How much should I budget ? Howdens v Ikea?

[9millioncansofbeans]

Hi all

I want to replace my small (3x2) kitchen. Mainly the same layout but some new sockets, down lights, new tiling and prob howdens kitchen with laminate worktop. Will need dishwasher and oven but I have fridge freezer.

Also want to replace bathroom, not moving anything just replacing the 3 piece suite and re tiling.

I’m in a one bed flat and trying to update ready to thr eventual move.

What should I budget?

Would I save a lot going for Ikea over howdens?

[Fudgewhizz]

We got ours from B&Q's basic range a few years ago - £4K for the units and appliances (Bosch), we put the units together ourselves then paid the builder tv e daily rate to install it which cost about £500. Our kitchen is a bit bigger than yours. Bathroom was under £3k for old one to be ripped out, whole room replastered, extractor installed, bath / electric shower over / toilet and sink unit / cupboard made to measure. That was using a local company who did a fab job.

[Sooverthemill]

@Smallgoon yes that's why I was loathe to go with howdens. The fitter ( who I trust) couldn't give me an itemised breakdown of the quote because they wouldn't give one until I agreed to pay a deposit. They have a strange business model. I will get my new internal door there but nothing else.

[Smallgoon]

Howdens dicked me about so much, quoting ridiculous prices, saying they couldn't budge on them, etc etc. But then price-matched DIY, though didn't want to match the entire quote i.e. with DIY I'd opted for frosted glass drawer sides for my pan drawers, and Howdens added some plastic looking ones into their quote but were charging the same price! Nightmare. The customer service was poor too. My mind was set, I just had a much better experience with DIY so knew I would buy through them.

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

I understand the whole buy through a trader set up with Howdens but if I’m trying to work out to save money whether to choose a cheaper tap or work top it’s a nightmare

[IAintentDead]

Another vote for DIY kitchens. They come ready made and have solid backs whereas most (at around the same price and more) have hardboard backs. Their unit sizes come in 50mm increments so you can have it very close to a bespoke fit.

This is their free planner and one of their team will check it over for you before you order.
Watch out for them adding end panels - a lot of the units don't need them as the carcases are coloured the same (or similar) to the doors.

Think about getting drawers/pullouts rather than cupboards as they are far more useable but add a bit to the price.

This is mine units and laminate worktops but no appliances came to 3.5k. The tall units are pullouts and the base units are mostly drawers with pull out bin/recycling

planner.diy-kitchens.com/

Howdens wants your fitter to buy it - will give him prices and then he can add what he likes.

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

I’m getting a quote from Diy kitchens this week- I’m feeling very uneasy how Howdens don’t have a price list anywhere. It’s a logistical maze questioning and recosting every design decision and purchase

[Sooverthemill]

Our units are
2 x 1000 pan units
1 x 1 drawer 2 door unit
Belfast unit
Pull out double bin
2 x 1000 wall units,
1 x. 3 drawer unit
1000 pantry larder with spice racks and drawers
2 x tray spaces for chopping boards and pull out towel
1 x oak cutlery insert
1 x oak drawer divider for pan drawer
We have planned planned planned and shopped around and asked so many questions of so many kitchen people!

You can get a Neptune kitchen by buying outlet units that are surplus to customer orders and then paint to match. We though about it but we cannot paint and want it to be professional nd estimates for that were £1200+ for kitchen units

[Sooverthemill]

@truzza Wickes are the same as travis Perkins according to our fitter, not howdens.

@9millioncansofbeans the wickes kitchen was half price because of 'special offer' it was heritage bone framed kitchen
The Neptune was the Suffolk and that was cabinets only, no worktops or taps or appliances but including end panels. If we had gone to have their fitter and appliances ( d/w and extractor) and taps, sink, oak worktops it would have been £21.5. Electrics and plumbing and new door on top. was really tempted tbh but it is above budget but including limestone flooring, wall tiles , appliances , new door, decorating, electrics and plumbing, new blind, sink and taps we are currently coming in at £23 which is still eye wateringly expensive for us. But this is our last ever kitchen god willing

[Truzza]

Wikes designed kitchens ie, not off the shelf are identical to Howdens kitchens

Ours cost 1.5k and it's a big kitchen
They were doing 50% off
Obvs labour cost more

So keep an eye out for the deals

[TiddleTaddleTat]

Is howdens considered to be better than Ikea? From what I've heard Ikea is meant to be really good for the price, it's just the installation that is a drag.
Our kitchen needs a lot of making good etc , will need builders in anyway so need to find a supplier that they are willing to install

[9millioncansofbeans]

@Sooverthemill sorry and also if the wickes kitchen was one from the “showroom” range or was it a the cheaper range?

[9millioncansofbeans]

@Sooverthemill please can I ask how big your kitchen is? And which Neptune kitchen you had the quote for?

[winterisstillcoming]

Realistically you need to get quotes. If you intend to move, go for the ikea kitchen in a fashionable but neutral colour. No point paying Howdens if you're not going to use it for 10 years plus.

[9millioncansofbeans]

@onlyfoolsandmothers you can order samples from diy kitchens which you then return for a refund. When doing a previous kitchen I ordered many sample doors and a sample cabinet and did get all my money back when returned them

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

Thanks I’m down in London so that won’t work annoyingly. I have a design/ measurements from Ikea I’ve been working on this far. Will check out diy still.

Eugh kitchens are an expensive mine field

[Flamingolingo]

DIY have a showroom in Yorkshire somewhere, we didn’t go as it was too far. But if you look at their website there is a good page about how their cabinets are built and which door/hinge/etc manufacturers they use. It’s basically industry standard stuff.

I’m sorry PP have had trouble dealing with the staff, I was quite impressed by how much input I had from the staff for a supposedly self service company. I didn’t have any design support (which is expected and we used a designer), but I had a lot of technical support both before and after. The ticket system is a bit slow, but mostly same/next day response. It’s a bit like the interface we use for work so I found it ok.

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

And is there a quality difference between just Ikea and Howdens?

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

Do diy kitchens have a base/ shop to go view and touch the product?

[Skyliner001]

Watching with interest.

[CherryMaple]

I have DIY Kitchens in my kitchen and Ikea in a small utility room. The DIY Kitchens units are good, but the customer service was absolutely dreadful. I had to submit ‘tickets’ online, and they just didn’t answer them properly. A nightmare getting some incorrect units replaced. When I phoned up, they insisted they wouldn’t speak to me and I had to create another ‘ticket’. Ended up with lots of different ‘tickets’ being badly dealt with by random people. Poor.

[Flamingolingo]

Definitely look at DIY, Howdens were 15-30% more for an identical layout for us (and I had direct quotes using my BIL’s account, the variation was between different branches). In addition, thanks to an error on my part, we have one Howdens base unit, and it’s not as good quality as the DIY units.

[BrokenLink]

I have just had a new kitchen and this is what I learned. Wren (supply only) and Howdens are a similar price but in my opinion Howdens appears lower quality. Trades people try to get you to buy from Howdens because they earn commission (in the form of discounts). Appliances (even built in) are standard sizes so shop around for good deals.

[ShellieEllie]

If you only want to replace the kitchen for it to sell and to do it cheaply then why not consider Travis Perkins. The kitchens are exactly the same ones as the off the shelf ones at Wickes and you don't need to be trade to buy there. Wickes also have a very good offer on their ready to fit Orlando Cream one at the moment too. Might be worth looking considering.

[Smallgoon]

Howdens initially quoted me circa £8k for units only which I felt was too high for a kitchen my size. Managed to get them to take out a lot of the crap that they added to the order, and swap out some of the more expensive units. This brought the cost down to £5k.

I then discovered DIY Kitchens during lockdown and spent a few weeks playing around with their planner - which I love! Decided to go with them in the end. All units have come in at £4k and the units are more superior (solid timber) in comparison to Howdens' offering. It arrives next week, am super excited!

[petrocellihouse]

Howdens kitchens are fairly good value for straight forward cupboards and fittings etc. I’d advise against buying any of their appliances though as they get universally panned.