New Kitchen

JeNjEn_3

Thanks that would be great!!!

Simont_3

Kenshaz

As a supplier of fixtures and fittings to the trade and some one who has installed kitchens over a number of years my recommendations would be as follows:

1. You can make a cheap kitchen look really expensive with some quailty doors, handles and worktops.
2. Remember that on average a kitchen will only last around five years before you get bored with it and want to change it or you sell your house and the new owners rip it out.
3. Look at the quality of the carcases. Cheap ones are made from chipboard 15mm and have hardboard backs. Expensive ones are solid wood or MDF with solid backs.
4. Ikea kitchens do not have false backs and are therefore more difficult to fit if you have pipes or wiring you need to run behaind the units.
5. Do not buy handles/feet/hinges/wire baskets etc from the kitchen supplier. They will mark up these items by 100 to 500%. There are plenty of suppliers on the net of these products.
6. Enlist the services of a good joiner. He/She will fit the kitchen you purchase in around four days and should charge around £20 per hour.
7. Before the joiner arrives have the old kitchen removed. Walls tidied up and as flat as possible. First fix electrics, plumbing and gas complete. If possible draw on the wall which unit goes were. All this makes the joiners job straighforward and you will end up with a better kitchen quicker.

I could ramble on but that should be enough to get you started on the right track.

Good Luck

damski_2

I have to say if you are in the North West (Pretson ish), I can recommend "Now-kitchens"

http://www.nowkitchens.co.uk

I do not work for them and am in no way affiliated to them

we have just had ours done and it is complete apart from the tiling etc which i intend to do

the designer "John" came up with some ideas we had not thought about, such as having a corner sink, and the whole job has gone very well

pricewise, they compare with b+q but better quality (IMO)

give 'em a go and tell them I sent ya ( i might get an M+S voucher)

Adamksi

Quackers

Rex_Mundi wrote:

Well I've just found out. They offer this program as a free download. You can sit at home and have a go at designing your kitchen. Print out the plan or 3D view if you like. Very handy little freebie this!

For anyone interested, you can find the program HERE

Even if you're not planning to buy at Ikea. You can use this first to give you a better idea of how it will end up looking like.

Thanks Rex - This looks fab. We are just starting to get quotes today and I'm really looking forward to a nw kitchen but not all the hassle that goes with it!!

Actually, I'm stting here waiting for the first person to turn up - h eshould have been here at 10am :mad: It's my day off and I'm not impressed!! I wonder if they realise they have already lost my custom!

tightgit_2

scottyedhow wrote:

The key to a quailty kitchen is the fitter, if you rely on a company supplying the fitter you could get a duff one.

Companies would not keep duff fitters, because they would cause to many problems. If you do have problems, at least using a larger company there are people that you can complain to other than the fitter. Also if you are not happy with one fitter they will have others that they can use.

BlondieE

Been offline for over a week since getting kitchen installed.

Howdens kitchen was delivered day fitters arrived. I chose the Tewkesbury Oak which is a lovely kitchen. Fitters were brilliant and only one door had a flaw which I returned and collected replacement at same time.

I would highly recommend Howdens, they as I said before also recommended fitters. They were brilliant and would have no complaint about the whole process.

Now - I need some good tiles and a decent tiler...........aargh!!!!

economiser

Has anyone got contact details for Howdens please?

BlondieE

Economiser,

I only have contact details for Howdens is Kirkintilloch, Glasgow. There phone number is 0141 776 5672. The address on the back of there brochure is Howden Joinery Ltd., Southon House, 333 The Hyde, Edgware Road, Colindale, London NW9 6TD. Hope this helps. They have a new brochure out which has a couple of new ranges of kitchens you should ask them to send you a copy. Remember you need to have a trade account with them

webmister22

I paid 600 quid for an 11 unit kitchen with hob oven and sink from January sales in MFI. The offer was the main item on a flyer circulated but when I tried to buy it the sales person tried to advise me against it. I ignored his advise and bought the kitchen. 3 weekends and around £100 for acessories later I had my self a fitted kitchen and it looks really nice.

You just have to look out for bargins and be a bit flexable about what you want and you can get things for less than half the list price.

loopyloo1986

My parents ordered a kitchen in late February with Betta Kitchens.
A man came out free of charge to design the kitchen which is sized approx. 10 x 12 ft. He was here from 2pm till 8pm! :eek:

By the end of this my parents were a bit fed up and were wanting dinner. Anyways the guy had priced it up and the total for the kitchen units + fitting and a hob came to roughly £6000!
My dad was horrified at this and thought it was extreme, so I was wondering what your guys thought to this on one point???

Another was they signed up for finance thingy whatever that is, (because my mum wanted to go ahead with the incentive of a free oven which she had to sign on the day in order to take advantage of this) and then were told a surveyor would come later when required and then the fitters approx. 3 weeks after that. So we thought all sorted.

Anyhow problems arose finding a plasterer and a tiler and so they went back to Betta to arrage a bit of flexibility but they were having none of it. My parents had phoned their head office and gone into the local brach several times but their questions were not dealt with sufficiently.

Today they have asked where they stand in cancelling the aggreement they signed and whether they have incured any costs to pay for cancelling.

Awaiting phone call back on this, and I was just wondering if anyone had had any experience of cancelling orders and if so what happened, and also maybe the legal side...can they cancel it or do the company have my parents over a barrel?

Sorry for the length, its just my parents are very stressed out and I trying to help if I can. Thanks.