Which kitchen - Ultima/Wentworths/Burbidge/DIY Kitchens/Optiplan?

jpsid

We are in the process of designing/buying a new kitchen and I have been following all the really useful threads/info on here for quite a while now. We've been to Howdens/Magnet and also to two local independent retailers and are now waiting on quotes from them all.

As we are more likely to opt for a "non-trade" kitchen we would really welcome some advice.

One of the independents sells Ultima, Alliance and Cucina Colore Kitchens. We liked one, which may have been Ultima - A Wenge textured, horizontal grain, foil wrapped door which looks identical to one sold by www.diy-kitchens.com called Fenton Wenge. I think Cucina Colore is a Wentworth kitchens range.

The other independent is Optiplan (www.optiplan.co.uk). They say they make their own kitchens but gave me a "Matchmaker Kitchens" brochure which I think are Burbidge kitchens.

Can someone please advise:

(a) Do Optiplan make their own kitchens?
(b) Given the choice of Optiplan, Wentworth, Burbidge, Ultima and diy-kitchens which offers the better quality or are they all pretty much equal?
(c) Is a "foil wrapped" door advisable, i.e. is it any less hard-wearing than anything else?

Thanks very much.

Innys

Optiplan make their own kitchens.

I don't know about the ranges you refer to.

I had solid wood doors, not foil wrapped, so can't comment.

HOWEVER, I would say the following as someone who had an Optiplan kitchen supplied and fitted 3 months ago.......don't use them.

Their designers are incompetent and their fitting department have never heard of the Faster Payments system.

If you want more details, pm me.

Leif

Optiplan kitchens are made by Manor Cabinet based in Swindon. I suspect they own MC, but I am not sure, and MC supply to a few non Optiplan shops.

My Optiplan kitchen is being fitted this thursday. The online reviews are very good, although Innys clearly is not happy with them for reasons undisclosed. Don't base a decision purely on one unhappy experience, and it might be that the designer (s)he dealt with was not good.

ryder72

If your budget is going to stretch into Cucina Colore territory consider getting a kitchen from a supplier that makes factory built rigid cabinets.

Generally speaking I dont believe that a cabinet made in a factory with a few saws with PVC edging can match the build quality of one made in a factory with several million pounds invested in machinery.

Are you around the Berks area?

jpsid

Thank you for your replies.

kmdesign - I am going to the showroom later today and will enquire about Cucina Colore prices as I have no idea, but the fact that the range is Italian designed plus what you say I am guessing that particular range is going to be more than we want to pay. Yes, we are in Berkshire, just outside Reading.

I will hopefully have a quote too with the range and will post back later.

jpsid

Just reporting back as we received our initial quote:

£10,250 - Fenton Wenge (foil wrapped) units:

2 x Tall Larder Units (1 pull out, 1 shelved)
1 x Wide cupboard over US F/freezer
1 x Sink Base
1 x Base with bin
3 x Pan drawers
2 x PO baskets
1 x Le Mans corner
3 x Base cupboards
1 x Base drawers (4)
7 x Wall cupboards
1 x Tambour unit
Double Oven cupboards above/below

This is the same as Second Nature range here http://www.diy-kitchens.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=5335&cat=FENTON+WENGE+KITCHEN+DOORS

£5300 - 6 metres approx Arctic Cream granite or
£4900 - 6 metres approx Corian

Clearly these prices are inflated and I am told open to negotiation, but what is considered a reasonable price? Any opinions would be very welcome, thank you.

Leif

jpsid wrote: »

Clearly these prices are inflated and I am told open to negotiation, but what is considered a reasonable price? Any opinions would be very welcome, thank you.

Can you say what shape the kitchen units fit into and the lengths. For example, I have a C shaped kitchen fitted into a rectangular room, outside dimensions of the C are 3m by 3.5m by 2m. To give an idea of price, the units are by Optiplan, with oak doors, £6K. The quartz work tops are roughly 2.5m by 3.5m by 1m and cost about £2K, plus about £400 for upstands, splashback and window board. The quartz is from Optiplan. A colleague bought quartz work tops from an independent supplier for a similar price. Cooker etc adds another £2K and installation £1K.

jpsid

Thanks for the info Leif. The interior measurement of our kitchen is 4.23m x 4.6m and the units run in an "L" shape with a french door (1m) breaking up the shorter length. The 4.6m length is more or less all worktop apart from a double oven at one end. Therefore worktops = Lengths of 2.5m and 4m approx, plus an island 1.1m x 1.2m.

Optiplan are here at 9am tomorrow so we shall see what they come up with!!

jpsid

Leif, Would you mind me asking was the £6K for the Optiplan units their original quote or did you negotiate a previous quote down? We should receive our Optiplan quote on Friday and am just wondering whether it's going to be a realistic one or inflated with a view to negotiation. Thanks.

Leif

jpsid wrote: »

Leif, Would you mind me asking was the £6K for the Optiplan units their original quote or did you negotiate a previous quote down? We should receive our Optiplan quote on Friday and am just wondering whether it's going to be a realistic one or inflated with a view to negotiation. Thanks.

Hello jpsid, I don't think they negotiate, or at least not in my case. I went during the sale last Christmas, and the units were reduced 15%, the quartz tops were on offer, and some appliances were very cheap. My impression is that they always have some sort of sale, so they are not really true sales, just ways to encourage people to buy. The fitting cost is £1000, which is relatively low, and the Bosch appliances were very competitively priced, so overall it is an okay price, although to be honest £6K for MFC (Melamine Faced Chipboard) units does seem a lot to me. Still, they all seem to use the stuff. I was surprised to see exposed chipboard though, as the stuff does not react well to moisture spills, even though they use moisture resistant chipboard.

Thus far dealing with Optiplan has been pleasant. Got a call from the fitter today while the units were being delivered to ask if he could come round. He thought it more convenient than arriving tomorrow, as he knows I do not live at the house. So I was pleased about that, and he is pleasant.

I think Optiplan are somewhere above B&Q and Homebase in terms of quality, and they market themselves as bespoke but they are not bespoke as they use standard units.

Incidentally, I don't think this would interest you, but there is a company called Kit Stone that do solid wood kitchens, probably competitive with the quote in your earlier post. They do painted or plain wood.

Leif

FWIW I took a quick look at Cooke and Lewis kitchens while picking up some light shades in B&Q today. I had the impression that an oak door C&L was comparable to my oak door Optiplan. Similar build, similar carcasses, similar prices, perhaps a little bit less for C&L. I guess if you could get one designed and installed by someone other than B&Q they might be good.