DIY-kitchens pricing

[FrogFairy]

This company seems to get great reviews on both quality and price.

If you bought from them did you pay the actual on screen price for your units or did you have to haggle? If you haggled, how much did the price drop? Bloody hate haggling personally.
If you had quotes from other companies did you show them to diy-kitchens?
It doesn't sit well with me to go and waste time elsewhere getting a design and quote with no real intention to buy. Main competition for me would be IKEA or Howden. I compared the prices with like for like on a couple of IKEA units and diy seem to be over £100 more per unit which could easily put an extra 2k on the cost of my kitchen.

I appreciate diy offer better quality but wondering If they may just be out of my price range. Hoping to hear stories of your lovely bargainous kitchens.

[namechangedtoday15]

No, paid the price on screen. I think its very much like Ikea in terms of pricing structure. You wouldn't go into Ikea and haggle would you?! I think they have offers on though every now and again, sometimes just on doors or cupboards, sometimes both.

[FrogFairy]

Thanks, I suspected this may be the case. Probably a good thing, as I either pay the price or go elsewhere which is what I like about IKEA.

Howden would actually be the most convenient place to buy but I hate the secret price/discount way they operate.

[FrogFairy]

Sorry, please can I also ask if you are happy with your kitchen?

[tabithasgran]

If you used a designer like OnePlanonhouzz (on here sometimes) you get a shopping list and all the plans and colour pictures. So you can ask lots of people to quote. She doesn't sell kitchens. So there's no hidden anything.

[coolpatterngirl]

I'm interested to know if everyone who purchased their kitchens from DIY went up to the showroom? It's a good 4 hours away from where we're based.

[SorrelForbes]

coolpatterngirl I haven't been to the DIY Kitchens showroom but I have visited Units On line (Wellington near Taunton) who operate a very similar model and sell many of the same kitchens.

[namechangedtoday15]

I went to the showroom but it was only a couple of hours away. But it depends which kitchen you are looking at. Some of the kitchens are effectively their "own brand" but lots are brands that are sold by other companies who may have showrooms closer to you. A Second Nature kitchen for example will bbe available elsewhere.

I was very impressed with the quality of the kitchen.

Funny that Sorrel mentions Units Online - I have just had a new kitchen from them and it's beautiful!

[RaisingSteam]

The DIY kitchens caracases are much better quality than Ikea, rigid built, chunky legs, very sturdy, choice of colours, proper edging, solid backs. When ours got delivered (all wrapped up carefully) all the builders were cooing round them, they felt like you could park a car on top of them. DIY kitchens make caracases and fit either their own (innova) or other brand doors (e.g Second Nature) on them.

I didn't go to the showroom but after going round several independent kitchen showrooms I started to get an idea of what the better quality of cabinets were like.

Having said that you could have a really nice Ikea kitchen if it was well fitted. They have lots of clever ideas and interior fittings. On the other hand you will find DIY kitchens carry a much bigger range of sizes and configurations of units that might give you more flexibility in your layout.

I don't think there's any need to haggle, they are well priced to start with for the quality.
IIRC they came out about evens with Ikea but of course it depends which range you are looking at.

[FrogFairy]

Thank you all for your replies.

I don't think I could stretch to a designer on my budget but have have planned a couple of kitchens before in other houses. I am torn between the better quality and unit choice of diy kitchens vs the clever storage options in IKEA. I need to get the graph paper and tape measure into action so that I can actually price up both to compare.

I won't be going to the diy kitchens showroom, but they will sell a sample door which can be refunded against the kitchen purchase.

[OnePlanOnHouzz]

Just seen this - for the mention TabithasGranny .

Ikea has the 25 year guarantee so that's always a positive - I think DIY do too ! So yes good idea to get the pen and paper out and design something you can price up in both !

If you'd like me to cast an eye over your finished design, to safety check it - I will happily do that FOC for a fellow mumnsnetter !

(Nb. I'm not one of those 'up themselves' designers who charge a fortune ! I'm pretty down to earth !! )

[Ramona75]

DIY Kitchens have 1 of their units next to an Ikea unit in their showroom. The DIY unit is head and shoulders above the IKEA one and the other units displayed next to it as well. I would recommend have a look and a feel before you buy. Your mind would be made up in less than 10 seconds.

[JasperDamerel]

I paid the price, but I think there was an offer on drawer sides, so I got the full ones for the same price as the sort that are just bars.

I didn't go to the showroom - I just looked at a couple of sample
doors.

I wanted matt lacquered or painted slab doors, and not many other places offered them.

I am extremely happy with the kitchen.

[OnePlanOnHouzz]

Yes - I was told by a client who went up last week to see DIY, that they have a bunch of the other companies cabinets in the showroom, so you can see the difference in real life - not just take someone's word for it !

Spoke with another client while she was actually in there yesterday, and they were impressed too ( as were the previously mentioned couple too !) so it seems to have positive reviews for real people who I've designed for, who have gone up there ....

...but that said - I've had happy clients buying from ikea too !!!

...And a couple who've bought from howdens !

...And handmade kitchens of Christchurch !

... And quite a few others too !!

[FrogFairy]

Thank you all for posting. I must say as this kitchen is such an expensive purchase it makes sense to get the best quality I can for my money. My problem is having champagne taste and a tap water budget!

One plan, thank you so much for your kind offer to check my plans. I have lurked on the kitchen forum of gardenweb/ now Houzz for ages. I wonder if you are on there too? Most of them are from the USA but I have spotted the odd person mention the UK.

[OnePlanOnHouzz]

You can look on Houzz UK now - I suspect that you are now put through to the Houzz USA site ?! I've been active on house since 2013... try looking in the uk one for more brut based stuff !

[OnePlanOnHouzz]

Haha *Brit based !! Not brut !! lol

[RaisingSteam]

A lot of the Ikea clever storage is to do with how they style the kitchens (which is brilliant) and you could copy those ideas anyway. The great thing about doing it yourself is you aren't tied to a particular range or supplier. The Ikea main units are a different size but plenty of other things can be "borrowed".

So for instance our units are DIY kitchens but we have a pull out drawer under the sink with a set of Ikea recycling bins in, a deep drawer with Ikea plateholders in it, various Ikea hanging hook racks and shelves, pull out wire baskets with ikea organiser boxes in, the Ikea compact sink in the utility and a piece of Ikea worktop, you get the idea. It all more or less fits. Once you start digging in the website there are a lot of options and variations.

[JasperDamerel]

My favourite clever storage in my kitchen is the pull-out drawer hidden behind the plinth under the oven.