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Original poster

New Kitchen - where from if not IKEA? Urgent advice needed!

43 replies

lowrib · 09/11/2008 11:03

My baby is due in a few weeks, my kitchen is rubbish to the point of being unusable and it turns out the one I was going to order isn't suitable. Help!

I have spent lots of time choosing a lovely new IKEA kitchen, and I was just about to order the one I really like ... then a friend pointed out to me that (unlike almost everywhere else) IKEA kitchen units don't have a recess for pipes at the back. There are lots of pipes where the units are going to go, so it seems IKEA is out unfortunately.

Where else can I get a kitchen as cheap as IKEA that actually looks nice & is decent quality? My impression of MFI & B&Q is that they aren't great quality and don't have a great range - is that right or am I out of date? Where else does good kitchens?

It has to be very reasonably priced, and also "supply only" - I can't afford to pay for fitting (have a carpenter friend who will do it for "mates rates"). Does anyone know of any sales right now?

And, it has to be somewhere where I can literally order the kitchen and walk out of the shop with it - or they are very reliable at delivering a.s.a.p.

I know it's madness to do a kitchen so close to my due date (Christmas day) but it simply has to be done! My carpenter friend assures me he can get it all done in a weekend - I just have to order it.

Help! IKEA why oh why don't you allow for pipes? I did so want that one!!

OP posts:
HeadFairy · 09/11/2008 11:12

My MFI kitchen is pretty good quality, but they did mess me around a lot, it was like pulling teeth getting it fitted... have you thought of Wickes or Howdens?

nannyL · 09/11/2008 11:20

im sure a good carpenter could adjust the cupboards slightly to allow for the pipes

HeadFairy · 09/11/2008 11:24

come to think of it nannyl is right, I have had an ikea kitchen before in another house and the carpenter cut out at the back access for the pipes... but it's a bit of a pain and if your carpenter can be a bit slapdash it can look messy...

BTW I had a new bathroom (our only one!) finished four days before I had ds... you're not mad, you're nesting

nailpolish · 09/11/2008 11:24

i urge you not to go to MFI
id stick with ikea - speak to a joiner - if he is any good he will be able to adjust the cupboards for the pipes

nannyL · 09/11/2008 11:27

my friend was having her bathroom finished while she was in labour and finishig touches done while she was actually giving birth at hopital... she came with baby to a new bathroom lol

ib · 09/11/2008 11:30

What do you mean a recess for pipes? Is this floor units? I don't see why it would be a problem, has your carpenter friend said it will be?

themoon666 · 09/11/2008 11:32

Magnet have a sale on I believe. My friend has just finished her Magnet kitchen. Her DH did all the work himself and it looks fab.

Helennn · 09/11/2008 11:34

I have just been looking at a DIY kitchen web-site that looks really good. I haven't used them before but you can either buy just the doors, pelmets, plinths etc. or the cabinets as well. If your cabinets are OK why don't you just change the outside bits.

As I say, I haven't used them, but worth a look:- www.diy-kitchens.com

MavisGrind · 09/11/2008 11:34

B&Q do nice kitchens and you can usually pick the stuff up in store.

Original poster
lowrib · 09/11/2008 11:49

HeadFairy Thanks, there's a Wickes up the road - I've never heard of Howdens, I'll google them.

Does anyone have any experience of Wickes / Howdens?

nannyL Thanks, you're right ... but the thing it's not a straightforward commercial transaction - my carpenter friend is giving up his weekend to do this for me, and I am really only paying him a token amount, so I don't want to add to the workload unnecessarily as it feels like I'd be taking advantage. Even if he did do it, I'd need to pay him extra for his time, and money is pretty tight ATM so I really need to economise where I can.

OP posts:
Original poster
lowrib · 09/11/2008 11:54

HeadFairy "you're not mad, you're nesting"

OP posts:
Original poster
lowrib · 09/11/2008 12:08

Thanks for the advice everyone, I really appreciate it.

nannyL I can just see that happening here! Really hope not though!

ib what I mean is that the backs of the floor units go right up to the wall, but as there are pipes on the wall, this is a problem. Apparently it's more usual for there to be a gap at the back to allow for this. It was a different friend who pointed this out, but carpenter friend went to IKEA to have a look and confirmed it.

nailpolish thanks for the MFI warning. I have a bad feeling about them already, you;ve confirmed this. People keep saying "they've changed, they're alright now" (Sounds like something I used to say about exP, many years ago. I was wrong!) I think I'll avoid them.

I think I'll have a look online, make a shortlist, then spend a day with DP visiting the best ones in the car (slowly, pregnancy-waddle style!) and then choose the best at the end of the day. Oh DP will be so pleased, a whole day of kitchens, his FAVOURITE thing!

OP posts:
midnightexpress · 09/11/2008 12:10

We had a Howdens kitchen in our old flat and it was good quality and v reasonably priced. We jazzed it up with nice tiles and floor and it looked great.

aGalChangedHerName · 09/11/2008 12:13

I'd go with Ikea. Our joiner mate loves the Ikea kitchen range. Your carpenter mate will be able to work round the no holes thing won't he?

HeadFairy · 09/11/2008 12:15

My friend's just had a howdens kitchen fitted, it's fab and I'm very of her!

MFI kitchen is holding it's own, it looks nice and is pretty solid by boy is their customer service poor!? They are dreadful, felt like I'd really been through the ringer with them. Agree it's not worth it if you can get something similar cheaper and more easily elsewhere!

Fizzylemonade · 09/11/2008 12:19

My sister has ikea kitchen, the guy who fitted it did say that any joiner can fit one. It does mean that you get deeper cupboards and it is a solid kitchen with great internal storage.

I had an MFI kitchen, it was ok but had problems with damaged units but MFI were fitting it (yes extortionate but I was heavily pregnant and wanted them to take full responsibility for the whole thing)

My Mum had B&Q fitted by independent fitter, twas fine.

My mate is pricing up her new kitchen £2k in ikea £8k from MFI!

I know you don't want to add to your mate's workload but you probably won't find any kitchen as cheap as Ikea for the quality of Ikea.

Earlybird · 09/11/2008 12:29

Presumably your friend has fitted kitchens before? Tell him about the dilemma, and ask if he suggest you look elsewhere. He may tell you it is no big deal to sort out the Ikea cabinets.

You might also ask him if he recommends certain brands/lines and equally if there are some he would advise you to avoid.

squeakypop · 09/11/2008 12:29

The thing that would put me off an Ikea kitchen is tring to get everything you need.

We decided on fitted bedroom units from there, and I had to go to 3 different stores.

They do a delivery service - you have to pick everything up and take it through the checkout. Once through, there are all sorts of people offering to deliver it for you (vetted by Ikea). When we used this service, the delivery man was just 10 minutes behind us (and this was 11pm).

edam · 09/11/2008 12:45

Avoid B&Q, IME (although this was a while ago) their customer service is appalling. Delays, missing items, hard to get hold of them, refusal to sort out missing items... although the actual kitchen was fine (we had our own fitters).

ib · 09/11/2008 12:46

So the units in Ikea are deeper? If you have enough space in your kitchen you should be able to install them a bit further forward and have a slightly deeper worktop iyswim.

Ruthiebabes · 09/11/2008 17:25

Just had a new kitchen supply only from Homebase, very pleased with quality.

lauralou1 · 09/11/2008 17:33

hi have you tryed homebase they do kitchens but b&q do do really nice ones and are good quality

AMamaForObama · 09/11/2008 17:39

howdens arefab
They are trade only so they can tell you local joiners
But a good joiner will be 2-3 mths wait

We got john lewis first range purely due to appliances
Very competitive cheaper than homebase by miles
being fitted this week as I type
Chaos @home

blithedance · 09/11/2008 18:10

I have personally fitted an Ikea kitchen with my own hands. The pipes issue depends on how many and where.

Usually in a kitchen the pipes come up from the floor reasonably near the sink /cooker. If a pipe is being run across several units it should be down at floor/plinth level anyway. What we did was bring the back of the sink cupboard only forward a couple of inches, by trimming it then using a couple of battens to fix it to the carcase sides (screwed from the front). If you only have one or two base units to modify, it shouldn't be a problem.

The Ikea cupboard backs(hardboard) are flush to the wall and tacked to the carcase. Other kitchens have the hardboard back slotted into a groove about 2 inches forward of the wall, this is a rubbish detail and it always pops out if you stuff too much in a cupboard. Yes it gives you a pipe recess, but you lose two inches out of each and every cupboard for that convenience, that a decent joiner should not need.

in ALL kitchens the structure/sides of the units go right to the wall, so if you have long horizontal pipe runs the units will need to be cut anyway.

I would not advise bringing the units forward, that will mess up your worktops, corners and space planning.

Bet that's clear as mud

blithedance · 09/11/2008 18:13

Howdens are fine too by the way, very solid IIRC, but IKEA do win for storage and clever bits and style generally!