Ikea or B&Q kitchen?

[Merlin5]

Going to get rid of my crappy old kitchen in a few weeks but not much idea about where to get a new one. Cupboards, drawers, sink unit, taps, and appliances. B&Q are expensive on their fitting, about £3000. They have value units and higher quality units. I'm not sure what I can afford at the moment and I really need to get a designer round to make suggestions for me. But my main question is, Ikea, B&Q or somewhere else?

 

[Deleted member 77746]

Why don't you get quotes first before deciding. Maybe look for other local kitchen fitters who might be able to save you money.

Choose 3 or 4 companies, ask them to quote you then sit down and make a decision.

 

[branddaly]

Take a look at Howdens. My builder advised strongly against Ikea due to the odd sizing and lack of service voids.

 

[NCarl]

I take the Futurama stance on Ikea, "Here is your affordable Swedish Crap."

 

[Merlin5]

Take a look at Howdens. My builder advised strongly against Ikea due to the odd sizing and lack of service voids.

Can't see any prices on their website. I imagine they'll be expensive? I'll take your advice on Ikea and cross them off the list.

 

[Raumarik]

Ikea sizes are a bit off, depends if you're going to be doing any changes in the future - they don't change their ranges that often but if they did you'd struggle to find similar sized doors etc elsewhere.

Having said that we used Ikea in our flat and it was very nice and extremely good value for money!

 

[RoachycaL]

I worked for Wickes DIY up until last week for about a year and they do a very good range of fitted and takeaway kitchens. I think it depends which store you go to though - I worked in one of the biggest in the UK so they had a showroom for the kitchens.

 

[Merlin5]

Ikea sizes are a bit off, depends if you're going to be doing any changes in the future - they don't change their ranges that often but if they did you'd struggle to find similar sized doors etc elsewhere.

Having said that we used Ikea in our flat and it was very nice and extremely good value for money!

What's the interior wood like of the ikea units? The value range at B&Q for 8 units is around £1300, but they have slightly cheap looking chipboard interiors.

 

[Merlin5]

I worked for Wickes DIY up until last week for about a year and they do a very good range of fitted and takeaway kitchens. I think it depends which store you go to though - I worked in one of the biggest in the UK so they had a showroom for the kitchens.

Yeah, Wickes is a good suggestion. *puts it on shopping list*

 

[Meridian]

Can't see any prices on their website. I imagine they'll be expensive? I'll take your advice on Ikea and cross them off the list.

Howdens make a range of stuff, from about IKEA prices to about three times that. I had one of their kitchens done last year, but my kitchen is almost certainly far smaller than yours so the price won't help you much. But quality is good, and I believe so even on the bargain units.

 

[Merlin5]

Howdens make a range of stuff, from about IKEA prices to about three times that. I had one of their kitchens done last year, but my kitchen is almost certainly far smaller than yours so the price won't help you much. But quality is good, and I believe so even on the bargain units.

What do you reckon to 'value' kitchen ranges in general and their chipboard interiors? I'm spending so much elsewhere at the moment (complete double glazing/upvc windows, new bathroom, exterior work, new concrete window sills which all comes to about £9K) that I won't be able to get the higher end kitchens really. Then again, all depends what a designer suggests. It's a big kitchen, 16 foot long, but there's a chimney breast half way down jutting out. Unless it can be smashed out so I have a level wall, it might limit the amount of cupboards and drawers I can have.
If it does that, I might go for more expensive units.

 

[danza]

DO NOT USE B&Q!

They sub out to a large firm who then subs out to the person who bids the lowest, which is usually a one man band. The fitter will work as fast as is humanly possible, cutting all kinds of corners so they can get onto the next job. The money B&Q's subcontractor saves by subbing out to the lowest bidder is then basically used to sort the numerous problems you will have with the installation.

Had a £4.5K B&Q bathroom install over a year ago, basically discovered the above for myself. Last week we had the floor relaid after the grout started falling apart and one of the (expensive) tiles cracked due to the fitter using too thin a plywood layer beneath. We also had a leak through the ceiling, and had to have a hole cut to access the pipes.

There are numerous other issues that we've had that I don't have the energy to write about now, but trust me when I say that it is good advice that I am giving you by saying you should avoid them like the plague. I have met other people who have had worse experiences than myself too, so mine is not an isolated case!

 

[Merlin5]

DO NOT USE B&Q!

They sub out to a large firm who then subs out to the person who bids the lowest, which is usually a one man band. The fitter will work as fast as is humanly possible, cutting all kinds of corners so they can get onto the next job. The money B&Q's subcontractor saves by subbing out to the lowest bidder is then basically used to sort the numerous problems you will have with the installation.

Had a £4.5K B&Q bathroom install over a year ago, basically discovered the above for myself. Last week we had the floor relaid after the grout started falling apart and one of the (expensive) tiles cracked due to the fitter using too thin a plywood layer beneath. We also had a leak through the ceiling, and had to have a hole cut to access the pipes.

There are numerous other issues that we've had that I don't have the energy to write about now, but trust me when I say that it is good advice that I am giving you by saying you should avoid them like the plague. I have met other people who have had worse experiences than myself too, so mine is not an isolated case!

Well at £3000 which he told me is a fixed labour price regardless of value or high end units, I wasn't going to use them to fit anyway. I'm seeing my builder on saturday as he's coming over to continue work and I'll ask him what he'd charge to fit a kitchen. I presume that would be a better idea? But if I just buy B&Q units, they would be ok, or not?

 

[Maccapacca]

Howdens and Magnet you need a trade account and the RRP in the brochures is redonculous as we get circa 85% off them in the trade. My chippy says the best stuff he recommends is Magnet as Howdens quality is slipping over the years.

Employ a local chippy Homebase / B&Q et al installation costs include literally nothing, everything will be an extra.

Buy a Franke sink and tap set, they are cheap and expensive choose your spend.

I bought Howdens units as the discount we get was amazing and bought 3m legths of oak worktops off eBay but from here http://www.chippyshop.co.uk/ and a gallon of Danish oil, and Baumatic appliances because again we get amazing discounts, (inbuilt fridge freezer / dishwaher / double over / 5 burner hob with wok / extractor / microwave / griddle plate and glass splashback all for £1200) yes there are better products but you could spend £1200 just on a double oven

I stripped and fitted the units myself and got my chippy to do the tops and some trims to make it look great

 

[bsoltan]

When I was looking to get mind done, to me the quality went like this:

Magnet -> Howdens -> Wickes -> Ikea -> Homebase -> B&Q

And the budget didn't always match. In the end it was down to an Ikea or Howdens kitchen and Howdens gave me a very good deal with some bits thrown in, fitted by a local chap who was very accomodating.

Ikea have good units, very customisable but yes, they don't have the gap at the back for any utilities, but you do get that extra cupboard space. The fitting can also bring the price up as no other fitters want to touch it.

Worth getting quotes from everyone tbh and getting a meeting with all their peoples.

 

[Meridian]

What do you reckon to 'value' kitchen ranges in general and their chipboard interiors?

I had a mid-range set installed, so I can't really tell you. I saw the low-end stuff in the showroom and it didn't look any worse than IKEA, and unlike them it used standard pieces. Best to get a local installer, and get them to do quotes for a range of styles, from top to bottom.

 

[RedMogg]

Carcasses can be scrimped on, if it's the "look" you're after, as the doors and worktops (also lighting, appliances and flooring) are what provide the aesthetics of a kitchen, but you'll regret it in 10-15 years when things start going wrong...

I'd say visit you local Bathstore (yes, BATHstore) and find out who their recommended installer is (the guy with all the Thank-you letters in their praise file) - he'll be independent and able to either advise on who to use or where locally is best for design & service.

You can spend £80k on kitchen gubbins, but if it's installed by a muppet, it will look cack and fall to bits;
Get the right fitter and you won't go wrong!

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

Any half decent fitter can fit an Ikea kitchen without problem.
Yes they lack a service void but that's not reason to entirely rule them out, means you get extra cupboard space int eh rest of the cupboards you don't need the service void

A small amount of effort and a few lengths of plastic pipe and you could get all your pipes and such moved to maximize space too.

Kitchen is next on the list for us too, I'm really liking the high gloss ones in Ikea, especially the dark red and gray ones.

 

[pitchfork]

No fitter worth his salt would recommend either of those two. Both are substandard and overpriced.

Try Howdens, if you know someone in the trade you can get hefty discounts (up to about 70%). Thats how we got our kitchen.

 

[Nismo]

Definitely avoid B&Q, bunch of clowns.