Are howdens really that bad?

lstar337

I haven't read the rest of the thread, but I can leave my own comments in hope they may be useful.

I live in a rented property with a Howdens kitchen.

The kitchen looks good, and doesn't look cheap at all. The fittings are comfortable, and well placed.

The cupboards feel solid, heavy, and well put together. They are also good sizes and offer plenty of customisability (shelf positions etc.).

After 2 years of daily use they still look new, and show no signs of wear.

We have a Lamona (Howdens Appliances) oven, hob, and extractor hood. The appliances are basic but functional, and haven't broken down in the two years we have been using them. The extractor hood is underwhelming, but then the hose to the outside is a long run so that could have something to do with it. The oven will try to melt your face off if you open the door, but I guess that is just a sign that it holds heat in well. The hob just works.

Hope that helps.

sl_jones

I have literally just had a kitchen put in from howden and i must say i can't complain.

The price vs the quality is very good but i think there kitchen very much depend on the fitters who put them in. I did have a scratch on one of worktops which was replaced the next day.

One think i must say is our Howdens designer wasn't that good, we asked him to put a cover over the boiler and he did but it hits the other wall unit just slightly, if he had thought his design through and put a 500 mm unit in it would have fitted.

Only had it about a week but no complains so far!

am_bain

I had a howdens kitchen fitted and was very happy with it more than I was with appliances I would recommend the kitchen but buy your appliances elsewhere.

s4mmy

We are in the process of buying a new kitchen and Howdens have quoted us an initial price for supply however when I didn't agree to price the price was quickly dropped by £200. I'm now wondering how much more discount I will be able to get ��. Does anyone else have experience of their pricing structure/discounts ?
Thanks

chrisw

See if you can get someone in the trade to buy it for you. Trade discounts are around 70%, so there is plenty of room for negotiation.

s4mmy

Thanks for the reply.

Agapanthus26

Does anyone have experience of living with a Howdens solid wood front door ? I've a front door that gets a prevailing wind and rain plus full sun in summer. My builder prefers to use Howdens but I'm wondering re quality as the majority of their doors are engineered wood. Can anyone tell me if they've had external wood doors supplied by Howdens and whether they would recommend?

Furts

Agapanthus26 wrote: »

Does anyone have experience of living with a Howdens solid wood front door ? I've a front door that gets a prevailing wind and rain plus full sun in summer. My builder prefers to use Howdens but I'm wondering re quality as the majority of their doors are engineered wood. Can anyone tell me if they've had external wood doors supplied by Howdens and whether they would recommend?

A number of unknowns here. Do you have a decent porch to protect the door? Will the door have decent locking. or bolts at the top to keep it true? If the locks/bolts are present will you engage them? What finish do you propose on the door - dark pigments are needed for protection, but what protection are you proposing?

I assume your door is 44mm thick, but check this out.

Your requirements are demanding, but the sun aspect would also be demanding for many composite doors. On balance I would shy away from a timber door - but many composite doors are dire.

Agapanthus26

Thanks for trying to help. Firstly there is no porch and I'm not planning on getting one as the house is a terraced Edwardian house and would look out of place. The door is only a foot away from my neighbours so anything I do will reflect directly on the appearance of their property. They, however, have a door recessed back and don't have the same weather problems as me. I can't move my door back as the electric box is in the immediate area inside.
I'm happy to consider any finish, I had thought to have a painted door and am prepared to maintain regularly. Colour wise I'm not fussy and if recommended to stay away from dark colours I will if it exacerbates sun damage.
I was surprised to read in the Howdens brochure that they use engineered wood largely - is this better/worse than solid wood?

Furts

Agapanthus26 wrote: »

Thanks for trying to help. Firstly there is no porch and I'm not planning on getting one as the house is a terraced Edwardian house and would look out of place. The door is only a foot away from my neighbours so anything I do will reflect directly on the appearance of their property. They, however, have a door recessed back and don't have the same weather problems as me. I can't move my door back as the electric box is in the immediate area inside.
I'm happy to consider any finish, I had thought to have a painted door and am prepared to maintain regularly. Colour wise I'm not fussy and if recommended to stay away from dark colours I will if it exacerbates sun damage.
I was surprised to read in the Howdens brochure that they use engineered wood largely - is this better/worse than solid wood?

Saving the Rain Forests, the poor quality of some modern softwoods, wanting to reduce timber waste...the list goes on for reasons for engineered wooden doors. Stability is also claimed, but be very careful. I have engineered wood external doors, but I would not dream of exposing them to the elements. They are typical modern doors and the quality is dire. Hence I have them as internal doors.

Not having a porch may invalidate the guarantees on some mass produced doors. Other doors may have little, or no, guarantee anyway. Much is poor quality from the Far East.

Premdor and Jeldwen are two reputable makes - check them out and compare against Howdens.

But for a real door in timber you may need a joinery shop to make one for you. This could last 100 years just like the Victorians and Edwardians were making them.