Can anyone help with Howdens costing please?

Furts

They will negotiate with you, particularly if they know you want more units in the near future. Opening an account will also get them eager because they will be thinking of your future kitchen.

To give an anecodatal story on Howdens ... a couple of years ago I wanted a kitchen for our house so wandered into Howdens to weigh up the branch. The response was "have you been anywhere else?" "Of course I have". "OK, how about 80+% discount off list" came the reply. Just like you, I had no account with Howdens - I was purely a stranger wandering in off the street.

beaker141

Bookworm63 wrote: »

We were away at the weekend so unable to go back to Howdens but will go back in tomorrow and see what I can do - does anyone know if they are they likely to pricematch DIY Kitchens please?

This is the answer I got from Howdens sales rep I was dealing with in 2014

"As promised I have spoken to my manager about your kitchen and unfortunately we can get no where near the DIY kitchens price. Although we accept your assertion that they are comparable in quality, because they are internet based we cannot compete."

Bookworm63

Just been back in to Howdens and managed to get them down to £1330 incl VAT for all cabinets and related extras, extra if we want their sink, tap and handles. Also revised the plan for the main kitchen to reduce costs and now awaiting their quote for this. Much happier with this considering we are ready to go with the utility and could get it delivered in days rather than weeks!

I'm starting to feel more positive now that we can proceed with the whole thing

Thanks to all who offered opinions - it's our first time doing anything like this so it's much appreciated

Furts

Is the price direct through Howdens, or will it be placed through a builder - which implies a mark up?

An ideal scenario would be to screw down the price from Howdens and get an introduction to one of the better fitters that they will know of. The fitters will not be getting their mark up on the kitchen but may still be happy to negotiate with you on the installation price.

Bookworm63

Furts wrote: »

Is the price direct through Howdens, or will it be placed through a builder - which implies a mark up?

An ideal scenario would be to screw down the price from Howdens and get an introduction to one of the better fitters that they will know of. The fitters will not be getting their mark up on the kitchen but may still be happy to negotiate with you on the installation price.

This time I got an itemised estimate from Howdens so I know how much they've charged for each item, though it's still coming through the builder as customer. The builder has already done some of the structural work involved and we are very happy quality wise so we're not looking to change, but thanks for the suggestion.

happy_clappy

Just so you know even if you get an clear breakdown quote from howdens it still may not be accurate as they have a special system whereby they add 10-20% on to the quote so that the builder can show this to you - the excess money you pay howdens then gets credited onto the builders account.

this in addition the 10-20% commission your builder will want from you for purchasing the kitchen

fezster

Bookworm63 wrote: »

This time I got an itemised estimate from Howdens so I know how much they've charged for each item, though it's still coming through the builder as customer. The builder has already done some of the structural work involved and we are very happy quality wise so we're not looking to change, but thanks for the suggestion.

What discount are Howden's giving you? You should aim for 70 - 80%. Remember an 80% discount means the item is 2/3rds the price of a 70% discount (i.e. 50% less!)

Ramona123

Pay no attention to Howdens' pricing. My father in law (retired builder) used to have an account there and I saw some of his quotes in the past. Some of the prices, even with 60%+ off were still more expensive than some of the online stores with no offers on! I don't know how companies get away with these fake savings in this day and age!

If anyone is interested, i have a rather nice cardboard box for sale, it was £1,000, but i'll give you a 99% discount and you can have it for £10 :-)

Rexxel

Hi, we've just had a quote from Howden's for utility room units too.

Our room is just over 5m2 and for a corner base unit, a narrow base unit, belfast base unit, 2 wall units and a solid wood counter top in the Allendale range (they said this range was the cheapest), they've quote £1600 and i thought that was a lot.

I don't know about you but ive found it really hard to shop for units!

bxboards

Ramona123 wrote: »

Pay no attention to Howdens' pricing. My father in law (retired builder) used to have an account there and I saw some of his quotes in the past. Some of the prices, even with 60%+ off were still more expensive than some of the online stores with no offers on! I don't know how companies get away with these fake savings in this day and age!

If anyone is interested, i have a rather nice cardboard box for sale, it was £1,000, but i'll give you a 99% discount and you can have it for £10 :-)

Agreed - Howdens prices are insane. I got a quote for a small kitchen and they wanted around 1600 for the units. I got almost an identical thing from Wickes for 411 inc delivered!

Wickes when they have 15%, coupled with a trade discount (always 10% and often 15% about twice a month) take some beating for self-assembly.

Travis Perkins carry the same range more of less than Wickes, and sometimes are cheaper, so also worth a look.