Diy kitchens or Howdens

[littlebopeep1991]

Morning all,

My partner and I are purchasing our first home and the kitchen desperately needs replacing. Our aim is not cheap cheap but certainly want something good value and that is easy to fit ourselves. We have had quotes from Howdens, benchmark and diy kitchens.

Diy kitchens have come in far better price. I have used Howdens pre made carcasses a few years ago and found them fairly easy to fit.

Does anyone have any experience of DIY kitchens or have any thoughts about how who is the b let value supplier?

[littlebopeep1991]

Bump

[Randomuser9876]

We git a DIY kitchen last year.

Was slightly cheaper and lots more stylish than Howdens.

It's been great though our builders fitted it so no comment there but they did it in a day or two and no complaints!

The quartz worktop was fitted by DIY kitchen.people once the units were in place.

We found the online planner easy to use and everything fitted as it should.

[Sanch1]

We have DIY and no issues. We didnt fit it but out builder said it was the easiest kitchen he's ever fitted.

[angstridden2]

We have a Diy kitchen, it’s lovely.

[PrinnyPree]

I got a DIY Kitchen 8 years ago (I used the old paper planner before they created the online autocad one) still looks great and my joiner rated the quality. I'll be getting another when I move if the kitchen needs rediddling.

[Lcb123]

We had a Howdens kitchen and it’s been great. But we were able to get it at trade price via my FIL. If you use a builder they’ll usually charge you a profit on top of the cost

[Pootles34]

DIY kitchens are excellent - we love ours, our fitter said it's one of the few suppliers he's willing to use. Do clear a space before it arrives though - they come pre-assembled, so take up an enormous amount of room!

[WhoHidTheCoffee]

We got a DIY Kitchens kitchen last year. Cabinets were about half the price of Howdens for us. We like it!

[Winterisalmostover]

Having used both, Howden's are way better. You get the cupboards already built and they are much sturdier. DIY took hours to assemble and were much slower at replacing parts, also seemed very flimsy IMHO.

[mrshenny]

@Winterisalmostover

Having used both, Howden's are way better. You get the cupboards already built and they are much sturdier. DIY took hours to assemble and were much slower at replacing parts, also seemed very flimsy IMHO.

DIY Kitchens come pre-assembled though? Did you mix them up?

We have DIY Kitchens and it's brilliant and comes assembled and cheaper! The online planner is great too!

[NotMeNoNo]

I'm not sure about @Winterisalmostover 's experience - are you getting confused with B&Q (www.diy.com).
www.diy-kitchens.com are very high quality units, better made and finished than Howdens. They also have a very good choice of different units and accessories.
We have had both, I have seen them both close up and there is a clear difference in quality. Howdens are an OK kitchen if fitted properly but why pay more for something that's not going to wear as well?

In comparison Howdens units have weedy little legs and clips, no ABS trim to the front edges, thin backs, full extension drawers are an extra, we also have sagging doors and peeling handles after 6 years.

Also look carefully at the door specifications. The kitchen we inherited with this house is Howdens Greenwich, a matt slab door. I got a sample DIY kitchens Carrera door in the same colour as we were thinking of adding some units. Unfortunately the existing thin melamine faced chipboard door with stuck-on edge strips looked so cheap next to a 19mm matt laquered MDF with a lovely smooth seamless paint finish, it was a non starter.

[Isseywith3witchycats]

DIY buyer again well happy with my kitchen two years on it looks like it did the day it went in, easy to fit my joiner has fitted howdens and even he said better quality than theirs,

mines vinyl wrapped and the wrap goes all the way round, choice of colour for inside of cupboards instead of just plain white,

we got our worktops from there duropal laminate and the quality is brilliant the laminate is about 1/4 of an inch thick wrapped round to the underneath of the worktop so no peeling edge where it was glued,

The only flimsy piece was the sink unit its an innova one and the drainer is a bit crap but still fine

[littlebopeep1991]

That's great to hear, I think the doors are both MDF but the Howdens ones are 19mm and DIY kitchens are 22mm.

Certainly does seem a lot better value!

[Winterisalmostover]

Ah. I didn't know that DIY and DIY aka B&Q are different. How confusing!

[mrsbyers]

DIY kitchens much better , husband works for a joinery company and just had a DIY one fitted at my mums house for her , the fitter couldn’t believe the quality and it was significantly cheaper than Howdens

[PicpoulDeMeNay]

My kitchen fitter recommended benchmarx (owned by travis Perkins) over howdens and said they are great quality and he’d fitted one in his own house. Near identical kitchen was nearly 20% cheaper than howdens and I’m really pleased with it

[WonkyPicture]

Mine is DIY Kitchens, planned it all myself and had a professionally fitted. Looks fabulous.

The showroom in Pontefract is fabulous.

[mrshenny]

@WonkyPicture

Mine is DIY Kitchens, planned it all myself and had a professionally fitted. Looks fabulous.

The showroom in Pontefract is fabulous.

The showroom is definitely worth a visit if you are close OP! Great to see everything in person. I wouldn't hesitate to order another kitchen from there for sure!

[friskybivalves]

DIY Kitchens every time. When I went to the Pontefract showroom, I told them in advance and they sent a man in a Merc to pick me up from the station. With mini bottles of water in the back and everything!

[littlebopeep1991]

@friskybivalves

DIY Kitchens every time. When I went to the Pontefract showroom, I told them in advance and they sent a man in a Merc to pick me up from the station. With mini bottles of water in the back and everything!

Wow that's nice Treatment!

[friskybivalves]

@littlebopeep1991

Wow that's nice Treatment!

They were just lovely. At the showroom they have loads of croissants etc and coffee. Try not to go at the weekend when obvs it's busier. You're meant to do your whole plan yourself but I looked a bit pathetic (and had at least made a start) and a man there said, 'You've got a bad clash there with your fridge door whacking into your island, here, let me sort it' - and he whizzed through the whole thing while I basically scarfed my way through pains au Chocolat and said things like, 'Could I have a pan drawer there?' and 'Any room to squeeze in a cheeky wine rack?'

What I should also say is that when the kitchen units arrived, our fitter thought they were ace and they are still ace five years later. And so so so much cheaper than the thinner versions available at benchmarx, wren, Howdens etc. Actually at the showroom they have all the competitors' doors there for you to compare. And there is no comparison in terms of quality of finish and thickness.

[friskybivalves]

@friskybivalves

They were just lovely. At the showroom they have loads of croissants etc and coffee. Try not to go at the weekend when obvs it's busier. You're meant to do your whole plan yourself but I looked a bit pathetic (and had at least made a start) and a man there said, 'You've got a bad clash there with your fridge door whacking into your island, here, let me sort it' - and he whizzed through the whole thing while I basically scarfed my way through pains au Chocolat and said things like, 'Could I have a pan drawer there?' and 'Any room to squeeze in a cheeky wine rack?'

What I should also say is that when the kitchen units arrived, our fitter thought they were ace and they are still ace five years later. And so so so much cheaper than the thinner versions available at benchmarx, wren, Howdens etc. Actually at the showroom they have all the competitors' doors there for you to compare. And there is no comparison in terms of quality of finish and thickness.

And when he had finished, they drove me back to the station to catch the train home again!

[Allthegoodnamesarechosen]

@friskybivalves

And when he had finished, they drove me back to the station to catch the train home again!

Are you beautiful? Or just very charming?

[bjkmummy]

We made a weekend of it with diy kitchens and stayed overnight in a hotel so looked on the Saturday talked about our idea Saturday night and went back on Sunday to double check and fir a second round of the goodies on offer like coffee etc.

Our kitchen now 4 years old and is as good as the day we bought it. We've just sold this house and plan next year to go back to order a new kitchen for the new house so we are going to stay over again 😁

[Hazelnuttella]

We had DIY kitchens, very happy with it. Didn’t fit it ourselves though - got a kitchen fitter.

Howdens really annoyed me that they just make the prices up dependent on how much they think you’ll be willing to part with, not what it actually costs.