Getting a fitted kitchen!

OCdude

OCdude

OCdude

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I got a quote from Magnet the other week - it was....... quite a bit more than expected (£16k!!!! - was expecting closer to £10k.. although after some 'discounts' it came down to about £11K).

Anyway - they wouldnt give me an exact breakdown of things like the appliance prices... which... is another thing that confused me.... how the hell am i suppose d to make an informed decision about my appliances (integrated fridge/freezer/oven/dishwasher/hobs/hood) when all i have to look at, is a tiny catalogue, with 3 bullet points for each item, and no price or anything!!!).

Anyway i digress - basically, im just wondering 2 things:

1) Has anyone had a fitted kitchen in recent years - any reccomendations? (Are Magnet a rip off?)

2) Would it be best to get the appliances separately, then get them to install them? (im pretty damn sure that the prices Magnet were giving me for the tap etc had a huge markup!!!)

Thanks!!

(Also - been looking at John Lewis 'alno' kitchens...... anyone tried them? :p
 
dsb said:
just get 3-4 quotes and go with the one you feel most happy with.
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What he said, I'd also try Focus and B&Q, find similar packages and I know B&Q do a price matching service along some money off iirc.

The best time ever to buy a kitchen in January sales, half price on everything but hey, it's rather late for that ;)
 
I wouldnt go with B&Q, i work on the delivery van and we always have problems with peoples kitchens, missing parts (doors, cabinets)
Let alone the worktops are a disgrace, there not even packaged, so they scratch and scrape easily.
 
Well 'all' of the main kitchen ppl do the usual 'zomg 50% of sale!!!' which is all a ploy...

Hell... my tops alone came to £4000.. and thats WITH the 50% off lmao..

From what i've seen - Magnet have got TERRIBLE reviews when it comes to the fitting.. really REALLY poor communication between the store managers and fitters.

Everest are coming out top at the moment :D

(another company good with the 'omg 50% off sale must end soon' is DFS... the sofa that i bought back in January is still 50% off.. despite the woman + website + radio adverts telling me that the sale MUST END TOMORROW!!!!!) lol
 
OCdude said:
the sale MUST END TOMORROW!!!!!) lol
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IIRC the sale does always end tomorrow, just as the new one starts. It's how they get away with what looks like one big sale all year round ;-)

BTW, fit the kitchen yourself, it is not all that hard to do.
 
If you are looking at 10k territory I would veer clear of the big hypermarkets such as B&Q. To be honest b&Q's price are beyond extortinate and after last weeks pollarva with my decking lighting im never going again aside from stuff like paint etc. Taps are expensive, even basic mixer jobbies are nearly a hundred squid so thats no shock, how big is the kitchen?

I would only use Homebase/B&Q kitchens for a quick re-fit if you have a small kitchen or are looking to just give a nice update and move on in a few years, certainly for 10k territory you are looking to get something half decent but defo go with integrated dishwasher/fridge freezer and washing machine it just finishes the kitchen a treat.

Also look at the kickboard LED lights, they are a nice finish and relatively inexpensive to do, they give a lovely look when you arent using the room and just want some minimal lights.
 
Magnet are fine, especially so if you are installing it DIY. Not sure about their appliances though tbh, and you would be paying quite a heavy premium on them. Probably why they dont want to break down the prices.

I got a price from them once on some AEG 'domino' or whatever they were called inset modular hob appliances (gas rings, griddle etc). They were nearly double the price compared to online etailors (Kitchen Science etc).

If you were to go with them, it might be worth trying to sort out a trade account. Their kitchen prices come way down if you do.
 
B&Q suck - at least up here :(

Was told 4 days to fit the kitchen

Took them 2 and they left a lot of things out. nearly 2 months all told.

  • They specced a wildly inappropriate tap (required a 50ft high hot water tank!)
  • Didn't install the venting kit for the cooker despite it being n the order & jobsheet
  • Made a bodge job of the tumble drier venting.
  • Floor guy did all his work in about 1 hour tops (small kitchen) but never checked if the doors shutted fully. Oh and he never cleaned up after himself - fine green dust everywhere :/
  • The tiler didn't show up for 2 weeks

I'd certainly avoid for next time.
 
wh4mmy said:
I wouldnt go with B&Q, i work on the delivery van and we always have problems with peoples kitchens, missing parts (doors, cabinets)
Let alone the worktops are a disgrace, there not even packaged, so they scratch and scrape easily.
Click to expand...

Do you work for Nightfreight?
 
Check out your yellow pages for kitchen fitters, they will usually have an account with someone to get a decent priced kitchen. I bought from B&Q, got quoted £3.5k for the kitchen and £1.5k to fit. Waited for a few weeks and they did the usual sale on sale thing, so paid £2.5k for kitchen, fitted it myself withthe aid of a couple of mates from the rugby club (Corgi gas man and guy to do the worktops) total cost for fitting £300. Fitted in 1.5 weeks except for the last end cabinet panel as it took B&Q 6 weeks to send it as was missing on original order.
 
We used a local fitter who did an excellent job and the Kitchen was from a joinery company called Howdens. Really pleased with approaching via this method.
 
Howdens are good value, a couple of guys i know in the building trade use howdens for their kitchens, good quality at the right price!
 
we ordered ours through Howdens and got a local guy to fit it worked out at £7000 4 years ago and it was a huge kitchen.
 
I've just had a Magnet kitchen fitted by my builders. We got quotes from MFI, Howdens and an independent place, all with and without the appliances and with and without installation. In the end Magnet got the cheapest price on Rangemaster appliances compared to what I could find on the net or my builders could find. Built in appliances we got from somewhere online as they were cheaper and installation was much cheaper from my builder.

I've not really had any hassle, it is only co-ordinating the granite worktop fitters with my builders as Magnet subcontract it out (as do most kitchen places for granite). My builder says their solid wood units are pretty decent quality and compare well with their peers. They were supplied on time with only one small bit missing that they got to us within 3 days.
 
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