Kitchen options

Hunterlit said:
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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Planning to live there about 10 years so not forever home which we would definitely go down custome route, planning to put about £15k aside for it which should be more or less about correct amount for U shaped kitchen in size of 4x2.5m.
 
Semple said:
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.
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Luckily our family friend use to design kitchens for small building company so she will be doing our designs, I had a quick look at DIY design tool on their website and it's a good one.
 
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Gepetto said:
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.
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Our current kitchen is Ikea which I had my brother in law fit, quality is not great while not bad either. It's lasted us 7 years but it's started to show signs of it's age.
 
oggiet said:
Planning to live there about 10 years so not forever home which we would definitely go down custome route, planning to put about £15k aside for it which should be more or less about correct amount for U shaped kitchen in size of 4x2.5m.
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Be interested to see any plans or pics you have, as that's my exact kitchen size :)
 
oggiet said:
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.
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We have a carpenter next door who fits kitchens amongst normal carpenter duties and will always tend towards howdens for a few reasons, e.g.
1. Managing the 'margin' and allow clients to go there without knowing the price he pays is all part of their service..
2. If anything happens during the fitting and needs replacements or extras quickly they tend to be able to get stock that day or next day.



However, I got him to do the finishing bits of our DIY Kitchens Kitchen and Utility rooms 3 years ago and he was very complimentary and finally he is extending his kitchen and is just now designing his own kitchen with DIY Kitchens as they simply offer a far greater range of real wood cabinets and finishes than howdens..

Comparative review of most brands:
And another more DIY Kitchens specific:

You can design online, they will check it anyway and their customer service is good.. best VFM by a margin IMO, and they also have reasonable prices for solid worktops, they use Natural Stone Surfaces so you can compare prices and go direct if cheaper, however I was able to haggle a bit and found it £600 cheaper through DIY-K..

One tip if getting solid worktops.. get an LED groove machined in underneath, I've added under worktop and plinth LED lighting and everyone really loves it and for the neatest job you want that groove added.. they discussed placement when they templated the kitchen, and so glad I spent the extra £150.

Semple said:
Not really surprising he wasn't happy about fitting anything other than howdens when he'd get a kick back on the costs.

We're just about to place an order with DIY kitchens.
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Indeed, a work colleague had a quote off the builder for Howdens stuff, I got him the trade prices from my neighbour, he was adding nearly 40%!!! and then a healthy fitting cost on top..

If not fitting myself, I'd always source a kitchen fitter myself.. and then source worktops myself, since most stone surface finish suppliers will offer a fitting service.. you will save a fortune..
 
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Demon said:
We have a carpenter next door who fits kitchens amongst normal carpenter duties and will always tend towards howdens for a few reasons, e.g.
1. Managing the 'margin' and allow clients to go there without knowing the price he pays is all part of their service..
2. If anything happens during the fitting and needs replacements or extras quickly they tend to be able to get stock that day or next day.



However, I got him to do the finishing bits of our DIY Kitchens Kitchen and Utility rooms 3 years ago and he was very complimentary and finally he is extending his kitchen and is just now designing his own kitchen with DIY Kitchens as they simply offer a far greater range of real wood cabinets and finishes than howdens..

Comparative review of most brands:
And another more DIY Kitchens specific:

You can design online, they will check it anyway and their customer service is good.. best VFM by a margin IMO, and they also have reasonable prices for solid worktops, they use Natural Stone Surfaces so you can compare prices and go direct if cheaper, however I was able to haggle a bit and found it £600 cheaper through DIY-K..

One tip if getting solid worktops.. get an LED groove machined in underneath, I've added under worktop and plinth LED lighting and everyone really loves it and for the neatest job you want that groove added.. they discussed placement when they templated the kitchen, and so glad I spent the extra £150.


Indeed, a work colleague had a quote off the builder for Howdens stuff, I got him the trade prices from my neighbour, he was adding nearly 40%!!! and then a healthy fitting cost on top..

If not fitting myself, I'd always source a kitchen fitter myself.. and then source worktops myself, since most stone surface finish suppliers will offer a fitting service.. you will save a fortune..
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Seen both of those videos on top of numerous others and we are certain we will go with DIY kitchens.
Great tip about led groove done on worktops, will definitely look into that.

So far lots of great tips and help from everyone on here, thank you all :)
 
I've ended up designing 4 DIY Kitchens in the last few years for family and myself and all have turned out great. Our carpenter that fitted 3 of them used to be a Howdens guy but absolutely loves DIY Kitchens now. We've had the odd mark/scratch on delivery and a couple where we needed extra bits due to mistakes or something that was missed on the original order and always had it delivered next day for small items and at most a couple of days for an entire unit that had to be remade.
 
If you want to spend more Siematic kitchens
Very good quality but also very good value DIY Kitchens
More bespoke, need to paint on site, a little more money Handmade Kitchens of Christchurch Ltd
 
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