New kitchen recommendations

chickaroonee

Ikea won't work for us for various reasons.

Have been recommended Howdens by our builder, but none of the ranges are particularly jumping out at me.

Any other recommendations? Hopefully looking to spend around £5k on units (fitting separate).

Thanks

katejo

Have you looked at Magnet Trade? Their prices are very similar to Howdens prices. You have to order through a fitter (as for Howdens)

Leif

Optiplan are excellent, very good customer service. You will have some independents nearby too, it'll be worth checking them out.

chickaroonee

Thanks, no I will check them out. Have had another look at Howdens and seen one I like, the Tewkesbury Skye. Think it might be one of the expensive ones.

Also found a local shop so will see what they come up with.

cattie

Have you looked at Benchmarx? Recently had one of their kitchens installed & am very happy with it. I also had a quote from Magnet trade for their version of the same kitchen, but they refused to budge when trying to get them to bring the price down to near enough what the Benchmarx quote was for basically the same kitchen.

andycrichton

I have been surprised how much wooden kitchen you can get from the likes of Christchurch for around £3000. (They arent a luxury bespoke quality, but to be fair, horses for courses, they are a really good value-for-money kitchen for painting.

keystone

chickaroonee wrote: »

Ikea won't work for us for various reasons.

If it's because your builder says they are a nightmare to fit he's talking rowlocks. You don't need a builder to install a kitchen anyway. You someone experienced in fitting kitchens.

Cheers

chickaroonee

keystone wrote: »

If it's because your builder says they are a nightmare to fit he's talking rowlocks. You don't need a builder to install a kitchen anyway. You someone experienced in fitting kitchens.

Cheers

Builder doesn't like them as non standard sizes, but the main problem is pipework will be behind the units and they're not deep enough for that. So it is definitely a no go. Builder is fitting the kitchen as we're having an extension at the same time.

keystone

chickaroonee wrote: »

Builder doesn't like them as non standard sizes, but the main problem is pipework will be behind the units and they're not deep enough for that. So it is definitely a no go.

Let me give you a rough translation of this:

as non standard sizes, = I need to find an excuse to cover up my real reasons for objecting to Ikea.

but the main problem is pipework will be behind the units and they're not deep enough for that. = Actually not doing it the way I normally do it to accommodate the lack of a service void with an Ikea kitchen is a pain in the bum. I know it can be done with a little thought and careful planning but frankly can't be bothered so I'll just tell client its a major problem.

So it is definitely a no go. = I'm in charge of this not the client and I'll do what I want not what the client wants.

Just who is paying the bill here? How do you think thousands of Ikea Kitches are installed every year with this major defect of no service void. He's got you just where he wants you hasn't he? Makes my blood boil when I hear this nonsense TBH and I hear it all too often. :mad::mad:

Builder is fitting the kitchen as we're having an extension at the same time.

Fair enough.

Cheers

mymedi

keystone wrote: »

So it is definitely a no go. = I'm in charge of this not the client and I'll do what I want not what the client wants.

That's a bit unfair - the builder is perfectly reasonably allowed to take on the work he WANTS. If he doesn't want to do it, it's his loss, but he's perfectly entitled to that. The client can always find another fitter for the kitchen separate from the extension - it doesn't have to be the same firm doing both...

keystone

mymedi wrote: »

That's a bit unfair - the builder is perfectly reasonably allowed to take on the work he WANTS. If he doesn't want to do it, it's his loss, but he's perfectly entitled to that. The client can always find another fitter for the kitchen separate from the extension - it doesn't have to be the same firm doing both...

Sorry I don't agree. I think it's perfectly fair. I have a shrewd suspicion that I know why the builder is pointing the OP at Howdens but I'm not going to articulate it because, in that case, I may well be being unfair to the builder in doing so.

It is clear from the opening post that OP has a preference for one of the Ikea offerings - otherwise there is no need for the opening sentence. It is equally clear that the builder has a contract to do the extension which includes the installation of a new kitchen. That, as I have said, is fair enough. You will also have noted that I said that OP doesn't need a builder to install their kitchen they need a kitchen fitter. The option is there. You are of the same opinion but that doesn't make my post unfair at all. There are no practical or technical installation reasons not to install an Ikea kitchen if thats what the OP wants. If the builder doesn't want to install Ikea having a preference for Howdens then he should have the cojones to say so and a contract amendment made to exclude that from the SOW. He hasn't. Instead totally spurious reasons appear to have been given as to why Ikea is a non-starter in order to retain that element of the work within the contract. Its that which upsets me and that is unfair on the OP IMO.

There are always two sides to a story and the only input we have to go on is that reported by the OP. However, on balance it seems that the builder is trying to drive the OP down the path he wants to take - ie he thinks he is in charge. It should be the other way round. Why should the OP be leant on to pay for a kitchen from a range that doesn't particularly light their candle? They have to live with it for "n" years. The builder doesn't. Would you like to live with a kitchen that you have been leant on to take that you don't particularly like? To his/her credit the OP is looking around for other alternatives to find some middle ground but I repeat - who is paying the bill?

Cheers