Mid range kitchen providers

stevoh

Hi

We’re looking to get a new kitchen and are looking for something of a decent quality that will last, but not cost an absolute fortune. Which brands should we be looking at? We recently had some bespoke wardrobes fitted by a carpenter (who also fits kitchens) and I seem to recall he said Howdens were the best. 

sheilavw

hi I had a quote from Howdens. The kitchen I have in is a Howdens, now 17 years old. The quote was a little out of my range. I went to Homebase and similar one much cheaper. Howdens then rang and said would price match, or try? I have to go back next week.  Howdens would be better for my fitter, they come assembled. I know someone who got a B and Q kitchen and they are happy with it, although I didn't see anything that I liked there

casper_gutman

DIY Kitchens are great quality and very keenly priced.

Downsides are that you have to do all the planning and putting the order together yourself, and that if any bits are missing from the delivery they have to be sent on and can't be collected from a convenient local branch as they could be with a place like Howdens.

In my experience the cost for the quality you get makes these issues worth tolerating, though.

Rosa_Damascena

casper_gutman said:

DIY Kitchens are great quality and very keenly priced.

Downsides are that you have to do all the planning and putting the order together yourself, and that if any bits are missing from the delivery they have to be sent on and can't be collected from a convenient local branch as they could be with a place like Howdens.

In my experience the cost for the quality you get makes these issues worth tolerating, though.

This works for people with the time and tenacity to do this. I was very keen on DIY Kitchens but it really was the hassle of taking responsibility for the plan myself on top of the huge build I was having done, plus the ?14 week lead in time that put me off. I went with an experienced kitchen planner in a national chain, and everything worked out well.

ALWAYS avoid Wren if you value your sanity.

rob7475

The carcass quality doesn't really improve much with the more you spend. It's the doors etc where it's worth spending extra. At the time I bought ours, we wanted a white handleless design and ended up with multiwood doors as they are painted rather than wrapped. You often see wrapped doors bubbling over time (especially near ovens).

I found an independant supplier who beat DIY kitchens on price and supplied everything pre-built (DIY kitchens charged extra for this at the time). I did the plans myself but the supplier did some CAD drawings to check everything I did was right before placing the order.

badger09

Another vote for Howdens. We had a utility room fitted out last year by our builder who recommended them. He fits a lot of kitchens in rented properties & uses mainly Howdens. He also has one himself. 

Very pleased with the quality of the units but one caveat: don’t buy their cheaper Lamona brushed/mat? steel sink unit. It’s showing scratches after a short time. 

J_B

We used these folks

https://www.masterclasskitchens.co.uk

Rosa_Damascena

My mum is looking to have her kitchen replaced after more than 25 yrs. She had a fitter over to measure up and was surprised to find her cabinets are solid wood. It's a good solid kitchen, I suggested changing the worktop, floor and splashback and painting the cupboards. 

Clive_Woody

I got Howdens to come up with a design and a price, which was higher than expected. I sent the Howdens item list to DIY Kitchens who came up with a much better price. My kitchen fitter raved about Howdens so I went back to them with the DIY Kitchens price and they agreed to match it.

Our Howdens kitchen has been in a couple of years now and we're really pleased with it. We went for a quartz worktop but didn't get this from Howdens as we got a thicker top for the same price from a local supplier. 

casper_gutman

badger09 said:

Very pleased with the quality of the units but one caveat: don’t buy their cheaper Lamona brushed/mat? steel sink unit. It’s showing scratches after a short time. 

I think scratches are inevitable with stainless steel, to be honest, to the point where the initial finish is just a temporary placeholder. A steel sink only really starts to look like itself a couple of years in, basically when the entire surface is all scratches. I don't know why they don't sell them pre-scratched!

 

katejo

stevoh said:

Hi

We’re looking to get a new kitchen and are looking for something of a decent quality that will last, but not cost an absolute fortune. Which brands should we be looking at? We recently had some bespoke wardrobes fitted by a carpenter (who also fits kitchens) and I seem to recall he said Howdens were the best. 

Mine was fitted in 2012 and cane from Magnet Trade (similar to Howdens which I also considered). It is still in very good condition.