Howdens Kitchen?

[pinkgin85]

If you already had a trusted excellent builder lined up, would you proceed with a howdens kitchen? We would be sourcing our own countertops, appliances, and hardware too.

Does that sound okay?

I would. I had my own fitter lined up. Went with Wren because I didn't like Howdens lack of clarity on prices.

My Howdens kitchen is shit but I suspect most of it is down to poor fitting and finishing. The quality of the units themselves seem about what you would expect.

If I had a trusted fitter who was transparent about the discount they were getting and what you were paying then I expect they're as good as any of the mainstream companies.

Our Howdens kitchen is great, we’re really pleased with it. Our fitter was fantastic and sorted any issues out directly with Howdens eg a missing panel etc.

We got Howdens to price match with DIY kitchens so very pleased with the price we paid too

I got a Howden’s kitchen via my builder, who charged me exactly what it cost him, plus fitting obviously. It’s been great - particularly love the big soft-close drawers! It was half the price of an almost identical kitchen from Homebase.

I love my Howden’s kitchen!

I had a Howdens kitchen installed. If I did it again I would source my own handles & stay clear of anything Lamona. I got a free Lamona sink but it's awful. The handles I bought from them are copper & needed replacing after a year

I have a Howdens kitchen. Would highly recommend it. The only item I sourced elsewhere was the quartz for my island. My kitchen has been in for 16 months now and still looks as good as new.

I would avoid Wren. I did a lot of research before I purchased and I would've happily gone with either Howdens or Magnet. Howdens pipped it on price.

Yep. We had a different kitchen company in mind - diy kitchen- but our builder preferred howdens as he could go get parts or swap things easily. Our builder negotiated the discount and passed on to us. We paid howdens directly. All very straightforward and we're happy with the kitchen and the fitting

I bought one and they suggested the fitter. Both were great. No complaints at all.

I love my Howdens kitchen, recently fitted. I think my favourite part are the deep pan drawers. The only thing I'd change is I d have two bins put in as I've only got a recycling bin and still got to have a separate waste bin, although I'm not entirely sure another one would fit.

I have ceiling height cupboards which look great but have to use a footstool to reach the tops obviously but like the extra storage.

We had an excellent fitter. He wanted us to do Howdens but the limited cupboard widths meant we preferred DIY kitchens as much more choice. We also hated the opaque selling technique of Howdens and their plan was rubbish we preferred doing our own plan on DIY. The fitter who used Howdens for his own kitchen was really impressed by the quality of DIY kitchens. We did have to wait for the replacement of two side panels that were damaged, there are often delays in getting supplies at Howdens and all kitchen supply outlets at the moment

How did price compare @YoungA98 - the company you are linked to seems to be bespoke and that usually adds to the cost compared to places like Howdens?

Perfectly happy with our howdens kitchen. Desig was good, they took back stuff when design changed mid fit. Kitchen fitter bought it and showed us invoice. We took the neff appliances and got our own worktop.

Only thing I'd gave done differently is looked on line for fridge and freezer just as mire choice than they had.

@user1471511336

How did price compare *@YoungA98* - the company you are linked to seems to be bespoke and that usually adds to the cost compared to places like Howdens?

They were slightly more expensive but you definitely get much better quality with them and a lifetime guarantee, so for the bit more that you pay, I would personally say it's worth it for a forever kitchen! Especially since you can repaint them and change the handles if you fancy in future!

If I remember correctly, they prepare you an estimated quote to start with, so if that ends up being over budget, you don't have to waste your time waiting for their designs etc, which is good! But yeah like I said, i cant fault them xx

I am interested in experiences of haggling with Howdens - we are waiting for a quote from them. Had a frankly extortionate one from Magnet who don't seem inclined to lower the price in response to us saying this

I'm very pleased with my new Howden's kitchen. It is solid and looks lovely and has lovely oak cutlery trays!
I had a very good fitter though.

Oh and I negotiated a discount myself as well as getting several of the (Neff) appliances almost free.

@FuzzyPuffling

Oh and I negotiated a discount myself as well as getting several of the (Neff) appliances almost free.

Oooh how did you negotiate the Neff stuff? @FuzzyPuffling We're also leaning towards Neff!

My builder bought me back a price that was £££, i told them that it was too high, that I was happy to go somewhere cheaper as I also wanted new internal doors, boiler and radiators. We went back to Howdens to look at having shorter wall cupboards, I ended up with the tall cupboards and added a bin cupboard and integrated washing machine and got all of the work done for the original price within budgets. I suspect Howdens and my builder did some jiggery pokery with the price and I got more for my money than I was going to originally.

JolieJ, no tricks, I just spoke to Howdens and they said " you can have the fridge freezer for £5 and the oven for £9.90". Yes please.

And then I asked for a lump off the total bill, as my builder said they usually had a sale in a month or so.time, and I didn't want to find cheaper prices in a few weeks.

Also got free delivery by agreeing to a date a few weeks sooner than needed, but we stored it all in our garage. Turned out to be a.good thing as there were no delivery delays.

I have just had one fitted this past year. I was considering it and visited a friend and I loved her kitchen and she told me it was there when she bought it (so over four years ago) and it was Howdens. Handleless. I did buy the appliances through them but they are Bosch and I did compare prices of what they supplied.
I liked that it was all in stock, you could nip down the road if needed extra this or that, or return bits you didn't use. I got my quartz countertops elsewhere.
But any kitchen is only as good as your fitter!

I believe Howdens have their annual sale in October, which can save ££. When we designed and purchased ours in October 2020 my built in microwave was thrown in for £10. But I bought all my appliances from John Lewis as I like their warranties.