New kitchen

w00519773

My kitchen is 22 years old (it was installed when the house was built).  I believe it needs replacing.  I went to Wren kitchens on 01/01/2024, 21/01/24 and 13/04/24.  In January it was there "famous winter sale".  The salesman put pressure on to buy saying it would be much more expensive later in the year.  I have done the calculations looking at the price of the kitchen today and the saving v the price of the kitchen in January v the saving and they are all around a 65% saving.  Is it better to buy in January? The salesman in January even said the worse time to buy is spring and closer it is to summer is worse. Does anyone have any experiences with Wren they would like to share? The reviews sound reasonable: Wren Kitchens Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of www.wrenkitchens.com (trustpilot.com)

The next decision I need to make is how much to spend?  I read that you should spend around 8% of your house value on a kitchen (An Expert Guide On: How Much Value Does a Kitchen Add to Your Home? (thepropertycentres.co.uk)), so as my house is worth about £250,000; I plan to spend £20K on the kitchen.  I realise if I was a professional or amateur cook, then I could spend more, but I am not.  I cook every day, but it is not something I particularly enjoy.  I would be interested to hear what proportion of the house value others spent on a kitchen.

Also I can afford to buy the kitchen without using credit, however they offer 0% APR, therefore I am thinking about using the credit  - I can put the money in a savings account and reap the benefits of interest.  Is there any limitations of buying using credit when you don't need it? Can I negotiate as a cash buyer? If I can then I am not sure how much of an additional discount to request as the spring sale seems to be just as good as the "famous winter sale".

born_again

Why not ask some local independent's that are recommended to you?

MysteryMe

Whoever you use some people will have good experiences and others bad. Personally I wouldn't buy from anywhere that put pressure on me to commit to a substantial purchase of anything.

They all have sales throughout the year.

I bought a new kitchen from Wickes at Easter when they had a 25% off kitchen units sale, they seem to have a permanent 15% off on units if you spend £1500 or more, I used their free online design service and am using my own fitter. There was no hard sell by the design consultant, they were happy to design around appliances you already have or are sourcing elsewhere. 

I've not heard to of this 8% of value of the house thing before. Assuming your kitchen is not extraordinarily large and you are not someone who wants all the gadgets, gizmos and fancy worktops a budding Gordon Ramsay would want, then you should be able to get a more than adequate kitchen for well under £20,000. 

My kitchen including rip out, install, appliances, flooring, electrics, plumbing, tiling etc is nearer 5%.   

Remember the kitchen units and worktops are just one part of the expense, so I would go to a few different kitchen suppliers and use their free design services to get a range of ideas and prices. 

Albermarle

Rather than a '8% rule' which I have never heard of, I would think it is more down to personal preference and how much you can afford.

JGB1955

Never heard of the 8% 'rule' either. We put away 1% of the value of our house, every year, for improvements/repairs etc etc.  Would take 4 years for a kitchen, 4 years for family bathroom + en-suite. Major landscaping of garden cost 6 years 'worth'. New boiler = 0.75 year.

Doozergirl

Don't buy from Wren.  Especially if you don't need finance.  

I've always liked Howdens for the fact that everything is off the shelf, so if there if a mismeasure, for example, then things can be changed very quickly.  

They're also hugely reliable kitchens.  

w00519773

Doozergirl said:

Don't buy from Wren.  Especially if you don't need finance.  

I've always liked Howdens for the fact that everything is off the shelf, so if there if a mismeasure, for example, then things can be changed very quickly.  

They're also hugely reliable kitchens.  

Are Howdens for trade people only? They are shut at the weekends.

A friend of mine recommended Howdens, however he is a joiner who installs kitchens, bathrooms; roofs etc.

badger09

We chose Howden's units when we fitted out our utility room. They match well with the bespoke kitchen we inherited when we moved here 3 years ago. Really good quality & would happily install a Howdens’s kitchen based on this. Obviously, a decent fitter makes all the difference. 

GDB2222

w00519773 said:

Doozergirl said:

Don't buy from Wren.  Especially if you don't need finance.  

I've always liked Howdens for the fact that everything is off the shelf, so if there if a mismeasure, for example, then things can be changed very quickly.  

They're also hugely reliable kitchens.  

Are Howdens for trade people only? They are shut at the weekends.

A friend of mine recommended Howdens, however he is a joiner who installs kitchens, bathrooms; roofs etc.

If he's a friend, don't use him to do the install, as you may lose him as a friend. However, getting him to order the kitchen from Howdens and split the commission may work.

Alderbank

w00519773 said:

  I read that you should spend around 8% of your house value on a kitchen (An Expert Guide On: How Much Value Does a Kitchen Add to Your Home? (thepropertycentres.co.uk)...

I'm another one who has never heard of that so I looked up your reference.

I was interested to read that thePropertyCentres.co.uk doesn't say that either!

They say budget what you want to pay but don't go above 8% of the value of your home for a complete kitchen refit.

That sounds much more sensible and is in tune with what other posters have commented.

Martyn_H

Another vote for Howdens. We were able to order units using our installer's trade account. I looked at Wren's and Wickes' feedback at the time and they were getting shocking reviews.