| Kitchen advice please hive mind 12:13 - Jul 12 with 2034 views | Mullet |
I need a decent but fairly smallish kitchen renovation. Anyone had good/bad experiences with Wren, Magnet, Howdens et al?
I’m aware these things can spiral into Monopoly money territory, so I’d like the best bang for my buck without needing anything luxurious. I’ve been recommended a local company to fit one but it’s been years since I put one in and the company that did it have gone tits up.
Cheers as always |  |
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 12:17 - Jul 12 with 1635 views | Swansea_Blue |
A recent fitter I used swore by Wickes as the best of the bunch for the standard, mass produced kitchens. He reckoned their cabinets were better built and stronger than most. That’s only one opinion of course, but he was very thorough in his own work and used to dealing with high end stuff. If that’s any help. |  |
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 12:18 - Jul 12 with 1632 views | NewcyBlue |
Mate and I removed his kitchen. Was about 2 hours work to remove it, but he sold it on to a kitchen fitter so we couldn't just rip it out.
It's easy enough to pull out with basic tools.
If it's getting binned then you won't have to be so careful. |  |
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 12:21 - Jul 12 with 1611 views | Mullet |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 12:18 - Jul 12 by NewcyBlue |
Mate and I removed his kitchen. Was about 2 hours work to remove it, but he sold it on to a kitchen fitter so we couldn't just rip it out.
It's easy enough to pull out with basic tools.
If it's getting binned then you won't have to be so careful. |
Yeah I’ve got no worry about swinging a hammer and this will need to be binned, I’m not saying it’s old but Facters might have felled the trees to make it in his youth | |
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 13:05 - Jul 12 with 1473 views | Mullet |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 12:17 - Jul 12 by Swansea_Blue |
A recent fitter I used swore by Wickes as the best of the bunch for the standard, mass produced kitchens. He reckoned their cabinets were better built and stronger than most. That’s only one opinion of course, but he was very thorough in his own work and used to dealing with high end stuff. If that’s any help. |
My reply didn’t post for some reason, but that’s decent to know I think there’s one a few miles from me. | |
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 13:10 - Jul 12 with 1458 views | Bluespeed225 |
DIY Kitchens. Based in Yorkshire, big concern despite the name! You design it online, so lots of measurements, they check all details, you pick all cabinets etc, good communication, great quality for price, but you need your own fitter if you don’t fancy having a go yourself. I was really pleased. |  | | |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 13:17 - Jul 12 with 1429 views | bsw72 |
Over the last 20 years, myself and my wife have bought and fitted 2 different IKEA kitchens and subsequently bought and had a wren kitchen installed.
The IKEA kitchens were excellent quality and reasonably straightforward to measure, plans and fit if you have the right tools and decent DIY experience. The wren kitchen was excellent value and the fitters were great, but remember that while these fitters are supplied from Wren, they are effectively sub contractors so can be hit and miss, ours was a good experience. |  | | |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 13:38 - Jul 12 with 1368 views | Basuco |
My daughter had a Wikes kitchen and it is very nice, as did a couple of her friends who recommended them to her. I would stay well away from Magnet kitchens. |  | | |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 13:44 - Jul 12 with 1356 views | Freddies_Ears |
Mick Stockwell did a very good job for me a few years back. Explained every option from budget to beyond my budget, explained where it was easy to save quite a bit, but also where paying a bit more was really worthwhile. Installation was done quietly, patiently & professionally. | | | |
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 14:16 - Jul 12 with 1314 views | homer_123 |
I'd echo the Wickes kitchen but from a different perspective.
The quality is fine given the cost. I yend to judge businesses and people on when things go wrong or get tough.
When the kitchen was delivered a few items damaged and a couple missing. Had potential knock on effect for fitter and other trades. An immediate apology and damaged and missing items arrived with 48 hours.
Plus a small bunch of flowers for the other half.
As I say....that's why I'd recommend them. |  |
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 14:20 - Jul 12 with 1304 views | ketton_itfc |
We’ve been looking and advised much like another poster Wickes are pretty good but find a separate fitter if you can. Luckily by chance we’ve managed to do that.
I’ve had several people put me off Wren. Sadly it seems a bit of a lottery. |  | | |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 14:22 - Jul 12 with 1294 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
If you have someone to fit it I have been recommended DIY Kitchens for designing and sourcing from people I trust. |  |
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 14:53 - Jul 12 with 1230 views | NthQldITFC |
Don't get one.
They'll sh!t in your vegetable patch (or worse still, in mine) and catch and kill for fun the poor little birdies which need more help than ever.
edit: Sorry. My eyes. [Post edited 12 Jul 14:54]
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 14:54 - Jul 12 with 1225 views | NthQldITFC |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 13:44 - Jul 12 by Freddies_Ears |
Mick Stockwell did a very good job for me a few years back. Explained every option from budget to beyond my budget, explained where it was easy to save quite a bit, but also where paying a bit more was really worthwhile. Installation was done quietly, patiently & professionally. |
Did he do a little wobble walk to celebrate when he'd finished fitting it? | |
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 15:02 - Jul 12 with 1205 views | DJR |
Aren't Howdens trade only, which means you have to have a fitter to start with?
Their stuff is pretty good quality. And they have their own range of kitchen appliances which admittedly don't have the kudos of more expensive explicitly labelled brands.
We had one fitter who didn't mark up the trade cost, and on a later job a company which did.
[Post edited 12 Jul 15:10]
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 15:08 - Jul 12 with 1170 views | Dubtractor |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 15:02 - Jul 12 by DJR |
Aren't Howdens trade only, which means you have to have a fitter to start with?
Their stuff is pretty good quality. And they have their own range of kitchen appliances which admittedly don't have the kudos of more expensive explicitly labelled brands.
We had one fitter who didn't mark up the trade cost, and on a later job a company which did.
[Post edited 12 Jul 15:10]
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They are. My brother fits lots of kitchens, alongside other joinery work, he swears by Howdens.
He'll be fitting my new kitchen in a couple of weeks, definitely appreciating the extra discount he's got for us! |  |
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 16:16 - Jul 12 with 1090 views | Churchman |
Our kitchen was supplied by Howdens and fitted by the builder who was doing a kitchen/garage conversion. The quality was excellent and it still looks good five years on. |  | | |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 19:56 - Jul 12 with 944 views | J2BLUE |
Are you looking to Reform it or Restore it? |  | | |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 22:49 - Jul 12 with 815 views | Coastalblue |
My old man used to fit a few kitchens and often supplied via Howdens and seemed to feel the quality matched what you paid. Purely anecdotal but I've heard a number of stories of bad experiences from Wren, personally I wouldn't risk it. |  |
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 08:16 - Jul 13 with 720 views | soupytwist |
Just another contribution to say that I know about 5 people who have had bad experiences with Wren. Whether I also know 5 people who have had great experiences with them but never mentioned it, I can't say. |  | | |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 09:12 - Jul 13 with 663 views | Leaky |
As a former plumber had some poor experiences working on Wrens kitchens. Units turning up wrong or missing, however that was 3 years ago so they may have improved. |  | | |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 09:17 - Jul 13 with 653 views | Leaky |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 15:02 - Jul 12 by DJR |
Aren't Howdens trade only, which means you have to have a fitter to start with?
Their stuff is pretty good quality. And they have their own range of kitchen appliances which admittedly don't have the kudos of more expensive explicitly labelled brands.
We had one fitter who didn't mark up the trade cost, and on a later job a company which did.
[Post edited 12 Jul 15:10]
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At Howdens you have to open a "trade account" which anyone can do, they are very good though. You then have to fit it yourself or get someone in. | | | |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 09:29 - Jul 13 with 626 views | USA |
Top 3 according to the Which research I did for one I am in the middle of purchasing, were,
1 DIY kitchens
2 Benchmarx
3 Howdens
Howdens have a great designer called Emily in Martlesham, and it was a pleasurable experience working with her. Benchmarx, good quality but I had an awful design experience with a designer called Tyler. Came across very lazy. Didn't get involved with DIY Kitchens but hear they are very good. Went with an independent in Essex in the end.
Good luck!! | |
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 09:31 - Jul 13 with 622 views | hype313 |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 08:16 - Jul 13 by soupytwist |
Just another contribution to say that I know about 5 people who have had bad experiences with Wren. Whether I also know 5 people who have had great experiences with them but never mentioned it, I can't say. |
Wren are essentially this days version of MFI. |  |
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| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 09:48 - Jul 13 with 598 views | DJR |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 09:17 - Jul 13 by Leaky |
At Howdens you have to open a "trade account" which anyone can do, they are very good though. You then have to fit it yourself or get someone in. |
I didn't know that.
Worth knowing for the future. | | | |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 09:53 - Jul 13 with 574 views | EdwardStone |
| Kitchen advice please hive mind on 09:31 - Jul 13 by hype313 |
Wren are essentially this days version of MFI. |
Many years ago MFI technical staff were co operating with Tesco on shared products
I know this is true; I went to Tesco, bought a chicken.... I got it home and the legs fell off [Post edited 13 Jul 9:53]
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