Best place to buy a small new kitchen ?

[grantduff]

Hello Im looking for some help on your ideas of there is the best place to buy a new kitchen (MFI, B & Q or independant ?).

Its not a large kitchen, work top is about 4m long with cuboards above and below with sink electric cooker and electric hob. I was looking to spend around £1000 ? so fairly basic.

Thanks for reading this and your time.

Grant

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[Majjie]

I guess the cheapest would be Howdens - if you have, or know someone who has, a trade account.

Personally, I'd go for Wickes or IKEA for a budget kitchen, but I know some people don't like IKEA because of having no void at the back of the units (and the white carcasses look a bit naff if you choose a timber door).

Mind you, I've never bought or fitted one of these. I just design them!

 

[grantduff]

Hadnt thought of wickes but thanks any more ideas...

 

[Miss G]

B&Q All the way. Just had kitchen and 2 bathrooms off them.

 

[Hooo]

Wickes stuff is very solid for the price, but the range is a bit limited. I got most of my kitchen from Wickes, and one cabinet from B&Q, cos Wickes didn't do the one I wanted. The Wickes cabinets were of far superior quality to the B&Q one.
Also, two people at work recently bought B&Q kitchens, and they were both a disaster. They spent hours on the phone and several days at home waiting for deliveries that never arrived or were wrong when they did.

 

[Watchmaker]

Just a personal opinion of course but, four years ago I completely stripped out my old kitchen and installed a new one. Everything was new, ie worktop with a short right angled return, floor and wall cupboards, cooker etc etc. I approached a number of Companies, with some being helpful and others being a bit indifferent about wanting my £2000. I went to Ikea. Their down- loadable CAD programme allowed me to make accurate layouts and their staff could not have been more helpful. They delivered 74 items, ie, boxes packages, fittings etc and there was not a single item wrong or missing and, after four years we are still very pleased with the result. We do seem to hear horror stories about the quality and disappointing results of DIY kitchen installations but, my experience with Ikea could not be faulted

 

[slefley]

I am currently doing the same. My builders have asked me to choose what I want from the Howden's brochure, but I found it hard to choose from pics and asked if they had a showroom. I was told by my builder to go into MFI as they are the same cabinets with different names! I have since found out that this is the case for B&Q as well... and maybe others too. Same doors, different names.

I took my measurements into MFI to get a design done, and was amazed at what I could get for not a massive budget (it's the appliances that push it up, the cabinets are really quite cheap). I then priced up several ranges from the Howden's brochure, and found that their cabinets were actually more expensive than MFI in the sale.

 

[ricky1962]

B&Q have all their kitchen doors at half price just now. Design yourself using fewer, larger carcases (or re use old ones if the right size!) . MFI tend to try to sell you more small units. E.g. a 1000 mm base unit might only cost a couple of quid more than a 500mm. I've just done a quite big kitchen in B&Q "Contempotary Maple" for less than £700 including all bits and pieces.

PS Only buy B&Q kitchens from the store. Do NOT order as their delivery system is hopeless!!!!!

 

[JerryM]

screwfix do a decent flatpack.

 

[Bilioustrumpstaine]

B&Q are good if it is all in stock, don't get suckered in by "and the remaining items will be in next week" story. Don't get them to fit it either

Howdens are good and I have had many kitchens from them over the years, I have never been messed about by them either.

MFI is the retail side of Howdens (or vice versa) I have never used them.

I have never used Wickes for kitchens but they have some good offers on at the moment.

Price wise you can usually have a deal at Howdens but not normally at the retailers. Just wait for some good offers

 

[Majjie]

Just for information ....
MFI used to be the retail arm of Howdens but Howdens sold it off at the end of 2006. They are contracted to supply some of MFI's kitchens until, I think, this summer ... but many of the kitchens are already different and the differences will increase.