Kitchen options

oggiet

oggiet

oggiet

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What are best options for new kitchens, value and quality wise.
I know there are places such as Howdens but I'm wondering if it's worth going down the route of places such as DIY Kitchens or Better Kitchens.
I will be no doing any work myself, would prefer professionals to do the job.
 
I’m currently getting quotes from local, small kitchen places. I’m put off the likes of Howdens as I don’t have a kitchen fitter nor the desire find one and coordinate the other trades that will be needed. I’ll be paying more to have a single point of contact and that’s value for me
 
GeX said:
I’m currently getting quotes from local, small kitchen places. I’m put off the likes of Howdens as I don’t have a kitchen fitter nor the desire find one and coordinate the other trades that will be needed. I’ll be paying more to have a single point of contact and that’s value for me
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Yeah that makes sense. We are moving into a new house that will need new kitchen, bathroom and extension done so will be hiring good builder company that does it all. Just wondering if going down DIY kitchen route is a good option to save a bit of money.
 
Yeah i used to hate fitting clients choice kitchens.Much easier if they pick a manufacturer that you have been using for years for ease of fitting
My 2p worth
Also No matter how nice that shiny worktop or gloss doors look in the showroom within 6 months they will be scratched to ****
And we (fitters)well me:D hate gloss anything as it chips very easily when fitting
 
ANDARIAL said:
Yeah i used to hate fitting clients choice kitchens.Much easier if they pick a manufacturer that you have been using for years for ease of fitting
My 2p worth
Also No matter how nice that shiny worktop or gloss doors look in the showroom within 6 months they will be scratched to ****
And we (fitters)well me:D hate gloss anything as it chips very easily when fitting
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Mrs and me don't like gloss so that will not be a problem :D Is painted worth the extra cost, never had painted before ?
 
When we did ours we looked at all the suaul places typically mention in these threads as well as the likes of Wickes and BnQ.
Quality/Cost wise I found the Cooke & Lewis stuff from BnQ very good, did us a canny discount as well when asked nicely ;) (even onbits we went back for as we forgot haha)

Worktops we got granite from mayfair granite (think I've got a recommend a friend thing)who were awesome, even if they did snap the first one in install xD

Handless is fine and I'm with you and against Glossy handleless ... unless you want fingerprints on it all 24/7

The Bellway new build we're in now installed Roundel kitchens units and I must say they are crap, and the majority of their fitters even Moreso.
Looked like it had been fitted with nowt other than a hammer and a boot when we moved in! they've needed to replace about half the units and most of the doors as well as refit an entire run of wall units.

When we were viewing newbuilds the Storey Homes kitchens supplied by Symphony (iirc) looked pretty damn sturdy and the matt painted like navy blue looked V nice
 
My only input is that I had a magnet kitchen fitted 3 years ago. The kitchen is great, but the fitting was a real PITA as their fitter was so much of a cowboy he arrived each morning by horse and was mates with some bloke called Mr. Wayne. Get a fitter you trust!

FluffySheep
 
Depends how much you want to spend really. Diykitchens are supposed to be really good (I hear), though I've never used them. Wren have lots of horror stories, including manipulating reviews( apparently). On the other hand you could have a bespoke kitchen custom made. From what I can tell our kitchen was handmade by my grandad, got to be talking 30+ years maybe and it will outlive myself I'm sure.
 
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tamzzy said:
what happened?
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Probably the wrong way of saying it actually :cry: . We're just about to place an order, spent the last couple of weeks putting together a plan and fine tuning it. The online planner is reasonable, but couple of bugs/flaws which might lead to some questions.
 
We used Ikea and found them easy to build and reasonably high quality. We built up all the units and mounted them ourselves, saving a couple of grand.

Two problems: they don't use standard size worktops (Ikea only and quite limited, we had to use cut down breakfast bar worktops) and they are flat to the wall, so no space for cables, plugs etc.

Their mounting system is also iffy because it doesn't have adjustment capabilities like the usual cupboards, so if the mounting bracket is not 100% right you're in trouble..

We won't use them again, and wish we had gone with Wren.

The people saying to ask your builder are giving really good advice as you'll get a better finish with units he recommends, but they are not all equal. Pay attention to details like panel thickness, hinges, drawer runners, soft close mechanisms etc. All those little details will make a difference to your enjoyment in the long run.
 
IKEA stuff is nice, its just not available in as many sizes and like you said, needs a batten on the wall perfectly level so you need deeper tops. No room for services is a downside, but plus side is, cupboards are deeper.
 
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