Update on kitchen refurbishment journey

insania_pendeat

NMBKitchens said:

Just had a quick read over a few comments but the main thing that strikes me here is the kitchen company are beating quotes by Howdens and DIY kitchens etc with a high quality product?

Ive been in the kitchen industry over 20 years and i have never come across this. Honestly, never. We have our cabinets made by a local manufacturer and we certainly couldn't beat the likes of Howdens etc unless we ran at zero profit.

The main thing to check is you are getting absolute "like for like" quotes including all panels (can be expensive on their own) cornice, pelmets, plinths, any lighting, worktop material/quality. These things can add up and quickly.

I had a quick look at their Bark page and on one of the photos they have a wren plan on the wall so either these use Wren Kitchens and have some sort of discount structure in place with them or they happen to fit Wren kitchens also. Not knocking the company one bit by the way. If they can do high quality cabs cheaper than Howdens i shall be giving them a call myself haha.

Ikea Kitchens, you will find a fair few seasoned kitchen fitters that dont like Ikea kitchens because they were not made for the UK market and can take a bit more faffing about with to get the to fit in with plumbing/wastes etc. UK Kitchen cabinets come with the service recess in the back of the cabinet. As a fitter myself i wouldn't be keen on fitting one either. Doesnt mean i dont have the ability it simply means id rather fit a kitchen in half the time without having o cut bits out of the rears of the cabs. Common sense really.

Cost wise for the kitchen you will always find that the fitting costs the most. Depending on what needs doing. If you post the plan of the kitchen with all items listed i would happily do you a price comparison so you can at least see what the items should cost. Not pitching for the job by the way, i couldn't fit you in if i wanted to. Unless you wanted to wait until next year! 

Thanks for this. I've attached the quote so far but I've made further changes in my head to the kitchen layout which may affect the price, not sure which way. I think Ikea may be an issue overall because their installers said back walls may need to be knocked out to compensate for their size. Overall Ikea is pretty and their space saving solutions are in my opinion so much better but not sure I can go with them.

They did show me samples of the 18mm MDF they use for their doors and the MFC they use for their shelves and the aluminium for the profile and as I said their work from their videos seemed really impressive and they know their stuff but as a newbie, I'm going to buy the kitchen from a known supplier and look for another contractor on a competent persons scheme that can be verified because the kitchen at Howdens is about 11K, Wren 12K, Wickes 15K with dry fit, Ikea 8K, DIY Kitchens 9K - all with their own individual appliances - so a contractor offering to supply a kitchen and fit for 6k raised alarm bells so I have gone back to the drawing board. The reason I am prioritising Howdens is only because their Lamona appliances come with 3 years guarantee and prices seem reasonable - saves me the headache of sourcing these separately.

However, please go ahead and contact them and let me know if all is kosher!

Also been advised to wait until after the summer as this is the time contractors come out of their slumber in a sense

Apologies for the watermark but I like free things.

Ganga

Never heard of " Bark " till mentioned on RIP OFF BRITIAN ,appears they are just middle men who give you recommendations for plumbers ,builders etc BUT do hold them self responsible IF it goes wrong ,double check everything.

ka7e

Lamona appliances are all rebadged for Howdens - they use cheaper brands like Beko and Candy but will tell you they are the equivalent of Bosch and charge accordingly. You are better off sourcing similar appliances from AO or Curry's.

insania_pendeat

Has anyone heard of or used of Smile Kitchens? I stumbled onto them because I needed kitchen planners online and they seem good, good reviews but nothing on MSE Forum searches.

Gavin83

NMBKitchens said:

Cost wise for the kitchen you will always find that the fitting costs the most. Depending on what needs doing. 

That’s good to know. When we come to do our kitchen in a few years I’ll be sure to fit it all myself and save some money!