Kitchen Supplier Choice?

polybear · Post by **polybear** » Thu Dec 17, 2020 5:27 pm

Hi,
I'll be fitting a new kitchen and would appreciate any advance regarding choice of supplier please. I've seen that DIY Kitchens get recommended a lot, however their cabinets are ready-made and I simply don't have any way of storing them during the build. Also, a visit to see their stuff is a 500 mile round trip for me, and at the moment they are limiting showroom visits to booked 1-hour slots (I've got no chance of choosing a kitchen in an hour.....).
I can access Magnet kitchens at trade price, but their self-assembly units have hardboard backs which I'm not keen on; the other option I'm looking at is the Wickes Showroom Range, which I think may have more solid backs?
Any thoughts, opinions much appreciated please - many thanks.
Brian

fin · Post by **fin** » Thu Dec 17, 2020 7:33 pm

im currently fitting a kitchen at a friends house. (im a joiner by trade)it was supplied by diy kitchens.

they are quite a nice product. however they do have some bad points.

the wall cabinet hanging brackets are fine of your walls are perfectly plumb.... if the walls are out like on my job (by about 35 flipping mm) then its beyond the scope of adjustment of the bracket.

the hinges arent the greatest. other manufacturers supply better hinges in my opinion.

the larger wall cabinets and base cabinets only have shelf suports on the sides of the cabinets. every other manufacturer ive ever used have central supports on the shelves.

they do have some quite nifty cabinets though. and some nice touches also. so it depends what you want and budget also.

my own personal favoured kitchen suppliers are howdens. basically thats the most common supplier that i fit. benchmarx are alright but howdens are better. the cabinets are better (even though benchmarx will say they arent) howdens frontals are better quality too.

ive also fitted wickes (same company as benchmarx)

b&q and also wren. they all have good and bad points i suppose. but b&q, wren and wickes if theres a problem it can take a while to put it right. if theres a problem with howdens or benchmarx its much much quicker to put it right

polybear · Post by **polybear** » Thu Dec 17, 2020 8:36 pm

Many thanks; how do Magnet stack up against the others in your opinion please?
I've just checked the Howdens site and it seems I'd need to prove trader status to use them; I'm guessing Benchmarx are the same. Are all Howdens units ready-made?
I'm having the room re-plastered, so hopefully the issues you've seen with DIYK wouldn't occur. One way to use DIYK would be to split the delivery into two (two orders?), though that would mean an extra 120 quid. I can live with that if need be though. I could get wall units delivered first, plus one or two "key" base units (such as the sink), then the rest maybe a week later. However, it would still mean 6+ hours driving to go and have a look :(

yartin · Post by **yartin** » Thu Dec 17, 2020 8:57 pm

Are you doing the job yourself?

I also want to renovate my kitchen, I had a quotation from howdens but too expensive, units are already assembled. A friend builder said wren kitchens are reasonable in price and good quality but yet to approach them probably in Jan. I don't like wickes products in general.

Let us know how you get on

Chippo1 · Post by **Chippo1** » Thu Dec 17, 2020 9:13 pm

Try DIY my last was from them , price similar to Howdens , but amazing deal on Dectron worktop 50% less than any where else I could get a price from.

Howdens depends on how much discount you can wangle , both my previous kitchens from them I got 80% of list. Keep haggling and try different branches,

Those two are similar in quality although DIY has spray finish doors which is superior to Howdens foil finish

Wren well u can haggle big time there as well

Have a look in the Kitchen Fitters Forum , it’s another website lots of info and if u sign up u will get advice from guys who do it all the time

I think a lot of what it looks like in the end is down to fitting . square , plumb and striaght are the keys.

Wickes / benchmark are one and the same , long time since I fitted a Wickes kitchen , but was ok , but building the flat packs is a faff and they are never as square as the glued and dowelled ones ,Benchmark are glued and dowelled.

I looked at B & Q when they were cook and Lewis I thought they were rubbish 15mm carcass for a start

Friend fitted a top of range Italian kitchen from Homebase not impressed

Magnets couldn’t match prices I got from Howdens or DIY

Chippo1 · Post by **Chippo1** » Thu Dec 17, 2020 9:15 pm

Lol Howdens account , I got one as I was a director of a lift company at the time.

polybear · Post by **polybear** » Thu Dec 17, 2020 10:20 pm

yartin wrote: ↑Thu Dec 17, 2020 8:57 pm Are you doing the job yourself?

I also want to renovate my kitchen, I had a quotation from howdens but too expensive, units are already assembled. A friend builder said wren kitchens are reasonable in price and good quality but yet to approach them probably in Jan. I don't like wickes products in general.

Let us know how you get on

Hi, yes I'm doing it all myself - apart from plastering and probably the floor tiling (depending on what the price will be!).
Wren seem to have a bad name on the web - expensive and lots of problems with bits missing etc.
One option is to use DIYK and split the delivery in half - it'll cost me an extra 120 quid but if I get a decent kitchen at a fair price then I can live with that. Still 6 hours driving to go and have a look though :(

fin · Post by **fin** » Thu Dec 17, 2020 11:02 pm

with howdens they do a pre built range and aflat pack range.

benchmarx is just wickes cabinets built up by someone. they are not glued. ive had bother with cabinets being smashed to bits when theyre delivered and the benchmarx staff will say ohhh its only on the bottom..... one of them even said to me what have i done this ti,e to the cabinet......

also the benchmarx cabinets only some are pre built. some are flat pack. the wall cabinets are a bit wobbly.

with howdens as above different branches are different prices. apparently the gateshead branch is cheaper than my local branch. but for me its a hastle to get to the gateshead branch compared to the south shields branch. by all accounts the discounts are set by the people at each individual branch. i shoud imagine also that going at the start of a month for a quote and leaving it would result in it being cheaper by the end of the month particularly if they have a bad month

fin · Post by **fin** » Thu Dec 17, 2020 11:04 pm

also... ive never dealt with magnet so no comment. in the north east there is a builders merchants called doves. they are doing kitchens now.

i forgot about homebase. absolute shite. cabinets are rubbish. fittings are rubbish. a reet pain in the ass

keithski122 · Post by **keithski122** » Fri Dec 18, 2020 6:45 pm

I used diy kitchens and really like them, in fact I also bought somwe to use as bathroom units.No problems with them and thought the hinges were fine.I never saw them in person and bought purely on the samples they sent.So much easier to fit with them being prebuilt, I think I got most of the kitchen fitted in a day.They come packaged well and can be stacked for easier storage.

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polybear · Post by **polybear** » Sat Dec 19, 2020 10:10 am

keithski122 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 6:45 pm I used diy kitchens and really like them, in fact I also bought somwe to use as bathroom units.No problems with them and thought the hinges were fine.I never saw them in person and bought purely on the samples they sent.So much easier to fit with them being prebuilt, I think I got most of the kitchen fitted in a day.They come packaged well and can be stacked for easier storage.

Many thanks to all for the advice; the photos above are really helpful too - many thanks. How are the DIYK cabinets packed please - it's useful to know they can be stacked as that will save me a lot of storage space

I'm looking into ordering a kitchen and splitting the deliveries into two - I'll get stung for a second delivery cost, but if that's what it takes to get the kitchen I want then it's a small price to pay. So now DIYK are back in the running; I'll also look at Magnet ready-built (via trade) as a price comparison as they have solid backs. If only DIYK weren't a six hour round trip away

At the moment I'm securing EML Lath to the walls (walls plugged & clout nailed) and am rapidly losing the will to live.....

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Sat Dec 19, 2020 10:56 am

Is there anyone near you who could clear garage space for you to temporarily store the boxes? A neighbour with a caravan perhaps or an old lady who does not use her garage? Would they fit in your loft, a bit of humping but it could work?

DWD

polybear · Post by **polybear** » Sat Dec 19, 2020 6:36 pm

Unfortunately not, and I've a feeling that getting a ready-built kitchen unit thru' a loft hatch might be a bit tricky....

keithski122 · Post by **keithski122** » Sat Dec 19, 2020 8:16 pm

polybear wrote: ↑Sat Dec 19, 2020 10:10 am
keithski122 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 6:45 pm I used diy kitchens and really like them, in fact I also bought somwe to use as bathroom <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">units.No</spanroblems with them and thought the hinges were fine.I never saw them in person and bought purely on the samples they <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">sent.So</spanuch easier to fit with them being prebuilt, I think I got most of the kitchen fitted in a <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">day.They</spanome packaged well and can be stacked for easier storage.
Many thanks to all for the advice; the photos above are really helpful too - many thanks. How are the DIYK cabinets packed please - it's useful to know they can be stacked as that will save me a lot of storage space
I'm looking into ordering a kitchen and splitting the deliveries into two - I'll get stung for a second delivery cost, but if that's what it takes to get the kitchen I want then it's a small price to pay. So now DIYK are back in the running; I'll also look at Magnet ready-built (via trade) as a price comparison as they have solid backs. If only DIYK weren't a six hour round trip away
At the moment I'm securing EML Lath to the walls (walls plugged & clout nailed) and am rapidly losing the will to live.....

The diy kitchen units come without the legs fitted, cardboard on the sides and a sort of 3(ish)inch high cardboard box on the top and bottom.Door faces had a protective plastic film on them.Each unit was packaged on its own.

polybear · Post by **polybear** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 7:52 pm

Many thanks