Howdens quote

Clive_Woody

I was just sent my quote for a new Howdens kitchen (copied below).

There are no line item discounts showing and the total cost is £5046 (inc VAT) - which is not including work surfaces, appliances and is pretty much just cupboards, doors and a few accessories.

Presumably this means my fitter is not inclined to pass on any of his trade discount - is that correct or is this a reasonable price for what we want?

• 1 GGW5231 Greenwich Gls White 600 CC Hi-Line Base White Cab 102.30 F
• 1 GGW5127 Greenwich Gls White 500 Upgrade CC 4 Dwr Base White Cab 360.00 F
• 1 GGW5242 Greenwich Gls White 700 CC Hi-Line Base White Cab 117.90 F
• 1 GGW5231 Greenwich Gls White 600 CC Hi-Line Base White Cab 102.30 F
• 1 HYH0676 Pull-Out Recycling Bin 30 Litre (3 x 10 Litre) 66.30
• 1 HYH0680 Pull-Out Recycling Bin 300mm 40 Litre 78.60
• 1 GGW5146 Greenwich Gls White 600 Upgrade CC 3 Dwr Base White Cab 317.10 F
• 1 HYH0933 Upgrade Anthracite Cutlery Tray 600mm 13.50
• 1 ACK1834 Pan Dwr Sides (x 2) 24.30
• 1 GGW5201 Greenwich Gls White 300 CC Hi-Line Base White Cab 80.10 F
• 1 GGW5679 Greenwich Gls White 600 CC 2292 Tall Double Oven Twr 241.80 F White Cab
• 1 GGW5585 Greenwich Gls White 300 CC 2292 Tall Larder Twr White 218.40 F Cab
• 1 GGW5231 Greenwich Gls White 600 CC Hi-Line Base White Cab 102.30 F
• 1 GGW5271 Greenwich Gls White 1000 CC Hi-Line Base White Cab 133.80 F
• 1 GGW5231 Greenwich Gls White 600 CC Hi-Line Base White Cab 102.30 F
• 1 GGW5501 Greenwich Gls White 600 CC Tall Hob Wall White Cab 71.70 F
• 1 GGW5408 Greenwich Gls White 300 CC 900 Tall Wall White Cab 75.00 F
• 1 GGW5438 Greenwich Gls White 600 CC 900 Tall Wall White Cab 108.30 F
• 1 GGW5458 Greenwich Gls White 1000 CC 900 Tall Wall White Cab 135.90 F
• 1 GGW5438 Greenwich Gls White 600 CC 900 Tall Wall White Cab 108.30 F
• 3 GGW5947 Greenwich Gls White 932 Tall Wall Decor End - 16mm 103.80 F
• 1 GGW5944 Greenwich Gls White 752 Full Height Wall Decor End - 31.40 F 16mm
• 1 GGW5955 Greenwich Gls White 2310 Tall Twr Decor End - 16mm 101.60 F
• 9 GGW5933 Greenwich Gls White 910 Base Decor End - 16mm 318.60 F
• 2 GGW5958 Greenwich Gls White 2130 Twr Decor End - 16mm 162.00 F
• 1 HYH1190 Brushed Aluminium Towel Rail 18.30
• 3 GGW5920 Greenwich Gls White Continuous Plinth 2.75m 78.60 F
• 4 GGW591A Greenwich Gls White 30mm Cornice/Pelmet Square Profile 94.40 F 2.4m
• 1 GGW5991 Greenwich Gls White Edging Pack 3.74 F
• 26 HKB4404 S/Steel Effect Chunky D Handle 70.72
• 1 ZZD39 Delivery 100.00
• 1 SNK5836 Lamona S/Steel Easton Inset/Umount 1.5 Bowl Sink LH 267.40
• Drainer and Waste
• 1 PLU6002 Space Saving Plumbing Kit 1.5 and 2.0 Bowl Sinks, 2 x 27.30 Appliance Trap
• 1 SNK4941 Lamona S/Steel Easton Inset/Umount 1.0 Bowl Sink and 168.70
• Waste
• 1 PLU5002 Space Saving Plumbing Kit 1.0 Bowl Sinks, 2 x Appliance 20.30
• Trap
• 1 TAP3547 Lamona Chrome Rienza Swan Neck Monobloc Tap 78.75

Total Goods 4205.81
VAT 841.16
Estimate Total 5046.97
All prices are in GBP

Doozergirl

There's a lot of kitchen there. Not much symmetry though?

Your first item. Same item, same range but different door, purchased 6 weeks ago - it may well be a cheaper door,
I would have passed on at £89.77 plus VAT.

Everyone gets different prices at Howdens on different days, it seems, and every line has a different discount too, so it's not flat.

We stopped using them for a few years as they just stopped giving us sensible prices. We're back now to what I'm happy to pay, but I can't tell you what your person gets them at.

Clive_Woody

Doozergirl wrote: »

There's a lot of kitchen there. Not much symmetry though?

Your first item. Same item, same range but different door, purchased 6 weeks ago - it may well be a cheaper door and everyone gets different prices at Howdens on different days, it seems. I would have passed on at £89.77 plus VAT.

We stopped using them for a few years as they just stopped giving us sensible prices. We're back now to what I'm happy to pay, but I can't tell you what your person gets them at.

Thanks. The kitchen is a bit of an odd shape as we are combining it with the utility room and knocking through to the dinning room, plus I do a fair bit of cooking so it is designed around practicality as much as looks (draw units where I want and need them rather than getting too carried away with symmetry, etc...).

Sounds like you would be passing on units at a lower price, but knowing whether this difference is down to Howdens or my fitter is something of a mystery.

I am waiting for DIY kitchens to provide a cost based on this spec list from Howdens so maybe that will give me a clue. If it does come in cheaper do I negotiate with the fitter or directly with Howdens?

Doozergirl

Clive_Woody wrote: »

Thanks. The kitchen is a bit of an odd shape as we are combining it with the utility room and knocking through to the dinning room, plus I do a fair bit of cooking so it is designed around practicality as much as looks (draw units where I want and need them rather than getting too carried away with symmetry, etc...).

Sounds like you would be passing on units at a lower price, but knowing whether this difference is down to Howdens or my fitter is something of a mystery.

I am waiting for DIY kitchens to provide a cost based on this spec list from Howdens so maybe that will give me a clue. If it does come in cheaper do I negotiate with the fitter or directly with Howdens?

DIY kitchens is a good comparison on what I'd hope to pay. It's your fitter's account, not yours though.. so it's them you need to talk to. Give them the list, but it's fair for them to make a mark up if that is what their service is.

The best any of us can do with Howdens is compare and haggle.

Clive_Woody

Doozergirl wrote: »

DIY kitchens is a good comparison on what I'd hope to pay. It's your fitter's account, not yours though.. so it's them you need to talk to. Give them the list, but it's fair for them to make a mark up if that is what their service is.

The best any of us can do with Howdens is compare and haggle.

Thanks again, I don't begrudge my fitter making a living, it's just the lack of transparency from Howdens that irks me. We've used the fitter for various jobs around the house so I know he will do a good job, but equally I don't want to feel like a mug paying over the odds. Just like the fitter, I work hard to earn my money and want to feel comfortable with what I am paying.

Have you by any chance fitted any Greenwich Gloss kitchens...and if so are they decent quality?

missile

Clive_Woody wrote: »

Thanks again, I don't begrudge my fitter making a living, it's just the lack of transparency from Howdens that irks me. We've used the fitter for various jobs around the house so I know he will do a good job, but equally I don't want to feel like a mug paying over the odds. Just like the fitter, I work hard to earn my money and want to feel comfortable with what I am paying.

Have you by any chance fitted any Greenwich Gloss kitchens...and if so are they decent quality?

It is lack of transparency by your fitter not Howdens.
Have you asked him what his mark up is?
An honest tradesman would be happy to show you his quote :j
If not I would show him the door :rotfl:

Doozergirl

Clive_Woody wrote: »

Thanks again, I don't begrudge my fitter making a living, it's just the lack of transparency from Howdens that irks me. We've used the fitter for various jobs around the house so I know he will do a good job, but equally I don't want to feel like a mug paying over the odds. Just like the fitter, I work hard to earn my money and want to feel comfortable with what I am paying.

Have you by any chance fitted any Greenwich Gloss kitchens...and if so are they decent quality?

I agree, the transparency is frustrating. If it wasn't, they'd be near perfect for most people.

Greenwich is the low end of the Howdens scale. It does come with exactly the same carcasses as the other ranges. The doors used to be thinner but I'm sure that has changed. I did put the matt grey slab into a bathroom recently and I think that was Greenwich too and I was happy.

It used to be that the brochure went in exact price order of the kitchen ranges.

Go and look at the doors in branch and see if you're happy.

We have *never* had an issue with any Howdens component - I can't say more than that.

Clive_Woody

Doozergirl wrote: »

I agree, the transparency is frustrating. If it wasn't, they'd be near perfect for most people.

Greenwich is the low end of the Howdens scale. It does come with exactly the same carcasses as the other ranges. The doors used to be thinner but I'm sure that has changed. I did put the matt grey slab into a bathroom recently and I think that was Greenwich too and I was happy.

It used to be that the brochure went in exact price order of the kitchen ranges.

Go and look at the doors in branch and see if you're happy.

We have *never* had an issue with any Howdens component - I can't say more than that.

Please excuse my ignorance, but when you say it is towards the lower end of the scale, what does that relate to?

I'm curious to know what feature/benefits the higher priced units have....and should we reconsider as we want this kitchen to last a long time (the current Wickes kitchen is over 30 years old).

TELLIT01

Those numbers look like discounted figures to me. Howdens 'full price' is utterly meaningless as they only supply trade and then at massive discounts from that 'full' price. The cabinets are very high quality, at least the stuff we had fitted is. Solid carcase rather than flatpack.

missile

Does anyone sell flat pack now?

Doozergirl

Clive_Woody wrote: »

Please excuse my ignorance, but when you say it is towards the lower end of the scale, what does that relate to?

I'm curious to know what feature/benefits the higher priced units have....and should we reconsider as we want this kitchen to last a long time (the current Wickes kitchen is over 30 years old).

The lower end of Howdens' scale of doors. The highest end will involve elements of solid oak in the doors etc.

You need to go in and look and decide what suits you best.