Kitchen change | Howdens, Wren, Wickes or something else

[coldiris]

Hi everyone,

Looking for a bit of advice and experience sharing on kitchen change. We have an old kitchen that we inherited from the previous owners. My neighbours tell me it was last changed a while before 2004, so it is over 20 years old now!

Has anyone had any experiences with Howdens, Wren or Wickes? Or perhaps would recommend someone else? I have so far been down to my local Howdens store and the local Wickes store. To be honest, I can't see any significant differences in quality although I remember some of colleagues telling me that Howdens were really amazing.

Do these suppliers significantly differ on price and quality? And is it very expensive to fit a typical kitchen these days? I appreciate it does depend on the size and the type you choose but I would still like to be able to get a sense of it as the last time I myself changed a kitchen was in our previous house and this was a while ago!

If anyone could share their experiences with kitchen installations, it would be much appreciated.

Thank you to all in advance.

Ashley anne kitchens are superb, not cheap but worth every penny. Avoid Wren at all cost

Mine was from Benchmarx which is owned by Travis Perkins. They do the full design service, appliances etc.

It was £1500 cheaper than the near identical version from Howdens (about 20%).

The fitter I’d already found recommended them; he has one of their kitchens in his own house, so that was good enough for me!

The fitter is key. A good fitter can make a cheap kitchen look great. A poor fitter will ruin even the highest priced kitchen. If you look at the reviews of all the kitchen brands, the negative ones tend to be about the contractors' fitting. I would start by finding a decent local kitchen fitter from personal recommendations and ask them which they prefer to fit.

We've gone with a local independent kitchen and bathroom company. I wanted a company who would actually come round and have a proper look and then make recommendations as I am not good at visualising options to make best use of space. Family run business, been going a good while. We're not doing anything particularly high end, although we are having a quartz counter. We're only at the order stage though, fitting starts in a few weeks, so fingers crossed for the important part!

Howdens all the way. It's not that they are perfect but if bit are missing you can pick them up the next day, some companies make you wait weeks for replacement parts

I've got a basic white kitchen from Howdens - 9 years on it's still going strong - but yes - get a decent fitter!

Wren were useless, we pulled out in the end.

Neighbour also used Wren and had a poor experience. Looked like rubbish within 5 years. Terrible quality ime.

Howdens or DIY for me

Howdens. Local carpenter fitted it. Looked fantastic. Wouldn't touch Wren with a barge pole.

Another vote for DIY kitchens.
We saved loads of money Vs wren and Howdens and the quality is very very good

Definitely DIY kitchens - they were great, good quality and came with some tea and biscuits in a box marked 'open this first'!

We ordered online from B&Q and got a local carpenter to fit it.
It looks great and as we didn't replace the units themselves was chest as chips

Another vote for DIY Kitchens! Literally just had one fitted and very happy. I found it had more options in terms of cabinets than some of the other brands, which made it easier in our small awkward space.

It is a bit more stressful doing your own design because it all rests on you but there’s a great Facebook group for support. And ultimately I feel really proud of the kitchen because literally every aspect has been me researching and choosing it. If you do go with them order more end panels than you think you need!

This is a really useful review of the main brands

DIY Kitchens - absolutely brilliant!

originally we were quoted £20,000 for the units by a kitchen showroom..but managed to buy all units for £13,000 from DIY

We had our kitchen done last year and was with Howdens so whilst I can't comment on long term issues no issues so far. Wren were shockingly priced and laughable sales... it can fit a kitchen plate in.... yeah ok 32k for a kitchen or £50 for some new plates if ours don't fit!

We have a gorgeous dark green wood and marble magnet kitchen but the service and organisation was shockingly poor. It turned out great but stressful at the time.

Howdens with one of their recommended fitters.

Wen we bought our kitchen the builder said Howdens were 'OK but don't agree a price because I can get it from them cheaper', Benchmark from Travis Perkins were 'OK but limited' and that Wren were 'dreadful- don't buy from them under any circumstances.'

I went to all of them plus some others.
I hummed and hawwed at Howdens - the bloke put me off by telling me they have a range for landlords which he described as 'cheap rubbish- won't last more than a couple of years. It's intended to be rubbish because they get treated so badly in rented houses they just get replaced.' He then explained the next range up in much the same way and ended up advising me to buy from somewhere which makes better carcasses.
Benchmark were just pretty basic and we wanted something nicer.
I read the reviews of B and Q and Wickes and decided they weren't for me.
Then I went to Magnet and really liked everything about the kitchens and the service. They came out and did a plan, spent hours on a design, bent over backwards to help us make a decision and make sure the plan was what we wanted- they had their own fitters, good systems for if anything went wrong, price matched appliances etc.
Then I went to Wrens. I liked the kitchens but their 'best' prices were staggering for work-surfaces. When I said I could get the same one at Magnet £1800 cheaper she instantly reduced it by £1850. That finished them for me. That and their convoluted system for what happened when something went wrong.
We went with Magnet and they were wonderful. It's 5 years old now and is immaculate. Nothing was too much bother for them. Everything happened really smoothly.
A friend ignored what I said about Wren 2 years later and went with them because they talked her into a cheap loan deal including appliances. She paid way over the top, it is badly fitted, the dishwasher has broken twice and can't be repaired, the splash-back was badly fitted and has cracked and the fitter fitted a cupboard around her new boiler and it turns out damaged the boiler in doing so. She now needs another new boiler and a new cupboard and they don't do the range any more. The kitchen looks in a poor state considering it's 3 years old.

Diy Kitchens. Great product, lots of bespoke options and excellent customer service. Oh, and transparent pricing! None of this Howdens nonsense of the price depending on who's asking.

Had ours from Magnet. Fitted 5 years ago and apart from having to replace the hob it's as good as new.

Just having a new kitchen now....

Avoid Wren like the plague.

Not knowing a price really put us off Howdens and when talking to our kitchen fitter he didn't rate them at all.

We went to an independent company and they were expensive! So went with DIY kitchens - our builders cannot believe how good quality it is.

DIY kitchens all the way - superior quality and really hassle free if you soend time getting the measurements right. Plus they are easier to clean than other units for some reason. Also like the box of Yorkshire tea and flapjacks that came with it!

Very happy with my Wren kitchen.

DIY all the way! Our builder was pushing for Howdens but was very impressed with the quality and finish. DH did the design but they do cast eyes over for mistakes and pointed out that he hadn’t allowed the right space for a corner carousel.
it arrived dead on time in perfect condition, no missing parts. Installation was simple as it’s all fully assembled. DH managed with a bit of help from
the carpenter who was doing our wardrobes etc.
We sourced quartz worktops locally, bought gorgeous taps and sink online and got some good bargains in white goods which were built in. I absolutely love it.

Try online kitchens based in Yorkshire. Quality is excellent, price is unbeatable. The units come ready built install them yourself or get a kitchen fitter. I did this and saved thousands