Ikea or B&Q kitchen?

[Merlin5]

Going to get rid of my crappy old kitchen in a few weeks but not much idea about where to get a new one. Cupboards, drawers, sink unit, taps, and appliances. B&Q are expensive on their fitting, about £3000. They have value units and higher quality units. I'm not sure what I can afford at the moment and I really need to get a designer round to make suggestions for me. But my main question is, Ikea, B&Q or somewhere else?

 

[Merlin5]

Take a look at Howdens. My builder advised strongly against Ikea due to the odd sizing and lack of service voids.

Can't see any prices on their website. I imagine they'll be expensive? I'll take your advice on Ikea and cross them off the list.

 

[Merlin5]

Ikea sizes are a bit off, depends if you're going to be doing any changes in the future - they don't change their ranges that often but if they did you'd struggle to find similar sized doors etc elsewhere.

Having said that we used Ikea in our flat and it was very nice and extremely good value for money!

What's the interior wood like of the ikea units? The value range at B&Q for 8 units is around £1300, but they have slightly cheap looking chipboard interiors.

 

[Merlin5]

I worked for Wickes DIY up until last week for about a year and they do a very good range of fitted and takeaway kitchens. I think it depends which store you go to though - I worked in one of the biggest in the UK so they had a showroom for the kitchens.

Yeah, Wickes is a good suggestion. *puts it on shopping list*

 

[Merlin5]

Howdens make a range of stuff, from about IKEA prices to about three times that. I had one of their kitchens done last year, but my kitchen is almost certainly far smaller than yours so the price won't help you much. But quality is good, and I believe so even on the bargain units.

What do you reckon to 'value' kitchen ranges in general and their chipboard interiors? I'm spending so much elsewhere at the moment (complete double glazing/upvc windows, new bathroom, exterior work, new concrete window sills which all comes to about £9K) that I won't be able to get the higher end kitchens really. Then again, all depends what a designer suggests. It's a big kitchen, 16 foot long, but there's a chimney breast half way down jutting out. Unless it can be smashed out so I have a level wall, it might limit the amount of cupboards and drawers I can have.
If it does that, I might go for more expensive units.

 

[Merlin5]

DO NOT USE B&Q!

They sub out to a large firm who then subs out to the person who bids the lowest, which is usually a one man band. The fitter will work as fast as is humanly possible, cutting all kinds of corners so they can get onto the next job. The money B&Q's subcontractor saves by subbing out to the lowest bidder is then basically used to sort the numerous problems you will have with the installation.

Had a £4.5K B&Q bathroom install over a year ago, basically discovered the above for myself. Last week we had the floor relaid after the grout started falling apart and one of the (expensive) tiles cracked due to the fitter using too thin a plywood layer beneath. We also had a leak through the ceiling, and had to have a hole cut to access the pipes.

There are numerous other issues that we've had that I don't have the energy to write about now, but trust me when I say that it is good advice that I am giving you by saying you should avoid them like the plague. I have met other people who have had worse experiences than myself too, so mine is not an isolated case!

Well at £3000 which he told me is a fixed labour price regardless of value or high end units, I wasn't going to use them to fit anyway. I'm seeing my builder on saturday as he's coming over to continue work and I'll ask him what he'd charge to fit a kitchen. I presume that would be a better idea? But if I just buy B&Q units, they would be ok, or not?

 

[Merlin5]

My builder is here drilling concrete outside on my patio and I've had a chat with him about my kitchen. He recommended Howdens and can get cheaper prices for me. He reckons about £1500 for units, sink, drainer, worktops and appliances. I've decided to go electric and not gas anymore which he'll need to do some cabling for. I want a ceramic hob, silver looking cooker, chimney style hood. £500 to fit all that. He's going to smash out all the floor ceramic tiles and put new ones down, smash off all the walls and ceiling plaster, replaster and skim. Depending on the RSJ in the middle of my ceiling which is boxed with plaster, I want him to smash out the chimney breast and level the wall so there's more wall for units, cupboards, fridge freezer, whatever. Total is about £4800. And now he's persuaded me to have gas central heating in which has to go in before all the pretty stuff is done. So that's gonna be another £2K probably. Not sure what colour my kitchen units and worktop is to be yet, but I think I'm going to go for black, possibly glossy black with thin silver handles, and maybe beech colour worktops. Along with my bathroom, new double glazed windows, and the exterior work he's currently doing, it's all gonna come to around £14000.

 

[Merlin5]

£1500 for for units, sink, drainer, worktops and appliances?

You sure about that?
For the same products mine cost me well over 10x that, I know it can be done much cheaper than I did but are you sure that's a realistic figure?

Don't know tbh. He seemed very confident, though I suspect they're value type units he's talking about for the cupboards, drawers, worktops and sink unit. Not sure how many cupboards I'm having yet, probably less than 8, and B&Q for example do 8 piece value kitchens including worktops from £800 to £1400, so they might be similar quality.
So he's talking about £1000 or so for a few units, and about £400 for those appliances. But he's going to draw me a plan and measurements next week that I can take to my nearest Howdens and get a proper price. I've no doubt the quote will get higher, they always do.

 

[Merlin5]

would you consider fitting it yourself?

it will prob take a bit longer but save a lot of cash, and it isnt that difficult.

i fitted my dads with him some 12 years ago and its still fine.

you lso learn a bit of diy too.

Here's the long answer to your question. Nope. I would **** it up

 

[Merlin5]

Hey chaps, I popped down to my local Howdens today to take a look at their kitchens. I should be going down there again on friday with my builder since they'll only give me prices with his account details as they're trade only. Weren't too many on display but they looked quite nice. I took a look at a sample black gloss door which I think I might go for with thin silver handles to go on their carcasses. I saw their Lamona appliances, black ceramic electric hob with touch buttons and silver ovens with lots of press buttons. Looked very nice. Are Lamona any good? Seems to be reviews saying they're rubbish. Is that true? I believe all appliances are standard sizes to fit a Howdens kitchen (or anyone's kitchen?). So should I steer clear and look at other brands of hob, oven and hood? Baumatic any good? I saw that brand mentioned in this thread. Their prices seem good.

 

[Merlin5]

How much do Howdens charge for appliances?

They wouldn't go into prices with me until they have the builders account details, so I've no idea. What brands can I get that you might recommend for a chimney hood, electric ceramic hob and and electric oven around £400 to £500 total?

 

[Merlin5]

Funnily enough, there's a kitchen and bathroom shop a mile away from me that I passed the other day which I meant to pop into. The omegaplc site says they sell Chippendale at that shop, so I'll pop in and take a look. However, I guess it depends if my builder has an account with them. It may be cheaper to go with a place like Howdens or Benchmark where he does have a trade account. I've looked at gloss black units so far, I think I'm fairly decided on that finish. The Chippendale ones look nice, though I've no idea if they're out of my price range or not. 'PVC wrapped slab door in Gloss Black' . Is PVC wrap likely to start coming away at the edges?

http://www.omegaplc.co.uk/Chippendale/thechippendalerange/product-detail.aspx?ID=188



though I think I'll go for long thin silver handles.

 

[Merlin5]

What do you think of these guys? Bosch for a good price. Baumatic ok too? Shop near me has 2 year manufacturer warranty on all these products, total £558. They'll deliver all for free too.

Bosch single oven HBN331E03 £269
Baumatic ceramic hob touch controls £199
Baumatic hood 60cm £90.

Little over budget, but I've looked online and can get the same hob and hood for £50 cheaper, bringing the total to £508. The oven in the shop is cheaper than anywhere else I can find online. Here's some photos I took. The hood in the picture is 90cm but the 60cm will be same spec.




Only thing about the oven is one shelf but I guess it's not a dealbreaker. Also, how good is Belling compared to Bosch? I think I prefer the look of the Belling, particularly the chunky handle and I can get it for £254 online, free delivery. That would save me another £15, totalling £493. The Belling has 2 shelves, but 58 litre capacity and 1 year warranty. The Bosch has 1 shelf, 67 litre capacity and 2 year warranty. Is it a no brainer to go for the Bosch?

Belling video: http://www.appliancesonline.co.uk/p...ectric-Single-Oven-Stainless-Steel-20710.aspx