Kitchen choices - opinions on Kitchen Warehouse, BuildBase and others?

BigGirlPants

We are currently in ongoing dispute with diy-kitchens.
 Unfortunately I cannot recommend them.
The quality of our kitchen finish is not acceptable, it is only just over a year old and chipping in multiple places, they claim it is not included in their warranty or down to them to rectify.
I personally would recommend going elsewhere.

Rosa_Damascena

BigGirlPants said:

We are currently in ongoing dispute with diy-kitchens.
 Unfortunately I cannot recommend them.
The quality of our kitchen finish is not acceptable, it is only just over a year old and chipping in multiple places, they claim it is not included in their warranty or down to them to rectify.
I personally would recommend going elsewhere.

I had to rule them out unfortunately. 

Yours is the first I have heard suggesting poor quality though. 

Rdwill

Hi Rosa, where are you based?
My kitchen is being done by this firm 
https://robertcharles.co.uk/
If you are in the South West
I went through all the Wickes, Wren etc etc, but was not blown away by what they were offering. These guys actually built to order what I wanted.
Caveat, the kitchen is not in yet, I'm still having building work done, but I have every faith that it will be what I expect.

Rosa_Damascena

Rdwill said:

Hi Rosa, where are you based?
My kitchen is being done by this firm 
https://robertcharles.co.uk/
If you are in the South West
I went through all the Wickes, Wren etc etc, but was not blown away by what they were offering. These guys actually built to order what I wanted.
Caveat, the kitchen is not in yet, I'm still having building work done, but I have every faith that it will be what I expect.

Looks good but not inexpensive!

I'm on the other side of the country, Essex Riviera to be precise. I think I'm going to go with Buildbase and am happy with their design. So far my structure has been demolished and the foundations are in, will have the fitter in to measure up when the walls are up - which is just as well as I seem to have lost 20cm from the width!!

Rdwill

Try some of these local guys, they don't have the head office / area management / overhead / provision for f&&k up / fancy showroom costs of the big players. You may be surprised at the quality you get v the price.

Moley1985

Can I ask why not Wren? I'm looking and they seem quite nice to me? 

Doozergirl

Moley1985 said:

Can I ask why not Wren? I'm looking and they seem quite nice to me? 

They have a bad reputation on the board, but we don't actually get many complaints about them directly.  I'm sure the reviews for bigger companies like B&Q will also be mixed.   You're often waiting quite a while for a complete delivery and, if you're using their fitters, you don't actually know the quality of the individual fitter.  

We're building an extension for a store manager of Wren kitchens and he appreciates our quality and is having Wren kitchen, so I'm sure they're not bad.  He's using our fitter, of course, but then why wouldn't you choose the company you're trusting to put your house together to do the job? 

My preference, at that level where they're all a much of a muchness, would be a local Howdens because if there's something missing or a change made, it can be collected either immediately or within a day or two at most (current terrible supply chain issues in construction forming an exception! ).  

Rdwill

We visited the likes of Wren, Wickes etc before we decided to go for the full hog extension.

My experience was that one guy came and did the measuring, then we visited the store when another guy put the kitchen design and price together. It was fun to use their 3d machine, which I'm sure is included in the price as well as look around endless kitchen displays. However, there were a lot of pc sums in for fitting and the suchlike and I wasn't sure what I was actually getting with regards to quality, price or reliability. 

With the local company, Robert Charles, the director of the company came round and did the measuring and drawings. When we went for our initial meeting we had a tour of the factory and could see cabinets etc being made. He has his own (although some work as sub contract) team of very local fitters, electricians, plumbers etc, who all know each other and have worked together before on projects.  

Yes it was slightly more than the sheds in price, but not massively because of the lack of overheads, and I have a lot more confidence that I am not just another muppet on the conveyor. 

Rosa_Damascena

Moley1985 said:

Can I ask why not Wren? I'm looking and they seem quite nice to me? 

 
Of course they seem nice, the business model is all geared towards the sell. I've heard enough horror stories about the shambolic operations when it comes to delivering the right kitchen to know I cannot do business with them.