A few questions about Howdens kitchens

Kitty34

I am planning to replace our old, falling-apart kitchen with a new one and I was hoping I might be able to get some advice.

It is only a small kitchen and my plan is essentially just to replace the existing units with similar ones (so no re-design). I have got a couple of local joiners booked to come round to give me a quote and I am thinking of going for a Howden's kitchen. Our budget is quite small and we only plan to live in the house for another 3 years or so, so I'm not looking for an expensive bespoke kitchen. I've read a lot of the reviews on this forum and on average it seems Howdens are preferred to B&Q, Wickes etc. I just had a couple of specific questions:

1. I am interested in the Haworth, Tewkesbury or Burford in white. I just have no real feeling for how they compare in quality and price. Can anyone give me any feedback/opinion?

2. I have read bad reviews about the Lamona range appliances, so I am planning to source my own. But does anyone have any experience with the Bosch hob and built-in oven in the Howden's catalogue?

3. Will my joiner prepare the design of the kitchen? Or will they expect me to get a design prepared by Howden's for them to work to? If this is the case, do Howden's come to our house or do we go to them with the measurements of our current kitchen?

4. Finally a general question. Our kitchen is completely tiled with really old worn-out tiles. I plan to have them removed and then have the walls part tiled and part plastered. Is the plastering done after the existing units come out and before the new ones go in? Sorry, I have no skills/knowledge whatsoever for house renovations

Thanks for taking the time to read this

red777

i have a few friends who have had howdens kitchens fitted and been pleased they come pre built so atleast no time wasted putting cupboard together ,
Most firms will come out and plan your kitchen they want your business, the hobs and cooker should be fine just find the models you want and google for best price bnq appliances are alot dear i saved my parents 250 just on their oven ,
A good tradesman should be able to plaster after units have been put in ,you can take the tiles of yourself or get a compatant family member before units are fitted anything below should be hidden plus you may need new sockets depending or your kitchen layout

marco1dog

Hi
We have a Howdens kitchen which was fitted about two years ago. It wasn't a cheap one. They came out with our Joiner and looked at the design and gave us some ideas. We had a range fitted. It is great as it has three ovens but I hate it as it is black and is a nightmare to clean and attracts the dust. The kitchen itself is very nice and we have had no problems. We did have problems with a tap which was replaced twice and eventually we chose another one.
We had the plaster board replaced and the tiles were replaced after the kitchen was replaced.
Good luck.

phill99

Howdens designers will come out to you to design your kitchen. The fitter may fit it slightly differently, especially the corners. Howdens always include corner posts for the or corners and then rout in a blanking piece further along the run of unit to take up any odd amount of space. Sme fitter however will use a cut down end panel to make a custom sized corner post so that the unit run balances better.

I strongly recommend getting the plastering done as soon as the old kitchen is put and before the new one goes in. As red777 says, a good plasterer will be able to go round the units if you get it plastered after the kitchen goes in. However, plastering around nits can take longer than jut doing a single large surface and may well cost you more as a result.

Florenceem

marco1dog wrote: »

Hi
We have a Howdens kitchen which was fitted about two years ago. It wasn't a cheap one. They came out with our Joiner and looked at the design and gave us some ideas. We had a range fitted. It is great as it has three ovens but I hate it as it is black and is a nightmare to clean and attracts the dust. The kitchen itself is very nice and we have had no problems. We did have problems with a tap which was replaced twice and eventually we chose another one.
We had the plaster board replaced and the tiles were replaced after the kitchen was replaced.
Good luck.

I was thinking about getting a black range instead of a stainless steel one as I thought it would be easier to keep clean. If you get a coloured range - you are stuck with that colour for your kitchen. A black/stainless range means colour can be introduced/changed through accessories.

RS1800

Howden rrps are very high. I was given 70% discount without trying but read on line that fitters usually get 80-85%.
After much haggling then telling them I was going to Buildbase (very nice kitchens there btw) they gave me 87% discount for an order by the end of the week. Under £4k for a large kitchen with island (cabinets only, no appliances or worktops).