Anyone bought a Howdens kitchen?

[Virgil4]

We’ve got Howdens coming out next week to measure up and design a new kitchen for us. We’ve got a fitter who can buy it on our behalf as a trade customer.

I’ve looked at the various kitchens online, but want to see them in person. We’ve got a Howdens depot near us, and I wondered if it’s like a showroom where we could look at display kitchens? If so, can we go along, or does the fitter have to accompany us?

Also, I’ve read a lot about prices varying, and that you need to bargain hard. However, we’re not looking for top end, and wondered if anyone could recommend any of the cheaper ranges as a starting point?

Yes, and mine is lovely (it's for a rental property but I would be happy with it for my house). My builder has an account and did the bargaining as he was also going to fit it. Unfortunately I can't remember what it's called, but it is plain, off white, matt and without handles. I was also very impressed with the designer - he suggested things I hadn't thought of.

Oops - it does in fact have handles. I've just checked the photo.

We've got a Bowden's kitchen - we've been really impressed with the actual kitchen and the service we received. They (ours) don't have showrooms as such. But you can go in and view all the different cupboards, worktops and handles etc. Ours also had a computer room so they could load it all in and show you what they have designed.

Had one in my last house, loved it!

Yes I have the Tewkesbury in Sage - it’s top end solid wood and absolutely beautiful.
With pewter cup handles and knobs

I had one in my old house, and it was lovely. Get your own appliances tho, the Howdens ones are not as good as others for the same price.

Howdens has become more expensive in recent years. It used to be a bit more of a bargain. Find your biggest local store as they will have more on show. Not only does the price you pay depend on the discount your builder receives (ours got 20% but basically it's meaningless, as the list prices are never paid), but it also depends on the branch. One branch quoted us nearly £50 more for the same tap.

So, as long as you can accept their completely opaque pricing, it's fine.

Also, don't use their own brand appliances. You can get better branded stuff from currys and ao online, for the same or cheaper.

(They used to give tradies points for their accounts, and our builder has had a free holiday every year off the back of that. They've stopped doing that now, so he's stopping using them as can get cheaper but same quality elsewhere)

I also got the Howdens designer to design the kitchen for my own house, but went with another company at the end. I remember the design they sent through though which made me chuckle as they'd added a cat sitting on the worktop (which there always is in my house)

I''m having one fitted right now, with a builder with an account so I have had significant discounts through him. If you don't have access through that, you pay full price. Their model is selling to trade and their showrooms are essentially depots with a few of the doors, units, worktops, handles and appliances on show. It's much more limited than what you would see in eg Magnet et al but you can go along and have a look without a builder.
My builder, who fits whatever his clients ask him to, tells me that they are very good quality, way above most of the volume kitchen sellers, sturdy and solid.
Their appliances are rebadged lower end goods. I bought Bosch through my builder's account, with his discount.
I'm very please with what I've got. Soft-close doors, integrated doors for washing machines, etc, hidden cutlery drawer, double-sided larder, oak work top.

My utility room is Howdens. My fitter (a chum) paid approx 10% of list prices.

Yes! It's fab. We are really happy with it. We got the worktops and appliances elsewhere, just the units from Howdens

Our designer was really good and the computer generated stuff was great. She tweaked and tweaked until we were happy.

Not much of a showroom to speak but they can show you samples of what you want to see and the catalogue is pretty good too.

I find their pricing and discounting really really annoying and not transparent at all but my husband is the master of bargaining and he got the discount we wanted in the end going through our builder and negotiating further.

We have a Howdens Kitchen and have the grey which isn’t really grey but more of a green.
Happy with the quality. did not buy any of their own appliances.
Our kitchen fitter had to tweak their design and I absolutely hated the ‘opaque’ pricing ( perfect description) if you visit the showroom they will not tell you how much anything is. You choose what you want and your kitchen fitter gets a price. I really hated having to buy from them for that reason .

We have Howden’s in the house we’ve moved to. I think the ex owners have gone for the cheapest as the worktops have a chipboard filling and the cupboards aren’t amazing. We’ve used howdens for other bits but probably chosen more expensive items and the quality has been good. So I suppose it depends what you’re planning to spend.

My parents have one it's a lovely kitchen they got it about 4 years ago and have already had to replace the built in microwave twice before they bought one from a different company and the oven glass exploded! I wouldn't get any of their appliances plus because it's technically the fitter that's their customer Howdens wouldn't talk to my dad when the microwave broke (the day after it was fitted). But honestly beautiful kitchen!

I have a Howdens kitchen, it’s wood surface and cheaper end of their ranges minimalist units. It’s great! I didn’t get appliances from them though. Had a kitchen fitter in to do it. First grey colour wood surface was faulty but they replaced it no problem for natural oak.

I use Howdens for all my houses (I renovate them as my job). So that’s about 6. They’re fine and the depo near me has some set up that you can go see and all the fronts and worktops. They’re sold to your fitter so they do the bargaining, and the more kitchens they do the better the discount. But you have to be sure the fitter is up to scratch.

You can go along yourself and have a look. The fitter does not have to go with you. They don't have a showroom the way b and q etc do. My local one just has a couple of kitchens then all of the doors on display in the wall.

Wow thanks so much for the responses! Will definitely go along and have a look at the doors and handles etc. I’ll also bear in mind the advice about steering clear of their appliances.

We haven’t got a huge budget, so are considering laminate worktops. There’s one I like online called White Glass that’s square edged. We’d ideally like to go with a low backboard which should, hopefully, give the kitchen a contemporary look. Has anyone gone with a laminate worktop from there?

The laminate worktops from Howdens are fine. As someone else said their aplliances are terrible but everything else I find good quality. I renovate houses and have bought 4 or 5 kitchens from them with no major issues.

My Howdens kitchen is nearly 11 years old and still looks as good as the day it was put in! No complaints here

We have one. At the showroom they just have one of each of the doors, plus samples of everything else, not like in Homebase etc. It's a good option though

Ours is Tewksbury in oak, think it's the most expensive but my dad got a massive discount so it was less than a diy store one and it's solid oak

We have just fitted ours and it is brilliant not flat packed so it is ease to fit .

Can I ask where people got their fitters from? And how did you know if they were any good?

Make sure you get a good installer. A bad installer can ruin excellent quality kitchens.