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Original poster

best place for an inexpensive kitchen??

35 replies

thisisyesterday · 15/02/2009 21:20

we might be inheriting some money soon. not a huge amount though.
I've been saving up for a kitchen for ages and currently have £561 pmsl
anyway, we should have around another £5k to play with (hopefully)... is that enough for a kitchen?
i want something decent, but obv it isn't going to be anywhere near top of the range. My dad can fit cupboards/flooring etc so fgitting costs will be minimal.

but where is the best place to look??? am I stuck with b&q/homebase/ikea? if so which of those is best?
or can I afford something a bit better?

it isn't desperate so I can afford to wait until there are sales on and stuff too

OP posts:
llareggub · 15/02/2009 21:24

We bought ours from Howdens, but needed a trade account to get the units. They come ready made so that reduced the amount of fitting needed. Cost seemed pretty good compared to IKEA, and we are very happy with the finish.

Geepers · 15/02/2009 21:28

Ours were basic Howdens ones too. They came ready assembled, just needed the doors putting on and have lasted the past two years without anything going wrong, despite a dodgy bloke installing them.

I think they delivered too, and the whole order was complete with nothing missing.

Original poster
thisisyesterday · 15/02/2009 21:30

hmm have never heard of them! so off to google, thank you

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CuppaTeaJanice · 15/02/2009 21:31

We're going to get one from B&Q - apparently their next sale is on at Easter so we're waiting for the bargains!

We did consider Wickes but the salesman was an absolute twat and put the hard sell on us, so we're not going back there!

Ikea are supposed to be good, but there isn't one near us.

5K is plenty, unless your kitchen is huge! You can probably get the units for 1-2k, appliances 1k, flooring, paint, accessories etc 1k, which leaves you with £1000 left for champagne and cake!!! Or you could get basic units and a nice granite worktop so your kitchen looks like an expensive designer one.

You could also try the Used Kitchen Co website, which has loads of ex-display kitchens at greatly reduced prices.

Original poster
thisisyesterday · 15/02/2009 21:32

geepers, how much did your dodgy bloke charge to install??

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CuppaTeaJanice · 15/02/2009 21:34

llareggub and Geepers - what are Howdens prices like compared to B&Q and Ikea, for example? They won't do quotes for Joe Public, so I've no idea whether they'd be within our price range or not.

RiaParkinson · 15/02/2009 21:36

ooh cuppateajanice that sounds good will check out website

thisisyesterday we are gooing to ask a joiner to copy something we love...

RiaParkinson · 15/02/2009 21:37

howdens was recommended by our builder solid wood very reasonable

Fleecy · 15/02/2009 21:43

We used Howdens and the kitchen cost us £1,800, including all units, worktop, built-under oven, hob, cooker hood, Franke sink and good quality tap. Wasn't a small kitchen either.

My builders really rated Howdens, compared to other high street places. As others have said, they come ready-made so they're nice and sturdy and it's quicker (therefore cheaper!) to fit them.

Original poster
thisisyesterday · 15/02/2009 21:44

hmm so i might be just as well to find a local kitchen fitter and maybe buy from howdens or similar?

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llareggub · 15/02/2009 21:48

I think our kitchen came in a £3.5k, excluding appliances. We had quite a few units though, and a large larder type unit surrounding an American fridge freezer, which added to the price considerably. It took 2-3 days to install, I think. The appliances added to the cost quite a bit, and Howdens were not competitive on price for appliances. We chose Howdens because our builder (who did our extension) was keen to use them and as he was doing the fitting and we liked the range, we went for it. We knew the price was competitive because we'd priced a kitchen in IKEA and Howdens was cheaper.

llareggub · 15/02/2009 21:50

I should add that we bought the appliances from a local electrical store (ie not Currys!) and had a good deal. They were much cheaper than the same brand from Howdens.

Fleecy...I think we must have the same sink!

Fleecy · 15/02/2009 21:51

I'd have thought it would be worth getting a quote at least?

One thing to bear in mind, Howdens supply the builder at trade price - whether the builder then puts any mark-up on that for extra profit is up to him. So you might be able to haggle the price down a bit that way! Also, Howdens are sometimes flexible on price themselves.

Original poster
thisisyesterday · 15/02/2009 21:53

I already have a fridge, dishwasher and washing machine.
I just need a cooker which will be built in, the others are free-standing, so it's basically just the units really.

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Fleecy · 15/02/2009 21:54

You're right llareggub - they're good on sinks but often not the cheapest on applicances, unless you haggle! I was dead chuffed with mine!

Appliances Direct website is cheap and seems okay.

Original poster
thisisyesterday · 15/02/2009 21:54

i will def look into it. it isn't something I had thought of tbh.
I had a look on yell and found a few kitchen installers in our area

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llareggub · 15/02/2009 22:34

Appliances Direct were great price-wise, but could not fulfill my order in the time required. Weirdly, Boots were also quite good, and I'd never have thought of Boots for appliances.

My local shop were flexible on price, able to deliver when I wanted and made me feel good about buying local.

We dealt with Howdens directly and our builder passed on the full discount. We were very pleased!

RiaParkinson · 16/02/2009 00:37

i would go to ikea but i like free standing

Swedes · 16/02/2009 00:44

Ria - The Chalon catalogue is marvellous for inspiration.

RiaParkinson · 16/02/2009 00:55

Thanks Swedes will look now!

Pannacotta · 16/02/2009 15:10

I think for your budget IKEA and HOwdens are the best options, but I'd only suggest IKEA if there is a store nearby as it's a real pain to go back and sort anything out if you live miles away.
Also the fitting time saved with Howdens is a good point.
As others have said, why not shop around for your oven. Buyers and Sellers do good deals
www.buyersandsellersonline.co.uk/?gclid=CN6ijJ2p4ZgCFQtdQgodIkR8cw

Original poster
thisisyesterday · 16/02/2009 15:20

thanks all. this thread has been really helpful. I didn't even know about places like howdens, had resigned myself to buying one and then just getting my dad to fit it.
so this all sounds really promisisng.

Our nearest Ikea is about 40 mins away, so not tooooo bad, but as you say, annoying if we needed to go back and forth fairly frequently.

anyway, lots of food for thought here and will discuss with dp as well I suppose lol

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jeanjeannie · 16/02/2009 15:59

Love IKEA stuff - it's lasted so well. We've had horrible problems with Howdens stuff - I mean literally dropping to pieces in 4 years DP is at a flat now replacing the peeling veneer on a 2yr old Howden's kitchen. But that's just us - and you can't argue with the price!

threewisemonkeys · 16/02/2009 16:06

we used Magnet as theirs were also pre-assembled and a bit more modern than some of Howdens units. as long as you don't go for all the extras & pull-out units etc they worked out similar to price to cheapo ones that have to be assembled (push for trade prices - they'll be desperate for sales at the mo!). we had granite worktops & glass splashbacks from local supplier as were a bit cheaper.

Original poster
thisisyesterday · 16/02/2009 16:07

ahh interesting, hadn't checked magnet yet. will do so!

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