Homebase Kitchens

kernewek

Hi there

My wife and I are planning a new kitchen. We currently have a very small kitchen and very small dining room that we don't use seperated from the kitchen by a stud wall. Our intention is to remove said wall and create a kitchen/diner. We went into homebase today and had a kitchen designed for us.
Will source appliances seperately, a new range cooker and fridge freezer. But we were still a little taken back by the near £2760 quote. We were going for the Portland range with beech worktops. Anyway, the chappy said they will be having a 15% off day next weekend, so we have booked another appointment.
On closer inspection of our quote it seems we were being charged £900 for 6 meters of beech worktop. Having a look online I found a company called worktop express that would supply the equivalent for £280 delivered. Quite a difference. Ikea were also considerably cheaper at about £335. I also found I would be able to source sinks and taps a lot more cheaply from other suppliers. So it would seem I am only to buy the units from Homebase which are on a half price + 25% off. Question is am I being ripped off on these as well as I have no real point of reference. Also does anyone know if the quality of the units is any good?
Many thanks in anticipation.

purplejac

is the portland range from their off the shelf kitchens or do you have to order and wait for 4 weeks for it, basically the only difference between the two is the thickness of the carcasses 2mm,the quality is the same as b and q and any other retailer, they all use only two kitchen suppliers for their units, have you tried howdens if you have a builder/joiner with a trade account you can get it at trade prices and kitchens are in stock, i take it the worktop is the real wood one which do take a bit of looking after,ie you cant put cups down cause it will leave a water ring, hot pots will burn the wood and you end up covering your worktop with glass heat mats for protection and chopping boards, they do look lovely but if i were you id go for a laminate and save yourself a fortune with the same look, many years ago for my sins i used to work at homebase ordering kitchens and clearing up the mess the planners made when ordering them for customers. Id also check the web for worktop companys there are a few good ones about and alot cheaper, hope this helps

Ionkontrol

Don't buy a Homebase kitchen, they're crap.

kernewek

Ionkontrol wrote: »

Don't buy a Homebase kitchen, they're crap.

Thanks, could you expand a bit?

benjysmith

kernewek wrote: »

Hi there

My wife and I are planning a new kitchen. We currently have a very small kitchen and very small dining room that we don't use seperated from the kitchen by a stud wall. Our intention is to remove said wall and create a kitchen/diner. We went into homebase today and had a kitchen designed for us.
Will source appliances seperately, a new range cooker and fridge freezer. But we were still a little taken back by the near £2760 quote. We were going for the Portland range with beech worktops. Anyway, the chappy said they will be having a 15% off day next weekend, so we have booked another appointment.
On closer inspection of our quote it seems we were being charged £900 for 6 meters of beech worktop. Having a look online I found a company called worktop express that would supply the equivalent for £280 delivered. Quite a difference. Ikea were also considerably cheaper at about £335. I also found I would be able to source sinks and taps a lot more cheaply from other suppliers. So it would seem I am only to buy the units from Homebase which are on a half price + 25% off. Question is am I being ripped off on these as well as I have no real point of reference. Also does anyone know if the quality of the units is any good?
Many thanks in anticipation.

I had a kitchen fitted by Homebase 18 months ago - it is still not finished! It has been a complete nightmare and I have had terrible problems dealing with the company. If anyone would like full details, I would be happy to share because I would like to go public with my experience. They charge way over the top for installation but do not check the credentials of their fitters. BE WARNED!

benjysmith

If anyone out there has any experience of problems with homebase kitchens please could you share experiences - i have had a terrible experience - 18 months on, my kitchen in still not finished - i have had awful problems dealing with the company who offered me compensation but then withdrew the offer - they are threatening me with legal action even though i have followed advice of comsumer direct who say there is a clear breach of contract. Have written to the managing director who appears disinterested. Where next?

kernewek

benjysmith wrote: »

If anyone out there has any experience of problems with homebase kitchens please could you share experiences - i have had a terrible experience - 18 months on, my kitchen in still not finished - i have had awful problems dealing with the company who offered me compensation but then withdrew the offer - they are threatening me with legal action even though i have followed advice of comsumer direct who say there is a clear breach of contract. Have written to the managing director who appears disinterested. Where next?

Well, I'm very sorry to hear of your problems, but I have no intention of using their installation service, I was asking about the quality of the units. Perhaps you wouldn't mind starting your own thread as opposed to hijacking mine.

geri1965_2

kernewek wrote: »

Well, I'm very sorry to hear of your problems, but I have no intention of using their installation service, I was asking about the quality of the units. Perhaps you wouldn't mind starting your own thread as opposed to hijacking mine.

That's a bit unnecessarily rude to a new poster.

Ionkontrol

kernewek wrote: »

Thanks, could you expand a bit?

Ask some professionals.

http://www.screwfix.com/talk/thread.jspa?threadID=119427&tstart=15

kernewek

geri1965 wrote: »

That's a bit unnecessarily rude to a new poster.

Well, I'm not trying to be rude, but its completely off topic and trying to start a campaign on something that has no relevance to the reason I started the thread. I merely suggested they start their own thread.

dghr

My daughter bought the units and I was the nominated fitter. Have to say the flatpack sections were well packed and went together really well i.e. all holes to accept screws or dowels in the right place, no re-alignment needed, altough care is needed once feet are fitted, really takes two people to set built units in place i.e. dont slide in position as you risk damaging the plastic feet dowels or unit bases. I made a jig to ensure the drawer front and door handles are place correctly, I have noticed B&Q sell a useful template guide for drilling these screw positions. Instructions quite clear to understand, spend a bit of time setting out the pieces to ensure LHS & RHS etc don't get mixed up. The kitchen in question had white gloss effect doors and trim all these important items were again well packed individualy and undamaged when opened. On research before purchase we were advised to get confirmation from Homebase that all was in stock otherwise you may get an incomplete order delivered and suffer unexpected fitting delays. Overall I would say 9 out of 10. Note, for £90 we got a fitter to cut join and fit the worktops as they have the jigs for the seamless joins and the best kit to cut the recesses for sink and hob.