Kitchen expert needed!

clairehi

Hi all,

we are having a new kitchen and OH and I like the MFI Kelmscott oak and similar Howdens Haworth oak ranges, ie the framed style oak doors.

Anyone know of similar framed oak door units available elsewhere at comparable prices? I have been put off Ikea as I heard all the carcasses are white is this true? They also dont seem to have a framed oak range.

Also, is it true that MFIs pelmets and other accessories are real oak veneer and Howdens are made from laminate ? And that Howdens units are pre-assembled whereas MFI are flatpack?

I am waiting for quotes from builders to "knock through" to create our new kitchen and intend that the builder will also fit the kitchen. I am hoping to play MFI and Howdens off to beat them down on price but I will need to go through the builder to get a price from Howdens. As the builder is going to be doing the whole job, I had assumed that they would be happy to pass on the trade discount from Howdens but is this usual practice?

andrew-b

Have you looked at Wickes? We've got Wickes Canterbury style oak that may meet your requirements. There's another few oak ranges they do too i think. The Wickes cabinets are pretty good quality with soft close doors and drawers as standard and 18mm units (including the backs). Carcasses are white but you can replace end panels with matching ones where needed. Just so long as you don't use Wickes sub-contracted out installation dis-service.

Andy

m_13

Here's a picture of our IKEA Oak Tidaholm kitchen at our last property (click image to see fullsize):


There was a problem with the ventilation panel for the fridge which is visible below the roller shutter cupboard but other than that I think it looks good!

We fitted it ourselves (that's the royal 'we') and had a joiner to do the worktop which is Axiom. The whole kitchen with appliances came in just below £4k including the utility room, sandstone floor, blinds, lighting etc.

Doozergirl

MFI Hygena range is flatpack. The Kelmscott is Schreiber and will be solid carcass.

You can get hefty discounts on the Kelmscott as MFI's margins are quite large on that. Don't put any appliances in to the deal because you will lose a bit of the margin.

I'm looking at this company for our development http://www.handmadekitchens-direct.co.uk/index.html as it comes in a lot cheaper than MFIs hammered down price. (Started at £13,000 even with the regular 'sale' stuff that they're always peddling, down to £7,500 without worktops- handmade kitchen comes in at a little over £4000 with some worktop but they need painting as I want a painted kitchen)
The nice thing is that you can play with the units to bring the same space full on kitchen in at a cheaper price whereas MFI just start throwing all sorts in. The balustrade things for island corners or the end of runs that make the Kelmscott look freestanding are something like £200 each! :eek:

clairehi

tks Doozergirl, I have had a look at the handmade kitchen site looks good, almost too good to be true for the price?

I will get a plan done by MFI and then poissibly use this as a basis for comparison.

the next problem is that OH has backtracked as he prefers a different range from mfi which looks more like a designer bar than a kitchen for a family home. cant remember the name but is hideous 70s style high gloss fake wood flat doors, looks trendy in the ad but would look c**p i n our house IMO. hey ho!

majjie

Those prices for handmade kitchens don't look all that cheap to me. The published list is for pine. Nobody in their right mind would want pine - even for painting. It's likely to move and crack the paint, and resin from the knots will come through eventually, even if you use knotting compound. Might be alright for a developer - you won't be around when the problems set in!

For painting (for the long term) you need the "tulipwood + MDF" option - which is 30% dearer - whilst solid/veneered oak for the doors and frames would be 50% dearer!

It's great to design with made to measure units but - if the materials are good - they're never going to be cheap.

MFI's Kelmscott is a good looking kitchen (better looking than the Howdens one) - but they're very expensive for the accessories. If it's true that theirs are oak veneer then that partially explains it (but they're still pricey!) - you will notice the difference after a few years, though (the laminate will then be a different colour from the wood).

If you want a framed look ... I'd have a look at Second Nature's Milton Oak. You can buy it on-line:
http://www.diy-kitchens.com/acatalog/Framed_kitchens_and_framed_kitchen_doors.html

It'll be cheaper than the oak kitchens of Handmade Kitchens Direct - and it'll give you a much better choice of unit sizes than MFI - but it won't be made to measure and accessories will still be expensive if they are real oak.

'course ... if you're going for high gloss woood effect laminate, you won't have to worry about any of that!!

dreamypuma

Take a look at Wickes Kitchens. Before I had mine done I looked at most of the usual suspects including Ikea, B&Q, MFI and Howdens. In the end I went for a solid Oak Shaker from a Local company, because the quality was lightyears ahead of these highstreet names.

Wickes was the only comparable supplier (quality wise) and in terms of price they were very slightly cheaper than what I paid.

clairehi

I can see problems ahead with mfi as their corner units will not fit in our planned layout - they are 931mm and the existing ones are 900, and rejigging the layout without moving the sink &dw plumbing which I wish to stay in place is going to be problematic. they are coming to measure up on Friday.
.
I really like the Second Nature Milton range as it has the trendy new curved doors for end units. I am not confident enough to plan the kitchen and order the units online so will give our local stockist a ring.

by the way it seems that Second Nature just make the doors and so it is up to retailers to spec their own carcasses - is this correct?

dander

I'm not convinced that's true about problems with pine. Built-in cupboards in victorian houses were made from pine - and certainly the ones I have lived with have stood the test of time beautifully.

Emmalou

Calgary from Wickes is very nice, although I don't think it is in-frame. Curved doors too.

I personally wouldn't touch MFI with a bargepole, no matter how nice the kitchen or good the deal seems - see the previous comments on this forum for reasons why!

big_green

hi clariehi, we also really liked the kelmscott oak kitchen, those oak framed doors do look good.
B&Q do a very similar kitchen called clevedon, we had this put in mid feb and it looks great. recommend you take a look