New fitted kitchen - any recommendations please?

[Moe]

Thank you everyone this has been helpful.

So avoid Wren, add Howdens to my list to check out and deffo find a fitter rather than use theirs!



I’ll need to check out IKEA too. This is what I’m looking for - just a bland kitchen but will make it look fresher.

Just my two cents.
Have used IKEA for four kitchens though one was free standing. The kitchen fitters always hated them and it was a pain having to drive back and forth when there was something missing or wrong.
Howdens don’t do decent discounts nowadays so I don’t bother going there anymore.
The most recent kitchen was B&Q mainly because at the time I’d gone way over budget. I was most pleasantly surprised. Really good value great customer service and I got a big discount as I have a trade card. See if you know anyone with one and borrow it.
The only snag was the delivery guys. I was alone on site that day and even though B&Q state in their terms that the products will be delivered to whatever floor they are needed these guys weren’t having it and tried to leave it in the street. They didn’t in the end but tempers were frayed to say the least. The couriers don’t actually work for B&Q and I’ve had others try and leave stuff on the street quoting elf’n safety. Make them take it back if they try this.
One last thing try and get some quotes in for tiling as that can prove to be quite expensive. Good luck.

 

[ispywithmylittleeye59]

Just my two cents.
Have used IKEA for four kitchens though one was free standing. The kitchen fitters always hated them and it was a pain having to drive back and forth when there was something missing or wrong.
Howdens don’t do decent discounts nowadays so I don’t bother going there anymore.
The most recent kitchen was B&Q mainly because at the time I’d gone way over budget. I was most pleasantly surprised. Really good value great customer service and I got a big discount as I have a trade card. See if you know anyone with one and borrow it.
The only snag was the delivery guys. I was alone on site that day and even though B&Q state in their terms that the products will be delivered to whatever floor they are needed these guys weren’t having it and tried to leave it in the street. They didn’t in the end but tempers were frayed to say the least. The couriers don’t actually work for B&Q and I’ve had others try and leave stuff on the street quoting elf’n safety. Make them take it back if they try this.
One last thing try and get some quotes in for tiling as that can prove to be quite expensive. Good luck.

Yes I am a little concerned about the delivery so I would def confirm with the company beforehand. I live in a first floor flat and have had several delivery drivers refuse to take large items up the stairs!! Good to hear you had a good experience with B&Q!

 

[Former_Antelopee]

Going to say the opposite for Wren, they were very good with us and no problems. I have heard good things about DIY kitchens and the fact they are a lot cheaper but still good quality.

 

[Sally1993]

American fridge with a plumbed-in ice dispenser and cool water dispenser!! Best thing we ever bought.

 

[Shaunaftw]

Make sure you look in to the quality of the units as cheaper ones may be 15mm thick when more expensive will be 18mm. A lot of the time it's much cheaper to source fixtures yourself too!

 

[Rocknrolla]

Top tip re Howdens only selling to trade, any Tom, fool or Harry can go in and sign up for a trade card

 

[thatstupidcat]

Another vote to avoid Wren - my next door neighbour used them last Autumn when replacing their 20yr old kitchen. Wrong stuff sent out from their depot with weeks’ of delays waiting for a replacement.

Also, their fitters are paid for 5 days’ work only and they finished hours early each day. Any building work, gas or electric work more elaborate than changing faceplates or putting in a simple plug was beyond them. It was simply strip out and slot in new and slapping the laminate worktop on. While they came back briefly to put the replacements up later, it was extremely awkward as they were doing it “on their own time”.

I imagine other high street kitchen sales’ companies are similar so it’s worth looking for an installer you like before a kitchen. I had a quote from B&Q a few years back for £15,000 for a small kitchen when I got the same for half of that independently. Any company that does finance (especially 0%) will make you pay for it.

For so few units, would it be worth considering freestanding? Sometimes small freestanding kitchens pop up for sale on ebay although you may have to arrange your own collection.

ETA - sorry you asked for fitted but sometimes they pop up too on ebay if money is really tight!

 

[Lola123]

Check out the reviews of local companies, round where we live the big ones like howdens and wren have a terrible rep so my mum went through a local designer (they map it out) and they had a list of trades people, don’t know where you’re based

 

[JoeBloggs]

We have a Howdens kitchen as my dad is trade, we have 70% discount apparently. We did fit it ourselves, but howdens do usually have a list of local traders on file. You would need to register as trade or use someone’s trade account to get the discount.

My parents are having a new kitchen and using benchmark, who are part of travis Perkins but again trade only and they will fit it themselves.

Both excellent quality if you can find a fitter.

 

[Lola123]

We have a Howdens kitchen as my dad is trade, we have 70% discount apparently. We did fit it ourselves, but howdens do usually have a list of local traders on file. You would need to register as trade or use someone’s trade account to get the discount.

My parents are having a new kitchen and using benchmark, who are part of travis Perkins but again trade only and they will fit it themselves.

Both excellent quality if you can find a fitter.

Would second benchmarks

 

[AutumnSpring]

We have just had a howdens kitchen fitted.

We got the below for £5693

- x2 tall larder units (with an over head bridge and fridge goes Inbetween)
- x3 600 floor cupbaords
- x2 sets of the huge 800 pan dranwers
- x3 300 floor cupboards
- a drawer unit for cutlery etc
- a corner spinny unit thing
- two wall cupboards with drawers and an extractor fan bridging unit (extractor supplied by howdens too)
- an under sink storage drawer compartment
- fitted dishwasher (supplied by howdens too)
- a fancy bin storage cupboard pulls out thing
- all the worktops (I remember it came in three big bits)

Just wanted to make it clear just how much you get for your money. Plus our fitters found howdens much easier as it all comes pre built. Means you have to spend less on a fitter because it takes less time for them to do, our fitter charged £250 a day per person and it was a “get as much done as we can in the time” (not sure where you are based and whether this will be relevant but don’t pay too over the odds for this!). Can’t recommend the quality and service enough of howdens enough. We got ours in the October sale, not sure if they do other sales throughout the year too so may be worth asking them! I can send over some photos if you message me just don’t want to post them on here xx

 

[discolisa]

We used magnet trade and we're not in 'the trade'. I would definitely recommend.
Tiny kitchen but it's beautiful. They knocked loads off without us asking. Free handles, free good brand of integrated dishwasher, the dishwasher wood protector sheet thing, free cutlery thing, free drip thing for under the sink, every item discounted. They even told us where to get the exact same solid wood worktop so we went direct to worktop express. It was cheaper. They didn't seem to mind, all the wood samples had worktop express stickers on anyway. We also sourced our own sink from a local company as we needed something very specific due to size limitations. We fitted it all ourselves tho, so no cost there (bar plumber for gas).

I think it was around 1k, shaker grey doors, 2 tall wall units (800?), 2 wide deep drawer units (800?) (amazing! 2 drawers with the secret cutlery drawer), 3 normal sized cupboards, the dishwasher and door and two small width (300?) cupboards plus kickboard and ends panels and plinth stuff etc. The worktop was about the same price about £1k, lots of waste unfortunately due to size and shape. Then sink (£300?) With glass sliding covers (clearwater glacier, amazing to hide washing up etc and additional worktop space too), taps, pipes and bits for drills and jigsaw/router.

Our Howdens quote was still ok-ish but limited choice of colours and limited wood options for worktop. They also didn't do the big drawers I really wanted in our width so for the price there were too many compromises. My friend used them and her dishwasher which was part of the deal was a really really poor 'brand' and has just died after only 3 years. Our Wickes quote, design and option were also poor even in one of their regular 'sales' - about 4.5k I think.

Another friend has just bought a wren kitchen and is very happy.

I'd avoid IKEA, another friend (I know!), Waited like 20 years for a new kitchen and they're so unhappy. Things didn't arrive etc and the IKEA fitters were not bothered. The worktop has also 'blown' and crumbling around the sink and dishwasher after only 6 months. Or maybe avoid their fitters and worktops!

Personally, I'd shop around, I mean get things from different places and don't get sold on fake deals and fake sales.

Good luck

 

[Carrie2019]

We’re using a local independent kitchen place.
The quality is amazing compared to the big popular places and not really much more expensive.
Could be worth seeing if there’s any local places near you??

 

[Homebird44]

My kitchen is IKEA. Its a decent size and the units, worktops, five appliances and fitting cost 10k. We needed new electrics and plastering, flooring and a velux window. The builders bill was 8k. I never even thought about ikea but I'm so glad I used them.

 

[Notworthy]

Yes I am a little concerned about the delivery so I would def confirm with the company beforehand. I live in a first floor flat and have had several delivery drivers refuse to take large items up the stairs!! Good to hear you had a good experience with B&Q!

I got an off the shelf Kitchen from B&Q, can't fault it, it's 10 years old and still looks great. I definitely think the key to a greaat Kitchen is a decent fitter.
ETA Kitchens get really expensive when you add in the storage solutions, as long as you keep to the basics you will easily manage to keep in budget.

 

[ElliotM]

Recently I've got a bespoke kitchens petersfield . Before that I had an Ikea kitchen, it was good but the time has come to buy a new one. I am in love with my new kitchen even it cost nearly 20k but its hand painted and the design was made exactly as we want.