[Misc] New kitchen

[Stat Brother]

Be careful, Howdens gives tradesmen discounts, which sometimes aren't passed on to the customer. Also, if anything goes wrong with it, its under his name, not yours.

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Thanks.
Luckily he's a top bloke, I'd rather he did the work with Howdens than someone else using A.N. Other.

I can't really afford it but he's booked out till July, so might just give him the nod now anyway.
It'll be the last decision I make in the process!

 

[zefarelly]

Our old kitchen was Howdens base units,with hand made doors ( solid pine, finished and painted, by a joiner from Lancing who made to measure) and iroko 40mm oiled work tops

lasted 17 years and took me ages to dismantle. solid. and nothing was broken. the work tops are now the bar in my man cave.

my nuts tighten whenever I recall the cost of what the wife convinced me was the best option on the new one. It's fantastic, hand made from real tree wood ( dove tail joints on the drawers!) and Miele stuff throughout.

I will now never be able to afford to retire. I'll be happily cooking in there until I drop though.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

OP, I'm going through the same journey at the moment. Kitchen extension half way through being built. We've gone Wren. They had the best range and price-wise I was quite impressed.

The fitting should be in 3 weeks. Will post to say how it went

 

[Weststander]

Be careful, Howdens gives tradesmen discounts, which sometimes aren't passed on to the customer. Also, if anything goes wrong with it, its under his name, not yours.

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Our builders (friends) get us to set up a Howdens trade account, take that full discount and pay Howdens directly.

Howdens are happy with homeowners setting up trade accounts.

 

[Justice]

Be careful, Howdens gives tradesmen discounts, which sometimes aren't passed on to the customer. Also, if anything goes wrong with it, its under his name, not yours.

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I spend a large monthly sum with my supplier and get quite good discounts on materials which in turn gives me some profit on jobs. Why would I pass these on to customers? I’m in business to make money

 

[Washie]

I spend a large monthly sum with my supplier and get quite good discounts on materials which in turn gives me some profit on jobs. Why would I pass these on to customers? I’m in business to make money

Because my company and a few others can beat howdens on price and quality. Even after the discounted price. Also transparency is a big thing I feel. But I totally understand where you're coming from.

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[Wrong-Direction]

I spend a large monthly sum with my supplier and get quite good discounts on materials which in turn gives me some profit on jobs. Why would I pass these on to customers? I’m in business to make money

I pass on the discounts to my customers and some of them still query the price! [emoji849]

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[amexer]

OP, I'm going through the same journey at the moment. Kitchen extension half way through being built. We've gone Wren. They had the best range and price-wise I was quite impressed.

The fitting should be in 3 weeks. Will post to say how it went

Are Wrens kitchen units sold already assembled

 

[Justice]

I pass on the discounts to my customers and some of them still query the price! [emoji849]

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My view is it costs time and money to collect the materials in the first place 20% seems fair to me.

 

[Washie]

Are Wrens kitchen units sold already assembled

Yes.

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[Herr Tubthumper]

I have just finished designing a kitchen for our new apartment. We decided to go for steel and chose this company https://www.popstahl.de/en/startseite-english/ The do installations in the UK.

Choosing the appliances was a bit overwhelming especially the tap and the oven. In the end we literally just chose the median priced appliances. Taps and ovens have moved on a lot since I last bought one

 

[RandyWanger]

If you can use a tape measurer, I'd 100% recommend DIY Kitchens. Good quality, units come built up, easy to install as a DIYer or pay a kitchen fitter to do it. Will work out cheaper than the showroom kitchens if you can have the vision to design it yourself. Just installed my 2nd one this weekend, very impressed by them.

 

[BN9 BHA]

Just installed my 2nd one this weekend, very impressed by them.

I’m very impressed by you, installing 2 kitchens in one weekend.

 

[Machiavelli]

Do do Howdens or Wren.

As good as any of cheaper makers, with excellent pricing. Used by all the chippies we know.

Ours was fitted 11 years ago, looks as good as new.

But always buy your own appliances online. Choose want exactly you want, then pay the lowest price for each one. That’s not an anti Howdens thing, ALL kitchen suppliers make super-profit from customers on appliances.

Thanks. Am I right in concluding that you used both Howdens and Wren for your 11yo kitchen, and units from both are still going strong?

 

[Mr Bridger]

I’ve been told by my chippy that IKEA units are very good. Economies of scale and all that. So that and bespoke doors is what we’re thinking of.


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One thing I didn’t like with the IKEA units I’ve fitted before is that they didn’t have a gap at the back(40-50mm) to hide all the pipework behind so everything is in show.
This may have changed in recent years, but be careful of that.

 

[BN9 BHA]

One thing I didn’t like with the IKEA units I’ve fitted before is that they didn’t have a gap at the back(40-50mm) to hide all the pipework behind so everything is in show.
This may have changed in recent years, but be careful of that.

One thing I don’t like is the waste trap / flexible pipe that comes with kitchen sink.

 

[Comrade Sam]

When I fit kitchens I usually recommend Ikea, as they are very cheap (you may need to make a false back for plumbing and electrics, and worktops cut to size from worktop express. My advice is don't fill your kitchen with a monumental island, just buy a nice extendable table - it's lack of permanence leaves the option to rearrange the space. I put a budget hot water tap in for my Dad, as he hasn't got a boiler. It doesn't boil the water, but having running hot water is a treat for an old man.

 

[Weststander]

Thanks. Am I right in concluding that you used both Howdens and Wren for your 11yo kitchen, and units from both are still going strong?

We used Howdens, a builder friend in Eastbourne just used Wren.

The Howdens stuff - we've never had any issues in the 11 years, the dark veneer has never chipped or marked and all the moving parts are still fine, despite being put through the rigour's of a family's use.

What have we replaced in that time? An induction hob as the first came to an end, dishwashers have come and gone. [Not the fault of Howdens, we bought them and they got used to death].

 

[Elbow750]

I knocked through and renewed my kitchen 5 years ago. Went bespoke using Koop Furniture from Plumpton. They hand made the carcuses from birch ply, and draws from ply and oak veneer. They did the installation too.

Units are extremely well made, look fantastic after 5 years and will last me out. Splashed out on 2 concrete worktops and 1 solid oak. Frig me those concrete tops were heavy, even with 6 of us lifting them in. German draw units and bespoke shelving and small unit next to the existing aga. It still looks the absolute Mutts and fills me with joy everytime I see it.

Had a Quooker tap installed. Very good, instant boiling water and I love the tap design. Needs a descaler cartridge every 2 - 3 years at £70. But was a treat, as was the Gaggenau dishwasher which projects the time the wash finishes onto the kitchen floor.

Ok it was 5 years ago but the complete kitchen with hand made units and worktops was only £16,500, including Quooker and Dishwasher which Koop supplied. I brought new washing machine and Fridge from Ao for £850.

So a completely handmade (which means I could have worktops and draws deeper than normal) and exceptionally quality Kitchen I'm delighted with, including the Quooker. Prices will have gone up a bit, but I was pleasantly surprised how good value it all was.

 

[Machiavelli]

I knocked through and renewed my kitchen 5 years ago. Went bespoke using Koop Furniture from Plumpton. They hand made the carcuses from birch ply, and draws from ply and oak veneer. They did the installation too.

Units are extremely well made, look fantastic after 5 years and will last me out. Splashed out on 2 concrete worktops and 1 solid oak. Frig me those concrete tops were heavy, even with 6 of us lifting them in. German draw units and bespoke shelving and small unit next to the existing aga. It still looks the absolute Mutts and fills me with joy everytime I see it.

Had a Quooker tap installed. Very good, instant boiling water and I love the tap design. Needs a descaler cartridge every 2 - 3 years at £70. But was a treat, as was the Gaggenau dishwasher which projects the time the wash finishes onto the kitchen floor.

Ok it was 5 years ago but the complete kitchen with hand made units and worktops was only £16,500, including Quooker and Dishwasher which Koop supplied. I brought new washing machine and Fridge from Ao for £850.

So a completely handmade (which means I could have worktops and draws deeper than normal) and exceptionally quality Kitchen I'm delighted with, including the Quooker. Prices will have gone up a bit, but I was pleasantly surprised how good value it all was.

Thanking you kindly. Very informative. The Quooker at first sight sounds like a terrible indulgence, but both myself and partner currently spend the vast majority of our working lives at home, and we both drink loads of tea each day: she gets through about five litres. It will, in short, get battered, and will save us no end of time waiting around for a kettle to boil.