Do fitted kitchens really need to cost that much?
Wherever you buy your units, worktops or appliances from, all fitted kitchens have to be fitted. And that can be expensive. If you go to the high street chains, you’re likely to be charged an exorbitant amount for fitting. They’ll quote you about £5,000
Another thing you might find expensive is the price of the units in the high street chains. Especially given the how low-quality the units are.
But what’s the alternative when looking at fitted kitchens?
Doing it on the cheap
One solution is to buy the units from one of the chains such as Wren or Magnet and use a builder to fit them. Builders usually only charge around £2,500 to install your fitted kitchen.
The problem going this route is that the kitchens places like Wren and Magnet sell are low-quality. Therefore, the kitchen is unlikely to last much more than about 5 or 6 years before it needs replacing. As the old saying goes, “buy cheap, buy twice”
The other problem with the chains is that their designs are usually poor. This is for three reasons: Firstly, their designs rarely make good use of the available space. Secondly, their designs often contain design errors. An example of a design error is placing a fridge freezer or a fridge too close to a wall. Doing this means the customer will lose access to the salad drawer in the fridge. This is because when they try opening the salad drawer, it will hit into the side of the bottle shelf. Thirdly, sometimes their designs don’t actually fit the space. Unfortunately, many clients don’t discover this until the kitchen is being installed, by which time it’s too late.
Try a trade only supplier
Another option is to get a quote from a trade-only supplier via a builder. Examples of trade-only suppliers are Howdens, Benchmarx and Magnet Trade. On the face of it, this may sound like a good idea. However, unfortunately it isn’t. The reason it isn’t is because the units trade-only suppliers sell are just as low-quality as the high street chains. Plus, their design service is equally as poor as the chains.
The other problem with buying a kitchen from places like Howdens, Benchmarx and Magnet trade is that you’re buying a kitchen with little or no come back. This is because your contract is with the builder and not with the trade-only supplier. Therefore, if you get a problem with the kitchen, when you go back to the trade-only supplier, they’ll usually tell you that they only deal with the trade and you need to go back to your builder. However, when you go back to your builder, they’ll usually tell you that they are only responsible for the fitting and you need to go back to the trade only supplier. This toing and froing usually goes on for some time until people eventually give up.
The best option for fitted kitchens
Some independent kitchen showrooms sell kitchens that cost similar to places like Wren, Magnet and Howdens, but are higher-quality and will last longer. They’ll also design your kitchen properly so it makes best use of the available space and is free from design errors. Plus, they’ll fit your kitchen for similar to what builders charges.
So, how do you find these great value suppliers?
Simple, just contact us and we’ll tell you who they are.
Plus, our service is free.
Our free service recommends the best value kitchen showrooms in your area.
All showrooms offer free, no-obligation quotes.
Read what our customers say about our service below:
“The kitchen your guys came up with is far more competitive than anything I have had quoted so far”
Samantha Michaels, Watford, Herts
“Kitchenfindr recommended a showroom who were much better value than most of the other showrooms I’d previously looked at”
Hannah Malone, Esher, Surrey
“No-one should buy a kitchen without speaking to Kitchenfindr first”
Bal Pabla, Romford, Essex
“Lloyd was able to point me to local independent kitchen retailers offering greater quality and value compared to the high street chains”
Mohammed Hashi, Northolt, Middx
“If you’re looking for a good value kitchen supplier, these are the people to speak to first!”
Natalie D R, Stanmore, Middx
