House Reno 2 - sourcing own appliances

[Eminado]

Our Howden's quote has come in higher than we'd like.

Anyone have a Howden's kitchen? Do you think it is better / worse than B&Q or Wickes (both significantly lower in price per quotes).

To reduce the Howden's quote I could try to source my own appliances - any suggestions where to look?

Have you looked at DIY kitchens? I used them for my utility room cupboards and though they were excellent. Loads of good reviews about them on here.

We are either going for a Howden or DIY kitchens. Definitely sourcing own appliances. Our builder doesn't really rate Howden' s appliances and there isn't much choice. I will probably get from appliances online or similar

We're just buying our own appliances online. There are loads of websites selling appliances. We once ordered a fridge from AO at about 10pm and it arrived at 9.30 the next morning.

AO is the best place for appliances. They have loads of choice and also you get a good spec of the appliances, (dimensions etc) so that you can ensure that everything is going to fit OK :-)

I narrowed down what we wanted to specific brands and models and then shopped around. AO give very good customer service, but they aren't always the cheapest - look closely at their price match Ts and Cs. I got a really good deal on a dishwasher from Co-op Electricals and saved £400 on a range cooker from a small independent retailer who I believe buy cancelled order stock from the likes of AO and other companies. We got a really good price on a cooker hood from Mark's Electricals.

If you pay by credit card you are protected and distance selling rules cover online purchases.

Oh and I bought a Franke sink from an eBay shop and that was quite a saving too.

I think the biggest problems are deciding exactly what to get and being able to see them in person if that is important to you.

AO.com and Appliances Direct are very good

We have lived with the Howden's kitchen in our flat for over a year now. It was apparently about three years old when we moved in. The oven was already broken. The hob still works but is poorly designed - for example the flames have melted one of the knobs, as they are really too close to the burners. The kitchen was done on the cheap (not that there's anything wrong with that!), so these were probably the lowest end appliances available. I'd still look elsewhere. The units themselves seem utterly unremarkable. We will try to reuse them in our new utility room in our upcoming renovations, so they're not offensive, or anything like that. They can't be miles better than B&Q or Wickes, though. We bought our replacement oven from Currys as they had a sale on. It arrived and was installed within days, easy peasy.

Thank you so much for all these replies - i was feeling very overwhelmed and can now start looking at things with some level of focus.

Definitely don't go with Howden's appliances! They get bad reviews, and having recently moved into a house where it's like a Howdens show kitchen, I've already replaced the oven, hob and dishwasher. The fridge freezer has the smallest freezer compartments I've ever see (62 litres??), so this will be the next to be replaced!

Bought two new appliances from Currys and one from AO. Both quick delivery and installed no probs. AO also price match.

Re the kitchen itself, apart from the interior of cupboards being brown wood effect, I can't see much difference from the B&Q one I had at the old house!

Hope this helps

"Definitely don't go with Howden's appliances!"

Concur.

We have an IKEA + AO combo and it's been great.