Benckmarx Kitchens- Urgent!

[Amelle]

So we want to order our Benchmarx kitchen today: we will go for the Holborn kitchen (see link below)

Please can you let me know any experiences, hints/tips of dealing with Benchmarx/ what you wished you'd done etc? We need to get our kitchen, all in with appliances, for around £7k so won't be all singing and dancing. Probably pearl glass white work top for now until we can change it. So any feedback on what you paid and what you got for your money would be gratefully also received (plus whether you think us hoping for this kind of price is totally unrealistic!)

It is a smallish to medium sized kitchen

www.benchmarxkitchens.co.uk/Kitchens/Kitchen-Ranges/Holborn/Gloss-Grey

Thanks in advance

We have recently finished installing our Benchmarx kitchen. The big problem that we had was that they kept saying they only needed 48 hours' notice to order the kitchen in full. We gave them 6 days' notice and took the afternoon off work to receive the delivery. It was only when they didn't turn up when they said they would that I rang them to find out where they were and they said 'errr yeah a lot of your order hasn't turned up'. This was a Friday and the kitchen fitter was due to work two full days over the weekend to get as much done as possible as he was so busy. So we lost that time but they gave us a small payment as compensation.

We also had a big problem with oak worktops not matching up - so much so that we had the rip out Benchmarx's worktops and order them from elsewhere. But I don't want to scare you! That was only because we had a huge run of worktop that was 3.5m long. The worktops themselves were lovely - they just didn't match up on a join.

We are very pleased with it but I think a lot of it does come down to having a good fitter. We got the Turin Matt Cashmere units. Think we paid about £6500 just for the units but we have got a long galley kitchen - 4m each side plus a breakfast bar. Early days yet but we've not had any problems - touch wood.

We had the Holborn white kitchen fitted in the summer. We have a medium/large size kitchen with a small island. The units came to about £8k.
I have the grey units in my utility room.

That was without appliances and work tops. I have a mid grey quartz surface in the kitchen and utility.

I'm really pleased with it, it looks very smart. My only complaint is that there aren't many options for the cupboard insides. I have the thin pull out cupboards either side of my hob, I wanted more baskets, not possible. The same was true of the tall larder cupboard.

you can buy extra racks, baskets, pull-out larders, magic corners and internal drawers from parts suppliers. Blum are very good. They are made to fit all common sizes but some can be cut down to fit (some skill required)

Look on Ironmongerydirect and on fleabay. Search "Blum internal drawers." Hafele may be a bit cheaper and perhaps less stylish. They both make a vast range of fittings that are used by kitchen companies, which add a few hundred per cent onto the price.

We are upgrading our kitchen at the moment and the MN advice has been to buy your appliances separately (e.g. currys /ao.com) rather than from Benchmarx.
We went with a Wickes kitchen - who have the same parent company (Travis Perkins?) as Benchmarx. Check your quote as ours included a cutlery drawer for £120 (yup!) and two worktop supports for either side of the washing machine in our utility room for something like £200 each which I can get in B&Q for £30. They might not be a PERFECT colour match but damn close enough for me!!

Just to add, I've just had a look at your link and I loved the idea of an integrated handle kitchen until I tried opening the doors / drawers in the showroom.
I thought I'd catch my fingernails, but I actually caught the top / knuckles on my fingers, and I wouldn't like to do that everyday.
If they have an integrated appliance in the showroom, make sure you have a good go of opening it.

Thanks so much all