Talk to me about kitchens

[Noodledoodlefan]

I want to get a new kitchen. I am thinking of getting quotes , design plan e.tc. From Magnet and Wickes.
Does anybody have any other recommendations or companies to avoid.

What’s the Aibu?

I think you'd be unreasonable to go to Wickes. We went to Magnet and we've not been disappointed.

Avoid b&q.
Cancelled our order from them and now back to the drawing board.

I got mine from Wren. They were v good, came to the house, drew up plans, redrew the lot when I changed my mind (!), provided computer print out of what it would look like. The only problem was the massive choice - 635 different kitchens, 50 different bloody drawer handles, etc. It took hours in the showroom to wade through all the options. But they were v patient, no hard sell, and the installation was timed to suit me and ran to schedule. I’d recommend them.

We used Magnet about 5 years ago. There were some shocking reviews online but they related to specific branches as it turned out on further investigation,

Ours was done when they said within the time promised at the cost agreed. A couple of snags, but they were promptly sorted.

The kitchen still looks good after 5 years of family use. I'd recommend them.

IKEA?

Ikea!

I went with Benchmarx. They are the exact same kitchens as Wickes but less than half the price.
They will come out and measure up etc.
The big pluses with them other than price, is that the unit come pre built, which saves time and money, and they have most stuff in stock so if you have a bit missing, incorrect or damaged they can replace it instantly.

Have been looking at doing the same thing (have been for a while though!). I have a list on my phone of the companies that have been recommended but it may be a bit old now: The Shaker Kitchen Company, Benchmark, DIY Kitchens, The Freestanding Kitchen Company. I can't remember what my criteria were though...

Thanks for you suggestions ! Never even heard of Benchmarx. There is a branch near me so I will investigate.
No unreasonableness from me , Mamma ! I’m simply posting here to get as much traffic possible.

I love Betterkitchens.... you can design it online.... the units can be delivered rigid (ready built) and you can install yourself or get a carpenter.... my solid oak kitchen with 2 spare large doors cast less than £1000 andvthey same in B&Q would have been twice that excluding installation etc...

Which ? have recently surveyed fitted kitchens. DIY Kitchens, ( a brand ) Ikea and John Lewis are the highest rated, with Howdens quite close.
Some of the big names don't appear to score well. Local independents do well as well, but local feedback important there.

We had a local independent install ours and we are ridiculously delighted with it. Quote was about 10% more than Wren but much better quality and more flexible with changes. It is totally bespoke.

This is my Benchmarx kitchen.
It total it was £6k
The reason you haven’t heard of them is because they are technically trade only, but they let anyone open an account. You will need to find your own fitter.

Benchmarx. DH is a manager for them and does really not kitchens!!! Plus service they offer is really good. But I’m biased obviously! X

I went to an independent guy. He’s project managing all the other tradesmen, including some minor building work. The cabinets are bespoke.
All in, including kitchen, appliances, building work/plastering, fitting, electrics, flooring with fitting, it is coming in at around 10k for a medium sized kitchen/diner.
Magnet was quoting me more than that just for kitchen and fitting.

We went with Wren who were brilliant. The units arrive ready assembled rather than flat packed. DH installed it and he was very impressed with the quality. They knew he was going to install it himself and they were really helpful and answered all his questions. They never tried to make us use their installers. We did have the worktops installed because we had quartz and it was quite specialised.
We're now in the process of installing another mini-kitchen (part of an extension) but because it's a sort of larder/working space we've gone down the cheaper B&Q route. The units are fine, no problems, but Wren is far better quality.

Go to one of the big sheds and get a design drawn up (not wren as they won't give you a breakdown of the design).

Then email it to diykitchens and they'll do a comparison quote for you. We've just had ours done by diykitchens and it's brilliant - builder was very impressed with the quality of them. You can also phone them and they'll happily answer your questions. They also have a showroom you can visit our they can send you door samples. Can't rate them high enough.

Magnet were stupidly expensive when we got a quote from them. Shame as their designer was excellent. We pretty much copied the design with DIY Kitchens and saved a hell of a lot of money doing so.

Watching with great interest!

We are thinking of doing it the other way around - found a builder and are going to look at howdens. As they sell to trade it's cheaper. John Lewis quoted us £45,000(!!) and magnet £35,000(!) - think howdens will is noticeably cheaper than both!

My first kitchen was Cooke and Lewis from B&Q but installed by a local fitter. Good quality kitchen (sale) for the price and interest free for two years. Although the delivery from B&Q was rubbish and we had wrong items. Next kitchen was Howdens again with a local fitter. Kitchen IMO was not very good quality. I also found all the appliances online myself, loads cheaper!