How do you get a kitchen fitted?

[happinessiseggshaped]

I need a new kitchen, with electrical work and plastering as it hasn't been touched since the early 80s. But its proving really hard work.

Benchmark couldn't even manage to book me an appointment to measure up.
Wren were fine except they wouldn't give me a full quote and they cant anyway as their fitters would have to charge extra for the extra work and I would have to commit to them before I knew the full price. And they didn't warn me I was going to get a parking fine in their 'free' parking. They seemed far more interested in selling me finance than selling me a kitchen. Even though I said we didn't need finance.
No reply from Howdens despite asking them to send a price to the fitter a few weeks ago.

Are these companies really so busy they aren't interested? Or am I just spending so little ('only' £20k or so) that it isn't worth their time. So after spending all my spare time for months I still have no clue even if the budget is realistic because I still haven't got a full quote from anyone.

I thought it would be nice to choose a new kitchen, and its actually going to be an entirely crappy experience. If the kitchen didn't actually have holes in the walls and tonnes of exposed pipes etc I would have given up already.

Avoid Wren at all costs. Look for a local independent firm they will charge you a fraction of what the big ones do and do a better job.

Find a local joiner who installs kitchens. He will have contacts with Howden’s, magnet etc

We used Magnet four or five years ago. Very few issues that I can recall, except that the fitter was a bit cavalier with what he threw into (and which I regularly retrieved from) the skip, most notably a pristine cupboard door, still in its original wrapping, that had been overordered! We got a refund of £100 for that.

Local joiner as stoorie said - ne who fits kitchens. He will also have plumbers/electricians/plasterers he works with, as well as trade accounts. Don't go to Wren.

We had Magnet for the kitchen and design and they were great, really straight from the start, excellent appliance matching, good prices, good service. Wren were awful. Local builder used for fitting.

I have a local joiner who I will get to do a the work probably eventually, he still does need an actual kitchen to fit though, I cant afford for him to make one up from scratch! He recommended Wren and Howdens. However I genuinely don't know how much he will charge as I cant get a quote on how much the kitchen units, worktops etc will be.

I guess I just don't understand why I have to pretty much beg these companies for a quote, why they make it such hard work. I'm not actually that fussy about the kitchen as the current one is in such a state that anything would be an improvement.

Go to b & q pretend you want them do design, fit and whole shebang, they will come measure up design etc when you get quote tell them it’s way too expensive and you will just be buying the stuff from them and your joiner will fit, get your joiner to give you his traders number when you order, you will get discount with it.

Try DIY kitchens

www.theguardian.com/money/2016/jul/16/howdens-kitchen-varying-quotations-customers-confused

Careful with howdons.

I think im considering Ikea as i have ball park cost from online and speaking to them in store.

Challenge is finding independent fitter that likes ikea kitchens.

We will be putting in our third magnet kitchen after Christmas.
Though my husband and brother in law put them in as he's a joiner.
Top quality units.

If your joiner fits howdens then ring your local branch and get them to come out and measure up

They can do a provisional plan, October is the best month for offers from howdens and benchmarx

Avoid wren and howdens. You want ikea John Lewis or magnet according to Which.

Op I'm spending MUCH less than this (c.£7k) and have had a great experience with all of the above.

I share your frustration. It’s far from the lovely experience many seem to have isn’t it!

I have had a differently frustrating experience to you. I didn’t have a problem getting quotes, but I measured the kitchen myself and went in armed with those. I figured they or the fitter could do a final measurement themselves when I’d chosen which one I was buying.

I wouldn’t touch Wren with a barge pole. Nice showrooms, nice staff...bad delivery record (damaged/missing items) and appalling after sales customer ‘support’. Just don’t go there.

DIY kitchens quality is better than Howdens, Benchmark or B&Q. Their show room is great (worth the trip).

IKEA - their cabinets don’t have a service void, (space behind the back panel, they sit flush to the wall so you have to run the pipes through the cupboards, a lot more work to install on service walls. Fine on non and more space inside). People seem to make lovely kitchen from IKEA stuff, but I’m not inspired in store.

Masterclass kitchens don’t seem too bad.

Then there are places like Second Nature & Quantum.

Have a look at places like Panelven.

IMO there are far better options than the sheds & Howdens/Benchmark for a similar price. However, out of that group I think Benchmark was the best. Magnet is about 50/60% of the showroom cost if your fitter has a trade account.

It’s very difficult to get good trades people around here, so fitting it is difficult to get quotes for. I’ve decided to delay an installation until the new year now, so have a little breathing soace. I just have to hope the kitchen doesn’t collapse before then 😂

Good luck!

Try Ikea

Your best bet is Dream Doors. They can just put on new doors and worktops or do a kitchen from scratch. Our kitchen was about thirty years old and grim so we got shaker style doors put on and a wooden worktop and new sink from them.

My joiner done everything for me with Magent. He has a trade account I just had to go and pick the kitchen, he measured up passed them to magnet and I picked the layout that I liked.

I got my beautiful fitted solid wood kitchen for 4k. I went with a local kitchen company. They came to my house, drew up a quick plan on a laptop, I made some changes to it, then I picked my cooker, sink, door handles etc.

6 weeks later they took my old kitchen out and fitted the new one in a week. They charged me £3,400 for the kitchen and £600 for labour. I then paid the same kitchen fitter to tile it for me. I love my kitchen. It was hard living without a kitchen for a week, but soon forgotten about.

We’ve just had one from wickes put in. They do sign you up then the fitter does a survey, gives you the additional costs and only then do you have a final total price, but you can back out right up til then.

Why avoid Howdens?
Their kitchens are fab.

If you’re worrying about the pricing structure you just need to bat them down. They are a business after all.

They also come up quite high on the Which best kitchens

IKEA and a joiner