Buying kitchen units

[colinc]

Hi,

Am not really sure which forum to post this on, but hopefully here is ok?

Perhaps once or twice in every decade I find myself needing to buy or build a new kitchen. Each time, the market seems to have moved on and suppliers and their selling methods have changed. SWMBO is arguing that we should buy a supply and fit package so have looked at a few places including Howdens, Magnet and Wickes but can't convince myself that their pricing/discounts structure is in any way transparent and consistent.

Does anyone have advise or recommendations where to start? We are not after cheap, but all these discount and 'sale' offers and lack of a price list just make me uncomfortable.

Regards,

Colin

 

[Ring]

My daughter just used. http://www.diy-kitchens.com. Very good quality units and delivered with no problems even came with a box of Yorkshire tea and a packet of biscuits if I ever do my own kitchen I would have no hesitation on using them.
Jim

 

[giantbeat]

My daughter just used. http://www.diy-kitchens.com. Very good quality units and delivered with no problems even came with a box of Yorkshire tea and a packet of biscuits if I ever do my own kitchen I would have no hesitation on using them.
Jim

im just about to start mine, thats the same company we are looking at using for units, the price & build looks better than anything i have seen thats comparable

 

[MikeG.]

Last time I bought units I used Howdens because they are already made-up, rather than flat packed. Saves a lot of time, and you know for certain that all the bits are there.

 

[lurker]

This is only hearsay; the supply & fit you mentioned are subcontracted out and done on price. So the fitters work as fast as they can. and every trade blames the other for faults & errors.

Howdens & Magnet have prices for punters and another for trade. The idea being the suckers go in price the job up and then compare with a supply & fitter and you think you are getting a cheap fitting; whereas the two are working for their mutual benefit, but not for you.

Build my kitchen 30 years ago :shock: blimey is it that long ago!
Since then I have done two revamps basically just new cupboard doors, cupboards to drawer units, worktops, tiles, sink and hob. But not all at the same time.

Funnily enough, I am on a housework blitz this morning (just taking a rest) and was just thinking how well the high gloss white cupboard doors I got from B&Q 4 years ago (in the January sale) were still looking. These were fitted to the original cupboards with blum hinges which cost more than the doors.

 

[stuartpaul]

We're now on our second B&Q (gasp!) kitchen and if you can get your mitts on a Tradepoint card (or know someone who has one) then the price can be hard to beat.

The quality of the units has declined since our first one but still very reasonable. Hinges and drawer runners are (were?) blum so they're good quality.

We also used their in house planner for ideas and ended up with a design that pleased us and our pocket.

 

[DBT85]

My daughter just used. http://www.diy-kitchens.com. Very good quality units and delivered with no problems even came with a box of Yorkshire tea and a packet of biscuits if I ever do my own kitchen I would have no hesitation on using them.
Jim

This is who I used to kit out my kitchen. Units only.

Very happy from start to finish, great to be able to choose the colour you want from the Farrow & Ball collection. This also meant I could get a splashback to match as its actually a proper colour rather than "random light blue".

The units come completely pre built with all drawers and drawer fronts fitted and feel very robust. All you have to do is put the feet on and the handles and secure them to each other/the wall.

I would pay the extra for the 2 man delivery. I nearly didn't, but did. The day they did my delivery it was pissing with rain and about 8pm. Much rather they lugged in a lot of very heavy units in those conditions than myself.

My order comprised 2 tall larger units, 1 tall oven unit, 4 wall units, 1 sink unit, 2x 5 drawer 800mm wide units (v heavy), 3x 3 drawer 800mm units (slightly less), a smaller 5 drawer unit and a dishwasher door. Also the usual cornice, pelmet, kickboards etc.

Ours was the 6th and last (to date) kitchen I've put in and I'd go back to them in a heartbeat.

Got my oak worktops from worktop express.

My only issue with them at all was that they didn't have a designer software. Baffling.

We got a quote from Howdens. I laughed.

 

[DBT85]

My daughter just used. http://www.diy-kitchens.com. Very good quality units and delivered with no problems even came with a box of Yorkshire tea and a packet of biscuits if I ever do my own kitchen I would have no hesitation on using them.
Jim

This is who I used to kit out my kitchen. Units only.

Very happy from start to finish, great to be able to choose the colour you want from the Farrow & Ball collection. This also meant I could get a splashback to match as its actually a proper colour rather than "random light blue".

The units come completely pre built with all drawers and drawer fronts fitted and feel very robust. All you have to do is put the feet on and the handles and secure them to each other/the wall.

I would pay the extra for the 2 man delivery. I nearly didn't, but did. The day they did my delivery it was pissing with rain and about 8pm. Much rather they lugged in a lot of very heavy units in those conditions than myself.

My order comprised 2 tall larger units, 1 tall oven unit, 4 wall units, 1 sink unit, 2x 5 drawer 800mm wide units (v heavy), 3x 3 drawer 800mm units (slightly less), a smaller 5 drawer unit and a dishwasher door. Also the usual cornice, pelmet, kickboards etc.

Ours was the 6th and last (to date) kitchen I've put in and I'd go back to them in a heartbeat.

Got my oak worktops from worktop express.

My only issue with them at all was that they didn't have a designer software. Baffling.

We got a quote from Howdens just to supply. I laughed.

 

[colinc]

Hi,

Thanks for the responses, I think that my misgivings about the retailers align with the views given. Have taken a look at that web site and am pretty impressed, I particularly like all the articles and advice provided.

I will price up my plan and see how it compares. Probably enough ammunition to persuade SWMBO to let me take it on myself.

Regards,

Colin

 

[DBT85]

Probably enough ammunition to persuade SWMBO to let me take it on myself.

Regards,

Colin

Any colour you like and you'll ave a fortune on fitting costs. Not many other halfs who will decline that!

 

[colinc]

I have previous form for not quite finishing things for a year or so, but that's normal for a bloke isn't it?

 

[DBT85]

I have previous form for not quite finishing things for a year or so, but that's normal for a bloke isn't it?

I think it's common yeah. My kitchen remained 98% complete for 18 months until I finally got around to boxing in dome pipework!

It isn't important and the time it would take can be better served fixing everything else lol.

 

[MrDavidRoberts]

What about making the cabinets yourself?
I had fitted some flatpacks before.. for this kitchen Didn't really had the budget to get what I exactly wanted..
so... I made everything myself, it cost 3x cheaper than the cheapest most terrible units you can get , and I was surprised It didn't really took much longer than putting together flatpacks!
18mm ply for sides/ 12mm for back and not much oak to make the doors/faceframes.

And I'm not even kidding about the time it takes,with flat-packs you still have to put everything together yourself, here you just have to cut your own pieces to put together... that's pretty much the only difference! +You can make custom everything to please any desire...

Here's a quick video to see how easy it is to make a cabinet .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3zh2cMmsNM

 

[Geoff_S]

I have previous form for not quite finishing things for a year or so, but that's normal for a bloke isn't it?

Well no, it's not normal for me!

I wait until the day before I move

 

[tomf]

if you can get your mitts on a Tradepoint

I don't really find you get much off with a trade card, the kitchen units are slightly cheaper than retail but not much by the time you've added hinges etc.
Not sure if it's just the ones I have fitted however I find the b&q kitchens poor quality with really thin edging etc. These were the 15mm carcasses.

What about making the cabinets yourself ... it cost 3x cheaper

For carcasses if you make them yourself it'll be around half the price unfinished so it normally works out only slightly more to get premade ones.
But they will be loads better as everything one makes will be engineered compared to a commercial version.
I made up some Ikea PAX waredrobs the other day, I was shocked at the 1 cam one dowel approch for 2.4m tall carcasses!
So I had made my own plinth, cut off the original, add a solid back, made my own doors apart from a mirrored one which I brought, added fill in strips to the top and a side and added a slide panel to match the door colour. This way was still cheaper than making the all myself, it's mad!

 

[mbartlett99]

I've just ordere dmy carcasses (well panels cut and edged) from Cutwrights. Closest I could get price wise was approx 220% higher. It will take longer to assemble but there were quite a few non-standard units whic meant it was pretty much my only option.

Just for interest Cutwrights were approx double the cost of buying the sheet goods/edging myself. I would have difficulty doing 2mm edging without the special machines and the time spent cutting, edging and trimming is longer than you'd think - as I learnt last time.

 

[stuartpaul]

if you can get your mitts on a Tradepoint

I don't really find you get much off with a trade card, the kitchen units are slightly cheaper than retail but not much by the time you've added hinges etc.
Not sure if it's just the ones I have fitted however I find the b&q kitchens poor quality with really thin edging etc. These were the 15mm carcasses.

I have on more than one occasion saved several hundred pounds and on for one well over a thousand (including appliances mind).

As I said, the unit quality isn't what it used to be but by the time they're screwed to the wall there isn't an awful lot between them all.

 

[colinc]

Hi,

Have made several kitchens over the years and fitted others I bought. Now, I am less driven by financial pressures and prefer to spend my time on other things, so buying in is the preferred option. What I wanted to avoid is paying over the odds or at leadt feeling like I may have been.

That diy kitchens outfit are at least up-front on prices. Am going to pay their showroom a visit and take a look.

Thanks for all the input.

Colin

 

[colinc]

I also meant to add that I have been playing with the software on opunplaner.com (that u is intentional not a typo) which is very good. Whilst I can visualise from plans, it is nice to have a 3d model for the decision maker.

I suspect that they are now selling my email address to various suppliers but that's not a problem.

Colin

 

[tomf]

if you can get your mitts on a Tradepoint

I don't really find you get much off with a trade card, the kitchen units are slightly cheaper than retail but not much by the time you've added hinges etc.
Not sure if it's just the ones I have fitted however I find the b&q kitchens poor quality with really thin edging etc. These were the 15mm carcasses.

I have on more than one occasion saved several hundred pounds and on for one well over a thousand (including appliances mind).

As I said, the unit quality isn't what it used to be but by the time they're screwed to the wall there isn't an awful lot between them all.

Maybe from b&q but not from a decent independent or one of those online suppliers.