Magnets or DIY kitchens?
Discussion
fourstardan said:
I've done my kitchen with Better kitchens and cannot fault them. DIY kitchens are in Leeds and im on the SW coast so Better Kitchens in Weston Super Mare so made better sense.
I was just discussing kitchens with a colleague at work and he mentioned unitsonline as another possible option. While looking at their units I noticed that although they're pre assembled they do state the carcasses are cam and dowel so basically a flat pack carcass built up at the factory before being shipped.That made me wonder about betterkitchens as I couldn't find their construction mentioned on the website, although they do mention that the carcass can come pre built or flat pack which suggests that might also be cam and dowel? Probably not a massive issue in practical terms but perhaps not quite what some people think they're getting if that's what they are.
DavidY said:
Oh and watch out for the delivery trap, the cheapest delivery offers no help in getting items from the lorry to the house, so either pay a bit more for assistance or have a couple of mates on hand. Mine turned up at 8pm at night!
That's all changed now. I don't know if it's because of Covid or a push to rationalise the options but now even the basic/standard option (£99) is a 2-man into-the-house delivery. The premium option differs in things like being able to specify a delivery day, change the date etc. I can't see it on the website at the moment - it wouldn't surprise me if they've suspended it given how busy they are at the moment though - it probably isn't financially viable to allow the customer to dictate when things get delivered when they're working flat out.This change has been both good and bad for me... Good that it meant they did all the heavy lifting into the house but bad that I'd gone and bought a sack truck for just this job as I thought I'd be doing it all myself!
Edited by MJNewton on Wednesday 30th September 16:55
CorradoTDI said:
2 things I would recommend with DIY is the metal extended pan drawer sides that clip on (£15 a pair) [...]
Yes, we went for the glass extended pan drawer sides (£25 a pair) and, incidentally, this actually results in you getting a different Blum drawer type - Tandembox Intivo instead of Tandembox Classic:
Edited by MJNewton on Wednesday 30th September 22:38
Last year we did the full works. Visited DIY Kitchens-very impressed; Wren-Argh!; Wickes-pricey and full of extra discounts, when do you stop asking and know you'e got the best price; Magnet - checking quote realised units were 16mm not 18mm thick like the others, also not ready assembled as we were led to believe; Howdens - good but you have to go through or be a tradie.
In the end we decided we couldn't significantly change the layout of our kitchen so just tarted up existing units but an interesting experience none-the-less.
In the end we decided we couldn't significantly change the layout of our kitchen so just tarted up existing units but an interesting experience none-the-less.
LocoBlade said:
I was just discussing kitchens with a colleague at work and he mentioned unitsonline as another possible option. While looking at their units I noticed that although they're pre assembled they do state the carcasses are cam and dowel so basically a flat pack carcass built up at the factory before being shipped.
That made me wonder about betterkitchens as I couldn't find their construction mentioned on the website, although they do mention that the carcass can come pre built or flat pack which suggests that might also be cam and dowel? Probably not a massive issue in practical terms but perhaps not quite what some people think they're getting if that's what they are.
Bought mine constructed, I think they are a bit extra though.That made me wonder about betterkitchens as I couldn't find their construction mentioned on the website, although they do mention that the carcass can come pre built or flat pack which suggests that might also be cam and dowel? Probably not a massive issue in practical terms but perhaps not quite what some people think they're getting if that's what they are.
No idea how better kitchens cabs are made but they seem alright to me so far, my friend who fitted it used them based on quality so I would try and save as much money as you can on what is really just a chipboard frame lol.
fourstardan said:
Bought mine constructed, I think they are a bit extra though.
No idea how better kitchens cabs are made but they seem alright to me so far, my friend who fitted it used them based on quality so I would try and save as much money as you can on what is really just a chipboard frame lol.
Have a peek inside a cabinet, do you see any of these round locking cams in the corners etc? They may be on the outside faces though so you can't see them I guess.No idea how better kitchens cabs are made but they seem alright to me so far, my friend who fitted it used them based on quality so I would try and save as much money as you can on what is really just a chipboard frame lol.
fourstardan said:
I would try and save as much money as you can on what is really just a chipboard frame lol.
I think many lose sight of this ^^99% of kitchens are mostly cheap chipboard with chipboard or MDF doors
They are primarily to store food
Somehow marketing has managed to convince us to spend huge amounts of money on them and generally they are replaced (as are most things these days) when fashion dictates it, rather than when they have worn out
The first kitchen I fitted was an MFI flat pack - 20+ years ago, the house was sold recently and it's still there, still looks fine (in pictures at least)
These days I don't buy flat pack as I have more money than time but correctly fitted, there is absolutely nothing wrong with them
UTH said:
Based on the above, does that mean there is a cheaper option with DIY Kitchens where they arrive flat packed and I put them together? I'd be happy to do that if it was an option to save some cash.....
I haven't looked recently but there used to be some ridiculously cheap options coming in from Poland etcMr Pointy said:
UTH said:
Based on the above, does that mean there is a cheaper option with DIY Kitchens where they arrive flat packed and I put them together? I'd be happy to do that if it was an option to save some cash.....
No, not from DIY Kitchens. They only supply assembled units.PrinceRupert said:
UTH said:
Cool, thanks.
Unless you're fitting it yourself, it will probably cost more to pay your kitchen fitter to put them together than for them to arrive built. But I'm fairly sure I'll be going with DIY Kitchens so it sounds like they come prebuilt anyway.
DIY Kitchens can supply a unit "dry" assembled without being glued if requested, useful if you intend to cut the unit down or its a big corner unit that won't go through the door fully assembled so needs taking apart to get through the door.
Better Kitchens say theirs can be supplied either assembled or flat pack which is why I was thinking they were more likely cam and dowel, I guess they could conceivably just supply glue although I imagine that would lose the potential benefit of glued units that are placed in a jig and held in the right position to bond to ensure they're square etc.
I only mentioned it because its not like for like as some may assume when you see both sold as "solid" construction. I wouldn't necessarily avoid a cam and dowel carcass outright but as that method does tend to only be used at the lower end of the market there's more chance of getting a low end no name flimsy cabinet sold as somethng its not, but if otherwise the construction is as good or better than somewhere like DIY then there's not really any reason not to go for it.
Better Kitchens say theirs can be supplied either assembled or flat pack which is why I was thinking they were more likely cam and dowel, I guess they could conceivably just supply glue although I imagine that would lose the potential benefit of glued units that are placed in a jig and held in the right position to bond to ensure they're square etc.
I only mentioned it because its not like for like as some may assume when you see both sold as "solid" construction. I wouldn't necessarily avoid a cam and dowel carcass outright but as that method does tend to only be used at the lower end of the market there's more chance of getting a low end no name flimsy cabinet sold as somethng its not, but if otherwise the construction is as good or better than somewhere like DIY then there's not really any reason not to go for it.
Am I being thick? The DIY Kitchens online 3D Planner is now offline to new people, but it still says you can plan your kitchen on the main website? I assumed that was going to point me towards some sort of 2D version, but all I can work out from the website is that I can add units to my basket. Am I missing something in being able to "plan" my kitchen on their site?
bungle said:
Am I being thick? The DIY Kitchens online 3D Planner is now offline to new people, but it still says you can plan your kitchen on the main website? I assumed that was going to point me towards some sort of 2D version, but all I can work out from the website is that I can add units to my basket. Am I missing something in being able to "plan" my kitchen on their site?
I can still access it as I already have an account and a kitchen I have planned (or planning)I think someone mentioned earlier that they have now shut the Beta to new people as they're about to release the new version? Bit baffling, but I guess unless you already have a saved plan, you don't have any option to use the planner yet.
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