Wren Kitchens
- Thread starter KyleFz6
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The internet feedback - for what that's worth - seems to be good pricing but poor fitting/shortages. For a comparison Gosforth handyman does a very informative youtube video on diykitchens, showing the considerable pluses and some minuses.
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what have you purchased , just the kitchen supply only or the full installation service
whats the terms of the deposit , how long ago - cooling off period etc
we went with wickes in the end, and a few bad reviews , BUT our install was excellent and could not have asked for more .....
who else did you consider
whats the terms of the deposit , how long ago - cooling off period etc
we went with wickes in the end, and a few bad reviews , BUT our install was excellent and could not have asked for more .....
who else did you consider
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If people are happy then they rarely post reviews on the interweb. I brought from them and fitted myself. Quality was fine with nothing missing on delivery.
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My brother in law made the mistake of using wren, I won't bore you with the details but he paid 13K (including fitting) for a kitchen the size of a small bathroom. Six months of horrendous stress later; tens of hours of their own time in project management, more hours doing physical work, employing their own contractors to get things done, hours wasted complaining, more threatening legal action etc they finally got more or less the kitchen they wanted, with an eternal sour taste when they think about it. I just thought it was average, with poor ergonomics and use of space. I particularly liked the halogen hob - (sorry guv, you can only use two rings at a time or you'll blow the electrics), the homemade boiler cupboard with exposed cut mdf edges, Laurel and Hardy comedy doors that hit each other when you tried to open them, scratches, chips, scuffs, gaps and the absolute distain they were treated with at all levels in the organisation once they had their money (they bought it on finance). Apparently the company is owned by two greedy, extremely wealthy brothers who don't give a toss.
As JP says, most people only "go online" when they're unhappy but the way the company deals with the horror stories is telling, when there are FB groups dedicated to problems I think you should be concerned.
People on here seem to hold "DIY Kitchens" in high regard (I don't speak from personal experience), but I think they are supply only so it's fit it yourself or find a decent fitter.
As JP says, most people only "go online" when they're unhappy but the way the company deals with the horror stories is telling, when there are FB groups dedicated to problems I think you should be concerned.
People on here seem to hold "DIY Kitchens" in high regard (I don't speak from personal experience), but I think they are supply only so it's fit it yourself or find a decent fitter.
The boss wanted a model only available from diy kitchen.
Most doors arrived chipped.
Their idea to send the cabinets with the doors fitted is surely a bad idea.
They replaced every door very quickly and we kept the chipped ones which could be repaired.
One thing that's a bit annoying is that the doors are a bit short, so on wall cabinets for example, the top and bottom gaps are wider than the side ones.
Also, the cabinets are only glued without any cam or screws.
I didn't trust this on laminated chipboard, so I banged in a few screws.
And the most stupid thing is that the service gap behind the cabinets is just about 40mm, but everyone knows that waste pipes are 43mm OD, so I had to dig that into the plaster.
The material is very good though.
I left an offcut of cornice outside in the rain for a year and the lamination was still solidly attached to the mdf (which was inevitably swallen).
Overall, if Howdens had what the boss wanted, I would've gone with them, simply for the convenience of being local (2 minutes drive).
Unfortunately howdens only do kitchens in a thousand shades of grey.
Most doors arrived chipped.
Their idea to send the cabinets with the doors fitted is surely a bad idea.
They replaced every door very quickly and we kept the chipped ones which could be repaired.
One thing that's a bit annoying is that the doors are a bit short, so on wall cabinets for example, the top and bottom gaps are wider than the side ones.
Also, the cabinets are only glued without any cam or screws.
I didn't trust this on laminated chipboard, so I banged in a few screws.
And the most stupid thing is that the service gap behind the cabinets is just about 40mm, but everyone knows that waste pipes are 43mm OD, so I had to dig that into the plaster.
The material is very good though.
I left an offcut of cornice outside in the rain for a year and the lamination was still solidly attached to the mdf (which was inevitably swallen).
Overall, if Howdens had what the boss wanted, I would've gone with them, simply for the convenience of being local (2 minutes drive).
Unfortunately howdens only do kitchens in a thousand shades of grey.
I'm just fitting one now.
Very good quality, I like the cupboard hangers which are better than the usual types and are hidden, and the wall adjusters for the base units.
The installation was well measured and planned and thought given to the amount and type of end panels, cover pieces and make up panels.
Good supply of jointing compound and mitre adhesive, and fittings generally.
No damage, no shortage, delivery blokes careful and helpful. Very well packed units and doors, with lots of padding and cut strips of boards for protection.
Very good quality, I like the cupboard hangers which are better than the usual types and are hidden, and the wall adjusters for the base units.
The installation was well measured and planned and thought given to the amount and type of end panels, cover pieces and make up panels.
Good supply of jointing compound and mitre adhesive, and fittings generally.
No damage, no shortage, delivery blokes careful and helpful. Very well packed units and doors, with lots of padding and cut strips of boards for protection.
Extortionate prices.
I have fitted nine Wren kitchens, I have also fitted Howdens and Benchmarx and Magnet and literally 100's of Hacker Kitchens.
The nine wren I fitted were the worst kitchens I have ever installed, the cabinet build quality was poor, the doors, those that weren't missing, were JHandle with differing profiles. Quite frankly I refuse to fit Wren Kitchens.
Howdens aren't to bad they suit a particular market as does Benchmarx, Magnet are a bit iffy.
Hacker however, I have one in my house, are built well normally well designed and come with a ten year warranty, I sub to a small independent family run Hacker supplier, the service is top notch, the product price is a bit more but you are paying for quality, something not often found with Wrek Kitchens.
Nobilia kitchens are on par with Hacker, Symphony Kitchens are good, Schuller to name but a few.
The nine wren I fitted were the worst kitchens I have ever installed, the cabinet build quality was poor, the doors, those that weren't missing, were JHandle with differing profiles. Quite frankly I refuse to fit Wren Kitchens.
Howdens aren't to bad they suit a particular market as does Benchmarx, Magnet are a bit iffy.
Hacker however, I have one in my house, are built well normally well designed and come with a ten year warranty, I sub to a small independent family run Hacker supplier, the service is top notch, the product price is a bit more but you are paying for quality, something not often found with Wrek Kitchens.
Nobilia kitchens are on par with Hacker, Symphony Kitchens are good, Schuller to name but a few.
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Done 3 kitchens now using the cheapest units from B&Q. Used B&Q doors on one, made the doors from 18mm Contiboard on the other 2. Do like the B&Q wall units as they are the same hight as the base units. Glue and fix together securely.
As for other makes - only other make I have experience of is Howdens, I'm not that impressed with the construction but am impressed with the Gloss White finish.
Usually sit the wall cabinets on a 3x2 bearer; with 3x2's dropping down to below worktop level; OK, so we loose a couple of inches of floor space but makes the pipework space easier to use. If you do not have a water level to find high and low spots on the floor set the middle unit legs to half height and level to rest up to that one. You need to finish up with an under worktop height of at least 875mm from the finished floor to the underside of the worktop (common mistake is fix the worktop height to the unfinished floor level).
As for other makes - only other make I have experience of is Howdens, I'm not that impressed with the construction but am impressed with the Gloss White finish.
Usually sit the wall cabinets on a 3x2 bearer; with 3x2's dropping down to below worktop level; OK, so we loose a couple of inches of floor space but makes the pipework space easier to use. If you do not have a water level to find high and low spots on the floor set the middle unit legs to half height and level to rest up to that one. You need to finish up with an under worktop height of at least 875mm from the finished floor to the underside of the worktop (common mistake is fix the worktop height to the unfinished floor level).
Where to start, let's start at the bottom, the plinths are sealed with a rubber seal on the bottom and top edge has a glue seal.
The leg bases are fitted to the base units in the factory and the adjustable part that you tap in are preset to the plinth height either 100mm or 150mm although they can be adjusted.
All the carcasses are "square" the base unit's are Glued and dowelled the top bar and back bar are redwood, the back panels are screwed and siliconed into place.
The wall unit's have continuous brackets for hanging. All unit's are supplied with the doors fitted and the handle holes drilled, you choose the handles at time of order.
Handless kitchens have the handle channels cut to size and all mitres are formed.
Unit's can be supplied in any size you require, all finish panels are supplied over height and depth for scribing to wonky walls and floors.
The German Laminate worktops are very good quality and are supplied pre-edged even for curves or set backs or pretty much any configuration in the factory.
The largest supplied German laminate worktop I have fitted was 8 metres long x 1100mm wide. The worktop in my kitchen is 6mtrs x 740mm it was supplied this deep to overcome a plumbing issue behind the base unit's.
And there are 1000's of colours and styles to choose from.
The Hacker Factory produces over 600 kitchens per day. They know their stuff.
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