 hour ago, 910Esprit said:

One difference at the budget end of the market is the levelling mechanisms for the carcasses.  With the cheapest, nastiest, just using wedges, before moving on to variable quality adjustable legs.   Another big difference used to be the quality of the drawer sides and bases.   When comparing products, examine everything carefully apart from the doors/facias!

Agreed. However these days you can buy all of those "separately" to get the best quality / price point.

Having said all of this though, the one thing you cannot ignore is how you treat the kitchen once it is in. If you go about crashing into the doors, banging the doors shut, leaning on open doors, smashing the drawers in etc then you WILL knacker the kitchen, no matter where you bought it from. Being a bit more careful (not to the point of being anal) really does mean that your expensive (even the cheap ones are expensive) kitchen will stay looking good for longer and will likely not give you any issues.

Bit like a Lotus. Look after it. Treat it properly. It'll last 50 years+

However I do know some poor men who seem to have married a woman who wants to change her kitchen as often as some teenage boys change their boxers! Costly business lol...

[pete]

kitchens have become a fashion item. Not complaining!

[910Esprit]

And one other point - Poor fitters can make an expensive kitchen look mediocre and a good fitter can make a cheap kitchen look good (until it falls apart...).

[TdM]

Look at Pineland as well. You will need to measure up, fit etc. But they can build you a kitchen to spec in pine.

 

We've got a kitchen from them was cheaper than Howdens etc. and is better quality IMHO. standard disclaimer on the fact it's pine so a softer wood but it's been good for us.

 

https://pineland.co.uk/