Howdens kitchens & their Lamona kitchen appliances

[ringo]

I gather these are rebranded Beko/Candy/something else appliances. A quick wander round the webz suggests they're mostly utter tosh and should be avoided. Seems like Howdens are good on delivery and kitchens but after care on rubbish appliances is crap, better off going to other stores. Shame 'cos I'm not sure if you can stick their cupboard doors on other appliances for the integrated style.

The kitchens from Howden seem to be generally thought of as better quality than the average Ikea/B&Q etc because they use thicker mdf in the carcasses.

Anyone used them?

 

[bi0boy]

I had them pushed on me by several builders whom I asked for quotes, probably because they have a totally untransparent pricing policy. It was a mission to get a builder to quote labour only on a kitchen I was buying myself from B&Q because they all wanted to flog me Howdens stuff at an all-in-one price.

Also who cares how thick the cupboard walls are?

 

[bi0boy]

Oh yeah and even the Howdens rep assumed I'd be getting the appliances elsewhere, so they must be shit.

 

[Spark]

Don't know if they're any good quality worse but I utterly dislike them because of their ridiculous "we only sell to trade" policy.

 

[ringo]

Also who cares how thick the cupboard walls are?

Makes a massive difference in build quality. Howdens are about 4mm thicker so they're much sturdier and have a longer lifespan.

Most tradesmen seem to like them because they have loads of depots, usually deliver what they say they will, and the units come pre-assembled.

The untransparent price policy is a major point though. I did a reasonable search of the web and couldn't find one example of a price sheet. I gather their sheet price is high but tradesmen negotiate depending on how much business they bring to them and that can range between a 30% and 90% discount. My mate does a lot of work through them so tells me he gets a very good discount.

Nobody has anything good to say about their appliances by the looks.

 

[bi0boy]

Makes a massive difference in build quality. Howdens are about 4mm thicker so they're much sturdier and have a longer lifespan.

I've never seen a kitchen cupboard fail because it's walls were 4mm too thin.

 

[ringo]

I have - mdf degrades very quickly if it gets wet and walls buckle and snap off around cupboard door hinges if they're roughly handled.

After a number of years use it can make all the difference, adds quite a bit to the lifespan of the kitchen.

 

[Boudicca]

Howdens units come ready assembled, so are probably stronger and also quicker for a kitchen fitter to fit. And they give the customer a price which includes a cut for the fitter but this is pretty universal in the building industry.

The B&Q basic kitchen units are pretty cheap and nasty, Ikea's are better. Ikea's also give you more depth in the cupboards, so a smaller gap at the back but a potential problem if you buy standard width worktop and have wonky walls.

I've inherited and bought Beko fridges - they have been fine. But as the size of kitchen units are standard, I would imagine it would be pretty easy to find others which fit.

I'm not am expert though, just someone who moves a lot and usually replaces the kitchen.

 

[ringo]

Cheers Boudicca. I tried to buy a B&Q kitchen for the place I'm just about to move out of. The lad wandered off to find a brochure and never came back. I went looking for him and found him hiding behind a cupboard

I bought Ikea's top of the range oak kitchen in the end for less than the B&Q one and was happy enough with it.

Both Beko & Candy fridges and feezers I've had have been really crap. The fridge light stopped working the first day, all the shelves fell apart etc.

 

[stuff_it]

I gather these are rebranded Beko/Candy/something else appliances. A quick wander round the webz suggests they're mostly utter tosh and should be avoided. Seems like Howdens are good on delivery and kitchens but after care on rubbish appliances is crap, better off going to other stores. Shame 'cos I'm not sure if you can stick their cupboard doors on other appliances for the integrated style.

The kitchens from Howden seem to be generally thought of as better quality than the average Ikea/B&Q etc because they use thicker mdf in the carcasses.

Anyone used them?

Surely you are welcome to provide your own appliances and just get the cupboards/doors done and either fit them yourself or have them ready to fit for when the cupboards come?

Just get some integrated appliances from Currys or summat. The fittings ought to be fairly standard - just ask. They may need to know what the dimensions of your intended integrated stuff is before they order the doors. It's very likely you can do this, most kitchen places offer 'replacement doors and work surfaces' only type deals etc and order your cupboard doors when you place your order.

 

[ringo]

Surely you are welcome to provide your own appliances and just get the cupboards/doors done and either fit them yourself or have them ready to fit for when the cupboards come?

That's the bit I'm not sure about, I'd like to buy my own and put their doors on them but I don't know how they come. I'll ask my mate.

 

[stuff_it]

That's the bit I'm not sure about, I'd like to buy my own and put their doors on them but I don't know how they come. I'll ask my mate.

Like I edited, they may want to know the dimensions of your intended other appliances. Should be fairly simple to get the right doors so long as you plan in advance, I'm sure they will do work for people who already have different cupboards, appliances etc they want to keep.

 

[bi0boy]

I have - mdf degrades very quickly if it gets wet and walls buckle and snap off around cupboard door hinges if they're roughly handled.

After a number of years use it can make all the difference, adds quite a bit to the lifespan of the kitchen.

Most flat pack ones are made of chipboard not mdf, and in either case if it gets wet you're fucked no matter how many millimetres thick it is.

My kitchen with chipboard carcasses must have been put in around 1988, I put new doors on when I moved in two years ago and you can't tell that it's 25 years old.

 

[mattie]

I gather that Howden's decision to sell to trade only was to keep their business simple - no need for a load of commissioned sales staff, little faff, few split orders and infrequent return of incorrectly ordered bits. They also don't have large showrooms, the one in Bath is a tiny room in front of their warehouse, so keeps costs down.

I suspect that a lack of clarity in pricing is intended as an incentive for fitters to recommend them, as they can work their margin as they see fit - this makes the fitters the sales people, but my fitter was open that this would be the case and advised us to look at different places. The Howden one was a load cheaper than ikea or B&Q, probably as our fitter had a good relationship with them - I'm not fussed if he got a better margin with them or not, although I'd except that costs were lower given Howden's approach.

The pre-assembly also means the bonds are stronger for the carcasses, and the increased thickness is obviously more rugged, but that's not to say others are exactly weak.

The hob and oven are decent enough, both Stokes, however the dishwasher is shite and the fridge-freezer is only A-rated as the walls are so thick you can't fit anything in. The fridge door panels only came in 50-50 split which was bit limiting (prefer 70-30 in favour of fridge), but other than that I'm perfectly happy with the kitchen itself.

 

[ringo]

Most flat pack ones are made of chipboard not mdf, and in either case if it gets wet you're fucked no matter how many millimetres thick it is.

Howdens use chipboard on the sides and mdf on the back.

 

[ringo]

Thanks Mattie, that's a similar experience to many others I've looked at on the web.

 

[Part 2]

We had a Howden kitchen fitted just before Xmas. It's very solid, no problems there. We found a fitter and he just gave us his card number to buy what we wanted then he charged by the day.

We did however buy a dishwasher from them. It's shit, been fixed 3 times since December.

 

[ringo]

We had a Howden kitchen fitted just before Xmas. It's very solid, no problems there. We found a fitter and he just gave us his card number to buy what we wanted then he charged by the day.

We did however buy a dishwasher from them. It's shit, been fixed 3 times since December.

Sounds familiar

Can you give me an of idea what you were charged for various components? eg cabinets, worktops, doors etc?

 

[Part 2]

I'll have a look but I've a feeling we've lost the receipt tbh, we were looking for it when the dishwasher broke. We paid cash too so don't even have a total price on a statement that could be split by the number of units. As someone mentioned the discount was anywhere between 30% and 90% on different items. Some of the 'normal' prices are ridiculous, no way would anyone pay £8-900 for a corner unit.

We didn't get worktops from them, got a good deal on quartz from a local place which was made even better when the fitters didn't charge the full amount.

 

[William Marry]

I gather these are rebranded Beko/Candy/something else appliances. A quick wander round the webz suggests they're mostly utter tosh and should be avoided. Seems like Howdens are good on delivery and kitchens but after care on rubbish appliances is crap, better off going to other stores. Shame 'cos I'm not sure if you can stick their cupboard doors on other appliances for the integrated style.

The kitchens from Howden seem to be generally thought of as better quality than the average Ikea/B&Q etc because they use thicker mdf in the carcasses.

Anyone used them?

I have heard that Howden have got really good appliances of a very good quality. You have many options and varieties for the kitchen cabinets, faucets,sinks and the counter tops. The granite counter tops are of great quality and they help you in installing it properly.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

We've very recently had a Howdens kitchen installed. It's really good - looks lovely, and great quality. Didn't buy any appliances though, just cupboards, drawers, units and worktops.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I have heard that Howden have got really good appliances of a very good quality. You have many options and varieties for the kitchen cabinets, faucets,sinks and the counter tops. The granite counter tops are of great quality and they help you in installing it properly.

You registered here just to post that? Strong smell of low quality, high in saturated fat tinned pork.

 

[Dan U]

I've not used Howdens but I just spent a fortnight in a villa full of Beko appliances. Fridge and washing machine were fine (although the washing machine drum was very small, would be difficult if you were a family) however the dishwasher was a complete and utter waste of time. We stopped using it after a couple of days as we were rewashing things by hand.

I can thoroughly recommend using the Which? website if you are researching appliances. Ideally find a friend with a log in so you don't have to pay. Mate of mine has given his to about 8 different people and they haven't twigged/complained to him.

 

[Captain Hurrah]

Had a contractor in to give us an estimate (well, how long is a piece of string stage) on a flat we're interesting in buying. If the cost of doing it up is reasonable. He gave us a Howdens brochure.

 

[ringo]

I have heard that Howden have got really good appliances of a very good quality. You have many options and varieties for the kitchen cabinets, faucets,sinks and the counter tops. The granite counter tops are of great quality and they help you in installing it properly.

Doing yourself more damage than good with that underhand nonsense, sunshine.

 

[Part 2]

I have heard that Howden have got really good appliances of a very good quality. You have many options and varieties for the kitchen cabinets, faucets,sinks and the counter tops. The granite counter tops are of great quality and they help you in installing it properly.

faucets? Fuck off.

 

[Onket]

I've not used Howdens but I just spent a fortnight in a villa full of Beko appliances. Fridge and washing machine were fine (although the washing machine drum was very small, would be difficult if you were a family) however the dishwasher was a complete and utter waste of time. We stopped using it after a couple of days as we were rewashing things by hand.

I can thoroughly recommend using the Which? website if you are researching appliances. Ideally find a friend with a log in so you don't have to pay. Mate of mine has given his to about 8 different people and they haven't twigged/complained to him.

Can I have it, please?!

 

[Errol's son]

Howdens do flat-pack and that is very cheap. But you can get Howden's pre-assembled carcasses for the same price as B&Q's flat-pack. B&Q's pre-assembled stuff is very expensive. IKEA's flat-pack is hardly any cheaper than B&Qs flat-pack and with IKEA you have the whole problem of transporting it. When I got a quote from IKEA, it wanted me to get some parts from Manchester and some other parts from Birmingham - but the Birmingham branch would not hold them for me whilst I drove there from Manchester!

So I went back to Howdens. Although it says it only sells to trade, it will sell to cunning individuals. As long as you don't need the receipt made out in your name and are happy with it being made to a fictitious company (this would be fine for returns if a part was faulty), just say you are a sole trader in order to open a Howdens account and give your name with building contractor after it (ie, Mr XXXX Building Contractor). My Howdens kitchen is very good and it was very easy to fit, being pre-assembled. This also makes it easy to get a very professional finish. The cupboards are very strong and this is good of you are going to install a granite or concrete countertop and if you like to sit on your (heavy) countertop. It is still advisable to reinforce the legs though.

I found Howdens extremely helpful and very efficient - my kitchen was purchased before the house was built and Howdens was very helpful in providing solutions to allow me to adjust the length of a run of cabinets in the event the builder got the dimensions of the kitchen a few centimetres out. If you want technical help, Howdens is very helpful but if you want advice on colour, I doubt the salesmen give a shit.

With regard to fascia panels, this is not a problem. I bought all appliances elsewhere and simply gave the model numbers to Howdens and they gave me the correct fascias. The soft closing door hinges were particularly cheap in Howdens.

If you are really looking to save on costs, consider Howdens flat-pack. The other shed that I remember had particularly cheap flat-pack was Wickes. I would recommend visiting Wickes over B&Q, IKEA or Homebase.

I remember hearing somewhere that IKEA kitchens lack space behind the carcasses for drainage pipes so can be a bit of a bugger if the plumbing is not all chased into the wall.

 

[Errol's son]

I have - mdf degrades very quickly if it gets wet and walls buckle and snap off around cupboard door hinges if they're roughly handled.

After a number of years use it can make all the difference, adds quite a bit to the lifespan of the kitchen.

I have. I saw a cheap South African flat-pack kitchen fall to pieces over the space of two years. It had been assembled reasonably well. It was just made from the thinnest chipboard with the bare minimum of screws etc provided to hold the thing together. The thicker the chipboard or MDF the better. Kitchens get a fair bit of abuse. Its hard to fault the quality Howdens offers at the price it does.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I remember hearing somewhere that IKEA kitchens lack space behind the carcasses for drainage pipes so can be a bit of a bugger if the plumbing is not all chased into the wall.

I have this problem in my house. I'm sorting it with having wider worktops on top.