Howdens Kitchen not very good??

RX-78

After looking around for a while for new kitchen ideas and travelling to Wicks, Homebase, B&Q, Wren, Magnet and Mobens, I realized Howdens is just around the corner .

So today we went around (on foot!) to have a look. Well, we were very disappointed. We read a lot of positive reviews here about Howdens and we expected a decent quality kitchen at bargain price. But instead we saw a really cheap doors with badly merged edges, non soft closing hinges (nevermind brum), less than average worktop and non colour matching cheap carcases.

It was by far the worst, along with Homebase. Is this just my local Howdens outlet or is this really the standard? Does some outlet stock only the low quality units??

evilgoose

I've heard good things about Howdens, and were under the impression that they make the carcases for other kitchen manufacturors.

Slinky_Malinky

My kitchen came from Howdens 6 years ago and is nothing special. It has done the job but if I had the money available I would replace it with a new one - probably an Ikea kitchen from what I have read about them.

Doozergirl

My Howdens units in the utility have Blum soft close fittings. I must be special.

The last one I bought for our barn was half the price of the equivalent in B&Q, even in their sale. I'm not a fan of the white units - I prefer the wood effect.

You won't see any gorgeous displays in a Howdens, usually just a few bits put together but if you can get a good price on one then they are certainly worth it - most high street kitchens are much of a muchness. I don't fail to get a 'wow' on the kitchens in our houses. If I felt they were flimsy then I simply wouldn't risk it.

Ikea are cheap but I really worry about the quality - the doors aren't actually wrapped at all and they really wobble when you pull a drawer from side to side. Last January I spent what felt like the whole month wobbling drawer units! Ikea were definitely the wobbliest.

This is one of ours from Howdens:
http://www.photobox.co.uk/my/photo?album_id=239017432&photo_id=1973719391

Andthis was a mix of the same style kitchen from MFI (knocked price down and paid with Tesco Vouchers ) and Howdens (same but cheaper)
http://www.photobox.co.uk/my/photo?album_id=27469175&photo_id=1600634809

Slinky_Malinky

Thanks for the comment on the Ikea kitchens. I have never seen one in the flesh but heard so many folk rave about them I thought they were something special (for the price IYKWIM) My opinion of my Howden kitchen is probably influenced by the fact I have cheap fake wood effect doors and tbh the fitting could have been better done.

spirit

What is the flooring you have in the second photo?

pimento

I am on day two of a two week kitchen re-fit project that will involve a Howden's kitchen. I had to pay extra for soft close hinges and drawers. They are standard on Wickes kitchens. That being said, the units looked the same as Wickes and Cooke & Lewis. I'm not sure exactly how much the units element of my design cost because I am having other work done as well, but I'm pretty sure it's cheaper than Wickes.

Doozergirl

spirit wrote: »

What is the flooring you have in the second photo?

It's solid oak flooring from erm, Howdens!

The other is engineered oak which I prefer now - less knots and discolouration, wider boards, less movement for the same sort of price (actually a wee bit more than the solid but the fitting is cheaper)

robv_3

IMHO Howdens are low end kitchens along with most of the others you have mentioned.

By default they do not comes with soft close doors / drawers but most designers will add them automatically. Available in either white or beech carcasses which are pre built saving a day or two of labour.

Magnet trade kitchens do not come with soft close drawers or hinges by default.

Normally put the cheapest kitchen in I can in rented or house that are going to be sold on, eg without soft close. It has been known to add soft close runners to the top drawer so if anyone opens it when looking around a house they assume all are soft close Drawers are expensive compared to a standard cupboard so keep them to a minimum is price is important.

The others are all retail kitchens so mostly come with soft close.

pimento

One must have to be minted to afford a 'high-end' kitchen then!

I'm in my third house and this is the first time I've been able to afford a new kitchen and even then, my estimate of what it was going to cost was doubled when I actually looked into it.

I expect that when I move (not for a while yet) the new owner won't like what I've done nd will replace it with one of his own, so to spend £20k on a kitchen unless you're planning to stay for years isn't something I would consider (or could afford).

spirit

Doozergirl wrote: »

It's solid oak flooring from erm, Howdens!

The other is engineered oak which I prefer now - less knots and discolouration, wider boards, less movement for the same sort of price (actually a wee bit more than the solid but the fitting is cheaper)

aha, I've been looking at Karndean because I thought that engineered oak might not be so good in a kitchen? Not thet I am in the habit of spilling things and the kids are grown and gone..

I would imagine that it's nice and warm underfoot compared with say porcelain tiles?