Howden's & Benchmarx kitchens - any experience with these?

[NotAnotherNewNappy]

Howden's & Benchmarx kitchens - any experience with these?

Our new kitchen extension is still just a line in the ground and some v expensive drawings, but I am keeping my motivation up by seriously looking at kitchens. We will be on a budget - hopefully 10-15k for the kitchen (inc oven, fridge freezer + dishwasher).

I went to party at a v well to do friend's house recently and was wowed by her glam modern kitchen. Turns out it was Howden's. Her kitchen planner friend was there and told me she always uses Howden's for modern kitchen's and Benchmarx for traditional ones.

I'd never heard of Benchmarx before but I really like the Borrowdale Bone White (timber in frame). We live in a cottage so I think I will probably go traditional, but I don't really like anything too twee.

So, have you any experience of using either of these? Quality? Likely budget etc? TIA.

[2cats2many]

I have a Howdens kitchen and it's good quality.

[ConcreteElephant]

We've just had the Somerset bone white put in our new kitchen extension. It's the non-frame version of the Borrowdale. I really like it - our builder's kitchen fitter has done a great job - it's all in the fitting isn't it. Feels very solid, good choice of units etc. Drawers and inserts fit well, slide nicely on the runners. we wanted a sort of traditional but modern Scandi look so have put fairly modern looking handles etc on.

I've not used Howdens but a friend used the units in her utility and it looks very nice.

[notapizzaeater]

How dens wood one here, had it about 8 years and still looks brand new, nothing broken on it yet :-)

[NotAnotherNewNappy]

Concrete - lovely kitchen! Can I ask approx how much it cost? And how the price compared with other kitchens you looked at?

[EllieFredrickson]

NotAnother

We're having the Somerset Bone White too. Our builder told us better than Howden's - and would charge us more for fitting a Howden's one. Cost was comparable to others we looked at (an independent and Magnet) - around £10k for the kitchen excluding appliances but including £3k of granite worksurface.

[ConcreteElephant]

I will dig out the paperwork and let you know :) We've also got an island in the olive colour, which is a nice contrast.

Like Ellie, we felt the cost was comparable to similar kitchens. In our old house we had a Mereway kitchen and it was around the same.

To be honest we didn't look around much as we trusted our builder, he has a good relationship with Benchmarx (which has been great for getting little bespoke bits done and solving problems) and his fitter is very experienced in fitting the kitchens, so it really looks solid and good quality. I really think that half the battle is in the fitting.

[NotAnotherNewNappy]

Fabulous - thank you all.

Ellie - I really want granite work tops, did you order these through benchMarx too?

[ConcreteElephant]

Not Ellie obviously, but we've got a Quartzforms top on our island, the Breeze Blanc, it looks gorgeous. I think it's cheaper than granite, it's non-porous, wonderfully cool to the touch, stain resistant... Worth a look perhaps?

[EllieFredrickson]

Not Another

Work doesn't start until September so just at the quoting ordering stage. Granite worktop through Benchmarx. Could probably have shopped around but we're having bathrooms done too and I'm fed up of all the choices....

Have gone for Spice Black (which has some almost brown flecks). I know will show everything if not clean but hoping it will be an incentive for us all to keep the kitchen tidy for a change. We're having the utility done too but are having laminate surface in there.

Builder mentioned Apollo Slabtech that Benchmarx do but I was put off by the waiver you have to sign for the darker colours - by which I assume they mark badly.

Hoping it will look quite timeless - we're having cream metro tiles and a limestone Karndean floor. We can jazz it up with the window blind/accessories