Kitchen disaster near miss - you were right!

52bright

We have just received a quote for a refurbished kitchen. Not a kitchen from scratch as we have very good quality cupboards. We need to change the doors because we are moving a table out and putting new cupboards in its place and in order for the whole kitchen to match we will need to change the cupboard doors and work tops we have. Add on new sink and the estimate for this small kitchen has come in at over £12000!! I must admit I was surprized as we had a recent estimate for having the whole thing done from scratch for about the same price so will rethink the refurbishment idea.

Wanting to replace some fairly old units in our utility room, I got a quote from a door replacement company who prided themselves on giving kitchens etc. a complete makeover. Their quote for doors and works surfaces was pretty expensive, given there isn't much labour involved. Eventually used B&Q, who ripped out existing units, replaced those and work surface and all of that came in cheaper than the door replacement company quote. I was also intending to replace a stainless steel sink but the fitter advised me not to do that, on the basis that the existing sink was far superior to the one I ordered. He arranged for the return of that to B&Q and the cost was refunded bringing the overall cost down further.

We went to DIY Kitchens near Doncaster, they also have a showroom in Witney.

They expect purchasers to do their own design, but they check it over before fulfilling the order. We got an excellent local kitchen fitter in to fit it and were entirely happy with every stage of the process from the showrooms and their staff to our fitter.

As soon as we hav planning permission we will be up the A! to Doncaster to use the same company for the kitchen in our current home. DD used them fo her utility room and plans to use them for her kitchen as well.

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We have literally just been on the telephone to ask why we haven't had our deposit returned yet - it is getting on for a month now since we cancelled.

Oh dear our neighbours have just had a new Wren kitchen and bedroom, there have been workmen there on and off for three weeks now, when we had our new kitchen we used a local company and it took three days.

We got our kitchen from Wren but sourced our own fitter to install it . We also were a big part of the planning process and got exactly what we wanted .
We will be having a small extension to the house built soon but are planning to order the kitchen units from DIY Kitchens who are cheaper than Wren .

Great idea Lathyrus3. That's what we've found out now through using an independent fitter - they have utilised every bit of space and all the cupboards are bespoke so they fit the kitchen perfectly. The Wren plan showed blanking plates and empty patches everywhere. We were going to pay top price with Wren because they said they were bespoke but they aren't. I must admit I loved their quality and choice but the planning leaves a lot to be desired.

We have just received a quote for a refurbished kitchen. Not a kitchen from scratch as we have very good quality cupboards. We need to change the doors because we are moving a table out and putting new cupboards in its place and in order for the whole kitchen to match we will need to change the cupboard doors and work tops we have. Add on new sink and the estimate for this small kitchen has come in at over £12000!! I must admit I was surprized as we had a recent estimate for having the whole thing done from scratch for about the same price so will rethink the refurbishment idea.

I thought you might like to see what my independent kitchen firm did with a useless 6 inch deep gap between two doors.

I keep my tins and packets in the cupboards.

When we first moved into this house we went to Wren for their ideas and a quote etc. At that point we had not yet moved into our new home but had exchanged contracts and gave them all measurements and told them we were consulting other companies. Next thing we heard from the estate agent that the person we had spoken to had requested the house keys from him and been down to the house to measure and probably have a good look around herself. We were appalled and immediately crossed her off our list and told her why, way too presumptuous.

In my last house, I found local builders who were recommended first. They would only use Howdens so I had no choice. The designer was rude (sexist and ageist) and ignored what I wanted. However, the kitchen itself was good and well installed.
It seems you need a combination of good builders, a good designer and good kitchen units.

With all these kitchen companies, they basically start by entering the measurements of your kitchen (and if you're lucky, the plumbing configuration), they press a button and the computer fills the space. They then go and tweak bits and bobs to kind of match your requirements.

So sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't - sometimes you get a designer with a bit of imagination and initiative, sometimes you don't.

Independents tend to be a lot more customer driven as a huge amount of their business is recommendations.

We had an absolute nightmare with Wren fitted wardrobes. The survey was all wrong, sizes were all wrong and it took over 4 weeks for them to be finished. They also didn't leave a gap behind the wardrobes and now we have damp issues as they are on an outside wall. Steer well clear of Wren!

I've had Wren kitchens twice - different houses and 10 years apart. Both times they were great and their fitters were excellent. I think it can be luck of the draw but if you get a good designer and have a good relationship with them, they will recommend their best fitter (if you want their fitters of course). As with everything else, the most vocal people are those who have bad experiences.

We used a local independent kitchen supplier and found them wonderful, especially the after sales. They even fitted my daughters kitchen in London and two of our bathrooms.

We had Wickes. An utter nightmare. 5 days became almost a month with no water, washing up dishes in the bath! Worktops cut as straight as a dog's hind leg, extractor fans held on with duct tape, the list goes on and on. The after sales customer service was abysmal. Eventually the area manager, with the local store manager in tow, came to look at the 'finished' kitchen and found 18 faults. Never again will we use the big companies. Elless is doing what we should have done and found a recommended local fitter. Hope it all goes well.

Local everytime! Good luck in your new kitchen 🌷🌷

DotScot

My brother has just used Wren for their new kitchen and found that their planning left a lot to be desired. Filler units had been added so wall and base units did not line up. Luckily he's installing it himself (lucky he has those skills and a good brain!) and was able to fix it.

My son used Wren, they went to two different branches and got two significantly different plans, one worked and had no wasted space, the other didn't.
In the end they still had to modify the plan as the fillers and end boards were wrong, but as he was installing it himself that part went well.
There are still things that aren't perfect,for example dishwasher is nowhere near the waste bin, but it's OK. I certainly wouldn't recommend Wren.

To Elless - friend of mine used Wren & it was a disaster from the start.

In defence of Wren, I have a Wren kitchen and am happy with it, but perhaps that's because we had thought about our requirements before spending time with the planner to make sure the design suited our needs.

For example, we had all the under-counter appliances on one side so the worktop on the other side could be lowered by about 10cm to make food prep more comfortable for me (I'm only 5ft tall). The bin placed in a drawer unit in the food prep area rather than under the sink so peelings can go straight into the bin, and the bin is accessible when someone is washing up. Drainer to the left of the sink as we're both right-handed. Space to the right of the sink for stacking dirty dishes and pots prior to washing up. Drawers for most of the base units as they are much easier to access than cupboards when you're getting older. And so on.

I have heard same about Wren and poor quality. I tend to go with local recommended tradesman

Not Wren but we had bedroom furniture from Sharps. Never again. All the little extras that make the best use of space were never suggested. I'm sure I had more space with our old MFI wardrobes and drawers. The fitter was lovely, however, and put a shelf in that hadn't been planned so I'd have somewhere to put a small telly.

Stuck with a local company who did a great job even made a few suggestions to improve what we thought we'd like. Did turn out a bit more expensive than the national companies but really good job. Pne of the guys even drove 150 miles to collect fridge freezer we wanted but was only available at one outlet.

My brother has just used Wren for their new kitchen and found that their planning left a lot to be desired. Filler units had been added so wall and base units did not line up. Luckily he's installing it himself (lucky he has those skills and a good brain!) and was able to fix it.

Phew!