Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

The builder who's working for us at the moment looked very scornful at
the idea of IKEA kitchens, and said that Howdens - a trade-only supplier
he uses - make much better quality kitchen units.

Since I have no way of judging this matter, who is a decent-quality
maker of kitchens? The last new kitchen we had I made myself, so I
haven't any experience of buying them.

Daniele

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

D.M. Procida wrote:
The builder who's working for us at the moment looked very scornful at
the idea of IKEA kitchens, and said that Howdens - a trade-only supplier
he uses - make much better quality kitchen units.

Howden's are certainly OK; I have no experience of Ikea.

Bear in mind that if you buy Howden's stuff via your builder he will no
doubt mark up the price, so there is clearly an incentive there for him
to rubbish Ikea.

Also since Howden's supply their units already assembled, then it's much
quicker/cheaper to install than messing about with flatpacks, so that
needs factoring in to the buying/fitting costs.

David

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

D.M. Procida wrote:

The builder who's working for us at the moment looked very scornful at
the idea of IKEA kitchens, and said that Howdens - a trade-only supplier
he uses - make much better quality kitchen units.

Since I have no way of judging this matter, who is a decent-quality
maker of kitchens? The last new kitchen we had I made myself, so I
haven't any experience of buying them.

I've been fitting a Howdens kitchen this week.
No problem at all with the units and fittings, and at a reasonable
price.
Everything is sturdy, and goes together very well.The units are
pre-built, saving a lot of time against flat packed units, as well as
keeping quality up.
There was a rather major problem with the delivery of it on Tuesday.
It appears the person I was dealing with was pretty useless, and hadnt
took much notice of the shortages, when, with a few phone calls it could
have been rectified easily. Another person I spoke to on Wednesday was
very apologetic, and sorted it all out in less than half an hour, and
got the missing bits to me by 1pm.
It restored my faith in them.

I'm not sure that Ikea would be so willing to rectify matters so
quickly, firstly as they have fewer outlets, secondly, their outlets are
far further apart. However, if they have everything in stock, then it
doesnt matter.

Alan.

--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

On 1 Feb, 18:59, (A.Lee) wrote:
D.M. Procida wrote:
The builder who's working for us at the moment looked very scornful at
the idea of IKEA kitchens, and said that Howdens - a trade-only supplier
he uses - make much better quality kitchen units.

Since I have no way of judging this matter, who is a decent-quality
maker of kitchens? The last new kitchen we had I made myself, so I
haven't any experience of buying them.

I've been fitting a Howdens kitchen this week.
No problem at all with the units and fittings, and at a reasonable
price.
Everything is sturdy, and goes together very well.The units are
pre-built, saving a lot of time against flat packed units, as well as
keeping quality up.
There was a rather major problem with the delivery of it on Tuesday.
It appears the person I was dealing with was pretty useless, and hadnt
took much notice of the shortages, when, with a few phone calls it could
have been rectified easily. Another person I spoke to on Wednesday was
very apologetic, and sorted it all out in less than half an hour, and
got the missing bits to me by 1pm.
It restored my faith in them.

I'm not sure that Ikea would be so willing to rectify matters so
quickly, firstly as they have fewer outlets, secondly, their outlets are
far further apart. However, if they have everything in stock, then it
doesnt matter.

Alan.

--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

Howdens say they only supply to "trade professionals".
One of their reasons is :-
It'll fit your space, because a Howdens designer will draw up a
professional plan for your builder to follow.
I can see they want to avoid DIY plonkers, and I guess they are sold
without consumer rights etc ?

Anyone know what I can blag / fiddle etc. to get howdens to supply me
a kitchen (and plan it ??)
I do my own building regs drawings, bricklaying etc. How can I become
a "trade professional" ?

Or, are howdens not worth it ?

If I got one and had problems, how is this dealt with as a non-
consumer ?

Thanks,
Simon.

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

sm_jamieson wrote:

On 1 Feb, 18:59, (A.Lee) wrote:
D.M. Procida wrote:
The builder who's working for us at the moment looked very scornful at
the idea of IKEA kitchens, and said that Howdens - a trade-only supplier
he uses - make much better quality kitchen units.

I've been fitting a Howdens kitchen this week.
No problem at all with the units and fittings, and at a reasonable
price.

Howdens say they only supply to "trade professionals".
.......
I can see they want to avoid DIY plonkers, and I guess they are sold
without consumer rights etc ?

Probably, never looked into it. You have a Contract with the fitter, so
as a Consumer, it shouldnt be a problem to you.
They are set up for Trade only, they dont want to be answering numerous
queries from 'private' customers. They like it when you go in, say
hello, give them a list of part numbers, you go and load up. They just
dont have time to get 6 types of handles out to compare them on the 5
different shades of Oak door they have - they are cheaper as they dont
do that, they'll sell me 5 different small doors, and the 6 handles, and
I'll have to show the customer.

Anyone know what I can blag / fiddle etc. to get howdens to supply me
a kitchen (and plan it ??)
I do my own building regs drawings, bricklaying etc. How can I become
a "trade professional" ?

You open a Trade Account with them. Pretty easy, go in, tell them you
are a jobbing builder/carpenter, and you can open an account within a
few weeks. They will require evidence of your work - a business
card/letterhead etc, or turn up in your sign written van.

Or, are howdens not worth it ?

They keep a lot in stock, no need to pay for a Month, they generally get
anything in the next day if not in stock. So, yes, in the Trade, they
are worth it. For a one-off purchase, probably not, as B+Q et al are
easier to buy a one-off from.

If I got one and had problems, how is this dealt with as a non-
consumer ?

You go in tell them the fault, they give you a new one.Never had a
problem yet - we broke a screw in a door handle this week,ruining the
handle. Went in the next day to buy a new handle, mentioned that we had
snapped the screw, got given it FOC.
Alan.

--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

On Feb 1, 6:44*pm, (D.M.
Procida) wrote:
The builder who's working for us at the moment looked very scornful at
the idea of IKEA kitchens, and said that Howdens - a trade-only supplier
he uses - make much better quality kitchen units.

Since I have no way of judging this matter, who is a decent-quality
maker of kitchens? The last new kitchen we had I made myself, so I
haven't any experience of buying them.

Daniele

IKEA recommend that all flat pack furniture fittings are tightened
annually. That's enough to persuade me not to buy a kitchen from them!
Howden's units are more stable because they are glued and dowelled
rather than using cams and pins.

Howden's prices are similar to IKEA if you bargain hard enough,
although the fitter may add a mark up. Factor in the time your fitter
would spend assembling, and Howden's should be noticeably cheaper
overall. Cabinet sizes available are different, so your design may
need to be altered accordingly.

A

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

On 1 Feb, 19:32, (A.Lee) wrote:
sm_jamieson wrote:
On 1 Feb, 18:59, (A.Lee) wrote:
D.M. Procida wrote:
The builder who's working for us at the moment looked very scornful at
the idea of IKEA kitchens, and said that Howdens - a trade-only supplier
he uses - make much better quality kitchen units.
I've been fitting a Howdens kitchen this week.
No problem at all with the units and fittings, and at a reasonable
price.
Howdens say they only supply to "trade professionals".
......
I can see they want to avoid DIY plonkers, and I guess they are sold
without consumer rights etc ?

Probably, never looked into it. You have a Contract with the fitter, so
as a Consumer, it shouldnt be a problem to you.
They are set up for Trade only, they dont want to be answering numerous
queries from 'private' customers. They like it when you go in, say
hello, give them a list of part numbers, you go and load up. They just
dont have time to get 6 types of handles out to compare them on the 5
different shades of Oak door they have - they are cheaper as they dont
do that, they'll sell me 5 different small doors, and the 6 handles, and
I'll have to show the customer.

Anyone know what I can blag / fiddle etc. to get howdens to supply me
a kitchen (and plan it ??)
I do my own building regs drawings, bricklaying etc. How can I become
a "trade professional" ?

You open a Trade Account with them. Pretty easy, go in, tell them you
are a jobbing builder/carpenter, and you can open an account within a
few weeks. They will require evidence of your work - a business
card/letterhead etc, or turn up in your sign written van.

Well you can print off a business card easy enough !!
Other points duly noted !

Simon.

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

D.M. Procida wrote:
The builder who's working for us at the moment looked very scornful at
the idea of IKEA kitchens, and said that Howdens - a trade-only supplier
he uses - make much better quality kitchen units.

Since I have no way of judging this matter, who is a decent-quality
maker of kitchens? The last new kitchen we had I made myself, so I
haven't any experience of buying them.

Can I jump in an ask the same question of Second Nature in Bishop Auckland? They
are a trade-only supplier of rigid cabinets and doors, and seem to supply most
of the smaller kitchen shops in the area, and possibly Wickes too.

Anyone here had dealings with both Second Nature and Howdens, and how they
compare in price and quality? I'm looking at a £4k supply-only of the units we
like, from local suppliers, but I suspect I could get some labour thrown in with
that too if I go to an independent fitter with my parts list.

-- Jason

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

" wrote:

IKEA recommend that all flat pack furniture fittings are tightened
annually. That's enough to persuade me not to buy a kitchen from them!
Howden's units are more stable because they are glued and dowelled
rather than using cams and pins.


That would be enough to persuade me to glue all joints while assembling
IKEA units, which is what I do in any case.

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

"Bruce" wrote in message
...
" wrote:

IKEA recommend that all flat pack furniture fittings are tightened
annually. That's enough to persuade me not to buy a kitchen from them!
Howden's units are more stable because they are glued and dowelled
rather than using cams and pins.


That would be enough to persuade me to glue all joints while assembling
IKEA units, which is what I do in any case.

I glue all flat pack furniture that I buy. It's surprising how little glue
you need to make it much more stable.

tim

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

"tim....." wrote:
"Bruce" wrote in message
.. .
" wrote:

IKEA recommend that all flat pack furniture fittings are tightened
annually. That's enough to persuade me not to buy a kitchen from them!
Howden's units are more stable because they are glued and dowelled
rather than using cams and pins.


That would be enough to persuade me to glue all joints while assembling
IKEA units, which is what I do in any case.

I glue all flat pack furniture that I buy. It's surprising how little glue
you need to make it much more stable.


Exactly. It transforms its strength, stability and durability.

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

tim..... wrote:
"Bruce" wrote in message
...
" wrote:
IKEA recommend that all flat pack furniture fittings are tightened
annually. That's enough to persuade me not to buy a kitchen from them!
Howden's units are more stable because they are glued and dowelled
rather than using cams and pins.

That would be enough to persuade me to glue all joints while assembling
IKEA units, which is what I do in any case.

I glue all flat pack furniture that I buy. It's surprising how little glue
you need to make it much more stable.

tim

Amazing how a little judicious use of my Makita TD020 (impact driver)
has a wonderful effect as well.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

In article ,
Bruce writes:
" wrote:

IKEA recommend that all flat pack furniture fittings are tightened
annually. That's enough to persuade me not to buy a kitchen from them!
Howden's units are more stable because they are glued and dowelled
rather than using cams and pins.

That would be enough to persuade me to glue all joints while assembling
IKEA units, which is what I do in any case.

Well, the advice was duff. A kitchen unit isn't a Poang chair.
Unless the assembly or installation was grossly incompetent,
they don't/can't move around after installing. I've installed
2 complete IKEA kitchens and helped with a few more, and none
have ever had anything come loose or need tightening.

Even flat-packed, you'll need to take over another room to take
delivery into. I can't imagine what I would have done if the
thing had arrived already assembled, or how I would have
collected it.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

A.Lee wrote:
sm_jamieson wrote:

Anyone know what I can blag / fiddle etc. to get howdens to supply me
a kitchen (and plan it ??)
I do my own building regs drawings, bricklaying etc. How can I become
a "trade professional" ?

You open a Trade Account with them. Pretty easy, go in, tell them you
are a jobbing builder/carpenter, and you can open an account within a
few weeks. They will require evidence of your work - a business
card/letterhead etc, or turn up in your sign written van.

I just went in and said I was just starting out as a property developer,
and they let me open an account there and then with no 'evidence' at
all. (Presumably there was a bank ref involved - just on my ordinary
personal account.)

David

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

"D.M. Procida" wrote in
message
...
The builder who's working for us at the moment looked very scornful at
the idea of IKEA kitchens, and said that Howdens - a trade-only supplier
he uses - make much better quality kitchen units.

Since I have no way of judging this matter, who is a decent-quality
maker of kitchens? The last new kitchen we had I made myself, so I
haven't any experience of buying them.

Daniele

To the best of my knowledge, IKEA have a pretty good reputation as far as
these things go. We had a kitchen-full in place for 17+ years with few
problems. We recently replaced the wall cupboards from IKEA and they went
together just as well as before. My only gripe is that the drawer design
isn't the same so we had to rout out a slot on the new drawer fronts so they
could be made to fit the old drawer frames.

Some people complain that there isn't dead space behind the under-sink
cupboards for piping etc, so you have to have the gubbins 'in' the cupboard
rather than behind a false back wall. Other than that they are well made,
long lasting, easy to assemble, and - umm what was it? oh yes, affordable.

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

On 1 Feb, 23:11, Lobster wrote:
A.Lee wrote:
sm_jamieson wrote:
Anyone know what I can blag / fiddle etc. to get howdens to supply me
a kitchen (and plan it ??)
I do my own building regs drawings, bricklaying etc. How can I become
a "trade professional" ?

You open a Trade Account with them. Pretty easy, go in, tell them you
are a jobbing builder/carpenter, and you can open an account within a
few weeks. They will require evidence of your work - a business
card/letterhead etc, or turn up in your sign written van.

I just went in and said I was just starting out as a property developer,

Not so believable now ;-)
Simon.

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

Adrian wrote:
(Andrew Gabriel) gurgled happily, sounding
much like they were saying:

Even flat-packed, you'll need to take over another room to take delivery
into. I can't imagine what I would have done if the thing had arrived
already assembled, or how I would have collected it.

That's a very good point - when our kitchen was done a couple of years
ago, the boxed ready-built (not Howdens) units were delivered a few days
before they were required. Stored in the kitchen, they filled the entire
room - so had to be stacked in the garden whilst work was actually being
done. Fortunately, the weather was good - since I'd hate to think how
chipboard carcasses in cardboard boxes would stand up to a ****ing wet
day...

On top of that, a corner unit had to be disassembled in order to
physically get it into the house, never mind the kitchen, and a couple of
others (boiler casing and base for butler sink) had to be dismantled to
accomodate a couple of modifications.

Flatpack would have made life a LOT easier.

Totally agreed.

Also, if you need to massage the design of units to work in your
kitchen, it is much easier if they arrive flat. I have recently replaced
a few units (due to water damage). Realised that the original
installation had done some odd things. And decided on a different set of
odd things for the replacements. Such as cutting a 1000 unit down to
about 800 (instead of 500 as in the original). Would have been a devil
of a job on glue and dowelled fully assembled units. As it was, all I
had to do was cut the base and the cross rails, drill a few new holes
for the Confirmats and assemble. (Yes - cut a slice off the thin back as
well.) And add a couple of holes for legs!

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

Owain wrote:
sm_jamieson wrote:
I just went in and said I was just starting out as a property developer,
Not so believable now ;-)

It's a great time if you want to buy property and have finance.

Owain


I want to have finance too.

Where do I get some?
:-)

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

Owain wrote:
sm_jamieson wrote:
I just went in and said I was just starting out as a property developer,
Not so believable now ;-)

It's a great time if you want to buy property and have finance.

Not convinced, myself. You could maybe buy now at X% below the market
value; but the smart money seems to reckon the market has quite some way
to fall yet - so surely better to wait a few months and buy at X% below
the market value then?

Of course predicting the 'trough' in the market is easier said than
done, but if I was a first-time buyer I'd be taking advantage of low
rents caused by the glut of 'forced-to-let' landlords and biding my time
a bit.

David

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

OG wrote:
To the best of my knowledge, IKEA have a pretty good reputation as far as
these things go. We had a kitchen-full in place for 17+ years with few
problems. We recently replaced the wall cupboards from IKEA and they went
together just as well as before. My only gripe is that the drawer design
isn't the same so we had to rout out a slot on the new drawer fronts so
they could be made to fit the old drawer frames.

Out of interest, what's the spares side like on modern kitchens? I get the
impression that it's still just about possible to get bits and pieces
(doors, worktops, mechanisms) for some 15-20 year old kitchens. So if you
move an appliance you can buy a new door without having to buy new doors for
the whole kitchen.

Does that still apply to modern suppliers, or do they have a
when-it's-gone-it's-gone attitude?


What happened to Howdens regarding the MFI collapse - I know they split but
still had some kind of relationship... are they completely separate now?

Theo

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

"Theo Markettos" wrote in message
...
OG wrote:
To the best of my knowledge, IKEA have a pretty good reputation as far as
these things go. We had a kitchen-full in place for 17+ years with few
problems. We recently replaced the wall cupboards from IKEA and they went
together just as well as before. My only gripe is that the drawer design
isn't the same so we had to rout out a slot on the new drawer fronts so
they could be made to fit the old drawer frames.

Out of interest, what's the spares side like on modern kitchens? I get
the
impression that it's still just about possible to get bits and pieces
(doors, worktops, mechanisms) for some 15-20 year old kitchens. So if you
move an appliance you can buy a new door without having to buy new doors
for
the whole kitchen.

Does that still apply to modern suppliers, or do they have a
when-it's-gone-it's-gone attitude?


I wouldn't expect many styles to last 15-20 years, as tastes will change, so
probably not that sort of timescales.

However, IKEA do hold on to their styles for more than just the one year,
though I can't say for the sheds.

I think the problem is not so much whether the doors are going to still be
around in 6 months time as whether the supplier will still be there.

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

OG wrote:
I wouldn't expect many styles to last 15-20 years, as tastes will change,
so probably not that sort of timescales.

I'm not expecting the same styles to be in the shops, but that they/their
distributor have some at the back of the warehouse if you need it. Of
course you're going to pay for the privilege, but it's cheaper than
replacing half the kitchen.

That probably doesn't work for the box shifters, where everything's just a
part number and anything not in the current catalogue gets dumped.

I think the problem is not so much whether the doors are going to still be
around in 6 months time as whether the supplier will still be there.

There is that, especially at the moment :(

Theo

Howdens and IKEA kitchens
 

"Theo Markettos" wrote in message
...
OG wrote:
I wouldn't expect many styles to last 15-20 years, as tastes will change,
so probably not that sort of timescales.

I'm not expecting the same styles to be in the shops, but that they/their
distributor have some at the back of the warehouse if you need it. Of
course you're going to pay for the privilege, but it's cheaper than
replacing half the kitchen.


In that case, probably not - but you could always get a few spare doors
yourself when you're doing the initial purchase. Think of it as £30-£50
insurance against future proofing in case you want to buy more units.

If you're not changing the units, the only bits you'll need to replace will
be the doors, and new doors will still fit the old carcasses.

We re-doored our IKEA kitchen ourselves after about 10 years - we just got
some plain pine board , routed a shadow frame shape onto each panel and oil
dyed the wood blue. Reused the hinges and fittings.