Kitchen Designers etc

[dandanthewatchman]

Wonder if the TZ collective can, as it typically does, come up with some ideas ….

We want a new kitchen and the designer type places Mrs dandanthewatchman has been to look in are high end German kit at what I consider ludicrous prices

I showed her round a refurbishment project that I have on the go and she was surprisingly impressed with the Howdens kitchen that has been installed.

What I’m ideally looking for is a kitchen designer who is familiar with Howdens who would for a decent fee do us a design and drawings etc and help ordering the right kit. Appreciate I then need to get a builder to do the order and installation ……

However when you search for kitchen designers you just get kitchen companies. Perhaps the answer is I need an architect or interior designer to help. But my angle is that I would like someone to have the knowledge of Howdens. I know they have a design service but our ideas go further than just ripping out and replacing what we have with similar units.

If anyone has any suitable recommendations they would be grateful received. Manchester based.


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[Wallasey Runner]

We had our kitchen installed at the start of this year and everything was supplied by Howdens. They were superb, came out and drew up a plan with us then we had a follow up meeting in their offices. Like everyone else they have different layers of stuff at different price points so you can pick what you want within your budget etc.

As an aside, the joiner who did our kitchen praised Howdens because the units come prebuilt unlike the old MFI flat packs.

Went well and really pleased with the quality. We went back a few times for bits and pieces and their after sales service was superb.

I would recommend Howdens.

[dandanthewatchman]

We had our kitchen installed at the start of this year and everything was supplied by Howdens. They were superb, came out and drew up a plan with us then we had a follow up meeting in their offices. Like everyone else they have different layers of stuff at different price points so you can pick what you want within your budget etc.

As an aside, the joiner who did our kitchen praised Howdens because the units come prebuilt unlike the old MFI flat packs.

Went well and really pleased with the quality. We went back a few times for bits and pieces and their after sales service was superb.

I would recommend Howdens.

That’s a good endorsement. Where did you source your fitter ?


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[dandanthewatchman]

We had our kitchen installed at the start of this year and everything was supplied by Howdens. They were superb, came out and drew up a plan with us then we had a follow up meeting in their offices. Like everyone else they have different layers of stuff at different price points so you can pick what you want within your budget etc.

As an aside, the joiner who did our kitchen praised Howdens because the units come prebuilt unlike the old MFI flat packs.

Went well and really pleased with the quality. We went back a few times for bits and pieces and their after sales service was superb.

I would recommend Howdens.

That’s a good endorsement. Where did you source your fitter ?


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[Wallasey Runner]

That’s a good endorsement. Where did you source your fitter ?


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Luckily the kitchen fitter was a good friend of my son, so he was happy to fit the kitchen for us.

[gorrie]

I used the B&Q online kitchen design tool (going back around 15yrs mind you). Found it simple to use and it gave a list of everything I then needed.
I knocked down the wall between a breakfast room and my kitchen to make it a larger space whilst ripping out the old kitchen so I was changing the whole configuration.
Fitted it myself, but did get a sparky in to relocate some electrics for the oven and also light switches… and a gas guy in for the hob. Apart from that, did the rest myself.
Cost me £5.5k all in including appliances and sparky/gas time.

By comparison, I was getting quotes of £25k+ from various kitchen companies.

Our friends got one of those said companies in to do theirs, at a premium, and it was a really poor fit. Wall cabinets not built and hung plumb straight which meant their doors were always squint regardless of how they tried to adjust them.

A lot of these kitchen companies just sub-contract the fitting out… so your route of sourcing your own joiner/builder and getting it from Howdens sounds a sensible one.

[MCFastybloke]

Take the design form the designer place, Kutchen-Haus?? to howdens and let them finesse it to there products?

I had KH do mine 15 years ago and its still in tip top shape but im fed up looking at it. If it had been howdens money i would have made it over already.

[Martylaa]

I can’t praise Howdens and the kitchen fitter they recommended enough. Howdens came up with a design which put Wrens, Wickes and a local independent to shame, their units came pre built and the fitter was a perfectionist.

Finally the discount I achieved by a bit of haggling again made me happy with the decision.


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[learningtofly]

We had our kitchen installed at the start of this year and everything was supplied by Howdens. They were superb, came out and drew up a plan with us then we had a follow up meeting in their offices. Like everyone else they have different layers of stuff at different price points so you can pick what you want within your budget etc.

As an aside, the joiner who did our kitchen praised Howdens because the units come prebuilt unlike the old MFI flat packs.

Went well and really pleased with the quality. We went back a few times for bits and pieces and their after sales service was superb.

I would recommend Howdens.

Very similar experience with them. Their design capabilities were very impressive and keeping design and supply under one roof mitigated the risk of a f*ckup.

My builder already worked with them regularly, and everything was bought through him at and advantageous price.

[reggie747]

What I’m ideally looking for is a kitchen designer who is familiar with Howdens who would for a decent fee do us a design and drawings etc and help ordering the right kit. Appreciate I then need to get a builder to do the order and installation ……

Go into your local Howdens branch, they'll happily send someone out to design it and there's a 101% chance they'll recommend a fitter to purchase through too.

[lewie]

I’m going to check them out - I think my brother still has account there - luckly my SIL is a carpenter

[hogthrob]

Here's a comparison of different kitchens including delivery, packaging, fitting and assessment of quality. It may be of interest or provide some insights: https://youtu.be/DkNmhyEFX5U


He ranked them as follows, though his criteria might be different to yours. I think Wickes was the only 'bad' one though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkNmhyEFX5U&t=2276s

1. DIY Kitchens
2. Wren
3. Magnet
4. Howdens
5. Wickes

[Wallasey Runner]

I think Howdens are winning this hands down. Sure there will be boutique kitchen suppliers to the stars who will both promise you and charge you the Earth, but for choice, quality, professionalism and price a trip to the local Howdens depot seems a must.

[Mj2k]

Here's a comparison of different kitchens including delivery, packaging, fitting and assessment of quality. It may be of interest or provide some insights: https://youtu.be/DkNmhyEFX5U


He ranked them as follows, though his criteria might be different to yours. I think Wickes was the only 'bad' one though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkNmhyEFX5U&t=2276s

1. DIY Kitchens
2. Wren
3. Magnet
4. Howdens
5. Wickes

Amazed to see Magnet in that list, even more so above Howdens.

[Kingstepper]

I think Howdens are winning this hands down. Sure there will be boutique kitchen suppliers to the stars who will both promise you and charge you the Earth, but for choice, quality, professionalism and price a trip to the local Howdens depot seems a must.

Doesn’t look so from the excellent video hogthrob posted.

Amazed to see Magnet in that list, even more so above Howdens.

They were better in most categories looked at TBF.

As OP asked though, would be good if independent designers were easier to find.

[aa388]

Amazed to see Magnet in that list, even more so above Howdens.

It’s not that strange, Magnet is part of Nobia who are the biggest kitchen manufacturer in Europe, the doors and drawer fronts aren’t fitted on delivery as they aren’t made in the same place as the cabinets. What did surprise me was the doors being edged, I’ll have a snoop later when I’m in the factory.


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[chrisparker]

I'm currently going through this process myself on a property my company is developing to sell. Having recently managed the process for my own home, and previous development project. I can recommend both DIYKitchens and Howdens.

If you're competent in using online tools, know what you want, and are looking to save some money DIYkitchens is a great. If you need some help, you'll prefer Howdens.

The quality of the product in both DIY and Howdens are pretty much the same. DIY is a bit cheaper, in cost not quality - that's why I used them for my own kitchen. Seen here

However I'm using Howdens for this next project because they're faster turnaround, we have an account, and any issues, like a damaged door we can get a replacement immediately. I had a damaged door from DIY and whilst it was resolved it took a couple of weeks.

I'm now familiar with DIYkitchens web planner so can I do a kitchen layout and visual like the below fairly quickly, however if it's your first time you'll spend hours designing your kitchen.

DIY visual:



I did this with DIY for a price comparison which, I then gave to Howdens for their guy to create and cost up.

This is Howdens visual:



Kitchen designers I'm sure can be great but only you really know how you use your space, and how you can to use it.
Have a good think where the best place is for each appliance and work around it.

Think about where you bin is in relation to where you chop veg, where your dishwasher is and where you unload the pots. Think about plumbing, drainage and extractors going out to an external wall. Have pans near your hob, food stored in cupboards that are close to make unpacking shopping easier. And if you're having an island with seating don't forget about which direction you want to spend your time looking at.

Have a play with loads of configurations until you get the plan you want.


Then start thinking about the look, colour, handles, lighting, and all the options and extras.

Here's my plan:



The final kitchen is going into this space:

[Mj2k]

It’s not that strange, Magnet is part of Nobia who are the biggest kitchen manufacturer in Europe, the doors and drawer fronts aren’t fitted on delivery as they aren’t made in the same place as the cabinets. What did surprise me was the doors being edged, I’ll have a snoop later when I’m in the factory.


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Perhaps my experience was tainted by the fitment and lack of attention to detail. If I had the cash I’d have pulled it out immediately and started again. In fairness the kitchen lasted and nothing cabinet wise broke.

Much more enjoyable second time around with a bespoke company and genuine craftsmanship when it came to the fitting and finishing.

[Wolfie]

Nobody can believe I spent <£3k on my DIY kitchen…. The quality is as good as you’ll get without spending mega bucks

Spend on the worktops…. I got some full plank oak tops and it looks amazing (I know it doesn’t score highly on the practical stakes, but I like wood!)

The price above does not include appliances

[mk1974]

If you wanna go Howdens and need an account,you can use mine ,just drop me a message.


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[dandanthewatchman]

Thread resurrection

After some months of deliberation and research we realised that coordinating all the trades we needed would be too much work for us. We required a complete strip out and the removal of a window and dropping a wall to incorporate a new bifold.

So we have just finished the installation of a new kitchen and big shout out to Elite Kitchens in Worsley Manchester. We got a Leicht kitchen from them at a reasonable price point compared to other German kitchens we looked at and probably 30 percent more than Howdens would have charged us.

The big advantage was that they are absolutely OCD about managing the project, tidiness and attention to detail. We went with all their recommended trades for tiling, electrics and plastering and that was brilliant as they sorted everything. I was provided with a colour coded spreadsheet as to who was coming on what day. Finished the job 2 days ahead of schedule. I know those with DIY skills and some time on their hands could do such a project for less money but we don’t have those skills. Couple of pics below - waiting for the lights to be properly fitted post decoration





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[unclealec]

The Kitchen Envy is large.

I have a tiny kitchen (between-the-wars semi) and the only option is a galley design.

I have a mortal fear of composite wood, and of buying stuff. So I used a sycamore tree that I dropped in my front garden many years ago, plus more sycamores from a friend cutting a new access road. Now that it is deployed in my kitchen it has miraculously become Maple.
Non-visible structural stock was from a friend who imported textiles as deck cargo; they came in crates made from weatherproof malay ply, which had my coposite allergy twitching, but as it was free I steeled myself. The only drawback is that the name of my friend's firm is stencilled onto the underside of my units.
I made the base units rollable in order to retrieve dropped coins, and to aid wall-to-floor decorating, which is the next stage.
The biggest expenditure so far has been £60 on Polyvine lacquer (just in front of £40 paid for a new-old-stock cooker hood ex-Fleabay); tough as old boots. My present wife has announced that she will fund a new electric cooker.

[lewie]

Looks like a fab finish - well done

[Montello]

deleted, didn't realise it was old ...

Your job looks nice, expensive???

[chrisparker]

Looks nice, is that his and hers basins?

[dandanthewatchman]

deleted, didn't realise it was old ...

Your job looks nice, expensive???

It’s all relative - we did the utility room as well with the same company. Suffice it to say we’ve been in our house 21 years and when we moved in the existing kitchen had already been there for 10. So if you amortise and run man maths not too bad. I am very happy with the finished project so in a couple of years I will have forgotten about the cost.

Once we were doing it I was not going to cut corners but Siemens appliances looked reasonable value and we got a cash back on them. The tops and splashback are Dekton which is silly money. So parts seemed good value and others not so much


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[dandanthewatchman]

Looks nice, is that his and hers basins?

Kind of. Mrs B wanted a double sink like she had before. I didn’t want it in the island as wanted that very clean. So we ended up with separate 400x400 sinks. One tap is Quooker with the hot water tank. My OCD required me to get matching tap for the other sink so it is a Quooker without the gubbins. I got screwed on that !


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[gunner]

Looks remarkably similar to ours in terms of layout!



(pre-install mock up)

[Montello]

It’s all relative - we did the utility room as well with the same company. Suffice it to say we’ve been in our house 21 years and when we moved in the existing kitchen had already been there for 10. So if you amortise and run man maths not too bad. I am very happy with the finished project so in a couple of years I will have forgotten about the cost.

Once we were doing it I was not going to cut corners but Siemens appliances looked reasonable value and we got a cash back on them. The tops and splashback are Dekton which is silly money. So parts seemed good value and others not so much


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Always worth pushing the budget on a kitchen. Yours look great.

[Middo]

Thread resurrection

After some months of deliberation and research we realised that coordinating all the trades we needed would be too much work for us. We required a complete strip out and the removal of a window and dropping a wall to incorporate a new bifold.

So we have just finished the installation of a new kitchen and big shout out to Elite Kitchens in Worsley Manchester. We got a Leicht kitchen from them at a reasonable price point compared to other German kitchens we looked at and probably 30 percent more than Howdens would have charged us.

The big advantage was that they are absolutely OCD about managing the project, tidiness and attention to detail. We went with all their recommended trades for tiling, electrics and plastering and that was brilliant as they sorted everything. I was provided with a colour coded spreadsheet as to who was coming on what day. Finished the job 2 days ahead of schedule. I know those with DIY skills and some time on their hands could do such a project for less money but we don’t have those skills. Couple of pics below - waiting for the lights to be properly fitted post decoration





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May I ask how you are getting on with the integrated vented hob? Thinkable going that route with our refurbishing.

[gunner]

May I ask how you are getting on with the integrated vented hob? Thinkable going that route with our refurbishing.

We have a Bora with integrated extractor and love it.

[dandanthewatchman]

May I ask how you are getting on with the integrated vented hob? Thinkable going that route with our refurbishing.

That was last thing to be installed last Wednesday so limited use. So far so good but had to replace a load of pans. Siemens actually sent 3 decent quality pans as a gift

The venting seems very effective but at the higher power settings.


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[Middo]

Thanks - it’s replacing a motorise pop up thingy that was crap.

Kitchen looks ace, I love a good kitchen Ang one of my fav rooms in any house.

Enjoy it mate