Who best to install kitchen and bathroom?

dllive

Hi,
We're wanting a new bathroom and kitchen. Its part of a wider renovation job where theres lots of building work needed.
We've designed a kitchen/bathroom with B&Q (and Wickes for sake of comparison).

Two questions:
1) As a rule of thumb, who's best/cheapest to get to install the kitchen/bathroom?: Our builder (who has his own building company and employs a few blokes); a 'one man band' handyman; or B&Q/Wickes own installer?

2) I know this may be subjective, but which store is known for best quality for money when it comes to kitchen/bathrooms? I must say, Wickes seemed slightly better quality than B&Q.

Many thanks

martinthebandit

If you have a builder who you are happy with, who is doing a good job at a fair price then, in my opinion, you would be daft to go elsewhere.

Doozergirl

You've already got your builder on site, so presumably you trust him?

I wouldn't use the fitting services from a supplier. They cost a fortune and they subcontract so many people that you have no idea who you are getting. Even if your next door neighbour has a good experience, the fitting is only as good as the person doing it, not the company charging you.

Wickes are related to Benchmarx. Your builder may be able to get you a better price and things are also in stock so anything missing can be picked up. The main problem with the sheds in important bits being missing during the fit.

dllive

Our builder has only started work this week. We trust him (obviously otherwise we wouldnt have appointed him) but I suspect he's quite expensive (what with having a small company employing a few builders).

I just thought: Maybe a benefit of getting B&Q to install is that they guarantee their work or have some sort of warrantee?

Doozergirl

They will charge you a fortune. More than the builder, fact. Because they subcontract builders and add their own mark up!

You don't need a guarantee if it's fitted properly. And you can't check who is fitting it!

I wouldn't buy a B& Q kitchen anyway, full stop.

dllive

Doozergirl wrote: »

They will charge you a fortune. More than the builder, fact. Because they subcontract builders and add their own mark up!

You don't need a guarantee if it's fitted properly. And you can't check who is fitting it!

I wouldn't buy a B& Q kitchen anyway, full stop.

Thanks Doozergirl - that makes sense. Out of interest - who would you buy a kitchen/bathroom from?

dllive

Sorry - one more question: I want to use our old basin (its a vintage basin). Are they able to fit that basin into a B&Q (or whoever) vanity unit or would that be asking too much?

longwalks1

Please please do NOT use Wren... read their '000s of reviews

Doozergirl

I would buy a kitchen from Ikea, DIY Kitchens (on the basis of feedback here), Howdens, Benchmarx or an independent kitchen company. I'm using the Shaker Kitchen Company a bit at the moment. Much of our work has been really high end of late so I've got a different eye for things.

Bathrooms, I use a terrible looking traditional plumbers merchant for fittings. I do the designing so I specify and he finds. Always reliable, the guy know exactly what lasts and can usually find what I have in my head for me - bit of teamwork going on. Slightly higher end I really like the Crosswater & Bauhaus ranges, they have specific stockists. I also use Porcelanosa and Fired Earth for tiles. Walls & Floors is also a really good website for tiles. Setting up a Pinterest board for a bathrooms and thing it to a plumbers merchant is actually a really good idea. They won't present beautiful things to you, but if you show them they will find you the right quality of product at a sensible price, not just the look. Don't touch the cheap online suppliers like Victoria Plum - it won't last. Victorian Plumbing have a mix of branded stuff and are not the same company.

If you use your builder then they'll fit whatever into whatever. I'm not sure that anything B&Q sells would be appropriate for a vintage basin! I also have my carpenter to make bespoke bits in bathrooms - we've been doing a lot of panelling! Flexibility is the benefit of a builder.

What you buy from where ultimately depends on your budget for the supply and fit. But using your builder should allow more budget for fittings.