stoice Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 My OH's father is kindly donating us some pennies towards a new kitchen. We've been to B&Q and Homebase for a scout about and OH has Everest Kichens coming round on monday to measure up and plan a kitchen. May not actually go through Everest (At least we'll get a kitchen plan done though) but if we did I'd just like to know if anyone has had any experience of their work? Good or bad. And for B&Q/Homebase/Moben for that matter. Also, was thinking of wooden doors with a dark worktop, but am coming round to white doors instead. What do you guys think? Thanks Stacey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..lay a little egg for me Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 We had a chap from Moben round and he was dreadful...had no ideas whatsover, the sales people in the shop said he would plan our kitchen on the 'puter while we waited; he said he would go away and think about it and send us a quote the next day...that was 2 weeks ago...still waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackiepoppies Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Lucky you Have had no experience of Everest but my last kitchen was MFI. Took measurements in to shop, really helpful young man listened to what we [hmm I] wanted, planned it all out on the 'pooter, negotiated a really good price with discounts, [not automatically offered, I bartered ] then ordered it. Was delivered exactly when they said. Yes, there were a couple of bits missing and a door was damaged in transit, but one phone call and replaced immediately without question. AND when one corner cupboard didn't fit, they sent someone down to fix it [OH had done it wrong ] After all that Magnet have some lovely kitchens and if I were in the Uk now, I would seriously consider them. DS had Kitchens Direct come round and had a terrible time with them trying to bully him into buying he had a job to get them out of the house Good luck, Jackiex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 We had a magnet kitchen fitted when we hasd our extension, we went to look at them and then were recommended to buy it through the builders at the trade counter, and got a large ammount off, it is the same kitchen as in the show room but with a different name Karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Firstly, white doors with a dark wood worksurface would look AMAZING. Second, I did mine myself (with help from big bro who is an electrician and very handy) from Ikea, I loved their kitchen planner programme, and spent months playing with designs until I was happy. I replaced absolutely everything bar the washing machine and it cost £2K which I thought was fine and dandy for quite a big kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I've heard some not-too-good things about Moben and their affiliates. My sister needed a bathroom quote - the rep refused to call unless her husband was home . Apparently they do this as standard. Needless to say she didn't bother! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 I got a kitchen from B&Q in the last house, but fitted by someone else. They were no more or less helpful than any of the others when it came to design ideas, but they did manage to measure the kitchen wrong..... so it didn't all fit.... and one of the lengths of worktops (wood) was warped, which they refused to replace. So i can't say I'd recommend them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iar fach goch Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 we had a new kitchen in our extension last year and the whole thing was a nightmare from start to finish I had gone with a small local company who were initially very friendly, but basically did not want to know when things went wrong, the previous kitchen we had was from MFI and it was stress free - planned quickly, ordered and fitted with no problems and it lasted really well, it looked no worse when we took it out after 10 years One tip, when you do decide, check out the prices of your appliances online, there is a huge difference in price and we saved nearly 1,200 on just 5 appliances! MFI were expensive with some of their top spec appliances (eg SMEG - which I would avoid at all cost, having had my oven replaced and cooker hood replaced twice within the first couple of months!) Am I ranting? Sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iar fach goch Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Forgot to say, obviousy I would recommend MFI As for the colours I went for walnut and a black worktop, and am really pleased with it, eventually after all the hassles! My friend has a lovely cream kitchen with a slate worktop, looks stunning, but does tend to mark quite easily and show up the dirt with three kids! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimmyCustard Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 OH fits kitchens in his spare time and dislikes Moben, theyre part of the Dolphin bathroom people and are frightful to deal with. MFI is good as are B and Q (even when the bits arent usually there). IKEA are also good and the sizes the cupboards come in are a good range. Never dealt with Everest, are they the same as the window people? I'd like a free standing one from M and S next time, although I'm sure the budget wont stretch that far! Enjoy your new kitchen. Kimmy x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cammy73 Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 We bought our last kitchen from B&Q and they planned it for us, but OH fitted it. A door was damaged but they changed it no problem. My friend has a B&Q kitchen and had it fitted by them with no problem. OH ordered an IKEA kitchen for the staff room at school and had horrendous problems! the kitchen fitters never turned up as arranged then there were LOTS of parts missing... I think that you can have good and bad experiences with any company. Sharon x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abwsco Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Wonder if the kitchen sales team are like their windows ones We made the mistake of asking one for a quote. Hubby had to throw him out in the end and the prices were ridiculous. Best bit was him falling out of our door on the way out -lol Have you a Howdens near you. They're the trade arm of MFI, so cheaper and our local one will also recommend joiners. Our next door neighbours used them and were very pleased. It was also ££££ cheaper than MFI for the same kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoice Posted October 13, 2008 Author Share Posted October 13, 2008 Thanks for all your kind replies. Everest Kitchen guy (Same company that does the window etc) comes round tonight so I'll let you know how it goes (Probably WAY too expensive but it'll be good to see what he plans for our space - More likely to end up with B&Q or maybe get a fitter to supply one at trade prices) Will look into Howdens too, thanks for the tip. Stacey xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 I don't think I saw this thread before. We run a company that fits upvc windows & also does kitchen & bathroom fitting. Everest do charge far too much for an inferior product, & if the kichen dept is anything like the windows,their after sales is shocking & their sales techniques are not what we would recommend either We have spoken to people who have had quotes from them of several thousand pounds more than from us, & they then reduce the price to match ours Hubby, who fits the kitchens, says that the best quality high street ones are from Wickes. They are usually complete & are, for him, a pleasure to put together. We also got no call backs to Wickes kitchens. Maybe you could find a good friendly fitter near to you & buy off the rack? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoice Posted October 13, 2008 Author Share Posted October 13, 2008 Maybe you could find a good friendly fitter near to you & buy off the rack? Might just do that! We recently got rid of our old bathroom suite (A rather fetching blue ) and the bathroom fitter we used (Who we couldn't fault) works mostly for Wickes. I remember now he said he also fits kitchens! He completely project managed our bathroom (Plasterer, leccy, tiler etc) so it'd be nice if he could do that for our kitchen. Not an unreasonable price either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 He completely project managed our bathroom (Plasterer, leccy, tiler etc) so it'd be nice if he could do that for our kitchen. Not an unreasonable price either. Thats what we do too. That is exactly what you need. It will save you a lot of money and you will get more involvement in the finished product too. Good luck - keep us posted, & don't forget the before & after pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoice Posted October 14, 2008 Author Share Posted October 14, 2008 Well, the Everest guy came round at 6pm last night. Didn't leave till 9pm!!!!! Phew, three hours of talking kitchens, no wonder i dreamt about our kitchen last night. Considering the size of our smallish kitchen (About 3m square), plus we need new appliances too, he came back with a quote of.... £24,969.55!!!!! We almost fell off our sofa! But then even with us stunned to silence he proceeded to 'show us what he could do' and magically reduced it to £14,532. Er no. Still WAY too expensive. Yeah their kitchens are guaranteed for 10 years, fully project managed, bespoke and solidly built but even with a free coffee maker I don't think we'll take up his offer. Didn't include tiling, or the flooring either. We were realisticly thinking that we'd pay upto £7k at the very top. Got another guy round tomorrow from a local firm - they offer a door replacement service. Combined with a new worktop and appliances, that could be an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 he came back with a quote of.... £24,969.55!!!!! We almost fell off our sofa! But then even with us stunned to silence he proceeded to 'show us what he could do' and magically reduced it to £14,532. Yes, thats how they work. They offer a big discount so you think you are getting a bargin,when they are still actually horribly overpriced. We have heard this fom people we have quoted for after seeing Everest time & time again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Well, the Everest guy came round at 6pm last night. Didn't leave till 9pm!!!!! Phew, three hours of talking kitchens, no wonder i dreamt about our kitchen last night.Considering the size of our smallish kitchen (About 3m square), plus we need new appliances too, he came back with a quote of.... £24,969.55!!!!! We almost fell off our sofa! But then even with us stunned to silence he proceeded to 'show us what he could do' and magically reduced it to £14,532. Er no. Still WAY too expensive. Yeah their kitchens are guaranteed for 10 years, fully project managed, bespoke and solidly built but even with a free coffee maker I don't think we'll take up his offer. Didn't include tiling, or the flooring either. We were realisticly thinking that we'd pay upto £7k at the very top. Got another guy round tomorrow from a local firm - they offer a door replacement service. Combined with a new worktop and appliances, that could be an option. Oh my goodness, how much???? We have quite a large kitchen and just before I got pregnant with no3 we were considering having it redone. We were quoted £6K by a local company - didn't include appliances, but that is still a big difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordelia Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 my sister got a conservtory with E******...not sure if they are connected with kitchen people....no end of problems... its huge and had to have planning permission...no end of problems..including having to have pillars built to support the great glass roof, which started to collapse after a few months, meaning the room became much smaller (still large admittedly but not the same) also time and time they havent done repairs they promised.... also at one point they forged her signature on documents...I told her to pull out then... but she wouldnt..as she wanted it built...(and that took forever, and they damanged the existing house) cost in excess of 35K i beleive...horrendous price. These companies just find a figure and triple it... (Im sure others must have good experiences though) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoice Posted October 16, 2008 Author Share Posted October 16, 2008 We had another guy round last night. His company fits and supplies complete kitchens but also puts new doors on your existing cabinets if we want (Plus sorts all the filler spaces, kickboards etc). Not a bad idea considering we like the layout of our kitchen already - I always thought it weird to rip out usable carcusses only to put new ones in. So we've asked for a quote for a brand new kitchen with appliances and a quote for a new worktop, appliances, doors and sink/tap. The guy did a rough estimate of £3-£3.5k for the door option or about £6k for whole kitchen. Detailed plans and proper estimate will be picked up on sat when i look round his showroom. Odd chap but was very helpful to show us where we could save money rather than always recommending buying new from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordelia Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 sounds like a good firm...my mother in law went for replacement doors, top etc....(its just like the kitchen in our old house..so that was funny ) but it looks brand new..really nice job done sound like a much better firm.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah B Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 Well, the Everest guy came round at 6pm last night. Didn't leave till 9pm!!!!! Phew, three hours of talking kitchens, no wonder i dreamt about our kitchen last night.Considering the size of our smallish kitchen (About 3m square), plus we need new appliances too, he came back with a quote of.... £24,969.55!!!!! We almost fell off our sofa! But then even with us stunned to silence he proceeded to 'show us what he could do' and magically reduced it to £14,532. Er no. Still WAY too expensive. Yeah their kitchens are guaranteed for 10 years, fully project managed, bespoke and solidly built but even with a free coffee maker I don't think we'll take up his offer. Didn't include tiling, or the flooring either. We were realisticly thinking that we'd pay upto £7k at the very top. Got another guy round tomorrow from a local firm - they offer a door replacement service. Combined with a new worktop and appliances, that could be an option. OMG I have just nearly fallen off my settee reading this post! We too are in the market for a new kitchen and utility, and its a lot of space - 20 sq mtrs of visable floor alone without units and appliances. Granted the quote is for our existing appliances bar a new hob chimney and a wine cooler but it includes all units - 2 x granite sprayed sinks, taps, floor tiles, all wall tiles top of bottom unit to high unit throughout, under unit lighting, all workmanship for everything inc full electrical and plumbing full fitting of everything including new floor and wall tiles, disposal of old kitchen and tiles and re-siting appliances and trust me this is an expensive kitchen http://www.k100.uk.com only £15K. We are having white extra large soft close doors and drawers, steel handles, black granite look floor and work tops. They will do us real granite worktops for an extra £3K but we prob can't afford it. Try http://www.checkatrade.com/ and enter kitchen fitters and designers in your area - check the real ratings. Let me know how it goes. Sarah x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoice Posted October 20, 2008 Author Share Posted October 20, 2008 The company that i mentioned earlier that can use your existing cabinet carcusses came in at £7.5k!!! A completely new one would be nearer £9.5k 'if we do a deal soon'. I know all the quotes I've found are including appliances but that is ridiculous. £7.5k and it's not completely new?! I don't think so. So over the road was B&Q. Booked an appointment with their kitchen planner and waited to see what he came back with. £5400 incl fitting and appliances with the sale they have on at the moment (40% off doors etc). SO much better. If we waited till the January sales we could get that down even more. Now, we had said we weren't going to go with B&Q, we've heard mixed reviews. We also don't really like the inside of their cabinets (Grey/white with a weird coffee bean design!) but the girl in the shop mentioned in few weeks they are revamping the ranges and she believes they'll be providing just a plain cabinet in white (Better). Considering the price differences so far B&Q seem the highest contender. Especially after reading the full page ad in the paper from MFI - they're closing over half of their stores 'to provide a better service' Hmmm, i think the credit crunch may have something to do with this. It'd worry me to buy from them if they're going to fold any minute. How have your B&Q kitchens fared? I'm expecting a few problems if we go with them but if it means that much of a saving then it might be worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedusA Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I am to admit that I read the title of this thread as "Everest Chickens" and clicked expecting to see hens with ice axes and crampons! Obsessed? Moi? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
